Mission Ranch August 16, 2009

It's our last night at The Tickle Pink so we wander down to the deck for the final wine party. Bob and Jan are there and we decide to have our Last Supper at the Mission Ranch. We just love the Mission Ranch and used to stay there years ago. The restaurant there is a favorite of the locals and just wonderful.

Here are a few images of what the Mission Ranch encompasses:


Years and years ago it was a working dairy but now they raise sheep on site. There used to be a dog named Pete who was the sheep dog but he's gone. For some reason, these sheep don't seem to need any guidance at all.

Here's the lovely Honeymoon Cottage.

Here's the Farm House where we stayed years ago when our entire group stayed there. Great fun.

Tonight, it's just Bob and Jan from Austin. . .
s
and us from Dallas.

Jay's just happy to be here . . .

and our delightful waiter gives us a Carmel Magazine.

I've packed and Jay is doing the same. We're both totally ready to go home.

But as always, it was great fun and we look forward to returning next year.

August 16, 2009 - Concours d'Elegance

Well, I failed again! The crowds were enormous today so getting any good images was nearly impossible. There was a very large yacht out in the bay so I took this shot as there were few people there as well. I think you can see that the smoke from the Santa Cruz fires are still hanging over the area. Thankfully, the Herald said that the change of winds helped the firefighters in containing the fires. Over 7,000 acres have burned.

Leno was here again, as usual, but was very busy filming interviews. Ed Hermann was the emcee and, as always, does a terrific job.

There was also a noted celebrity here this year, who had two Porsches entered. If you look really closely, he's directly in the center, dark suit, talking to two young girls - Jerry Seinfeld. He was kind enough to pose with one of the kids behind us, shook the kid's hand and called him 'sir.' Seemed like a very nice man.

I looked long and hard for Adam Carolla, but came up empty.

We parked our chairs by 9 am, but tons of folks were there earlier. It's always fun watching the Class winners drive over the ramp to collect their trophies. We've never stayed for Best of Show as it's bad enough leaving when we do.


It was fun this year, but always more fun with the regular cast of characters who didn't make it this year. We met a nice family from Salt Lake City who we will definitely visit if/when we go to Utah.

One more wine tasting later at the TP and then dinner at a location to be determined. I sure wish I could twitch my nose and get us back to Dallas tonight! We're both ready to be back in our own beds with our own pillows and our Tivos! Creature comforts!

xo

August 15, 2009

The way I've NOT been taking photos, you would think I'm paying for film and developing! Crazy! Jay takes way too many photos of cars, so I'm the people/scenery photog. Turns out that some dear friends didn't make it this year so fewer people photos.

Today, we went to the Historic Car Races at Laguna Seca. Our friend, John Furlow, races his Kurtis, and Mark Brinker races one of his Devins. We got to visit with them both but didn't stay for their races as they're racing late and we've got other commitments this evening. So much stuff going on.

We did, however, run into an old friend in the Flagroom [where we met 18 or 19 years ago], Bill Kotasek from the Denver area. He's not been out here for a few years and it was nice playing catch up.

I just took these photos and I'm sure I've done the same shots time and time again.




You can sort of see the haze from the Santa Cruz fires. Now, there are two fires and still not contained.

Tonight, dinner at Mission Ranch, Rio Grill or Sea Harvest - then back to the RM Auction for more drama - and possibly a strawberry ice cream cone. We'll be out at Pebble Beach for the Concours d'Elegance WAY early tomorrow. That's always fun. Jay watches the cars and I watch the people.

Later!

August 14, 2009

The Quail: A Motorsport Gathering. If you say it aloud, affect a British accent. Too much! We've been several times, but I hope this was the last. 2006 was the last time we were there and things have changed. I didn't take one picture while we were there. Sure, there were some really nice cars but nothing I hadn't seen before.

There were five or six food 'stations' positioned around the area. The best was the French with the California a very close runner up. The salads were so fresh and delish. There were several vineyards pouring their wares but I only tried one and can't even remember the name - that's how memorable the wine was. We left around 2 and then headed over to Monterey.

One of the many car auctions this week is the RM. It was interesting but not real. Car sellers can't get the prices they want and buyers don't want to let loose of their money. Can't blame them.

So, we walked over to the wharf and had dinner at Domenico's, one of our favorite places. The almond crusted halibut was great but huge. No way I could eat it all, but I tried. Here's the view from our table.

The weather today was terrific and the ash from the Santa Cruz fire wasn't falling on the cars as it was yesterday. When we left yesterday morning, our car had quite a layer of ash and we didn't know where it came from. We thought the fireplaces had been cleaned and blew out on the cars. Then, we found out about the Santa Cruz fire which started Wednesday and as of 4:30 pm Thursday, was zero percent contained. 2500 people had been evacuated and more were expected. I've not seen or heard a newscast today so am not sure how it's doing. The sunset tonight was brilliant which indicated smoke in the atmosphere, we're told.

Tomorrow, Laguna Seca for the Historic Car Races.

Now, bedtime!

xo

PS from August 13, 2009

The Tickle Pink finally has a good connection and I was able to upload these shots from yesterday. Pacific Grove is my most favorite place on the Monterey Peninsula. Each time we leave Monterey to return to Carmel, we drive along the sea. I LOVE these huge plants. They're a succulent and a lot like an aloe plant. In fact, might be a variation thereon. Most of these plants are 5 to 7 feet tall.


Lazy sealions sunning.

Just a couple more shots of my dream location.

August 13, 2009 Recap

ARGH! The Tickle Pink lost internet connectivity yesterday and just got it back. I tried to upload a few photos but it's taking too long. I guess the bandwidth is sluggish.

Yesterday, Jay got the drive the not-yet-released Mercedes E6.3. I was given the opportunity to drive it but turned it down. Being a passenger was fine for me. VERY nice car.

We had lunch at Bahama Billy's and the Crab Mango Bisque was yummy. They have garlic bread with kernels of corn sprinkled on it. Very yummy.

We did some picture taking but alas, you'll have to wait to see them - if you even care. Last evening, we went to Tarpey's with Bob and Jan, friends from Austin. The Buffalo strip was very good. However, Bob ordered what looked to be spectacular lamb chops.

We just had breakfast down on the deck and will be leaving to go to The Quail: A Motorsport Gathering in a few minutes. There should be tons of picture taking opportunities there.

Ciao for now!

August 12, 2009 - McCall Event

After a lackluster day of running around, we went, to the McCall Event, f/k/a Wings & Wheels, at the Monterey Jet Center. Old and new planes as well as old and new cars. I was particularly taken with the new four-door Porsche - very nice and VERY expensive. We ran into an old friend of mine from Fort Worth - Gary Laughlin. He and his wife, Sandy, now spend most of their time at their home in Pebble Beach. The food and wines were provided by outstanding area restaurants, as well as Bernardus and Roederer. YUM.

Here are a few random shots from the party:
















We drove along the ocean on the way home and were lucky enough to catch a sunset without the marine layer blocking the beauty. We stopped along the coast and enjoyed the beauty of the sunset and the wonderfully cool temperatures. Would sure like to bottle it and take it back to Dallas.






Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day as Jay's not feeling up to par. We have an appointment for each of us to drive the Mercedes C63 [whatever that is] so that should perk him up.

Time to get into my jammies and think about calling it A DAY!!!

xo