Buick

1 Comment Posted on October 17, 2014 Health, Nostalgia, Uncategorized

Our Visit to the Buchi Headquarters And Avonlea Learning Community

In what turned out to be a major coincidence, two weeks ago I happened to mountain bike a few miles up to Whole Foods during my lunch break and treat myself to a Buchi brand Kombucha. I happened to turn the bottle around to see that Buchi is made in Asheville, NC.

The reason that is important is because just a few days later, we would be going to Asheville anyway, on our fall road trip from Nashville to Asheville, as we reviewed the 4G capabilities of the 2015 Buick LaCrosse.

So I sent a quick email to Buchi requesting a tour while we were in town and they said yes.

Therefore, today with great honor, I share our visit of Buchi, as well as, the Avonlea Learning Community with you.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Kombucha, I refer to it as “vegan soda.” It’s extremely healthy for you and full of probiotics, but contains no added junk or chemicals like soda does; nor is it an actual alcoholic beverage, despite the appearance.

Without a doubt, Buchi is a very fascinating company. Why else would our family make an effort to visit their headquarters while on our fall mini-vacation?

For starters, Fast Company recently featured them in their magazine.

The next thing I find fascinating about them is how humble the workers are. I met with Mike Numinous, the Vision Caster and Kombucha Ambassador of Buchi.

He sincerely hugs anyone he meets. It’s that mentality that gets bottled up with the Kombucha itself.

I am amazed at how “uncorporate” the Buchi company is, not just in word, but in action.

For the type of national distribution they have, I assumed they must have a huge warehouse.

Nope.

I’m so impressed how far this company has gotten without a major corporate affiliation. Talk about the underdog! Buchi’s staff is very hard-working, yet full of heart.

The Buchi headquarters, which is up in the mountains, about a 25 minute drive from downtown Asheville, is simply part of the communal property which also hosts the homes of many of Buchi’s staff as well as their Montessori-based private school: Avonlea Learning Community.

They have mixed age classrooms, art and physical education daily, and an emphasis on nature exploration. They focus on critical thinking, teach chicken farming and gardening, and are located on 180 acres of organic farm and woodland; all with affordable tuition! Man, if only we lived in Asheville…

Another coincidence in this whole story is that the flavor of Buchi I happened to be drinking in the picture at the top, before we ever made our visit, was the Avonlea flavor; which was named in honor on their school. Avonlea, along with Fire, happen to be my favorites!

We really enjoyed seeing the school. I mean this in a good way; it was like seeing the Dharma Initiative in 1977; at least the way it was intended to be. (That’s a reference to once my favorite shows, Lost.)

In the backyard of the school is a chicken coop; the children sell the eggs to the community. There is also a trampoline and plenty of room to run around.

Man, what a cool school!

Our fall trip to Asheville was a blast the whole time, but I think our visit to the Buchi headquarters was my favorite part!

Below is some bonus footage, featuring some interviews I did with Mike Numinous, the Vision Caster and Kombucha Ambassador of Buchi:

Leave a comment Posted on October 17, 2014 funny, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Bribing Me By Calling Me “Cool Daddy”

3 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

This morning as Mommy buckled you into your car seat, I was sitting up front in the 2015 Buick LaCrosse we’ve been driving this week.

After she already had you buckled, you then decided you wanted to take off your pullover, even though it was chilly outside.

I saw it as a way you were just trying to stall Mommy leaving. She had to leave that very minute in order to get to work on time.

So Mommy had to leave on that note, walking to her car to drive to the other side of Nashville.

You were somewhat upset, raising your voice at me because you wanted your pullover off and because Mommy had to leave because of your attempted stall.

To take control of the situation, I warned you as I backed away from our house that I would have to take away your stuffed animal you were holding if you couldn’t focus on something else.

You didn’t… so I did.

Obviously that made you more upset, but it worked- it got your attention. You stopped focusing on the pullover and instead were completely focused on getting your stuffed animal back.

“Jack, say something nice and I’ll give you your animal back,” I explained, in my attempt to redirect the focus to a more positive one.

Silence.

