2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Winner!

Incredible from first glance!

Low Key Saturday

We've had a nice Saturday thus far - plenty quiet and only doing what we feel like. This may be the only day of the entire trip where we don't have a "plan" or "obligations" and can come and go as we please.
Breakfast at the Centrella was delicious (as usual!) Mixed berry french toast souffle was the overwhelming pick at our table, although Preston had to dissent and went with the ham and mushroom frittata. Then, it was a quick run to the Safeway to pick up some sinus meds for Dana and some snacks for the rest of us. We wrapped up the morning with a few hours walking around Ocean Ave in Carmel - mostly window shopping - although we did convince Presto to part with a whopping $25 for a t-shirt. Alas, he's learning it's much easier to make his money than to part with it.
Below are some pics from our morning sojourn ...



We now patiently await the arrival of our good friend Doc Brown from Sacramento!

2009 Concorso Italiano

A very busy morning of about every Italian car ever made, as well as a few surprises once again. though we saw every Lamborghini and Ferrari model, to me an old mustard colored Alfa stole the show along with the new Fisker Karma and Sunset. Holy Cow! If the future of electric cars is owned by Fisker and Tesla, the future is bright. Without design like this, petro vehicles could soon be dead.

It was nice to walk the golf course again, I am happy they decided to move the event fromthe Jet Center back to a nice green fairway and the event planners certainly made this even better than the prior years. There were more cars and a smaller crowd. A chance to see the Lambo Reventon, wow. Several Ferrari F40, F50 and Enzo's and the crazy, Bertone styled Bat cars (check the gallery as these cars are a must see!).
Not only were the Italians out in full force, there were many Porsche's, Audi R8's and even a Mosler... and Motorcycles too.
See the photo gallery here; http://losingtime.com/2009_concorso/

The Streets of Carmel

Though we've been to Pebble Beach and much of the Monterey experience, this is the first time on the streets of Carmel for the Tour d'Elegance... this is certainly a different way to see the cars. The streets of Carmel were flooded with most of the cars we'll see on the lawn of Pebble Beach on Sunday, but there were many more surprises on the side streets as well.
We arived early to poke around the shops and take in the beautiful european village feel of Carmel. We did a little shopping and then you could hear them as they came down Ocean Avenue... what an experience. Sure you can see these cars on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach, but seeing them drive down the street and allow the general public to interact with the cars and their owners was a joy. Bentleys, Bugattis, Alfas, Mercedes, and even an unrestored Shelby Cobra! People not only own and pamper these million dollar cars, they actually drive them. After all of my years revering vintage cars and living with the fear of breathing on them wrong, I am changed. These people have shown how cars should be appreciated. The are an approachable form of design, engineering and beauty. People need the chance to appreciate them.
Not only were the vintage participants a treat, the surprises around every corner were amazing. To turn a corner and see the prototype of the upcoming Tesla Sedan or the new Porsche Panamera in person or to see a special Versace Edition Lamborghini or the Maybach Landaulet parked on a side street or the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead parked behind a UPS truck... everywhere you look, there was something special. There is so much opportunity to see and appreciate some of the most unique vehicles of the world located in one small area.
We look forward to another incredible day filled with Italian beauty tomorrow. Life is good.


See all of the photos at; http://losingtime.com/2009_tour/

Finally, we've arrived!

To briefly recap:
We had a GREAT flight (much to my relief!) from Mpls to San Jose
A LONG afternoon at the Enterprise Rent-a-Car lot
A brief trip to an In'N'Out burger
Two stops for Dana to feed his ever growing wardrobe at the Outlets of Gilroy
and
One wrong turn, resulting in a 10 minute detour

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

It's after 6:00 local time, funny thing is, that feels about right. Wait until tomorrow morning though, when we're both up at something like 3:00AM CA time - that'll be fun! Everyone was very patient today with a long day of travel and is just so happy to be enjoying the nice cool Pacific Grove breeze. Time now for our complimentary evening appetizers and some wine - seems like the perfect way to wind down a long day.

