Something a little different here. These are some of my favorite non-automotive shots. Pics from my travels and just cool sights from around town.

Del Mar kicked off its 2006 season today and a few of us decided to make the trek down and leave the driving to Amtrak. As is the tradition, Del Mar got things rolling with with its annual and unique "One and Only Truly Fabulous Hats Contest." The racing was secondary as lovely ladies filled the stands wearing hats ranging from elegant to outrageous.

The plan to use Amtrak to avoid the crowds and enjoy an extra few hours of partying hit a slight snag as delays and humongous throngs of people packed every conceivable inch of space from the platform to the train to the shuttles to the admission turnstyles to the betting and refreshment windows.

But in these crowds there were plenty of warm souls opening their hearts (and thermoses) to make us feel welcome. Mojitos with a few young ladies got us warmed up on the ride down. Brew and Burgers offered up some hearty grub while we waited for the shuttle lines to dwindle. A few more young lovelies allowed us to squeeze ahead in line in exchange for our AAA discount. Great memories all.

And then there were the reserved seat nazis, the drunken displays of admiration for our female companions, the lack of hydrating beverages, the everpresent secondhand smoke and pressing humanity which compounded the humidity and made the huge indoors feel clausterphobic. Not the most pleasant of situations, but definitely part of the ambiance of the day.

The train ride back was a little more relaxed and offered beautiful views of the coast and sunset. Our day was capped off by a truly delightful meal al fresco at Sarducci's, right at the San Juan stop. Serenaded by an excellent violinist, we gorged ourselves on delicious food in portions big enough to share. No sign of the mojito girls unfortunately.

http://www.dmtc.com/

Was a pleasure meeting everyone at my first Goodwood FoS. If you want any of the photos in a larger size, or would like me to pull any of them from the gallery, drop me an email at frank4cars@gmail.com

Also, there is extensive event coverage at Autoblog.com.

http://www.autoblog.com/tag/goodwood

Some shots from a family trip to Italy a week after 9/11.

Some photograps of my three "kids."
Rory is part Siamese, light with dark stripes and bright blue eyes. She is the queen. Enzo is a Maine Coon mix with green/gold eyes and a knack for climbing. Rory assumed the role of mother when Enzo arrived a year after she did. Andy is our most recent adoption, although a few years older than Rory. He is a big black and white Labrador mix with green eyes and a fear of everything. He has a troubled history with a previous owner who left him under unfortunate circumstances. He is extremely shy but if you sit for a few minutes, he'll find his way into your lap and lay there for hours, just like a dog.

First leg to Goodwood

Thanks again for the hospitality. I had a wonderful time. Please jot down the specific file names you's like to use and make sure you provide a link to our coverage:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/17/let-the-luxury-commence-gordon-mccalls-2006/