Date: April 29, 2010 @ 2:10 PM

Pit Stop

We had the mother of all pit stops at Nickel & Nickel this week. The California Mille stopped here—they were invited, so it was OK.

If you love vintage cars (which means that you don’t judge a car by the size or number of its cup holders—or if it has cup holders, you don’t mind knowing your mechanic on a first-name basis, don’t need those wimpy airbag thingies, don’t need that GPS doohickey, know how to double clutch and don’t think that toe-n-heel is a sobriety test, and feel comfortable with the periodic—or even chronic—oil leak) you might like being part of this madness. If you haven’t ever participated in an organized vintage car rally, it is fun, even if you don’t get to stop at a winery and enjoy the chef’s offering du jour. No, we didn’t serve wine. We weren’t being cheap but were being consistent on our views on drinking and driving—don’t!

Zack captured the afternoon on camera. Many of you may have taken a tour at Far Niente conducted by Zack, and you know he’s knowledgeable about wine, Napa history and vintage cars. Now you also know he has a hobby taking great photos. (And in the picture, left, you’ll get your first chance to see the trees in our courtyard that Daniel and crew worked minor miracles to plant.)

I don’t know which car is my favorite. Old sports cars make me smile and can be very fun to drive even if they can’t compare with modern engineering. Something about those old Bentleys begs a leather helmet, goggles and some sort of patrician accent: rawwthaaa or jolly good or Can’t the peasants stay off the motorways?

My dad and I ran the California Mille many years ago. I drove. He didn’t scream—most of the time. He navigated. I didn’t complain about getting lost—most of the time. The Alfa Spider didn’t have a top. It rained, it hailed, there was dark of night. . . . We didn’t deliver the mail, but we did make the full 1,000 miles. The next day the car wouldn’t start.

Most of the time the California Mille avoids rain, but my year, and again this year, it rained. This time it probably rained because we were bottling. Mother Nature arranges her rain events according to Darice’s bottling schedule. (Planning an outdoor wedding? You may want to be sure Darice isn’t bottling that weekend.)