MMMdonut--your trip sounds great. In fact, I might be a little jealous! I've never been to the Outer Banks. Maybe Ted would like an outing...

I'll be curious to hear your impressions of the new bulbs. I opted not to get the Xenons (one of the few who does that intentionally). I don't think the factory halogens are too bad, but if those new bulbs really light up the night, I might be tempted to give 'em a try.

Atomic--like your new look!

Blainestang--hey, how ya' been?

 

We're back from vacation! One-thousand miles (plue or minus) total. We had a great time at the beach. Homer has the sand to prove it! Now I have to go and clean him out and give him a good bath. We counted a total of ten MINIs in that thousand miles (we were hoping to see more) and we met one MINI couple face to face on Ocracoke Island, NC.

tedswoods--Go to the OBX and go to Ocracoke Island. It's been rated in the top ten US beaches since beach rating have been done and in 2007 was named the number one beach in the USA! Take the free thirty-minute ferry ride from Cape Hatteras and enjoy 20 miles of undeveloped beach. Dog friendly too!

Homer performed great. The new Philips X-treme halogen bulbs are really nice. Much better than standard halogens.

 

T'was cloudy yesterday evening. Had another "Oxygen Blue = Yumm" moment. Looked rather moody in under the darkened sky.

 

Our Outer Banks vacation was awesome and the ride in Homer was too, but we expected nothing less. The ride was an improvement over our 1st Gen MINI.

We only saw ten MINIs (no O2Bs) in the whole 1200 mile round trip though. I think that that is both good and bad. Good because it makes us unique. Bad because we like to see and meet more MINIs.

The Philips X-treme halogens are a big leap up from the standard halogen bulbs that come installed from the factory. They were a big help at night.

The cargo setting for the back seats also made a big difference in how much stuff we could carry from the room to the beach. For the trip up and back the deeper boot allowed us to carry two 24 packs of bottled tea. We could never carry that in our 1st gen MINI. The addition of the cargo nets is a huge help.

Homer now has 2200 miles on him.

 

MMM, sounds like you had a great trip! I'm glad to hear Homer performed like a champ (but I too would expect nothing less). Will have to check out OBX one of these days...

 

Well, in my ceaseless traversing of Arlington I have now had several occasions to encounter the only other Oxygen Blue MINI in town. We wave each other down each time we meet. I suspect we will have a chance to visit one of these days...that will be cool.

In other news, my car's doppleganger is sitting on the Moritz MINI lot right now waiting for some lucky owner to drive her off. I do have my doubts as to whether this is a true doppleganger, though....the outside is the same but I doubt the inside is (or could be).

 

Update.....the dobbleganger now has bonnet stripes, so it must match somebody else's MINI, not mine.

 

Hey! I'm outside Philly too and I also have the JCW grille, don't you love it?!?!

 

I think I saw your MINI at the last event at Otto's in March! (the rally they had for the convertible, in all the downpouring rain?)

That's when I decided I had to have the JCW grille, it looks awesome on the OxyBlue! And it was super easy to install!

I saw your post about the Bi-Annual Philly MINI detailing day - your MINI looks great! Wish I knew about that ahead of time, I would have come out and joined you all...I hope to make it out to the next event!

 

Yep that was mine! Ah, yes the rally in the rain.....it was still fun either way. You should definitely come out to a PM event soon, they are a lot of fun and everyone is great! So whereabouts around Philly do you live?

 

I'm currently in Drexel Hill, but my partner and I just got a house in West Norriton - he works in Phoenixville, and I work from home, so his commute dictated where the house is...

We chose the house based on 1. location 2. cool house 3. the landlord and his dad both drive MINI's! (ok, so 3 should be 1)...we're starting our own unofficial West Norriton MINI Club!

We start moving this weekend, and have the whole month of June to move, so I'll be quite busy for the next few weekends (I really wanted to goto the British Cars show this coming Sat) but we'll be at a Philly MINI event soon, I promise! Tons of cool peeps I need to socialize with!