Tomorrow will be a busy day - Carmel in the late morning to catch the end of the Concours Tour and then an afternoon at Big Sur. More updates of cars, surf and hopefully, the World's Best Pancake tomorrow.

I'll leave you with a picture of the dutch door in our room - so perfect....

~Sarah

The Night Before Monterey!

It's the day before the trip to the Monterey peninsula for our week of auto fun. We've got an agenda drawn with some of the best auto events in the world... Thursday we will be taking in the Tour d'Elegance where the participants of the Concours d'Elegance will be taking their drive and winding up in downtown Carmel. I haven't been to this event, but really look forward to seeing these cars on the street, not the rarefied air of the 18th fairway. Friday will be our day dedicated to the art of the Italian cars at Concourso Italiano. Now that they are back on a golf course, it looks like we missed the best year as last year they were on the hot tarmac of the Monterey airport. We are hoping we run into Valentino Balboni at the Concourso... now that he is retired and has a new Lambo named after him, maybe he'll be at the event. Saturday is dedicated to just hanging around the peninsula, probably catching the auction crowd downtown and possibly the street event in Pacific Grove.
Sunday is the big day. I am anticipating the best Concours d'Elegance of my lifetime... with Bentley and Bugatti (my two favorite automakers) as the featured builders, I do not know how any other event could top this one.

34 Days and counting

So, after a one year hiatus from the Pebble Beach experience, Sarah and I will be returning to Monterey in 34 days (thanks to the iPhone app "Days Until"). We were planning on getting out to Laguna for the races, but those plans have been passed up for a return to Concorso Italiano and of course the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
While my father was alive he had never been to the Concours, I could not believe it. So, as an opportunity to make things right in the world Sarah and I have invited my mother and as a graduation gift to my nephew, we are bringing him as well... he was a car fanatic with my father. it seems challenging to bring more family with to such a special vacation and event, but I am optimistic about the shared experience.
In addition to the Monterey weekend, we will head up to San Francisco for a few days with a day-trip to Napa surely to be included. Anticipate exciting photos of all.
Good Luck.

2008 Nord Stern Concours d'Elegance

Today, June 29, 2008, was the Nord Stern's annual concours event held at Central Park in Roseville Minnesota. The Concours was a little less attended than last year's event, but the All-Porsche Car Show was very large with a great variety of Porsche models from the 60's through modern Porsche vehicles. View tha gellery to see all of the cars in attendance.

Back in Minneapolis - WOI

Back in Minneapolis to see the Wheels of Italy show near Lake Calhoun. A little disappointed by the turnout and the late arrival of many participants, but still surprised by the cars in Minneapolis. Take a look at the photos:
http://www.freedomsflame.com/WOI/

Got Dubs?

What do you say, really?

More San Fran...

Here are more great pics that Dana took this afternoon while I was cat-napping. We are headed downstairs for some wine & cheese and then maybe we'll hit the town and look for a place that has cannoli (which shouldn't be hard - we are staying in North Beach, the "Little Italy" of San Francisco)

Have a good evening!

~Sarah

So, this is San Francisco (why would Colleen leave?)

A shortcut through Sonoma...

The trip from Napa to San Francisco was pretty good, I really enjoy driving in this area of the country, just wish I were in a better prepared vehicle. No wonder everyone in California owns a Porsche. It's not the weather allowing them to drive year round, it's the roads taunting you to have more fun.
It was pretty easy getting into the city, not a lot of traffic, the only issue we had was choosing the wrong lane at the toll plaza at the Golden Gate bridge. The one thing I've learned about driving in San Francisco is that if you want to go over water, it's going to cost you $5.
We had an idea of the location of our hotel/inn, but never realized how great it would be. We are on the corner across the street from Washington Square Park. We are right below some tower and across the street from a church... I guess these landmarks are some big deal or something. ;)
Here's the view from our room (we got the best room in the Inn (once again, I love my wife).

