2-22 - Jerry S. coaching client, drove to coffee on a yucky, drizzle day, top up of course.
2-24 - Alexander Keith B, lunch, top down both ways to PCG, re: checklist for his group
2-25 - Mike, lunch, top up
Some guy's adventures in a Ferrari.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Week ending 2-25
2-19 - Blaise, Charles, drive downtown top up, public parking downtown? sure, why not, it's a daily driver, so it will accumulate a patina and other evidence of its enthusiastic use.
2-22 - Jerry S. coaching client, drove to coffee on a yucky, drizzle day, top up of course.
2-24 - Alexander Keith B, lunch, top down both ways to PCG, re: checklist for his group
2-25 - Mike, lunch, top up
2-22 - Jerry S. coaching client, drove to coffee on a yucky, drizzle day, top up of course.
2-24 - Alexander Keith B, lunch, top down both ways to PCG, re: checklist for his group
2-25 - Mike, lunch, top up
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Week ending 2-11-18
2-5 - Triple A for license plate exchange (DBLM.COM) from Vintage to Coastal (whale tail), after haircut. top up.
2-7 - drive short distance to Inn l'auberge, top down, for lunch with Jesse Langley who chose to be late, so I suggested rescheduling rather than trying to do too much in too little time. Instead I had a nice lunch solo, and invited a couple of friends Bruce and Betsy to stop to enjoy a chat. Lovely day at first, then fog. Betsy tries it on for size:
2-8 - Ann von Gal, met me at the Fun House, then top up drive to PCG for lunch, and top down drive back home, stopping for photo:
2-7 - drive short distance to Inn l'auberge, top down, for lunch with Jesse Langley who chose to be late, so I suggested rescheduling rather than trying to do too much in too little time. Instead I had a nice lunch solo, and invited a couple of friends Bruce and Betsy to stop to enjoy a chat. Lovely day at first, then fog. Betsy tries it on for size:
2-8 - Ann von Gal, met me at the Fun House, then top up drive to PCG for lunch, and top down drive back home, stopping for photo:
 |
| Ann von Gal |
2-11 - Mike's for lunch, top up both ways.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Week ending 2-4-18
1-29 - CJ, lunch and ride to PCG, top down
1-29 - drive to get stitches removed from finger, top down both ways
1-30 - Larry K. lunch at Farmer and Seahorse, top down ride up and down the hill. He paid!
1-31 - Joyce T. quick ride up the hill to late coffee, fries, root beer float, top down, caught in traffic coming back, but just in time for sunset:
2-1 - Kendra, lunch at Estancia, top down
2-2 - Cara Lyn G. - ride to TPL and beyond for lunch, top down. No Photo!
2-3 - sunset drive to Bruce and Betsy's condo, walk on the beach, then dinner at l'Auberge. Top down going, top up coming back, Betsy got a commitment ring around Thanksgiving! She is up for a fast ride up the hill.
1-29 - drive to get stitches removed from finger, top down both ways
1-30 - Larry K. lunch at Farmer and Seahorse, top down ride up and down the hill. He paid!
1-31 - Joyce T. quick ride up the hill to late coffee, fries, root beer float, top down, caught in traffic coming back, but just in time for sunset:
2-1 - Kendra, lunch at Estancia, top down
2-2 - Cara Lyn G. - ride to TPL and beyond for lunch, top down. No Photo!
2-3 - sunset drive to Bruce and Betsy's condo, walk on the beach, then dinner at l'Auberge. Top down going, top up coming back, Betsy got a commitment ring around Thanksgiving! She is up for a fast ride up the hill.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Week ending 1-28
1-22 - Raj S. top down drive to PCG for lunch.
1-23 - Neil D. top down drive to PCG for lunch. ---- NO PHOTO!??
1-24 - Rob B. drive top down to PCG for lunch, he treated me!
1-24 - Drove to left index finger surgery at Dr. K., top down going, top up coming home. Stopped to visit briefly with Mark K. Even driving to surgery I have a smile on my face. Ferrari smile rules!
1-25 - Katie B. great visit, top up (cold) drive to PCG lunch.
1-26 - Rob S. great drive/lunch at PCG
1-27 - Joni and Alex, ride and lunch, and Swami's visit, storytelling
1-28 - Mike, lunch
odometer: under 5,000
1-23 - Neil D. top down drive to PCG for lunch. ---- NO PHOTO!??
1-24 - Rob B. drive top down to PCG for lunch, he treated me!
1-24 - Drove to left index finger surgery at Dr. K., top down going, top up coming home. Stopped to visit briefly with Mark K. Even driving to surgery I have a smile on my face. Ferrari smile rules!
1-25 - Katie B. great visit, top up (cold) drive to PCG lunch.
1-26 - Rob S. great drive/lunch at PCG
1-27 - Joni and Alex, ride and lunch, and Swami's visit, storytelling
1-28 - Mike, lunch
odometer: under 5,000
Monday, January 22, 2018
Week ending 1-21-18
1-16 - Aaron H. and ride up the coast road to PCG for lunch, and return. Top down. No photo!
1-17 - Charles S. for lunch. Top down, very local, to Sbicca's for lunch. No photo!
1-18 - Chris D. lunch, PCG. meet him and Garrett there. I drove top down to and from, but from was in a thick, cold fog that came out of nowhere.
- Stephanie C. discussion first at MFH, then drive to TP Glider Port and back, top down, gave her my flying book.
1-19 - Clayton S. lunch, drive top up, to PCG discuss new consulting business, gave him flying book, Greatest Salesman, and poster.
1-17 - Charles S. for lunch. Top down, very local, to Sbicca's for lunch. No photo!
1-18 - Chris D. lunch, PCG. meet him and Garrett there. I drove top down to and from, but from was in a thick, cold fog that came out of nowhere.
- Stephanie C. discussion first at MFH, then drive to TP Glider Port and back, top down, gave her my flying book.
1-19 - Clayton S. lunch, drive top up, to PCG discuss new consulting business, gave him flying book, Greatest Salesman, and poster.
1-20 - Alexis D. lunch at Lotus ("Lily"), visit to my home at Swamis ('78+) and drive top up.
1-20 - Jamal - haircut, short ride
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Week ending 1/14/18
1-13 - Rain all week. Sick all week; didn't even look at the car.
