![]() ![]() You may have heard that an automatic drive-through car wash is bad for your car. Where handwashing (either DIY or professional) is quite time-consuming, an automatic car wash takes only a few minutes and is convenient enough that you can drive through as often as necessary with little impact on your already-busy schedule. Each is an automated – or automatic – process. Both of which will cost you less than an arm and a leg. So, that leaves you with two more possibilities, both of which are quick and convenient. That means the service needs to be convenient and cost-effective. Scheduling professional services so frequently is prohibitive for most drivers in terms of the cost and time involved. ![]() But your vehicle really needs to be washed at least a couple of times a month to remain in tip-top shape. ![]() This might be considered your premium option. You could also opt for professional hand washing or detailing. Besides, improper (and common) wash techniques can actually cause more harm than good to your paint. Washing your car in direct sunlight in summer is not a good idea either. Unfortunately, DIY car washing is pretty tough in the middle of winter, right when all of that slop and salt is clinging to your car. And, just as you might choose the advanced engine protection of synthetic oil over conventional motor oil, or ceramic brake pads over less-expensive organics, you have a choice between several different car wash options.įor instance, you could choose to wash your car yourself in the driveway. It is also essential to have your car washed regularly. Of course, you would recognize the importance of routine vehicle maintenance, like getting your oil changed or your brake pads replaced. If you want to get the most from that investment – to keep it working and looking like new for as long as possible – you need to keep it clean. New or not-so-new, your car, truck, or SUV serves an important function in your routine and represents a sizable investment. A little dirt, a little grime, meh… What’s the big deal? Well, with the cost of a new car approaching forty thousand dollars, you might care to protect your vehicle. There are some people who just do not care. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Comprising thousands of broken pottery pieces and mirrors, it feels inspired by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and his church of the Sagrada Família. Preble transformed a humble shed into the House of Shards. It includes his woodcut-inspired prints of the Louisiana ABCs: from A for Alligator to Z for Zydeco, the music of southwest Louisiana. Using a former gas station as the entrance, Preble built the dioramas, constructed an exhibit hall to house them, and moved a century-old Creole cottage onto the property. Preble originally dubbed the attraction he opened in 2000 the “UCM Museum,” which he says stood for “You see ‘em.” If he was in a high-minded and academic mood (not often, he says, even if he once taught pottery at Loyola University), he would explain that it meant “Unusual Collections and Miniatures.” | Photo courtesy of Pack a sense of humor “Every day I get a truckload.” Abita Mystery House at the UCM Museum. “For 21 years, people have been bringing me stuff,” he says. I don’t really buy stuff-it’s not necessary.” He says he limits purchases to items that cost less than $10, and for good reason: People inexplicably discard all kinds of treasures, in conditions from mint to decrepit, which Preble then adds to the items he’s collected over the years. “I like stuff,” the 70-something Preble says modestly. If you ever wondered what happened to all those paint-by-number and velvet paintings popular decades ago, here’s your answer. Gigantic animals and fruits-a grasshopper the size of a truck, and monster-sized pumpkins and watermelons-adorn vintage postcards from the early 1900s. ![]() In the backyard, an Airstream trailer is under attack by a UFO. Elvis (Presley), the patron saint of the South. There’s a shrine where the devout can pay their respects to St. Some were given to Preble as gifts and he fashioned heads, limbs, and skin for them. In another, a tornado hits a trailer park doors fly open to reveal a garage sale near a Sno-Ball stand (the beloved state treat consists of fluffy shaved ice doused with flavored cane sugar syrup) on Dog Pond Road.īufford the Bassigator (crafted from spray foam insulation with beach balls for eyes), Darrel the Dogigator, and other mutant critters straight out of horror films, were crafted from dollar store skeletons. | Photo courtesy of Buford the Bassigator. Be sure and take time to read the signs at the Abita Mystery House. In the largest display-a 24-foot-long diorama of Louisiana’s River Road-a swing at a haunted plantation-style mansion sways ominously to and fro, next to an oil refinery, snake farm, and BBQ shack. ![]() A New Orleans Mardi Gras parade is visited by a hovering UFO, and Martians mingling in the crowd jump for beads. Press a button in any of a dozen handmade dioramas in the Abita Springs attraction, and tiny clay human figures dance and sway, while surrounding mechanical objects come to life. New Orleans Museum of Art director emeritus John Bullard has called the Abita Mystery House “the most intriguing and provocative museum in Louisiana.” In a state chock-full of bizarre customs, museums, and festivals, that’s high praise indeed. Insert a quarter, and Preble’s invention spits out advice, suggesting I become an oyster-shucker or emoji designer. Preble once proudly called a pinball machine he built from 2,000 popsicle sticks-insert a coin and a marble travels an intensely circuitous route-his “masterpiece.” But he also says that distinction “changes in my mind by the day.” What’s his favorite the day I visit? The Career Counseling Machine. Its bizarre collections, outlandish contraptions, ingenious inventions, and what some people might call “junk” (about 70,000 items in all) poke gentle fun at the South-and reflect the warped vision of its founder, John Preble, a part-time artist and full-time eccentric. Housed in a former gas station in a small town less than an hour’s drive north of New Orleans, the Abita Mystery House is suffused with a sense of whimsy so deep, it’s positively subterranean. ![]() |
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