California Mille, Days 2-4

August 26, 2025 Ovis ObscuraLeave a comment

In Which Our Heroine Recognizes That She Is Terrible At Keeping Up With Running Travelogues And Decides To Stick To Event Reports

This entry has been holding things up for me for a bit. I have other things to tell you about, Dear Reader, but I wanted to make sure I finished up this entry before I moved on. And then the Procrastination and Busy-ness set in…but you don’t need to read about that. On to the Adventure!

And it was an adventure. On Day 2, our lovely Maserati overheated on the way to lunch and had to be towed back to the hotel. That was rather sad. Fortunately, our friends let us ride in the back seat of their Citroen DS!

I adore these people and this car. Riding in the back seat is like sitting on a Mid-Century Modern sofa that’s also traveling via magic carpet. Stunning. And we’d never have had this experience if our car hadn’t broken down!

Another nice thing is that, because we have a car collection, we were able to send the Maserati home and have our Lancia Aurelia brought down to California instead. This does take time, however, so one of the sponsors, Kindred Motorworks, lent us a vehicle so that we could continue the tour on Day 2.

The highly-upgraded classic Ford Bronco from Kindred Motorworks. Air conditioning and GPS included!

So, that was fun. It was a very different ride experience from what we’d enjoyed previously (and after), but I’m glad we got the opportunity to try it out.

An Amusing Sidenote: This was the day that the California Mille folks set up what was planned to be a beautiful photo opportunity for each participant to pose with their cars in front of the ocean. Unfortunately for them, we were fogged in. Unfortunately for us, we got to pose in front of this Ford Bronco instead of either of our pretty Italian cars. (I laughed, and I treasure that souvenir photo.)

By Day 3, we were back in one of our cars – our Lancia Aurelia. (Unfortunately, I seem to have neglected to take any photos of it from the outside.) Suffice it to say that we had a splendid time, and the Aurelia didn’t let us down.

Day 4 brought us to the Finish Line and the Awards Dinner, which was really fun. This was only our second California Mille, and it was so nice to have long-time attendees who wanted us to sit at their table with them. (I’m not used to feeling like one of the Cool Kids.)

And we won an award!

The Swig Family Award, given to people who bring a car that is most in the spirit of the California Mille. (They were impressed that we brought another period-appropriate car when our first one broke down.)

All in all, it was a seriously fun event, and I’m looking forward to going back next year.

This summer has also been full of fun events and travel, and I will hopefully get around to telling all of you about it in a slightly more timely fashion.

California Mille 2025, Day 1

April 28, 2025April 28, 2025 Ovis ObscuraLeave a comment

In Which Our Heroine Attempts To Begin A Travelogue

Today is the first day of the California Mille, a 1000-Mile Classic Car Tour that Alex and I have been on once before. I enjoyed it last time. I would like to practice trying to bring you along on my travels, Dear Reader, in hopes that you might enjoy a few of these moments with me.

The first day is fairly relaxed. We picked up our Swag Bags and put our decals on our car.

Our 1949 Maserati A6, all dolled up and ready for our tour. (There are some other cars, as well.)

We had lunch.

Toki Cooler at The Conservatory in the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, CA

One thing about the California Mille is that it is Rather Fancy, so the organizers arrange for the participants to stay and eat in some fairly fancy places. It’s a nice treat – fancy enough to feel spoiled, but not so fancy that I feel uncomfortable and out of place.

We also experienced a truly beautiful sunset.

A beautiful sunset over the California Coast

We met some new and old friends, which is one of my very favorite things about this hobby. People are so kind and so sweet (and so understanding when I can’t remember their names).

Tomorrow, we get to go to Alice’s Restaurant, where you can, apparently, get anything you want (but we’re having pie).

Further updates as events warrant! See you tomorrow!

Pondering · Travel · Uncategorized

Reflection On Rest

April 26, 2025April 26, 2025 Ovis ObscuraLeave a comment

In Which Our Heroine Reflects On The Effects Of A Weekend Well Spent

Sometimes, one just needs to get away and recharge, and Alex and I were lucky enough to do that last weekend.

We started with a beautiful drive…

The Oregon Coast as seen over the bonnet of our Jaguar XK120

Alex helped one of our friends build a 3D Printer. We cooked delicious food.

Panko-And-Herb-Encrusted Rack Of Lamb, Potato Pavé, Toasted Baguette, Salad. This is just one of the several delicious things we cooked and consumed.

I relaxed with our other friend.

Paint Gems, a Lovely Friend, Butterfinger, and Bourbon – what’s not to love?