And then on Saturday, the temp was 75, the sun was shining brightly, a few wispy high clouds, no wind. I'm thinking what a great day for some Frisbee on the beach. I was on the floor doing some meditation* and stretching. The phone rings. It's Mark K, he's out on the road and notices how low the tide is, and he's thinking Frisbee, of course. Time of call: 1:25. Time of low tide: 1:22. Conditions are perfect. I drive the 3 blocks to his place, then the one mile to the beach. Insanely great parking spot, and a sweet hunk of beach for play. Got my feet in the water. Great day.
There was some guy with a spectacular Lambo, same color as my once new 2006 Corvette (Monterrey Red), and he's taking photos, with doors up and ocean in the background. I know that feeling.
And then on Saturday, the temp was 75, the sun was shining brightly, a few wispy high clouds, no wind. I'm thinking what a great day for some Frisbee on the beach. I was on the floor doing some meditation* and stretching. The phone rings. It's Mark K, he's out on the road and notices how low the tide is, and he's thinking Frisbee, of course. Time of call: 1:25. Time of low tide: 1:22. Conditions are perfect. I drive the 3 blocks to his place, then the one mile to the beach. Insanely great parking spot, and a sweet hunk of beach for play. Got my feet in the water. Great day.
There was some guy with a spectacular Lambo, same color as my once new 2006 Corvette (Monterrey Red), and he's taking photos, with doors up and ocean in the background. I know that feeling.
*Meditation session #401-in-a-row-without-a-miss
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Week ending 1-7-18
1-4-18 Jake S. and a drive up the coast to PCG for lunch, top up, then back down the coast top down. Stop in DM and visit to 1320 and the Genesis story.
1-5-18 Quick trip to the Union bank branch to close a couple of accounts (simplifying)
1-5-18 Visit to Rocky F for estimates on some personalizing of the Ferrari. Red calipers, removal of the horses, or paint them. Completely remove the yellow (badges, wheel centers, etc), do some pinstriping for the driver's door...
1-5-18 Quick trip to the Union bank branch to close a couple of accounts (simplifying)
1-5-18 Visit to Rocky F for estimates on some personalizing of the Ferrari. Red calipers, removal of the horses, or paint them. Completely remove the yellow (badges, wheel centers, etc), do some pinstriping for the driver's door...
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Week ending 12/31/17
12-25 Short trip with the top up, to Christmas dinner with Great friends Carol and David G.
12-26 Mike's birthday lunch, with K. (backed into the bush in the driveway). Mailman wanted a photo of the car. Top up both ways.
12-30 Bruce A. gets a ride up the coast, top down, lunch at K.
12-31 Visit with Mike. Top up both ways. Getting chilly!
12-26 Mike's birthday lunch, with K. (backed into the bush in the driveway). Mailman wanted a photo of the car. Top up both ways.
12-30 Bruce A. gets a ride up the coast, top down, lunch at K.
12-31 Visit with Mike. Top up both ways. Getting chilly!
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Week ending 12/24/17
12-18 - drove to haircut. stopped to ask about car wash, by hand, they want 50 bucks. Yikes!
12/19 - drove south to get Dr. K's nurse Jane to look at the knot on my left index finger that appeared suddenly yesterday.
12-22 - top up short drive to close a couple of old bank accounts, to simplify accounting and maintenance.
12-23 - drove south, top up, to doctor appointment (Dr. S.K) for inspection of left index finger, then top down back home. Later in the day Keith and Jackie took me to dinner in their SUV, but wanted to check out the Ferrari first and Keith took this photo:
12/19 - drove south to get Dr. K's nurse Jane to look at the knot on my left index finger that appeared suddenly yesterday.
12-22 - top up short drive to close a couple of old bank accounts, to simplify accounting and maintenance.
12-23 - drove south, top up, to doctor appointment (Dr. S.K) for inspection of left index finger, then top down back home. Later in the day Keith and Jackie took me to dinner in their SUV, but wanted to check out the Ferrari first and Keith took this photo:
Jackie is, without a doubt, one of the sweetest human beings I know.
Thanks for the photo Keith!
I find myself smiling a lot more lately, just knowing this car is there in the garage, waiting for me...
:)
Monday, December 18, 2017
Week ending 12/24/17
12/18 -
1. quick ride to haircut, discussion with car wash near barber shop... they want 50 bucks for hand wash! Yikes!
2. ride to the beach, south parking lot, for sunset walk.
Week ending 12/17/17
12/12 - Josh N. first ride in a sports car of any type! Up the coast, stop for lunch, and visit the place I lived 40 years ago, when I had the 275 GTB long nose.
12/14 - Carol S. first ride. Top down, up the hill. Brochure.
12/15 - Car wash, mobile service by Bobby K.
12/17 - Sunday drive to Mike's place for lunch, top up, freeway speeds.
12/14 - Carol S. first ride. Top down, up the hill. Brochure.
12/15 - Car wash, mobile service by Bobby K.
12/17 - Sunday drive to Mike's place for lunch, top up, freeway speeds.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Healthy living with turbo boost
It's good to get out of the house more often,
to breathe fresh air
get some sun,
move around a bit.
Make it a 1-1 business meeting.
I like helping others.
A short ride in the Ferrari,
hopefully with the top down,
a healthy lunch,
good discussion,
and a short walk after.
It's a very good day when this happens.
Favorite places to eat:
- I like PCG in Cardiff, with great food, excellent car parking services, beach front tables. $$$
- Right across the street is Ki's with great fish tacos, parking is chancy.$$
- Rice and beans and guacamole at En Fuego, unlimited chips and salsa, $
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Week ending 12/3/17
Monday -
1. drove to lunch to visit with Grant (Corvette, modified) and Randy S. (Porsche 911 Turbo +++)
2. drove to dental appointment (GS DDS who owns Panamera), we compared notes.
Tuesday -
1. drove to lunch, top up, to meet Dan K. his office, then walk.
2. George W. stopped by, and I drove him to/from Sean's place, just a few blocks. George is un-car.
Saturday - with Mark to Frisbee at the beach, then tour the hills. New territory for me, perfect weather for top down cruising. Automatic mode moves along quietly and appropriate for the peaceful neighborhood.
Sunday - to Mike's place for lunch. Top up both ways (freeway). His tree was trimmed way back but more would have been better; the car got tagged twice. I need to learn this lesson. Whereas a heavy layer of road dirt from hard driving is a rather desirable condition, it's disgusting to have bird shit on a Ferrari. So don't park under trees. It's just too much of a temptation for delinquent birds. I was a delinquent once. Birds are smart, they know they can get away with it.
1. drove to lunch to visit with Grant (Corvette, modified) and Randy S. (Porsche 911 Turbo +++)
2. drove to dental appointment (GS DDS who owns Panamera), we compared notes.
