I'm on Vacation! by Alison Henderson

PO&O and OG

No, I haven't jetted off to some exotic foreign locale. I'm still here in beautiful, smoky Carmel. But this week is very special for me every year. I take a week off from writing to enjoy the company of my Precious One and Only (henceforth to be known as PO&O). Every August, our daughter comes from Chicago to enjoy the famous Classic Car Week festivities that take place in venues across the Monterey Peninsula. 

Mostly, she enjoys these events with OG. I'm not as much of a car buff, and this gives them lots of great father/daughter bonding time. However, as you read this, PO&O and I are on our annual ladies-only pilgrimage to the Gilroy Outlet Mall. It's one of the most highly-anticipated days of the year, when we load into my little red Fiat 500 and drive an hour northeast to the aromatic hamlet of Gilroy, California - the Garlic Capital of America. We shop 'til we drop (Mom pays) and eat our only lunch of the year at In 'N Out Burger. Most importantly, we get six hours of uninterrupted conversation. It's heaven.

Little Car Show

The rest of the days, PO&O and OG choose one car event per day - either an auction preview, a driving event, or a car show. I usually go with them to a couple of the free events. Two of my favorites are the Little Car Show in Pacific Grove, which features only micro cars, and the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea. You'll never see as many exotic, frightfully expensive vehicles lined up together anywhere else.  

Even if I don't attend many events, Car Week has it's own special vibe. Automotive enthusiasts come from all over the world, and many bring (or drive) their own fancy cars. Red Ferraris are so commonplace on the roads that they become almost boring after the first few days. Last year while driving to the grocery store, I passed a string of Lambourghinis in every possible color driving toward me in the opposite direction. Every major foreign luxury brand has some sort of special gathering.

This year, I wonder how much effect the huge fire in Big Sur will have on the crowds. The smoke is still quite thick in the mornings, and most of the auction venues park the cars outside during the previews. I'm not sure I'd want my million dollar car exposed to the corrosive effects of all that smoke. But whatever happens, PO&O, OG, and I will have a blast. We always do!

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com