It was on warm summer nights like these that I fell in love with convertibles while still a teenager in the late 80's. A friend of mine would borrow his mom's new '89 Mustang LX and we'd cruise it all over town blasting gangsta rap from the crappy little speakers with the top down. I would always sit in the back seat with my head back, watching the stars, smelling the trees, and feeling the wind in my face as we drove along the back-country roads, four white small-town geeks singing along with Ice Cube, Ice-T, and sorry to say, Vanilla Ice. Warm summer nights meant cruising our town's two main streets before hanging out in the Taco Bell parking lot talking to the girls in the VW Cabriolets. I fell in love with the fact that I could be open to the world around me as I travelled - something you can't quite experience through an open sunroof.

Since graduating high school I've always had at least one drop-top car. Sometimes they're sporty, sometimes cushy, and sometimes classics. I'm currently on my sixth and believe it or not, my favorite so far: a cheap, tiny, reliable little Geo Metro convertible that is really great for both city driving and long road trips due to getting 38/50 mpg. This time of year I like to put the top top back on my little two seater and drive to the coast or the desert at night, going where the stars shine their brightest above my head and the sea air or smell of sage comes in from all directions. That feeling of freedom you get when you pass 85 mph on a straight highway with the warm wind and sun on you head, neck, arms, and legs.

Okay, enough typing - I'm going out for a drive!