The trip to return the rental car was rough, we had to go to the middle of the city and when we got there, they weren't taking returns and sent us another 4 blocks. We were lost and frustrated, we were almost as upset with each other as when we try painting together. We made it though and the extra four blocks added to our walk were excellent. We walked through Union Square to China Town and all the way back to our hotel through China Town. We stopped and shopped and haggled. Funny thing, Sarah will barter for anything, but was uncertain in Chinatown... She let me haggle with them and I was able to get about 20% off everything, but I felt defeated because I wanted 25%.
No idea about our plans tonight, but I'm sure we'll have fun.
Good Luck,
~Dana

Napa - What the hell is the difference between a Vineyard and a Winery?

So, here's more on Napa. We're not really wine drinkers... until some time at a tasting. Once you are able to sit with someone to help you learn about wines and understand the differences, you (I) can't really understand. Now that I've been to a tasting, or two ...or three, I have aquired a bit of a taste for the stuff.

Here are some pics of our favorite, V. Sattui;


Sattui Courtyard;

Some place hidden in the hills by the Hess Winery;

A photo for Chef John and Mike to appreciate;

For those of you who didn't recognize the last photo, here's the sign... gotta love the CIA;

Good Luck,
~Dana

Napa - no words, just photos

Welcome to Napa.

So, we made the trip from Monterey to Napa this morning... funny thing is how everyone thought is was such a huge drive, but it was really no problem. People had told us that it was anywhere from 3.5 to 4 hours, but I believe we made it in 2.5 hours. We did have a little break in the trip though, and as Colleen may be able to attest, there are a couple outlet malls along the way. The one stop we made was in Gilroy. Why stop at the outlet mall when we live footsteps away from the one in Albertville? Lets just say "Brooks Brothers". The Brooks Brothers outlet was a priority and boy, I'm glad we stopped. There is also an outlet mall here in Napa, which also has a Brooks Brothers store... I love this place!
Sarah planned this trip and made reservations at a Best Western, can you believe it? I was so disappointed when I heard we were staying at a Best Western. Now that we are here, I see why we are here. This Best Western has won some special award for being one of the best. I'll tell you, this is an incredible place. We are in a separate building across the courtyard from the main building, on the second floor looking down on the beautful fountains and garden. The room is huge, no really, it is big and best of all cable ready(nice to see my friend TV again!)
Good choice again Sarah. This has been the best trip I've ever been on.
I love my wife.

Leaving the Centrella Inn...

We have now left the Centrella Inn in Pacific Grove, "PG" as Sarah mentioned (she's now an insider). I will miss the beautiful gardens, the Hydrangia are the biggest I've ever seen, and I will miss the parking lot;

Dino

Ferrari 575

Corvette Z06

Mustang Cobra

Ferrari 360

and our Ford Edge!

The people at the Centrella, Honey & KimMarie, were great as well. they helped compensate for the lack of TV and provided great friendship while we were there. Thanks.

2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

So, to me, this day is what the trip was all about... One of the happiest days of my life. I can't tell you how great of an experience it was to be on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach enjoying the absolute best cars in the world. The show was perfect. There was a huge variety of old steam cars, vintage cars, racers, one of a kind vintage cars, hot rods, tons of Aston Martins and a huge variety of concept cars from many makers. All being shared and enjoyed by people who also liked to have fun dressing up which really gave the show a great atmosphere.

With all the cars at the show, I have to say my favorite (which is hard for me to choose because they were all perfect) was the periwinkle MB Gullwing. This particular car was recently featured in Automobile Magazine as one of the top 25 cars of all time.

I have create a small gallery of photos to share. I will create a more extensive gallery once I get home and am not working from a laptop.

Please enjoy and feel free to comment. We like to hear from you since we are on the other side of the country.

http://www.freedomsflame.com/pb07/

Sunday Highlights - Sarah's Perspective

I'll let Dana post something later, as I suspect the highlight of his day will be all the fantastic cars we saw. From where I'm sitting, here are the highlights of my day, in no particular order....
1. Best Pancake EVER
So, we went back to the First Awakenings Cafe this morning, so that Dana could partake in what I earlier declared the "best pancake ever" I had to bring along the camera to capture it in all its glory. See how it is dotted with fresh raspberries, sweet coconut, and tasty granola - pure breakfast perfection.
2. Seal Watching
Let me tell you, seals are WAY funnier to watch in person than on some silly National Geographic channel. They are loud and like to mess with each other - so pretty much like kids, but they live in the water. We snapped this picture along the shoreline about 4 blocks from the Inn.