Alex and I really needed this weekend, and I am so grateful to have friends who invite us out to their peaceful sanctuary. I slept so well, and I went home feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. We’ve been so busy lately that it’s felt like we haven’t had time to just sit and appreciate those happy moments while we’re experiencing them.

We’ve been getting back into the busy groove this week, preparing to drive a 1949 Maserati for 1000 miles in northern California! But thanks to that break at the lake, I feel ready to take on whatever comes.

I wish all of you that peace, whether you get it for a minute or a weekend. See you later this week!

Knitting · Pondering · Travel

The Best Laid Plans…

January 9, 2024January 21, 2024 Ovis Obscura1 Comment

In Which Our Heroine Asks, “Is This Thing On?”

So, yeah. Hi. It’s me again, over a year from when I last posted.

“Lemme explain. No, there is too much. Lemme sum up.”
Inigo Montoya

It’s been a busy year! Like most years, there’s been some joy, some sorrow, and some growth. The problem is that I’ve been so busy doing things (and procrastinating) that I keep forgetting to share with all of you. Let me correct at least some of that right now.

We (Alex and I) got to visit Jay Leno’s engine collection in January. That was part of a prize we won at an auction in The Beforetimes at the LeMay Auto Museum Fundraiser. It was so much fun (and such a relief) to actually be able to go. Jay Leno is a delightful person. Sadly, he asked us not to post photos on social media for security reasons, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.

We did the Walk of Fame while we were in Hollywood, though, so here’s one of many photos I took of my favourite Stars:

Danny Kaye’s Star in Hollywood, California, along with my feet.

We also saw many, many museums and ate very good food. I took many beautiful photos of art, as one does.

Alex and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary in March. I think I’ll keep him.

We went to the VanDusen Botanical Garden in May for their All British Classic Car Show. This was one among many, many car events we went to this year.

All British Classic Car Show, May 20, 2023

Sports Car Market 1000 Mile Tour, June 14, 2023

All British Field Meet, September 9, 2023

Sadly, also in May, we lost our sweetest fuzzy princess after a sudden illness. We hope to remedy our catless state sometime in May 2024.

We went to Universal Studios and Disneyland with friends in June!

Me, posing in front of the Pride Display at Disney Downtown, June 30, 2023

We went to Italy with my parents and another couple of friends (and that could be Its Own Post Entirely).

Castello di Verrazzano, Greve in Chianti, Italy, August 19, 2023

I knitted. A lot. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of most of it, so you get a nice sample photo here:

Matchy-Matchy Dress, Nail Polish, & Shoes with Pretty Knitting, July 29, 2023

I celebrated a year in Therapy in August. My anxiety is way down, I’m happy to report, though it’s still something I get to live with. Therapy is helpful.

And on December 21, Alex and I (with the massive help of our friend, Joel) launched our own YouTube Channel, Everyday To Exotic. Click the link if you feel like watching. It’s for people who like cars, as well as for people who couldn’t care less about cars. You get to see me and Alex being silly and informative, as well as some absolutely gorgeous footage of our cars in the stunning scenery that Oregon provides.

(It’s very cool. We have Official Chairs and Everything.)

Everyday To Exotic Director Chairs, Plus Knitting and a Hat, In The Studio

This year, I’m beginning as I mean to go on. That means more writing, more photos, and more sharing. I hope to spend a lot more time here and to post much more frequent updates. Here’s to 2024!

Me, taking a Selfie at an Odd Angle, wearing a Handknit Hat and Feeling Hopeful

Pondering · Travel · Uncategorized

Every Day Carry (EDC)

July 17, 2017December 6, 2022 Ovis Obscura2 Comments

In Which Our Heroine Ponders What Burdens Are Necessary

I have a very bad habit of carrying far too much (mainly literally, but sometimes figuratively) on my person every day. I like to travel light, but I also like to be prepared for any contingency. I also detest not being able to find things – everything I carry must have its designated place in my Daily Kit.

Every so often, I purge my handbag of All That Is Unnecessary and try again, but there are certain Things Without Which I feel Distinctly Uncomfortable. I continually struggle to find the balance between Bare Minimum and Distinctly Overloaded. Add to this my constant Hunt For The Perfect Handbag (which means changing bags fairly often and sometimes forgetting to move some Essential from one bag to another), not to mention the back problems that occur when I overload myself, and you see part of my need to simplify and streamline my EDC.

I imagine that I am not the only one who struggles with this dilemma.

So, how does one decide what is necessary?

For some people, there are auxiliaries that will vary from day to day and situation to situation. Is today a work day? A vacation day? Will I be near home, or will I be far away for the day? Will I have a lot of down time, or is every moment booked solid?

