Smoke gets on my car

Ashfall from the Station Fire speckled my Prius. Every morning, there was fresh ash on my car.

Hall pass

I want one of these. It's the magic sticker that Prii can get that allows them to use California's HOV lanes. This bad boy was parked next to my Prius at work, just flaunting its bling.

Treat me right

Speaking of things I'm not used to, how about this? The best parking spaces reserved for me and my Prius.

Sneak peek

I showed you the lot across from Ellen's day care where a local Toyota dealer stores their overflow cars. All those Prii are gone now, replaced by this one shiny new (still wrapped in shipping materials!) 2010 Prius. All-new fancy electronics package, electric-vehicle mode, solar-powered air-conditioner...  

And it was unlocked! So tempted to see if I could take it for a spin.

Dealer

Fixing my tape deck (yes, tape deck) at the Toyota dealership. My Prius was the last model not to have an input for an iPod, so I have to use the low-tech cassette adapter. Woe is me.

Supply and demand

When gas was $4/gallon, you couldn't get one of these for love or money. Now, hybrids are piling up on dealers' lots. This is an overflow lot across the street from Ellen's day care, used by a Toyota dealer about a mile away. The long row of new Priuses has been growing steadily.  I wish I could take them all home and make them feel loved.

Yikes

And here's that lovely -25 degree day now. The exhaust fumes from cars freezes instantly on roads, so they turn into ice rinks. Here's one of several nasty accidents I passed on the way to day care. The highways were even worse.

Foreshadowing

Just a hint of what's to come. It got down into the -20s the following week.

Rude awakening

So I pulled off the Interstate to get some coffee. I'm idling at a red light when the semi driver behind me decides that the light had turned green. It hadn't. This may be the first recorded battle of semi vs. Prius.

Pretty cars all in a row

A few Priuses hanging out at the Toyota dealership.

At the car wash

I'm a bad car-parent. When it needs a wash, it really needs one.

Making friends

Aww... my Prius has a buddy.

Frigid

Bitter cold, bright sun. It's January in Minnesota.