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Since the acquistion of 'Gina', Bob and I have become members of the local Mustang club, the Mendocino Mustangs. Our April excursion was a cruise through Alexander Valley, followed by wine tasting at the Niebaum-Coppola winery in Napa Valley. Bob and I stopped for a photo in the French courtyard at the winery. The club owners' cars made for an eye-catching lineup in the parking lot. We ventured past the old Niebaum estate to the chateau in the background. After a tour of the chateau, housing some of Francis Ford Coppola's film memorabilia and one of his Tuckers, the gang patiently waited for the next glass of wine in the tasting portion of the tour.
The Saturday prior to Mother's Day is always the club's annual Mustang car show. All Mustangs of all years are welcome and invited. This year, the show was highly anticipated as the new 2005 model has really caused quite a stir with its retro styling. At right is 'Gina' and Ed and Nancy's 2005 GT.
Of course, the 2005 model wasn't the only one on display. Also on display weer a 2003 and Wendi's 1971 Mach I. And a Mustang show wouldn't be complete with some of the classics (can you tell I'm partial?). The show also featured a Ford Cobra. We were graced with fabulous weather and it was great to enjoy the sunshine and share the day with other Mustang enthusiasts. For more information about the Mendocino Mustangs, click here. My husband, Bob was the photographer of the day, so visit the club's Gallery for more shots from the show.
Springtime means baseball and that means we headed to a ballpark. We have set a goal to try and take in a baseball game at every major league ballpark in the U.S. and Canada. Our first stop would be to visit Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, on our way to Las Vegas. We also have plans to re-visit SBC Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, and McAfee Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics, later this year.
From Phoenix, we flew to Las Vegas. There we planned on taking a tour of Hoover Dam and just relax for a few days in 'Sin City'. Visit our vacation photo album here.
May 14th took us to the Bay Area for another Mustang event, the Gallop Around the Bay. Mustangs of all years were invited to participate in a cruise around the South Bay. A total of 37 mustangs were in the 'herd', made up of a majority of new 2005 models but also dating back to the first build week of the 1964-1/2's.
The 'herd' lined up at the starting point in Berkeley with the granddaddy gold 1964-1/2 outclassing the rest of the field. We were quite the sight on the roadways, so much that we passengers were assigned to take pictures and videos of the event, capturing every moment!
Memorial Day weekend found us in Willits for another car show hosted by the Willits Shifters Car Club. This one, however, was not limited to Mustangs, but classic cars of all types. I was surprised to see a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass as an entry, top left. I had a F-85 model as my first car and they aren't generally considered a classic. Though I was a bit disappointed to see it had been heavily modified, but it did bring back a lot of great memories to see one. I also spent a bit of time drooling over one of my dream cars - a Chevy Corvette C5 - Yum! Yum! Yes, we do own a Mustang, but I'm admirer of the muscle cars in general, and of course, the classics.
June 11th found us joining the Mendocino Mustangs and the Early Iron Club of Ukiah for a jaunt over to the Lakeport Drive-In for a potluck and a double-feature. The weather had been uncooperative earlier in the week (still raining in June!), which led to a smaller-than-usual turnout, but there was plenty of great food and good company.
On Father's Day, we invited my folks with my nephew, Kevin, and Bob's parents along his grandmother, Noni, to dinner. It was fun visiting and later, playing pool. I'm very lucky in that my and Bob's family get along so well. It reminds me on when I was a kid and every holiday included both sets of grandparents.
On June 25-26, Ukiah hosted our first 24-hour American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Bob has been volunteering for years as the emcee of the annual event, but this was my first. It was a lot of fun, very rewarding and for a great cause. Please visit the ACS Relay for Life 2005 page here to learn more about the Relay and to see the pictures from the myriad of activites held throught event.
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