Ten seconds later, you proclaimed, “Daddy, I said it!”

I responded by telling you I didn’t hear you say anything.

Then you barely mumbled something under your breath.

“Jack, you have to say it loud enough where I can hear it. Just say something positive or nice and you’ll get your animal back,” I insisted.

This time you said it loud and clear:

“Cool Daddy,” you replied.

I begin instantly laughing out loud, so you did as well.

“Jack, did you just call me a ‘cool Daddy’ to be nice so you would get your animal back?”

You shook your head yes as you laughed.

So it’s official: I am a cool Daddy and you got your stuffed animal back.

Love,

Daddy

1 Comment Posted on October 15, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: There’s Nothin’ Like Riding Through A Tunnel In The Car

3 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

Looking back, one of my favorite parts about family road trips, as a kid, was getting to ride through a tunnel in the car.

When on a family road trip, you just never know when one might pop up.

Of course, driving through one was always a little bit scary. There was that idea in my subconscious that we would never come out the other end; that we would not indeed “see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

As I got older, I was happy when my own dad would beep the horn so that it eerily echoed. Likewise, other drivers would do the same; creating this underground, non-aggressive, horn-honking orchestra conducted by random strangers.

I would also try to hold my breath for the entire duration of being in the tunnel; which was always a gamble, not knowing how long the tunnel would be.

You’re not there yet.

This past weekend on our fall road trip from Nashville to Asheville, as we reviewed the 4G capabilities of the 2015 Buick LaCrosse, we encountered one of those glorious tunnels somewhere between the North Carolina state line coming from Nashville headed towards Asheville.

Mommy cheered as the tunnel sort of appeared out of nowhere. Then I did my best to add to the theatrics of it, by pretending to be the voice of a monster, like I did with the “Apple Monster.”

However, you weren’t that impressed. Not to mention, you weren’t even the least bit afraid of the tunnel.

Actually, I think Mommy and I were more excited about driving through the tunnel than you were.

Just to be sure, Mommy and I demonstrated the same excitement as we headed back home, going through it a 2^nd time.

Oh well, we’ll keep trying to impress you with our theatrics.

Love,

Daddy

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1 Comment Posted on September 7, 2014 Uncategorized

4G Equipped 2015 Buick LaCrosse: Labor Day Weekend Family Friendly Review

As I mentioned in The New (and Younger) Buick, Equipped with 4G and OnStar, our family had the privilege of getting to review the 2015 Buick LaCrosse over Labor Day Weekend.

I had my wife take notes of the comments our family made during the trip about the vehicle.

She personally was impressed that the car was even roomier on the inside, compared to how it looks from the outside.

And speaking of the outside, everyone we encountered over Labor Day Weekend all made the same comment: “Wow, what a beautiful car!”

Perhaps I was most impressed by how quiet the LaCrosse is, despite its power (3.6 L, SIDI V6).

Seriously, I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t an electric car. But looking back to my most recent trip to GM’s headquarters, I remember them mentioning how much attention and effort they put into making sure that Buicks are notably quiet- sort of like a trademark.

But of course I also loved having not only 4G Wi-FI in the vehicle, which enabled my son to learn about his ABC’s on my wife’s Kindle for a good amount of the trip, but also the access to OnStar.

I love OnStar! I really appreciate being able to have an instant human helper to assist me while I’m driving. I’m not the best multi-tasker, so having OnStar is extremely helpful to me.

From here, I want to finish up by doing the modern day equivalent of how people use to share photos with captions written on the back, to tell you about their trips.

We left our house in Nashville on Saturday morning and begin our journey. The shot of the highway above was where Jack proclaimed, “I see Lake Tahoe!” (We went there earlier this summer.)

First stop: My own grandparents’ house in Chattanooga.

Next we headed to Whole Foods, using OnStar of course, to enjoy a nice plant-based lunch.

After that we made our way to my hometown on Fort Payne, Alabama; where we chilled out for a while at a Labor Day get-together.

Jack and I enjoyed discovering the awesome playground, pretending to be pirates.

For a year now, since I’ve been regularly been reviewing cars, I’ve been wanting to take Jack to Desoto Falls in Mentone, AL.

