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Fourth of July weekend found us 'dusting off' the kayaks and taking in the sun on the Lake Mendocino inlet. The water level is much higher than normal for this time of year and we were able to paddle much further up the waterway. Nothing better for relaxing than floating on the water, getting a tan and watching the world go by.
Our buddy, Ted, joined us for the weekend in early July and we took him along with us to the Mendocino Mustangs annual picnic at Lake Mendocino. We knew Ted would fit right in as he is restoring a '69 Mustang. Click here to visit his website documenting his work. As with any club outing, we ate - yum! Afterwards there was some token relaxing done by Bob and Ted while some of the club members settled in the shade for some table games.
We had a couple of visitors to our picnic area - a doe and her fawn. It's a shame that they have become so tame though they were beautiful to watch. Later some of the gang made our way to the improvised disc golf course. In teams, we sailed our discs through the 'course' with the Mustangs as our backdrop.
We joined my dad on July 16th at McAfee Coliseum to watch the Oakland A's vs. the Texas Rangers. It was Joe Blanton vs. Kenny Rogers as the starting pitchers. Though we lost that game, it's has been one of few the A's have had since the All-Star break. Below, Blanton's strike whizzes past the batter. Later, he was pulled by Coach Macha.
A couple of weeks later, it was off to the ballpark again. This time with Bob's parents to SBC Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. We've now hit 3 major league ballparks in our quest to visit every MLB park in the U.S. and Canada. It was quite a game with the Giants beating the Colorado Rockies 6-4.
Above, our view over the field from our seats. Though it's not usually hot in the city, even in August, it was nice to be out of the direct sun. We did stop to take in the view of McCovey Cove, overlooking a bronze statue of the Giants mascot, Lou Seal. Al, Bob and Pat pose outside the bay entrance to the stadium where the ferry drops you off.
Mid-August had us on the road again with the Mendocino Mustangs for a garage tour. Our first stop was at Will's where we dined on Jeannie's scrumptious homemade scones as we checked out Will's collections (above). If it's in any way a car-related collectable, I think he's got it! Of course, I favored the NASCAR drivers.
Next it was off to Robin's. Their garage would be the envy of anyone restoring a car. They've got darn near everything you would need right there. Including the project car in progress (left)!
We left Ukiah and motored on to our next stop in Willits, Allen's. We parked just outside a non-descript building (isn't is a pretty picture though with all the Mustangs parked outside?) with no idea what to expect. As you can see above, this was none to shabby a setup either. If you don't have the space for all your cars, install a car lift!
From there, it was over to Potter Valley, to our club founder's home to take in her (yes, HER!), '71 Mustang Mach I.
We ended our tour in Lakeport at Rick's. His memorabilia room was spectular. It had its own 50's diner counter and stools, and items from Gilmore to Pep Boys. It was a mini-museum in itself. His garage held two classics and his motorhome. Absolutely immense! And even more astonishing - it was immaculate!
On August 24th, we traveled in 'Gina' across Hwy 20 and up Hwy 5 to Willows, California. The next morning, Bob was enrolled in Thunderhill Raceway Park's High Performance Driving School. 'Gina' was in for a workout! For his take on the day, visit his site here.
I appointed myself the photographer of the day (next time I'm driving too!) and was able to get some great shots (you'll have to see more of them at Bob's website - link above). The series of shots are of Bob making a pass on a Corvette C5. The structure is such that the goal is to improve your driving skills, not to race against other drivers. But it did make for some great pictures!
Mid-September marked Ross' 50th birthday. Ross was our best man at our wedding and we were honored to be able to share in his big day. He had had a goal to visit France by his 50th and had not yet made it so the French countryside (including an accordian player and of course, lots of fine wine) was brought to him as a surprise. At left, Ross has just arrived to find his driveway full of 'Parisians'.
The following weekend was the annual Fabulous Flashback Car Show, hosted by the Early Iron of Ukiah car club. The event traditionally starts off with the Ukiah Host Lions club preparing a pancake breakfast. Bob's got the pouring down to a science.
As usual, there was a fantastic array of cars. I'm always partial to the Oldsmobiles (my first car was a '65 Olds Cutlass F-85), as is evident by the Hearst pictured. And I love the big grilles and chrome styling of the early models. But my favorites are the early Vette's. What a beauty!
Each fall, the Ukiah Host Lions man the concession stands for Ukiahi and Youth Football games. All the proceeds go towards paying for the Youth Football equipment and uniforms. Not one child pays for anything. Though I'm not a member of the club (Bob is), I enjoy doing my part and having a great time razzing the kids that return time after time throughout the day.
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