You'll have to clue me in on some cool driving roads in your area - Exton isn't too far away!

 

The last time we saw an O2B MINI is the Baltimore/Ellicott City/Columbia, MD area was almost two years ago when I owned a CR/W MC. I love driving a rare color MINI.

 

Me, too!!! OB for me really clicks fully into my love for classic Minis and has allowed be to drive a more-or-less modern version of a very classic, traditional car (I have English Oak, too). That nobody get this or even cares is irrelevant....I am highly entertained by the car which, as my second MINI, is configured with exact attention to each and every option. It would be considered a somewhat sparse config by some people's standards, but not to me...not at all!!! Two years later...I would not change a thing!!

 

Just got my O2 Blue yesterday! I absolutely love the colour. The builder definitely doesn't do it justice at all. As far as I know mine is the only one in the vicinity of my city. There are three BRGs though...

 

Congratulations Agent.COOPER! The O2B is an awesome color!

Happy Motoring and welcome to the fold!

 

So yesterday I said it's been almost two years since we've seen an O2B. Let's reset that to one day. Last night on my commute home, and less than half a mile from home, I spotted an O2B/W (no stripes) MC. We waved at each other. I always love the wave. My wife gets home and tells me that she saw an O2B/B MC (no stripes) in the grocery store parking lot that's a mile and half from home.

I'm not as rare as I used to be, but now I have O2B brothers and sisters!

 

I agree!! Today I had another roadway encounter with "the-other-Oxygen-Blue-MINI-in-Arlington" and exchanged a wave. Her car has bonnet stripes...mine does not. Both are OB/Ws.

In other news, both OBs on the dealership lot (I am tending to think they were two of them, not one as I had originally thought) are gone.....off to good homes I presume. The OB don't last long, I will say that!!!

 

Even though I now know of two other O2B MC in Columbia/Ellicott City, Maryland, PW is still the most common color around here. I personally know two PW owners and there is a PW in the lot of the office complex where I work. No matter the color, I always love seeing & waving at other MINIs.

 

Here's a wild hunch.......I think OB/Ws are a bit more common (based on what I've seen here on NAM, up at the dealershup, and on the road) than OB/B (which is also really awesome). I think that would make OB/B the single most unique and rare color combination in the entire present MINI-color universe. Just a for our OB/B folks.

 

Ironically, I've seen a couple OBs in the strangest of places--out in the middle of nowhere--where I tend to be. I mean little out-of-the-way places where I didn't expect to see another MINI, let alone another OB.

 

I have seen a few in random spots, too, and I almost started the "freaked-out-look-another-OB" wavefest, but then I remembered I was, at the time, not in my MINI, but merely one of the nameless pedestrians on the bustling streets of downtown Dallas. Hey, sure I'm a MINI freak, but ya got to have your limits, right?!?!?! I withheld my enthusiasm......but just barely.

 

When my previous MINI was totaled (no injuries), the insurance company gave me a rental for two weeks. It was a Ford Fusion sedan, or as I called it, an old man sedan. While driving the three miles from the rental place to home, I spotted a MINI. I was just about to wave, but I had to curb my enthusiasm. It was bad enough to be driving a Ford Fusion POS, but to be driving one and waving at MINIs... Can't do it.

 

I hear that!!! It is really an odd sensation/predicament to find oneself in.

 

Hey again, y'all!
My MINI and I are approaching 6 months together and I love her just as much as the day I got her, if not more.

I have been getting (and, yes, giving) many waves these days. It cracks me right up if I have someone with me and get/give a MINI wave. They are invariably like "What was that?" Then I get to explain about the wave.

 

Welcome back wannab! Glad to hear you and your MINI are still as one and enjoying each other! And it's good you're passing the wave 'secret handshake' onto your passengers.

Are you going to MOT by any chance?