I bid adieu to an old friend today as I took Penelope, my beloved silver BMW, to her permanent retirement home. The grand old dame was my constant companion for  the past 16 years and 235,000 miles of countless fabulous trips in California, the Pacific Northwest, and Cross Country from West to East and North to South to New Jersey and Florida. She sported a first generation GPS, whose prim, proper, and occasional scolding voice inspired her name. She will be fondly remembered and always a part of me.

Tomorrow I welcome Alexa, a Pearl White Cadillac CTS, to the family, with a snappy modern version of GPS and a screen twice as large as Penelope’s. Alexa is named in honor of my father, Al, who always wanted a Cadillac and was just about to buy one when he died way too young. So this one’s for you, Dad, and yes, Mom will drive it—at least around the block once.