Ah spring.

Daffodils bloom, dogwoods spread their blossoms and the air warms under a bright sun.
For some people, spring signifies a change, an opportunity to do things you have not done since the autumn’s cold creeping embrace.

For me, this means that I can now drive with the top down on my Eclipse Spyder.

With the sun on your face, wind in your hair and blue sky everywhere, there is no feeling that can match driving around in a convertible. You feel more alive with a sense of freedom. You can see everything around you even if it means breathing some trucker’s exhaust.

I always wanted a convertible whenever I thought about having my own car when I was growing up in Newfoundland. The problem of having a convertible is immediately obvious with the island’s long winters and high number of rainy days. A few brave souls around St, John’s had convertibles but realistically. If they got 2 weeks worth of top down driving in a year, they were fortunate.

When I moved to the sunshine state of Florida, convertibles were quite common but I still could not get one as convertibles are more expensive than comparable cars. So I had to remain content with my Neon for several years. In the spring of 2001 when the Neon decided it could not run anymore without getting thousands of dollars of maintenance , I though this was the time to make one of my dreams come true. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder was one car I was looking at for quite awhile. At the time, the $30,000 price tag was doable for me so I soon was behind the wheel of the car. For several weeks after, whenever the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, the top came down and I was on the road. The exhilaration of driving the vehicle was incredible.

One thing I did find out about driving in Florida with a convertible, that every day was not a good day to drive with the top down. Summer days were especially bed with the torrid humility and an unrelenting sun; if you stop even just for a moment, you immediately feel the heat. So, like so many others that summer, I found myself with the top up during the daytime and the AC turned on. When night fell then the top could come down. In time, I realised that daytime driving a convertible is best in northern Florida during the March-May & October-November months otherwise it is too hot or cold.

What I found good about North Carolina is that it is made for cruising with the top down with the mountains in the west to the beaches in the east. The summers are quite tolerable and rarely do I need to put the top up except for the most humid of days which are few here. UNtil Madeleine came into our lives, we cruised the Blue Ridge Mountains experiencing the fall colours with unrestricted views

Since Madeleine’s birth, the convertible i essentially my car for commuting. Everything else is handled by the CR-V as it carries everyone comfortably and hauls bigger load. For viewing landscapes like the fall colours, it not so bad though nothing like the Spyder.

Soon, though, it will be time to give it up entirely. Just not practical anymore with the kids. Not too bad on wear and tear with just 85K miles on it so if I do trade it in, I should get a decent price for it.

For seven years, I have cruised the highways and byways of North Carolina and Florida with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair and feel alive and happy. It has been a good run but I think I have one more summer of driving with the down top.

I am going to miss my Eclipse.