CTCI Western Regionals

#1 Son and I had a great trip driving up Highway 1 from Dana Point to Santa Cruz, then across 17 to San Jose.   I posted a slide show of the trip on YouTube:

I still enjoy watching this!  The familiar sights, framed by the car windshield, give weight to the experience.  The fog on the mountains, the surf on the rocks, the trees and the bridges, and the memory of the engine purring like a large cat... enjoying the experience with my son.  This is the stuff of lifelong memory, the kind of thing I need to remember!

 The Classic Thunderbird Club International meet was outstanding, with over 100 brightly-colored 55-6-7 'birds there.  Over 40 were competing in touring class with "Nell", another 40 were display only, and over 25 were competing in the various Concours classes.   Touring cars compete against each other (1st, 2nd, etc. in their own subclasses), but Concours cars only compete against themselves for points and awards (Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc.). There were even a few 'birds in the "underbirds" class, for cars that still need restoration.

I brought a new very cool wide angle lens for the camera, but unfortunately I left it in the bag the entire trip!  Guess I had other things on my mind.  Still, I took a lot of pictures with my standard zoom lens.  Here are a few that start to capture some of the amazing colors at the show.

Nell shortly after arrival

What a colorful flock!

This car had the most amazing pearlescent paint.

This car had been to each state capital in the lower 48

Nell getting prepped for judging.

One of the rare supercharged "F-birds"

A very sweet '57 "E" model, with twin 4 barrel carbs

This is a stunning custom.  Can you tell what is missing?

The "underbird" class winner

One of the original "bird nest" rumble seats

Having fun with depth of field

I couldn't pass up a good window-reflection shot!

 My son took several panorama shots on the Saturday t-bird tour to the Santa Cruz wharf.  I've had fun stitching these together into some of the panoramas below.

 I was completely surprised at the awards banquet last Saturday night, when Nell was awarded 3rd place in Hoods Up Touring, Class B!  The other cars in Hoods Up Touring were absolutely stunning, and I didn't thing we would go home with anything but memories.

It was a fantastic trip, and I feel truly blessed.  I was able to make new friends, and still have time to connect with friends and family in the bay area.  My son and I really enjoyed the trip, and the time we spent together is priceless!