Santa Clara University | spiffykerms.com

Mazda CX-5, feels like home

July 15, 2015 21 Comments

As soon as I stepped up to the driver’s seat of the Mazda CX-5 (this is going to sound like I’m buttering up the Mazda people but…) it felt like home.

Now, don’t stop reading just because I stated that. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I currently own a Mazda already. Heyyy?

It’s also pretty much the reason I felt comfortable driving it all week long. So much so that I ended up puttingÂ 500Â miles on it during the week I had it. It was almost as if it was all mine, even though those seven days simply flew by. It’s a perfect size, has a bit more room in it than my Mazda 3 hatch, but overall felt the same with regards to driving it.

Alfie seems pretty comfortable in it too.

Remember my 4th of July recapÂ and Santa Clara Uni trip? That was pretty fun.Not to mention all the Instagram pictures I took for the duration.Â That’s my husbands bike laying flat with the two back seats folded down in it. In my Mazda hatch he has to turn his wheel up Â in order for it to fit. But you can see here it has plenty of room.

This was the first car I was disappointed in handing back over the keys to. I walked up the stairs last Friday after walking into the house and my husband asked me if I was okay! His concern for me “losing the car” definitely made me chuckle a bit. Honestly, I really loved driving it. I really loved the looks of it. And I really enjoyed the size.

Every car I’ve test drove so far has had an automatic transmission. I’ve taken a driving course with Young Drivers of Canada a few years ago to learn how to drive a stick-shift, and although I can probably drive one if absolutely necessary, I feel more comfortable driving an automatic, especially after all these years of driving. I probably wouldn’t review a car if it were a manual. If anyone ever wants to make fun of me for driving the automatic, they can â€” and what odds? I don’t see it as a flaw at all, besides, car manufacturers are making and selling many more automatics than manual transmissions these days how it is.

Isn’t that the cheesiest photo ever? My dog and I smiling back at one another? Minus the dirty dog-shirt I have on, I say this could easily be in a print ad for Mazda. Don’tcha think?

Adaptive Cruise Control you can set not only the cruise control, but you can also set how far away from the vehicle ahead of you is, and if that car slows down a tad, your car will too. It was definitely a bit of a learning curve to get used to it, especially on the higway when people merge in front of you, you feel like you’re slowing down a little without doing anything. But after a full day of using it I had come to rely on it while on the highway to give my right butt cheek a little break from always hovering over the gas peddle. Just sayin’.Â In conjunction with that, the ‘dead peddle’ on the left hand side, something IÂ look for in cars when cruising on the road. I need a spot for that left foot when driving an automatic!

Another good feature is the lane assist. If you go over the line when you’re driving, it can either making a beeping noise at you or a vibration noise, whichever you prefer. Great for those travelling on the highway all day every day, commuters. etc.

Bright and early one morning while taking this exact photo in Santa Cruz, a couple walking down the sidewalk stopped me and said “What a cute little car, what kind is it?” Mazda CX-5 I promptly replied.

When I parked it outside one afternoon in our complex, I clearly walked straight past the car and up to a BMW SUV, thinking that it was the Mazda! I suppose they have simiilar traits as to sizing, and the rear of the vehicles, so I thoght that was a bit funny and should be noted here! Looks a bit fancy snazzy hey?

Let’s talk about the cons of the car.Â I’m not a huge fan of the automatic dimming of the driver’s rear view mirror come darkness. Either I’m getting old and can’t see when it’s dark out, or I prefer being blinded by headlights in the mirror. I didn’t see an option to turn the dimmer off to have it be ‘normal’. Perhaps you can, and my mistake if I’m incorrect. It also has a D-window mini blind spot. Nothing too huge, but that’s where you become more aware of switching over lanes, especially in the dark. You can definitely turn on the blind spot detection but don’t let that be your eyes, use your own two as well. Of course.

If you know the seats in Mazda cars, well, the CX-5 has the same sort of comfort as my 2007 Mazda so if you know what that means, you know your butt can go numb after about an hours drive or so. Considering I’m quite used to it with my car, it didn’t have any affect on me.

What do you guys think of the Mazda CX-5? Pretty snazzy right? As I stated above, I was sad to hand over the keys back to the company that loaned it out to me. Guess that means I’m pretty much sold on it, I mean it’s almost time for me to upgrade my car….Â I don’t mind the red colour it comes in, either.

If youâ€™re looking for more information regarding the 2016 Mazda CX-5Â check out their website.

Disclaimer: The 2016 Mazda CX-5 was loaned to me for the week for my review.Â

Daily

4th of July recap

July 13, 2015 14 Comments

I feel like IÂ haven’t truly sat down in ages and told you what we’ve been up to. I’d like to think the lack of blogging meant that I’ve been having the best ol’ time, with not much computer time, and that I have.

Pop on my red and white outfit for Canada Day, then a few days later add a bit of blue to the outfit and you have my Independence Day outfit. Celebrating our second Fourth of July here in America was pretty wicked, I have to admit. I ended up doing a 4th of July vlog on my YouTube channelÂ and in case you weren’t awareÂ I upload them every Monday and Wednesday!