Tuesday -
1. drove to lunch, top up, to meet Dan K. his office, then walk.
2. George W. stopped by, and I drove him to/from Sean's place, just a few blocks. George is un-car.
Saturday - with Mark to Frisbee at the beach, then tour the hills. New territory for me, perfect weather for top down cruising. Automatic mode moves along quietly and appropriate for the peaceful neighborhood.
Sunday - to Mike's place for lunch. Top up both ways (freeway). His tree was trimmed way back but more would have been better; the car got tagged twice. I need to learn this lesson. Whereas a heavy layer of road dirt from hard driving is a rather desirable condition, it's disgusting to have bird shit on a Ferrari. So don't park under trees. It's just too much of a temptation for delinquent birds. I was a delinquent once. Birds are smart, they know they can get away with it.
Friday, December 1, 2017
Personalization
Some thoughts for personalizing the California T:
Rocky quote: less than 1k, more than 500. Removal and reinstall of calipers extra.
6. pinstripe -MM- wings logo on upper driver's door1. remove chrome grille horse (or paint grille black if removal is problem)2. remove badge on fenders, or paint body color3. body color paint horse on rear4. body color paint wheel centers (now yellow)5. paint calipers red (now yellow)
--------------------------
Removal and reinstall of calipers extra. Rocky recommends James Wie for that. See contacts.
7. window tint
8. what options are available to improve the sounds?
9. tonneau cover?
Friday, November 24, 2017
Ferrari Lingerie
This evening, for its first fitting of the indoor cover.
Satin feel, very form fitting.
Stretchy.
Soft. Feels good.
Looks good with the top down. But why do cover manufacturers say don't put cover on cars with the top down? Weird.
Drop Top Stop
On the way out to Thanksgiving dinner with friends, I went to drop the top to enjoy the 80 degree day, but the operation stopped halfway through the process.
I then raised the top, and lowered it a couple more times with the same result.
It has ceased to finish the lowering process.
Low pressure in the hydraulics?
It's not like I can just hit it with a hammer.
Back to the shop in the morning?
------------------
Morning update:
Works fine.
Why?
Possibly because I did a system reset (turned the car off yesterday, and on again this morning).
I should have tried that yesterday, but I kept doing the top up/down without turning the car off/on.
Now I know.
Duh.
And I'm supposed to be a computer guy...
Embarrassing.
-----------------
RTFM!
After Reading the F**king Manual, I learn that the engine must be running to operate the top.
Duh.
Well, hey, I'm new to this.
Guys don't read instruction manuals except in extreme circumstances, right?
:)
I then raised the top, and lowered it a couple more times with the same result.
It has ceased to finish the lowering process.
Low pressure in the hydraulics?
It's not like I can just hit it with a hammer.
Back to the shop in the morning?
------------------
Morning update:
Works fine.
Why?
Possibly because I did a system reset (turned the car off yesterday, and on again this morning).
I should have tried that yesterday, but I kept doing the top up/down without turning the car off/on.
Now I know.
Duh.
And I'm supposed to be a computer guy...
Embarrassing.
-----------------
RTFM!
After Reading the F**king Manual, I learn that the engine must be running to operate the top.
Duh.
Well, hey, I'm new to this.
Guys don't read instruction manuals except in extreme circumstances, right?
:)
Monday, November 20, 2017
The Open Road
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
Walt Whitman
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
Walt Whitman
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Week ending 11/19/2017
Monday. Drive to Lunch with DeAnn, top down, a slight chill at speed. Brief chat with her husband Dan about the car.
Wednesday. Car wash, then a top down Drive to Lunch with Charles S. Quick photo session at the beach, then a spirited race up the hill against his Boxter. No contest.
Friday. Rick C. Met at Whole Foods for lunch and then decided to take a quick top down ride to another location for lunch, just to get a ride there (anywhere) and back. Very impressed with acceleration, power per liter, and paint color. Engine inspection. Quick photo.
Saturday. Text message exchange from neighbor Chris in followup from previous request to give his wife a ride.
odometer 3998
Wednesday. Car wash, then a top down Drive to Lunch with Charles S. Quick photo session at the beach, then a spirited race up the hill against his Boxter. No contest.
Friday. Rick C. Met at Whole Foods for lunch and then decided to take a quick top down ride to another location for lunch, just to get a ride there (anywhere) and back. Very impressed with acceleration, power per liter, and paint color. Engine inspection. Quick photo.
Saturday. Text message exchange from neighbor Chris in followup from previous request to give his wife a ride.
odometer 3998
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Week ending 11/12/17
Adventure called. The hermit is driven from his cave in search of a fast drive and the unknown. I have an annual pass to all California and National parks, so I choose one about an hour away. The roads there are mostly freeway and nice twisty mountain roads.When I get there, it's a quick hike. There was flowing water, a small creek and a humble waterfall, with a climb over uneven and unknown terrain.
All of that was easy enough for me, but what made me uneasy was hanging around after I saw this sign.
Getting mauled by a mountain lion was more adventure than I wanted. It was extra troubling because I was solo, and it was late afternoon. Mountain lions are nocturnal hunters and some of them get up early, especially if they are hungry.
Fast drive home.
Refuel, and experiment with the display button sequence you need to be able to show the estimated miles remaining on the current fuel level. And how to reset the trip meter.
Odometer ~3900
---------------------------
Keenan's a real car guy, but this was his first Ferrari ride. Top down. Up the coast road to beachfront restaurant with oceanfront table. Lunch, excellent. Position one valet parking. Ride back top down.
---------------------------
Playing with photo comparison. 40 years ago, and (40) days ago. Same coastline but exact location different. Near Big Sur, Highway 1, central coast of California. The maroon car is a 1965 Ferrari 275GTB, V12 , 250 hp. The blue car is Beauty, 2017 Ferrari California T, 550hp. I need to practice my pose to get it exactly the way it was in 1977. Wish I still had that old car!
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Software glitch, or operator error?
Doing some serious research in the operators handbook to find how to dim the dash lights. Not in the index, I had to do a lot of reading, and finally found it. Along the way, I fiddled with some other settings until I finally broke something. No idea what I did to cause it, but I couldn't get back to the Main menu on the TFT display, and it got stuck on the front parking sensor screen. Nothing would get it unstuck.
So it was off to the local Ferrari service facility and after much milling about, the service manager fiddled with enough buttons to get it working again. Seems there's a button above the windshield that works in conjunction with the buttons on the far left dash. That's just plain bad design.