3. Celebrity Sightings
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm completely and totally obsessed with celebrities, celebrity gossip, and most certainly, the idea of meeting a celebriy. Today, we saw a number of famous folks and were fortunate enough to get some pictures with them. I present to you now, the greatest collection of celebrity sightings ever before seen in a single day (or a lifetime for that matter)

Keno Brothers - the single greatest appraisers from "Antiques Roadshow"














Stedman - The one and only Mr. Oprah Winfrey



















Chris Tucker - was actually really mellow, not at all the usual spaz he plays in the movies

James Hetfield - this guy almost made me pee my pants I was so excited to see him (literally - I think I pee'd a little) At first I said to Dana "What - is my cousin Greg out here?" and then about 2 seconds later I said "Holy SHIT - that's James Hetfield" We had to step inside the store that he was standing outside of, to pick up a tie that Dana bought earlier (which totally justifies the purchase now in my mind) and I kept watching the window, to make sure that he didn't go anywhere. Luckily, he stuck around and when we got out of the store, I stood there for 2 or 3 minutes, just hoping for a break in the conversation between he and his pals. When the opportunity presented itself, I walked up to him and said "James Hettfield?" and he was like "Yeah" and I was like "holy shit I want to marry you" (wait... i think i only thought that) but I was really like "Would you mind if I got a pic of you with my husband?" and he was completely cool about it. He was actually really nice, shook our hands, made some small talk with us, he even smiled for the camera, although you can see what I caught looks more like a tough guy face, which I'm pretty cool with (like that scary guy look anyhow) Now I just need to figure out how to Photoshop Dana out of it, then blow it up into like a 10'x15' poster for our room :)

BTW - Lusso GT

Here's a shot of the Ferrari Lusso GT staying at our hotel... This is the same model of car owned by Actor Steve McQueen which just sold two days ago for 2.3M.

I don't think this one is worth that much, but probably more valuable than my home, nonetheless.

~Dana

Lazy Saturday...

Nothing too terribly exciting to report today - we woke up early (and by "we" I mean "me") got up, got ready, and headed out to start the day. We started with breakfast at First Awakenings in Monterey - which was fantastic. I had read online that it had gotten rave reviews - what we didn't realize until we were paying our tab was that Rachel Ray featured it on her show "$40 a Day" BEST PANCAKE EVER..... it had raspberries, coconut, and granola in it. It was so good in fact, that we plan on returning before we leave, so if the opportunity presents itself, I will snap a picture of it.


After a very filling start, we headed down the coast along 17 Mile Drive. It was worth every penny of the $9 it cost to go from Pacific Grove down to Carmel (is it just killing you Jim that we actually PAID to drive down a street?) We saw some incredible coastline, some even more incredible houses, and got a small glimpse at what awaits us tomorrow at Pebble Beach. If we thought that the Italian Concours was nuts, this is going to be SUPER NUTS!!! The event starts at 10:30AM, but I figure we'll get there about 8AM to find a reasonable parking spot - oiy vay.


Back to 17 Mile Drive... we took this through Pebble Beach and into Carmel, which is like downtown Wayzata on steroids. I never wanted to leave..... so pretty, so clean, so charming, so flippin' expensive.... apparently, everyone felt that way since it went from quiet to crazy in about an hour! We purchased our obligatory sweatshirt, just to prove we were there, and then headed back to PG (Pacific Grove - for those in the know) Lunch was at an English pub in Monterey called the Crown & Anchor. Dana got bangers & mash, I had a cajun chicken sandwich (I know - nothing screams God Save the Queen like a cajun chicken sandwich) Anyhow, both were good and now we've settled in for a brief afternon nap before cocktail hour begins downstairs at 5:30.

Hope everyone is doing well - we will post again tomorrow after the Concours.... Enjoy the photos from the day! ~Sarah