[in all fairness, i had just detailed the Z a week before, and have for some time been keeping a car cover over her. so it should be no surprise that people notice just a little bit more.]

it had rained the day before, so the weather was spectacular, the clouds fluffy white, and the pavement dry. the F1 race at COTA in austin didn’t start till noon, so i decided i had time for a laguna canyon loop run in the Z. i cleared the canyon with little traffic and turned right onto PCH. the ocean loomed deep blue over the horizon and the cliffs of catalina were subtly visible. as i stopped at the funky 5-way intersection where the cottage used to be, a group of tourists, locals and dogs, crossed in the crosswalk ahead of me. when the grey-haired man who held lovingly to his wife’s hand reached my left fender he turned and said to me, “she’s a beauty!” i was pretty sure he was referring to the green 240Z in which i sat–but he might just as easily been referring to the woman who’s hand he was holding like he’s been holding likely for the better part of 50 years. his comment caught be a bit off-guard because i’d been distracted by the two bulldogs shuffling across the walk at the same time. i smiled, waved and thanked him. i’m pretty sure the conversation he had as he and his wife walked along the beach had a lot to do with his Z story.

not my pic, but this is how the original cottage looked. today it was in the process of being remodeled. kinda sad to me. wasn’t my favorite place, but was certainly a landmark.