In order to dim the dash lights, it takes 6 (count 'em: SIX) buttons to do it. The Audi S5 requires only the twist of a know, which could easily be done while driving, but with the Ferrari, it would be completely unsafe at any speed to try it. Unless you're Italian... they like to use their hands while talking, so it's probably natural for them to fiddle with buttons while driving.
:)
So it was off to the local Ferrari service facility and after much milling about, the service manager fiddled with enough buttons to get it working again. Seems there's a button above the windshield that works in conjunction with the buttons on the far left dash. That's just plain bad design.
In order to dim the dash lights, it takes 6 (count 'em: SIX) buttons to do it. The Audi S5 requires only the twist of a know, which could easily be done while driving, but with the Ferrari, it would be completely unsafe at any speed to try it. Unless you're Italian... they like to use their hands while talking, so it's probably natural for them to fiddle with buttons while driving.
:)
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Home at last!
Got home Sunday after about 1600 miles.
The car performed flawlessly, but there are bugs and dirt all over the car!
Looks like it was "rode hard and put away wet" but a thorough cleaning is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Smog inspection scheduled for Monday.
DMV registration scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
(odometer = 3684)
The car performed flawlessly, but there are bugs and dirt all over the car!
Looks like it was "rode hard and put away wet" but a thorough cleaning is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Smog inspection scheduled for Monday.
DMV registration scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
(odometer = 3684)
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Mammoth Lakes - Lone Pine - China Lake
Blasting the miles down 395 with a rest stop around China Lake, the Naval Air Weapons Station. This highway is a lot of high speed straights, with great hills. Started this morning at almost 8,000' elevation. Now only 2,200'. Good fun!
Every so often there's a small town, with speed limits as low as 25mph. Yikes!
As long as I was going slow, I figured I might as well take on some body fuel and was very happy with this random choice in Lone Pine. Great Mexican food!
The car is running flawlessly. Experimenting with cruise control.
Every so often there's a small town, with speed limits as low as 25mph. Yikes!
As long as I was going slow, I figured I might as well take on some body fuel and was very happy with this random choice in Lone Pine. Great Mexican food!
The car is running flawlessly. Experimenting with cruise control.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Mammoth Lakes
Running down Highway 395 from Tahoe at 6,200' to Mammoth Lakes at 7,800'.
It was easy going with cruise control.
Experimenting with the on-board navigation system, and it seems to be working perfectly. I started getting into the on-board system because I hit my 3 GB limit on the iPhone, and I couldn't get the iPhone to send audio directions to the car speakers, or even my iPhone. Frustrating. I should have used the on-board nav system when I started this adventure, but I figured the iPhone would have the advantage with up-to-the-minute traffic alerts, and I doubted how current the on-board system would be.
It was easy going with cruise control.
Experimenting with the on-board navigation system, and it seems to be working perfectly. I started getting into the on-board system because I hit my 3 GB limit on the iPhone, and I couldn't get the iPhone to send audio directions to the car speakers, or even my iPhone. Frustrating. I should have used the on-board nav system when I started this adventure, but I figured the iPhone would have the advantage with up-to-the-minute traffic alerts, and I doubted how current the on-board system would be.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Emerald Bay
It was only 26 degrees early this morning but warmed up to the low 60s quickly, and after a monster breakfast of eggs Benedict, salmon, hash browns, coffee and orange juice, it was time to check out this magnificent scenery.
The road to Emerald Bay was truly epic, and with the top down the ride could not have been any better. The great exhaust sounds were blasting off the rock walls and probably reached the other side of the lake! The speed limit is 35, but that's just a general guideline, and impossible to obey when there are 550 horses stampeding to be let loose. As I rounded one of the hundreds of turns, a tall blonde, outdoorsy and fit, was just exiting her SUV at a View Point; she heard the Ferrari screaming down the hill and turned to see what it was, and immediately let out a woo-hoo holler and raise both arm to the sky. I love it when that happens. I like to bring joy to lovely ladies, one way or another...
The temps were so perfect, the sky brilliantly clear, and the traffic was nil, so I took a couple of trips through the small town of South Lake Tahoe. Top down, low speed, just cruising the neighborhood, soaking up rays and totally enjoying it all.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Tahoe at sunset
The sun was at my back, the roads were spectacular, and the last 100 miles getting into Tahoe I had them all to myself. Two lanes, smooth blacktop, endless twists and turns and hills galore. Better roads than these do not exist.
With all the rush of getting out of Muir Woods, I neglected to make reservations in Tahoe, so when I got back on Route 50 leading out of Concord, I called my trusty assistant Carol and asked here to find me a bed for the next two nights. My room is right on the lake, in South Lake Tahoe. Thank you Carol!!
I was in serious need of a good bed; my back was killing me from a 4 hours of driving some challenging roads and lots of dicey traffic getting into and out of Sacramento. I haven't hurt that much in a long time. Gotta pace myself...
Friday, October 20, 2017
Driving into History!
I started out this morning with no idea where I was going, but I knew that I couldn't get there from where I was. The road north was blocked by the Mother of all Landslides, so I had to go south to get north, but where north I had no idea.
On the way, it hit me: The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. I have always wanted to tour the museum because I have lived so much of computer history, it would be good to see if they got it right. Another reason: I have donated a lot of my software stuff to this museum, and I would like to see if they are keeping it in good condition in their archives.
Another thing in Mountain View is Shoreline Billiards, the site of my undefeated victory in the California tournament for the US Amateur championships, in 2004.
Heading south on Highway 1 to 86, then east to 101, then north, I stopped at Salinas and ate a light lunch at the Salinas airport. A magnificent soup of artichoke and various spices, watching only one plane take off into a strong headwind, and I was back on the road.
When I got to Mountain View, I pulled over in the Museum lot to check some hotels where I might want to stay. They all looked good and were only a few miles away, but I was dog tired and figured I'd shoot a few racks at Shoreline Billiards, just for old time's sake.
But NOoooooo! The pool hall is history, as in Gone, no mas, finito, no esta aqui, it has ceased to be. The scene of my great triumph is history. This is just so wrong. Who will sing my praises now? Sad.
Nothing left to do but to choose a hotel and get back into rush hour traffic, an unspeakable thing for a Ferrari to choose, but if I didn't do it I would fall asleep in the parking lot of the Museum.
