13. MERMAID CARWASH.

This is one of the most vivid smells from my childhood. And by smell, I mean memory. But really I mean smell, because that's how most of my memories are logged anyhow. My family took car trips into Madison (WI) almost every weekend, and this was one of our many traditional stops. Now, I like a good car-wash as much as the next Joe, but Mermaid Car Wash just has that special something.

This car-wash feels like an downright adventure! First, you eagerly wait in line behind other cars, slowly approaching the Mer-man who takes your vehicular-cleaning order. After you make your selection, he writes some illegible, incredibly-fresh-smelling mermaid hieroglyphics on your windshield that lets the Mer-men inside know what you want done to your car. And then you exit your car. Yes, I know...it's insanity. You leave your car with the Mer-men and watch through large windows as they guide your car through the various stages of cleaning, and you're again surrounded with scents straight from an oceanic dream.

And there's a parrot inside the car-wash. A PARROT! He's a bit cranky, but he can sometimes be persuaded to say things! You might as well be in The Pirates of the Caribbean, that's how exotic this feels.

I've only gotten my car washed once this winter. Not because I don't love her, but because she gets un-shiny so very quickly without off-street parking, and she tends to feel self-conscious about her bumps and lumps. But I think there may be a lucky roommate and/or a lucky boyfriend that will experience a Wisco-style* auto-bath sometime this spring.

*I am, indeed, aware that Mermaid Car Wash is a phenomenon not limited to the Madison area. Now.


13. I HAVE ODDLY WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF THIS MADISON CAR-WASH, AND I HOPE MY KIDS ENJOY GOING THROUGH CAR-WASHES WITH ME HALF AS MUCH AS I DID WITH MY PARENTS.