While these are all important things to take into account, most people carry a “core” with them every day. For some, it’s as simple as KWP: Keys, Wallet, Phone. As long as one is carrying those three things, one can contact others and be contacted, one can get into one’s home/car, and one can identify one’s self and make purchases.

For many people, however, there are other daily tasks and activities that require equipment. I gave myself this guideline: If you truly use this every day, then carry it. Otherwise, leave it at home.

In the interests of keeping myself accountable (and possibly inspiring others to take a good, hard look at what they carry every day), here is my current EDC:

(Not pictured: my phone, as that’s what I always use to take photos. Pray ignore the cat hair. Hiro firmly believes that I stuff bags full of yarn especially so that he can cuddle with them.)

My wallet is a Pocket Deluxe Chic Sparrow Elysium. It holds all the usual things (cash, cards, ID), as well as the notebooks in which I keep my Bullet Journal and a fountain pen. (My current favorite is a Pilot Namiki Decimo with a Fine nib, though I have also been known to carry my ever-reliable Kaweco Sport.)

My other supplies are split into Tom Bihn Organizer Pouches by category. Because I have at least one fountain pen with me at all times (as this is definitely my favorite kind of pen), I also carry ink cartridges. In the same pouch, I have a letter opener, a pencil sharpener, and three tiny stamps that I use to track weather in my planner. I usually carry a knitting project, so a second pouch holds essential knitting notions. A third pouch contains a very minimal First Aid Kit with Advil, adhesive bandages (Star Wars and Wonder Woman, because life is too short for boring bandages), and lip balm.

To be honest, I probably still carry more pens than I strictly need, but I use them every day. I also always carry at least one ordinary rollerball in case my husband needs one and forgets his.

The various pouches help me to make sure that I can find everything, even in the most capacious, non-pocketed handbag. They also make it easy to remember to transfer everything from bag to bag.

I use everything on this list almost every day. Those things that I carry “just in case” are purely medical at this point (other than Alex’s pen). There are things I have left behind in the past (like my knitting), but I have consistently regretted it.

What do you carry with you every day? What are your reasons and requirements? Let me know in the comments or, if you’ve done your own blog entry on this subject, please leave me a link!

Travel

ADVENTURE!

September 30, 2015June 2, 2017 Ovis Obscura1 Comment

In Which Our Heroine Remembers That She Has A Blog

I am absolutely certain that everyone else’s year thus far has been just as busy as mine has. Between fire and flood (well, the opposite of flood in my case) and other joys of being a homeowner, plus a few exciting travel adventures, it’s been a rather eventful and interesting time.

I read somewhere that “Adventure is just the result of bad planning.” I think, however, that there are certain adventures that you simply cannot plan for. For instance, you cannot plan for the previous owner of your house to leave no clear indication of where your well might be so that you can find it when the 20-year-old pump craps out on you and leaves you without water for five months while you desperately search for the well, only to find that it is cunningly concealed under a concrete pad in front of the garage. You cannot plan for your middle-aged cat to suddenly become deathly ill so that you must give him subcutaneous fluids daily. (For the worried: He’s made a miraculous recovery. He only needs his fluids about once a week now and is perky and happy in a way he has not been since youth. Everything is wonderful, and the vet is “happily amazed.”) You cannot plan for the company that is pressure-washing your house to have their trailer spontaneously catch fire and burn down your trailer that is sitting right next to it. (Again, for the worried: Everything is fine. Insurance is a fantastic thing, no one was hurt, and the fire was out in a matter of about 5 minutes once the firefighters got there. Also, there was nothing in the trailer except for the race ramps used to get very low cars in there. It might have been much worse. There might have been a car in the trailer.)

Needless to say, this year has been a bit more adventurous than we had hoped. (Or, obviously, planned for.) Things are beginning to calm down a bit, and we have had some (planned) travel adventures, as well!

Alex and I have been doing a good deal more with our local car clubs lately. We’ve been unable to go out of the country (see above), but we have been able to take trips on our own continent. Recently, we went on a trip to the California Redwoods and the Oregon Caves with the Classic Car Club of America. Alex and I had never been to the Oregon Caves, and neither of us had been to the Avenue of the Giants, either. The trip was fantastic, and our car proceeded beautifully, rain or shine.

This is our 1938 Bentley. I love this car. Love, love, LOVE. It’s right-hand drive, brought to the United States from England in the 1950s. Alex drives it. There is no power steering (obviously), so it takes far more upper body strength than I have to wrestle it around at low speeds. Alex and I do agree that, given the option, we might have brought something else for a long road trip, but the experience was wonderful. It’s amazing how well a car of this era can move along modern roads (though you wouldn’t want to take it down the freeway for any length of time).

Here is a redwood tree! (Me included for scale.)