For the week I am reviewing the Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV and so we took full advantage of my husband having a four day weekend and using the review-car’s mileage to explore California a bit more, with just the two of us in tow.

So, let’s play catch-up on our weekend together. It’s been a long time since we haven’t had visitors on a holiday/vacation day for my husband, so it was really nice to be able to spend the time with him, solo.

On Thursday, the Mazda CX-5 was delivered right before lunch and we immediately hit the road just moments after having the keys handed over to me.

I drove us both up north to Vallejo to go to the Six Flags amusement park to ride roller coasters until we got ill. Seriously, I cannot handle it any more. It’s not even the fact we went on spinny rides, because we totally didn’t. I think my stomach simply can’t handle the cork screws in some of the rides. Needless to say, I definitely had to sit down for a good half hour at one point to let things settle. Call me stubborn, but I didn’t let a little nausea stop me from havin’ a good time at the amusement park! I also didn’t realize Six Flags is somewhat of a zoo (literally speaking) because we saw penguins – they are tiny little fella’s, and some stinkin’ cute too man.

As per usual, a good recovery food after a long day at the amusement park, calls for a feed at McDonalds. Hooboy! So tasty.

Friday morning my husband had a cycling-date set up with a friend of his in Santa Cruz bright and early in the morning.

Rather than him getting up at 6am to bike down there, I offered him a ride. Alfie came along with us this time, since I wanted to take some photos of the new vehicle I was in for the week, and of course stop at the Mitchell’s Cove Beach, the off leash dog beach again.

Admittedly, Alfie is getting pretty comfortable with being on this beach as we’ve got a number of times already (see the YouTube video of us, our first time visiting), so he was prancing and marching aboutÂ bossing all the humans and dogs around. I’m not sure if people were fed up with him barking, but I certainly wasn’t havin’ him bark the entire time, so I ventured off into a more quiet area of the beach and let him calm his nerves.

Such beautiful views! I love this place.

Since my husband was going to be in the Santa Cruz area biking for a good 6+ hours and didn’t require a ride home, I drove back up to Santa Clara area and decided to check out the Santa Clara University campus for the first time. I’ve driven past theÂ school many times, but haven’t stepped foot on their grounds.

So what better time to explore, than on a holiday weekend when school is out and there isn’t much foot traffic. You can see more photos of the campus in my last Pomeranian FridayÂ post.

On 4th of July I then drove us to San Francisco to check out the Madame Tussauds wax museum and then watching the foggy fireworks, we popped into Boudin to warm up our bodies. Because what a chilly day you guys!

I feel like San Francisco in July can be awfully chilly if you’re not dressed for the weather. Think, Newfoundland weather forecast â€” you can expect any type of weather any time of day, and that’s the same with The City.

Have you guys ever been to a wax museum? My husband hadn’t before this trip, and I remember going to the London England one back in 1998, but the only wax figures I remember spotting was the Beatles, I suppose â€” it’s that long ago. But it was really fantastic checking out this one. I am going to take a while guess and presume that they rotate their wax statues to keep people coming back. Because, when I searched the #MTSFSelfie hashtag on Instagram, the beatles, and other Lady Gaga statues were there too – that I didn’t end up seeing. So I’ll definitely have to go back a second time in a year or two, to see what else they have on display!

Pom Friday, Spiffydogs

Santa Clara University // POM Friday

July 10, 2015 8 Comments

We never stop exploring. I think that’s what keeps me excited about living here in California. There is just so much to see, and do â€” and luckily most everything seems to be quite dog friendly.

Alfie is our little buddy (his name is NOT buddy for those leaving comments haha!) and we take him almost every adventure we go on. This time, I explored the Santa Clara University campus on the 4th of July weekend while my husband cycled down in Santa Cruz.

Considering it was a long weekend, add in the fact it’s summer break and you have a secluded almost eerie feeling University campus. I left Alfie off the leash for a bit of it, since it was all walk-ways, no roads, and zero pedestrian traffic. Perfect time to snap some shots!

I’m not entirely sure what Santa Clara University is known for, but I’m going to guess Law School, and Engineering.

Pretty sure Alfie loves a bit of freedom from time to time, so being off leash he’s a little happy boy! Look at him sitting up on that bench like he owns the place. Ha!

If it wasn’t such a scorcher of a day, I’d spend a little more time here. All we could both bear was about 30 minutes and my face was sweating, and Alfie’s tongue was half way down to the ground. Lil’ fella needed to head home and get some water.

Alfie just taking in the views! Is it a dogs life, or what.

I’ll let the rest of the photos do the talking. Hope you enjoyed this week’s Pomeranian Friday. I try to post about Alfie’s adventures once a week. But sometimes we run out of time, or don’t go anywhere in particular. But clearly this day was one to be captured â€” and I took an abundance of photos. Yay!

I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that the sign “Do not climb. Under video surveillance” was put there for good reason. I can imagine University students being a little tipsy and gettin’ up and giv’ner on the horse. Ya knows now.