I chose well. Roberto, the front desk man and concierge, took splendid care of me, helping with laundry, and a reference for getting my car detailed in the morning. When I asked if there were any special parking arrangements, in a ding-free zone, he suggested the handicapped spots, since there were no people checked in who needed them. What a guy! But I figured I'd just park close to the blue zone and not take up the spot. Although, after all that driving, I was barely able to walk, but I didn't have the blue sticker...
Roberto fixed me up with laundry/dry cleaning overnight, and directed me to Lupe's Mexican restaurant, which was absolutely outstanding. I still a bit buzzed with a Cadillac margarita, which did the trick to release the tight muscles from all those hours in the saddle.
Buenas noches...
On the way, it hit me: The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. I have always wanted to tour the museum because I have lived so much of computer history, it would be good to see if they got it right. Another reason: I have donated a lot of my software stuff to this museum, and I would like to see if they are keeping it in good condition in their archives.
Another thing in Mountain View is Shoreline Billiards, the site of my undefeated victory in the California tournament for the US Amateur championships, in 2004.
Heading south on Highway 1 to 86, then east to 101, then north, I stopped at Salinas and ate a light lunch at the Salinas airport. A magnificent soup of artichoke and various spices, watching only one plane take off into a strong headwind, and I was back on the road.
When I got to Mountain View, I pulled over in the Museum lot to check some hotels where I might want to stay. They all looked good and were only a few miles away, but I was dog tired and figured I'd shoot a few racks at Shoreline Billiards, just for old time's sake.
But NOoooooo! The pool hall is history, as in Gone, no mas, finito, no esta aqui, it has ceased to be. The scene of my great triumph is history. This is just so wrong. Who will sing my praises now? Sad.
Nothing left to do but to choose a hotel and get back into rush hour traffic, an unspeakable thing for a Ferrari to choose, but if I didn't do it I would fall asleep in the parking lot of the Museum.
I chose well. Roberto, the front desk man and concierge, took splendid care of me, helping with laundry, and a reference for getting my car detailed in the morning. When I asked if there were any special parking arrangements, in a ding-free zone, he suggested the handicapped spots, since there were no people checked in who needed them. What a guy! But I figured I'd just park close to the blue zone and not take up the spot. Although, after all that driving, I was barely able to walk, but I didn't have the blue sticker...
Roberto fixed me up with laundry/dry cleaning overnight, and directed me to Lupe's Mexican restaurant, which was absolutely outstanding. I still a bit buzzed with a Cadillac margarita, which did the trick to release the tight muscles from all those hours in the saddle.
Buenas noches...
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Ragged Point road racing
This is my second day at Ragged Point. I wanted to get as much time as possible driving these legendary roads.
Mid afternoon, perfectly clear, sunny, 63 degrees, no wind, top down.
This is driving at its finest. Twisty roads with the sea on one side, mountains on the other. And almost no traffic, due to the road closure to the north.
With the top down, the wind inside the car is significantly reduced with the windows up, and that includes the small rear quarter windows.
Drove from Ragged Point north to where Highway 1 is shut down because of the "Mother of All Landslides" then turned around and drove all the way south to Cambria. Had a quick lunch at San Simeon, the best fish tacos EVER. Sitting outside with a great view: the car just across the street.
Best fish tacos on the planet, in San Simeon, CA. Almost makes the 400 mile drive worthwhile. Guacamole, pickled red onions, carrots, cabbage, secret sauce... who knows what all, and a Lot of good grilled fish under it all.
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Damn fine lookin' ride.
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Then turned around and raced all the way back to Ragged Point. On the return, the wind kicked up considerably. The car can get squirrelly at high speed, when cresting a small hill and the car lifts up, getting weightless, and the wind catches it. Things get interesting. High speeds in this car should be done with the top UP.
A really great feature of California Highway 1 is that all those twisty roads are interspersed with occasional long straights that just beg you to let it all hang out:
This was the first serious road racing I've done with the car, except up The Hill. The impression I'm left with is that this is a very capable automobile, with bucket-loads of power, and a seriously strong suspension, and brakes that will stop Now. If you're gonna go fast, you gotta be able to stop fast.
Sweet roads, sweet car.
Pulled over to a view point, noticed a guy taking selfies of him and his black VW beetle, so I asked him to try to reproduce my 1977 photo (see previous post). This is what he got. Bad lighting, but good practice:
Beauty now has a modest collection of bugs splattered all over it's face. Drive, wash, repeat.
Refueled for a big drive tomorrow, but I have no idea where I'm going from here. No reservations, but lots of options.
Gas was 4.95 per gallon. Attendant says it's the highest price in the USA. Seems appropriate to put ungodly expensive gas in an ungodly expensive car. But it's all in the name of Fun, so how can I argue about that?
Stay thirsty, my friend...
Pismo Beach, then Ragged Point
Late check-out of Cliff Edge hotel by the sea (Mussel Shoals, CA) because I wanted to soak up all the surf I could before heading out on the road. That, and because I had a meeting planned with a very good long time friend, Theresa H. at around 2:30 for lunch. I haven't seen her in way too long.
Phone maps were not working properly, no voice commands, and the connection was very poor, so I missed a few turns. Kind of a nuisance, but I really wanted to check out some new places anyway, and lots of time to kill.
Met up with Theresa H. at the Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach for a nice lunch and lots of catching up with the news about our mutual friends. Then, all too soon, it was big hugs and time to get back on the road. I wanted to arrive at the Ragged Point Inn before sunset to get some good photos. And I prefer to avoid high speed twisty road driving at night.
My first visit to Ragged Point was 40 years ago, on my first drive up the legendary Highway 1 to Big Sur and on to Carmel and Monterrey. The road car that year was my Ferrari 275 GTB.
This photo was taken in 1977 somewhere near Ragged Point, and it's one of my all-time favorite photos. Many good memories...
I can't remember the name of the photographer, but I'm sure she was very attractive, and I'm sure we liked each other a lot, but that's about it.
We were heading south after a great weekend, and I had this sense of History, driving a great car on a great stretch of road, and with a great companion to share it with. I was struck with the importance of recording the moment for posterity and pulled over at a spot with a good view of the Pacific and asked her to run across the road and take a photo. What you see is what she got in one shot. She would be pleased to know that this photo won First Place in the Del Mar Times photo contest about 2-3 years ago.
One of my goals is to recreate this photo with the new car, less hair, but of course there's no way I could ever find bell-bottom pants, and I'm not sure I'd want to!
Here's a shot looking north along the coast from Ragged Point Inn, taken at sunset tonight:
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
A good first day of the road trip
Packed the car, with the gnawing feeling that I'm forgetting something. I'm over-packed because I have no idea how long I'll be gone...