We hope to take more road trips this autumn and next year. As I become a More Confident Driver Of Classics (not the Bentley, thank you), I will be able to help with the driving on some of these trips. I also really enjoy the idea of being able to just throw some things in the trunk of a car and go Adventuring. (A little planning is good, but Spontaneous Adventure is so much fun.)

Perhaps Adventure is less a lack of planning and more just enough planning to be safe, but not so much as to remove the Element of Surprise from one’s travels.

Do you, Dear Reader, have any adventures planned this autumn?

P.S. Here is a photo of Loki, showing off how pleased he is to be feeling better.

Pondering · Travel

That Wistful Feeling

November 11, 2014June 2, 2017 Ovis ObscuraLeave a comment

In Which Our Heroine Does Some Navel-Gazing About Travel

Once again, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. One of my Autumn Resolutions is to be more regular about posting, and it’s never too early (or late!) to start.

Today’s post is about travel, and how the best-laid plans “gang aft agley,” as Robbie Burns so aptly puts it.

Alex and I had plans for this month. We were going to England, where we would spend time together in various places. (We went to the UK almost exactly two years ago, but that was with my parents. While it was a very pleasant trip, there is a big difference between travelling with four people and travelling with two.) First, we planned to go to London, to see off the competitors in the London to Brighton Run, visit the Sherlock Holmes exhibit at the Museum of London, and see what a real Bonfire Night in London looks like. Then, we planned a leisurely journey, stopping at enticing places along the way in a romantic, carefree manner, until we reached Birmingham and the giant, all-indoor NEC Classic Motor Show.

However, for a variety of reasons (not least of which is the fact that Life has been insane, and we didn’t want to add the stress of planning an international trip to said insanity), we decided to put off the England trip. (I’m hoping we can try for sometime in March — no motor show, but the Sherlock Holmes exhibit ends April 12.)

Before we called off the trip, I had already started plugging dates into my Google Calendar — Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day, the NEC Motor Show, and so on. I never got around to taking those dates, or the automatic reminders for those dates, off the calendar.

Thus, every so often, an alert pops up on my computer or phone to remind me of what I’m missing. I don’t cry about it or anything, but I do feel a bit wistful when my calendar reminds me that I’m celebrating at home, rather than in England. (Glenna C’s recent jaunt to England, complete with photos, definitely boosted my wistfulness. Just saying.)

While I know we made the right choice in not going to England this year, I still miss being there. I’ve been three (four?) times in my lifetime, and I feel homesick every time I leave. I will say that the weather here has been conspiring to be as English as possible for this time of year (cold, damp, foggy), and I’m grateful. I’ve pulled out my woolies and tucked my T-shirts away for the winter. I’ve also pulled some bangers out of the freezer and pulled up my favorite recipe for onion gravy, so good old bangers and mash are definitely in my future. I’m looking forward to cooking at home more, getting the house really clean and organized, and continuing my eternal game of catch-up with my blogs and other writing.

At the same time, I’m already starting to plan the next trip, and the next…

I’ll keep you posted.

Travel

Rome, Sweet Rome

June 3, 2014June 2, 2017 Ovis Obscura1 Comment

Greetings from Rome, Italy!

Why, yes, it has been a long time. Blogging has certainly gotten away from me this year. I’ve done some writing (both letters and work on the novel), but most of my brain has been occupied with travel over the past few months. Alex and I will be in Italy for the next 19 days, and I wanted to share our trip with you, as well as some Travel Tips for seeing the places we visit. (Plus, the weather is absolutely gorgeous here, and I’m getting some good photos.)

We arrived yesterday after an extremely long set of flights. The timing was great, though, since by the time we got our luggage and everything, we were just in time to catch the Leonardo Express train to the center of Rome, catch a taxi from there, and check into our hotel. (We’re staying at the Grand Hotel Plaza, and I cannot recommend it enough. It’s not cheap, but the location is worth every penny.) We had a nice, relaxed afternoon, went out for a small dinner, drank a bottle of wine between the two of us, and slept pretty well. (I woke up at around 4:30 and dozed until we finally got up around 7:00.)

Everything is beautiful here. Even the desserts are beautiful.

Today, we went to the Forum and the Coliseum. Here’s your first Travel Tip: Go to the Forum first, as early as you can. Your ticket will also get you into the Coliseum. Going to the Forum early means you beat all the tour groups and get a nice, quiet walk around the site. Get lunch when you’re done (the Forum is seriously huge, so take your time seeing it all), then take your ticket to the Coliseum and enter the express line. You already have your ticket, so you don’t need to stand in the Extremely Long Ticket Queue.

Here are a few photos from the Forum. Note the Forum Cats.