I made it work… It started raining as soon as we got there and stopped raining the moment we got back to the Buick.

Oh well, Jack loved it. Plus, it didn’t rain hard enough to mess up my camera while we took some fun pictures.

For his nap time, Jack had an interesting request…

For me to read his story to him while wearing a scary mask!

(See the full story: Dear Jack: Reading Bedtime Stories With A Scream Mask On.)

We definitely had a fun road trip in the 2015 Buick LaCrosse! Before we left, we loaded up the trunk, full of produce from my parents organic, non-GMO garden to take back to our home in Nashville.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the 2015 Buick LaCrosse! Thanks for reading this week’s car review. I wonder what we’ll be driving next?…

2015 Buick LaCrosse- Premium

As shown: $42,240.00.

Fuel economy: 21 MPG combined/18 city/28 highway

Government 5-Star Safety Ratings:

Overall: 5

Frontal Crash, Driver/Passenger: 5

Side Crash, Driver/Passenger: 5

Rollover: 4

1 Comment Posted on September 6, 2014September 6, 2014 car reviews, reviews, Uncategorized

The New (and Younger) Buick, Equipped with 4G and OnStar

While I have been steadily (nearly weekly!) been reviewing cars from a family friendly perspective for a solid year now, it’s something I’ve actually been dabbling in before that; since November 2011.

Last November, GM flew me up to Detroit for the 2^nd time so I could get a behind the scenes look at how OnStar works, as well as to learn about their newly rebranded Buick line. (See Born And Raise In South Detroit… Or I Just Drove Around There and Say Nice Things About Detroit.)

The first time they invited me to Detroit was back in November 2011 to check out the Chevy Traverse (see Rise Of The Dadmobile: The Chevy Traverse and GM Sees Beyond Stereotypes), which marked the very beginning of my now long list of car review stories.

They also sent our family on a road trip from Naples to Key West to test drive the Chevy Volt as a family, back in December 2011. (See 7 Reasons This Dad Wants A Chevy Volt and My Son The Beach Bum… Not Really!)

Plus, I reviewed the 2015 Cadillac Escalade a couple of weeks ago. So over the past couple of years, I’ve become quite familiar with GM vehicles. In fact, my college car was a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

And when it comes to Buicks, my Italian grandfather loved them. He had owned both a Park Avenue and a LaSabre.

But the demographics of who is most attracted to Buicks has been shifting in recent years, as the age of the average Buick buyer has lowered.

So while I did get to drive the new Buick through Detroit last year, I have been eager to try one out where I live in Nashville, TN.

Especially after seeing that very relevant and witty Buick commercial…

Well, I got my wish. Our family had the privilege of getting to review/model a 2015 Buick LaCrosse, which let me point out, is 4G equipped.

I can honestly say that for our Labor Day Weekend road trip from Nashville to Chattanooga to my hometown of Fort Payne, AL, and back, our son (age 3 years, 9 months) has never had a more peaceful ride.

He was too busy playing learning games on the Kindle in the back seat.

Just like any cool coffee shop, certain GM vehicles now have Wi-Fi.

See my recent Syncing To 4G and Using OnStar Remote Link App on GM Vehicles to read what I wrote on how to connect to the 4G in these vehicles. It’s really simple, though.

As for me, I’m an OnStar abuser, if there is such a thing. I know that entering “Whole Foods, Chattanooga, TN” into the GPS is not that much of a chore…

But if all I have to do is press one button (the OnStar button) and ask the friendly Michigan-accented person on the other end to send “Whole Foods in Chattanooga, TN” to my GPS, then I’m going to do it every time.

(And by the way, I like the Michigan accent. Think: Tom Selleck.)

During Labor Day Weekend, I took advantage of OnStar’s help no less than 8 times. I learned not to be shy about it after my last Detroit trip to the OnStar Headquarters.

Needless to say, we had a very fun-filled and random road trip. Be on the look-out for my upcoming story, 4G Equipped 2015 Buick LaCrosse: Labor Day Weekend Family Friendly Review.

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