Take off at 9:15, and fill the tank, and I'm on the Interstate by 9:30. North.
Quick stop at cousin Tim and Meghan's home about an hour north for some pizza and checking out their new home (awesome!) and then back on the road again. The stop was planned to give me a chance to rest my feet and see how long I can drive without problems.
Here's the challenge: I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet, a condition that is characterized by tingling, numbness, cramping, etc. The nerves are dying. It's hereditary, incurable, and progressive. My father had it and finally got to the point where he had a very difficult time walking.
One of the thoughts behind getting this car is that, since this condition only gets worse, there will never be a better time later.
The big unknown going into this road trip is how long I can drive at a time before my feet go completely numb and it becomes not such a good idea to drive without resting.
I planned to split today's driving of about 4 hours into 3 stops, the first to have lunch, and then the long drive in the afternoon would be an experiment to see how long I can last.
The pizza for lunch started to get me sleepy and I was planning on stopping for some rest, but I caught a second wind and just kept going the whole distance of about 3 hours without much of a problem. Pleasant surprise!
I stayed in automatic mode the whole trip, and it really showed its value in the stop and go traffic through Los Angeles traffic. The drive was in mid day, so it was nowhere as bad as it could have been.
Pulled into the hotel at 2:30, got the primo parking spot I visualized from looking at Google Maps satellite images. Remind me to tell you about my parking karma!
The room is excellent, about 50' from the Pacific, on Old Pacific Coast Highway. Dinner outside, 73 degrees, sunset, great food. Then a brisk walk around the neighborhood of beachfront homes.
Before calling it a day I do some stretches and massage the feet, then listen to the lullaby of surf sounds to put me into a deep sleep...
A good day!
A good day!
Odometer 2271.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Two rides in one day!
1. A quick drive to a local restaurant to celebrate the birthday of a very good friend, Kat. I got there first and arranged with the parking valet to leave it out front so Kat could check it out. Valets seem to always park the nice iron up front, and today was no exception. Of course she loved it but we didn't have time for a ride. We both had appointments right after lunch. We'll ride another day...
2. Another top down late afternoon ride back to the medical clinic to get the stitches removed. Everything looks good, says the doc. He wants me to come back in 10 days, but that's not going to happen because Epic Road Trip #2 starts tomorrow morning!
This time of year in SoCal the weather is absolutely perfect. Today was hot, in the upper 80s, but the humidity was very low
The evening was busy with packing for the road trip starting tomorrow.
Odometer 2068.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Sunset ride up The Hill, at speed, top down.
Show and tell followed by hot ride up The Hill with Mark K. but first a drive-by chat 'n dash with Steve and Dianne B.
Top down, windows down, the sound is awesome, but lots of wind at 100 mph. It seems that most of the top down travels will be best at a maximum of 60-70 for long rides. I'll do more experiments with windows up, and wind deflector installed. Maybe with all that going, it could be good for long distance, high speed, top down driving.
Serious brake tests on the way back down the hill, all to good effect.
Big respect for this car. Strong, capable, yet civilized when required.
Ready for Epic Road Trip #2.
Top down, windows down, the sound is awesome, but lots of wind at 100 mph. It seems that most of the top down travels will be best at a maximum of 60-70 for long rides. I'll do more experiments with windows up, and wind deflector installed. Maybe with all that going, it could be good for long distance, high speed, top down driving.
Serious brake tests on the way back down the hill, all to good effect.
Big respect for this car. Strong, capable, yet civilized when required.
Ready for Epic Road Trip #2.
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Reliving the good old days
Another perfect weather day, with very ordinary excuse to go for a ride: haircut. Top up this time because I knew I was going to park the car unattended and out of sight in a remote corner of the mall lot, even if only for half an hour.
J. is outside catching a smoke as I pull up in front of the clip joint. His jaw drops on seeing the car, and drops some more when he recognizes that it's me driving. I drop the window and he sticks his head inside, strokes the leather and initially has trouble finding the words.
He's usually on a tight schedule so I slip the car around the corner and off to my usual ding-free parking zone, and head inside to get my ears lowered. I always get my hair cut around the New Moon, but I don't know why I mention that. :)
After the quick clip, it's back on the road, and instead of heading home, I decide to head up the coast road; it's just too nice a day, to celebrate the fact that both biopsies are benign, and to relive those good old days, 40 years ago, when I would drive my Ferrari 275 GTB on that road several times a day, just for the sheer pleasure of it. Of course that was 40 years ago, and there was a lot less traffic.
Today, going north, the traffic was awful, a lot of stop and go, so I kept to automatic mode and it was almost pleasurable, but the late afternoon sun was burning the left side of my face, even with the top up. But that was good information: the sun visor is stationary, only flips down and doesn't swing to cover the side window. I need to get something to block the sun because I'll be doing a lot of afternoon driving north on my road trip. Pep Boys might have something for that. I also need some screws to mount the license plate. Maybe tomorrow.
This was my longest drive to date, just over an hour in the car, and it was good practice for the long drives ahead. I was tired when I got back home, and spent an hour on the yoga mat un-kinking, then went to bed early.
Odometer 2009.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
It was just a friendly pat on the back...
A short ride of about 10 miles to the south, top down on a beautiful day, in a beautiful car, for an ugly reason: surgery to get a couple of suspicious "lesions" removed and inspected for cancer, one on my back and another on my right thumb.The outcome of this procedure will determine if I need more surgery, which could delay my planned road trip, and I won't know for a couple more days.
So I might as well enjoy the ride, right?
There's no hurry getting there, so I keep to automatic shifting mode just to see how it behaves in traffic. Remarkably smooth! Just the slightest pressure on the accelerator and it moves gracefully through the gears keeping revs in the 1500 rpm range.
The personality of the car is completely changed from the enthusiastic way I have been driving it since delivery. This is very laid back, low profile, and quiet.
The clinic parking lot is full, but 10 feet away is another clinic where I have a couple of physician friends, and they have several open spots, so I slip in there and chat up the valet, tipping him nicely and giving him a card to download my free app. I mention I'd like to visit, un-announced, a couple of friends there, and then go to the other clinic for some surgery. No problem, he says.
The surgery goes surprisingly well, with only local numbing injections and I'm out of there in about 90 minutes, but the most incredible thing happens...
The surgeon asks how I'm enjoying my new car, so I invite him outside to check it out. I didn't expect him to take me up on it; he's a very busy guy, but he lights up and says sure. Now we're no long physician/patient, just two car guys checking out a Ferrari, and of course he loves it.
