Topless Except for an Umbrella

In the world of convertibles, you can consider me to be a relative newbie. I have owned one for just about a year and there are subtle things that I am getting used to. Now that the weather in DC is beginning to take a turn for the warmer, I am able to put the top down and go 'topless' more and more frequently. In a city known for it's extremes when it comes to weather, convertible owners are no different. When there is a mention of snow in DC, the town goes into panic. Bread, toilet paper and milk are sold out within hours and people stand outside their doors with shovels, ready to move snow off as soon as it hits the ground. Conversely, at the tail end of winter, when the temperature breaks the 45 degree mark, you'll see many convertible owners out in force with the top down.

This winter I decided to join in the fun and be a part of the crowd so that I could say that at least I have experienced the sensation. My drive into work is about 20 minutes down the Dulles Toll Road. So I decided to give it a whirl one morning with the temperatures at about 50 degrees. I was doing fine as I pulled out of the parking lot and as I hit the toll road, I realized why so many drivers have a smiling expression on their faces even in the dead of winter. See, these are folks who put the top down on their cars and were smiling at being kings of the convertibles, then as they continued to zoom down the highway, their expressions were frozen in place. I ended up freezing my nose looking like Rudolph and I couldn't touch my ears for a few hours in fear of having them snap off in my fingers. That was the last time for a long time where I drove with the top down.

A few weeks ago, the temperatures warmed up again so I decided to give it another go. The temperatures during the day were about 70 degrees and the sun had been shining all day so the temperatures were fairly high. I put the top down, and was cruising down 66 feeling rather content. As I took the exit for Tysons Corner, I came zooming around the off-ramp feeling quite content at how the car handles the corners.

Now one thing I didn't know which I know now and which I will pass on to you happy readers is that the grassy areas around Tysons Corner have automatic sprinklers which keep the grass green and fresh year round. Now if some miscreant is feeling sneaky, they can turn these sprinkler heads to face the road.... which is exactly what happened to me. I came around the corner and low and behold, there is a waterfall directly ahead. Too late to do anything about it, I drive straight through. At that speed, the soaking is very quick and not that extensive but as I brush the droplets of water from my eye I realize that there is much more to driving with a convertible than meets the eye.

Another danger is the dearth of smokers out there. I get to work quite early and as such, there are often times when I leave before the sun has broken the horizon so in the semi-twilight of the mornings, many smokers enjoy flicking their butts out the window and seeing the rain of sparks as the ash comes flying off. It's a wonderous site at times. It's not so wonderous when the butt isn't aimed low enough and it nearly flies into your car at 60+ miles per hour! I can't tell you the number of times I have sped up to avoid butts flying into the cockpit of my car.

I am determined to keep my top down as the weather permits, but I'm also starting to think that perhaps I should have an umbrella handy. Just in case.