The full-size 2014 Toyota Tundra pickup features evolutionary styling, with most of its body panels sporting a new look, while offering realistic work capability and legendary Toyota reliability and durability. There are three engine choices, three cabs, three bed sizes and five trim levels — including the top-of-the-line 1794, which was my test vehicle. Towing […]
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Posted inAuto Talk, Blog
All-New 2015 Lexus NX Compact Luxury-Utility Offers Choice of Turbo or Hybrid Power
In 1998, Lexus created the luxury-utility crossover segment with the debut of the original midsized RX, and is looking to take the lead again the growing compact segment with the all-new 2015 NX. Following the route of the Lexus GS and IS sedans, the 2015 NX introduces enticing design to a segment known for its […]
Posted inAt Home, Blog
The Pitfalls of Using ‘Review’ Websites to Help Choose Your Building or Remodeling Contractor
You’ve seen them online, and the ads on TV. Use their website to get reviews before you hire a builder or remodeler (or a doctor, dentist etcetera). Their “list” can save you lots of headache, the ads claim. But how do these sites really work in helping you — or is there more to it? […]
Posted inAuto Talk, Blog
New 2015 Volvo XC90 Launch now Underway
One of Volvo’s’ most anticipated car launches of recent years — the all-new XC90 – has officially begun. Consumer insights have led to the development of many of the interior features of this all-new SUV — including style details first previewed in three award-winning concept cars. These features highlight Volvo’s new design language, which is […]
Posted inBehind The Wheel
The Original Hybrid Still Tops the Charts
After 12 years and more than 3 million vehicles sold worldwide — half of them in the United States — the venerable Toyota Prius remains the most popular hybrid vehicle on the planet. Now in its third generation, the Prius first debuted in 2000 as a 2001 model. It was redesigned for 2010, and the […]
Posted inThe Garden
Plants and Proprietors with Local Roots
A cool Northwestern day is the perfect time to duck into a greenhouse, replete with the warmth of solar energy coming through the walls, pleasantly humid as plants exhale pure oxygen, and fragrant with the earthy perfume of rich soil. Greenhouses can be comforting places where plants and people are insulated from the harsh weather […]
Posted inBehind The Wheel
Jeep Cherokee All-New for 2014
This year marks the return of the classic Jeep Cherokee nameplate. Retired in 2001, the Cherokee was the dominant yuppie-soccer moms’ SUV of choice in the late 1980s and early ’90s. The all-new Cherokee is totally different. It boasts a pretty fair amount of all-terrain capability for a small crossover SUV, and since it shares […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
In Search Of The Perfect Bite
It was time to revisit Brix 25. A fine-dining staple of the Gig Harbor community since it opened in 2004, the restaurant has changed hands three times in its short history. In 2008, after being named Restaurant of the Year by the Washington Wine Commission, it was purchased by husband-and-wife team Thad Lyman and Katie […]
Posted inBehind The Wheel
An All-New Full-Size Flagship Sedan
At the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s (NWAPA) Run To The Sun event last summer, the participating manufacturers pitched their vehicles to the journalists present, with a brief Q&A after each presentation. When Kia came up, I asked if, considering the success of Hyundai’s full-size Genesis sedan (Hyundai owns a major stake in Kia), Kia didn’t […]