When he's seen enough and moves to get back to his office, he wishes me well on my road trip, and give me a friendly slap on the back, scoring a direct hit where he just cut me open.
My reaction was immediate and incredulous and he picks up on his mistake immediately, but of course his slap was more of a friendly pat, and it didn't cause any damage. We both had a good laugh about that.
In a couple of days I might be told I have cancer, but not today. The ride home was still in automatic mode, late afternoon, 70 SoCal degrees, top down, in a Ferrari, driving north on the coast road.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
The brake lights are Where?
My son sent me this video clip of a test drive on the Ferrari California T and it taught me a couple of things that probably would have taken me a while to learn, including the fact that the brake lights are not where I thought they were:
One of those perfect rides
No ride yesterday, the car sat idle.
After a meeting at the office from 2-3, there was another meeting about 10 miles inland at 4pm with new potential client Joyce T.
Refueled the car for the first time and checked out the filler tube with NO gas cap, which, if I hadn't learned about it from BB I would have been totally freaked about it. Never heard of such a thing!
Top down on nice twisty roads, 70 degrees, sun at my back, and a perfect parking spot right in front of the restaurant. Left the car with the top down and felt completely safe about that because of the quality of the neighborhood.
Great meeting.
Back on the road at 6:15, just before sunset, great sky colors, open roads, high speeds.
I'm getting used to the car, feeling comfortable with it.
Except for the HOLD feature, and lack of automatic hold on hills. That's just wrong.
Did some reading in the operator's manual re: turn signal operation which seems counterintuitive in that you press the switch longer for the signal to stay on for shorter duration (lane change), and press quickly to keep the signal on longer (until steering resets it or reset by operator by pressing again).
After a meeting at the office from 2-3, there was another meeting about 10 miles inland at 4pm with new potential client Joyce T.
Refueled the car for the first time and checked out the filler tube with NO gas cap, which, if I hadn't learned about it from BB I would have been totally freaked about it. Never heard of such a thing!
Top down on nice twisty roads, 70 degrees, sun at my back, and a perfect parking spot right in front of the restaurant. Left the car with the top down and felt completely safe about that because of the quality of the neighborhood.
Great meeting.
Back on the road at 6:15, just before sunset, great sky colors, open roads, high speeds.
I'm getting used to the car, feeling comfortable with it.
Except for the HOLD feature, and lack of automatic hold on hills. That's just wrong.
Did some reading in the operator's manual re: turn signal operation which seems counterintuitive in that you press the switch longer for the signal to stay on for shorter duration (lane change), and press quickly to keep the signal on longer (until steering resets it or reset by operator by pressing again).
Monday, October 9, 2017
Weekend One
Saturday morning Beauty gets a wash. It's an opportunity for me to go over every square inch of the car, noticing every tiny mark, most already there from the first owner, not many at all, and maybe a couple I've picked up in the 5 days I've owned it. None of them noticeable to the average viewer. Lots of heads turn, everyone smiles, some stop to talk, one asks "Is that a Mustang? I saw the horse logo...".A friend I haven't seen in a year or so (Dave C.) calls in the morning. He says he'll be passing by my little village on his way home and maybe he can buy me lunch? Why not, right. So I drop the top and we head east to find a restaurant with some shade nearby for parking. He admits that his big agenda item was to prod me into buying the Ferrari that I was going to buy 3 years ago, but didn't (see last post from 2014), and he was amazed that I did it just this week. Mid-lunch I take a chance and call a friend (BB) who lives nearby, another Ferrari owner (488, F12, plus Lamborghini Aventador spider, Porsche, Rolls, etc) who has followed my twisted tale of owning this car since the beginning when he drove me north in his 458 Spider so I could test drive the California when it first became available. He drives over in his 488 to join us for lunch. In one of those interesting coincidences, Dave has previously talked with BB on business matters but never met.
Lunch winds down and BB invites me to dinner with some of his friends that evening at some very fancy place I have not experienced before, and to meet his newest squeeze-to-be, and her friend, etc. This is a no brainer because BB is a great host and is always surrounded by an interesting entourage. We meet at his mansion for a few hours of champagne and talk before dinner. Lots of Ferrari talk and photos of the cars. He has a white F12, and the red 488, along with my blue Beauty, would make a great red/white/blue tribute to his French heritage, and also very American, but we don't get around to making that photo happen. Too many details to make it happen, and we have pretty girls to entertain.
BB's new friend Alexandra is magnificent, very lively and open, and her good friend Mary is quite the same, and wearing over-the-knee boots, a feature that fascinates the living bejeezus out of me. (For some reason I'm particularly attracted to women's exotic footwear. On them, of course.)
Mary's a great conversationalist, and it seems we have lots in common, so the dinner goes much more smoothly than I had thought at the outset because there was another guy there who I thought was the matchup for Mary, and I was the last minute 5th wheel. But as it turned out Mary and drove there and back in my car, and we spent most of the night talking. I felt bad for the other guy, but it happened all so naturally, without any contrivance on my part at all. During the two night drives, to and from dinner, I finally found the high beam switch!
Sunday was son day. I drove to his place with the top down, and glided quietly into his driveway to surprise him. It was the first time Mike saw the car, although he has known of this impending event since the beginning. We had a quick lunch of takeout Rubio's, then ventured outside to check out the car in detail. Without any suggestion on my part, he moved from his wheelchair to the driver's seat, and gave it the full inspection of all the buttons, dials, knobs, whatever, including startup, and revving and oooh-ing and aaah-ing. It was great to see him in the car! Maybe there's a way to fit it out with hand controls for him to drive it when I'm doing the long dirt nap...
As I was demonstrating the top up operation, it got hung up with the rear quarter windows partially open, but going through the down/up procedure again all things worked right. It seems that it's a touchy procedure. Maybe I took my finger off the button for a millisecond and that caused the glitch. Not confidence inspiring.
Back home before sunset, top up.
Odometer 1942 (the year I was born).
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Day Three: Night Ride
The morning started with a quick trip to the Ferrari service shop where they confirmed that the top operation problem was Operator Error. Duh. While I was there, they tried to sell me a heavy plastic chin guard for a thousand bucks, but since I get in/out of my driveway without scraping, I passed on that expensive option. The thickness of the piece may even cause scraping!
Well after sunset I took my first NIGHT drive up The Hill, cautiously (only 100mph) due to the limited visibility, traffic, and unfamiliarity with the controls for high beams, etc. Jake, a coaching client, came along for the ride. I kept the top up.
