Yes, I’m sporting aqua sections. Praise be for Tamra at Strut Salon in Portland, Oregon, and many many thanks to @unjenny for the recommendation! Tamra called this look rockabilly chic, and then tomorrow we’re going to do a blow-out to show me the straight hair treatment. About time I learned to style my hair, I do believe….

Yesterday at the BMW club’s HPDE at PIR, I was working hard on improving my speed through turns 10-11, leading into the sharp right-hander shown here of turn 12 that is the entrance to the front straight. (So it’s a super-important set-up since most time is gained by speed in the straights.) And I had my first off-track excursion, too, before turn 12! I was carrying so much more speed than I had been and I braked & shifted a bit late and the car felt too unsettled to make the right hander of 12 without going into a tailspin, so I simply drove off into the grass with nary a bit of harm to track, car, or self. It was the best first off-track excursion I could have dialed up, so hurrah for that!

Elephant Park

Four going on fourteen
—excuse me, four-and-three-quarters—
she marches off with a sashay,
stops to pull up her black socks,
shocking yellow striped dress
flouncing away, up the stairs
to new levels, towers, mazes
of her own devising plus
those erected to keep us running—
dashing—gasping for the effort
but finally figuring out the swing,
the pump and pull of body—
be patient, girl, the speed builds,
and surely you’ll rise up
over and over again, singing
the beautiful song of your life.

– E Bacon, July 2, 2011

Au revoir, my iron lion…. Trustworthy friend of a car.