This was also an experiment with shoe-less driving. It seems my sneakers are a bit big and get hung up moving from gas to brakes. I've ordered some driving shoes and fingerless driving gloves. Is this the beginning of the long slow slide into the Diderot Effect or just normal continuous improvement?
Well after sunset I took my first NIGHT drive up The Hill, cautiously (only 100mph) due to the limited visibility, traffic, and unfamiliarity with the controls for high beams, etc. Jake, a coaching client, came along for the ride. I kept the top up.
This was also an experiment with shoe-less driving. It seems my sneakers are a bit big and get hung up moving from gas to brakes. I've ordered some driving shoes and fingerless driving gloves. Is this the beginning of the long slow slide into the Diderot Effect or just normal continuous improvement?
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Day Two: top operating troubles
Another ride up The Hill, this time reaching 117mph (only 60% of the 196mph top speed) without any trouble whatsoever. Stephanie was enjoying the ride this time!
Before we set out, I wanted to lower the top, and everything seemed to go fully through the process, but when I tried to lower the windows, they refused to budge. Then I noticed that the dash warning said that the system was overheated, but that didn't make sense because I hadn't even turned the engine on! Maybe the top system was overheated?
I fired up the engine and drove to the street to get a better look, and noticed a small flap was slightly sticking up. Maybe that's the bug?
So I put the top back up. That worked just fine. But it wouldn't allow another lowering of the top, again giving the message.
Later that evening I tried it again, and it worked flawlessly 4 times in a row. So that's the good news, but there must be a bug in there somewhere. Or operator error?
Back to the shop in the morning!
Follow-up:
At the shop on 10/4/17, they ran diagnostics and found nothing wrong, but after discussion with the service manager, we learned that it was operator error: the engine needs to be running when operating the top. Duh. I must have missed that when reading the manual. RTFM, dude.
Before we set out, I wanted to lower the top, and everything seemed to go fully through the process, but when I tried to lower the windows, they refused to budge. Then I noticed that the dash warning said that the system was overheated, but that didn't make sense because I hadn't even turned the engine on! Maybe the top system was overheated?
I fired up the engine and drove to the street to get a better look, and noticed a small flap was slightly sticking up. Maybe that's the bug?
So I put the top back up. That worked just fine. But it wouldn't allow another lowering of the top, again giving the message.
Later that evening I tried it again, and it worked flawlessly 4 times in a row. So that's the good news, but there must be a bug in there somewhere. Or operator error?
Back to the shop in the morning!
Follow-up:
At the shop on 10/4/17, they ran diagnostics and found nothing wrong, but after discussion with the service manager, we learned that it was operator error: the engine needs to be running when operating the top. Duh. I must have missed that when reading the manual. RTFM, dude.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Day One
At 8am on October 2, Beauty was lowered to the ground from the Reliable Transport big rig in front of Ferrari San Diego maintenance facility after the long, dark trip from Long Island, NY.
This was the first time I saw the car, and it's everything I thought it would be.
Stunning.
It passed the safety check with flying colors. Cost $165; surprisingly inexpensive.
After a brief introduction to the operating controls by the Ferrari service manager Larry Suarez, it was finally time for me to strap in and get on the road.
This was the first time I saw the car, and it's everything I thought it would be.
Stunning.
It passed the safety check with flying colors. Cost $165; surprisingly inexpensive.
After a brief introduction to the operating controls by the Ferrari service manager Larry Suarez, it was finally time for me to strap in and get on the road.
I was as nervous as a long tailed cat
in a room full of rocking chairs!
in a room full of rocking chairs!
Don't break the car, don't break the car, don't break the car... That's all I could think about as I slipped slowly away and threaded through the industrial park and eventually on to the Interstate, driving like a little old lady... Don't break the car, don't break the car...
First stop was to good buddy David's home. I met him 40 years ago, when his then-girlfriend and my then-divorce lawyer introduced us. I parked my then-Ferrari 275 GTB long nose (burgundy/black) in his Porsche driveway while the 3 of use went inside for a chat. After an hour or so, as I pulled out of his drive, it was a bit of an embarrassment to notice that my Italian ride left its mark with more than a few drops of oil on his otherwise spotless German parking spot. David has never owned a Ferrari, and I have never owned a Porsche, but somehow we became great friends.
I didn't call first, so it was a surprise visit, and as I quietly slipped into his driveway, his bride Carol came out to check things out. She loved the car, of course. Then David came out and we went through all of the knobs and buttons and switches and flaps and scoops. When it came to opening up the engine compartment, it was Carol who figured it out. Big respect, Carol. She also provided the screwdriver to perform the first modification: the removal of the Ferrari San Diego license plate bracket and plate. Those things are a pet peeve of mine.
Finally I dropped the top to more oohs, and aahs, and it was time to get back on the road.
Over the years, it became a tradition that whenever I got a hot new car, the first thing on the agenda was to take it for a fast ride up The Hill. I hit 104 before I checked the speed, then quickly backed off in amazement. Damn, that car gets going faaaast!
Then, with David still passenger, it was time for the ultimate test: will it make it into my driveway without scraping the front end? This was a big worry for me because of the gutter dip the has always been a challenge with previous low-slung cars, especially my Viper GTS. It was a big relief when it caused no problem whatsoever!
I returned David to his home and bride, and then took Beauty back to her home (my home), and started to read the manual in detail. Soon I fell asleep in my chair, then decided to get real about a serious nap in the hammock. All that excitement was draining!
Overall, a successful first day with my sixth Ferrari.
Notes:
1. Today was the 25th anniversary of the day I sold my software company, and that traded previous 7 years of stress for the resources to retire and live a comfortable life. And so it is an auspicious day to celebrate that great occasion with my first Ferrari in 17 years. Why no Ferrari in 17 years? That's a story for another time. Stay tuned.
2. The transport driver for Reliable, Ervilio (sp?), was a very professional dude who has been delivering exotics for 27 years. We got to chatting for a while and he surprised me with his question: "You're a pilot aren't you?" WTF! How could he have known that? He mentioned that a good number of people he meets when he delivers exotics are pilots, and over time he has noticed the similarities in the personalities: they never talk down to others, and have a quiet, confident persona that distinguishes them. How about that for a student of human nature! So I gave him a signed copy of my book of flying adventures before he got back on the road to delivering dream cars to other patiently waiting dreamers.
3. End of day: 1814 miles on the odometer.
4. No photos taken!
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