Concours d'Elegance Weekend

This past weekend, Chris, Hayden and I, along with our friends Carrie and Joel, headed South for the 15th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.  A weekend of fabulous cars, scenery (it's held at the Ritz-Carlton, on their golf course fairways), and food, it has a little something for everyone, and is by far one of our favorite vacations each year.

This year was the first year Carrie and Joel joined us, so we took a couple extra days and made a real weekend trip out of it.  Although it was at times (especially when Hayden was low on sleep and patience) a little cramped with all five of us in the 4-Banger, we really enjoyed the company and the trip.  Joel and Chris took the wheel, entertaining themselves with car talk and bluegrass soundtracks.  Carrie and I manned the baby station in the back, working on our crochet projects, catching up on our magazine reading, entertaining Hayden, and most of all, trying to keep our focus anywhere but on our husbands' driving.  It was a good arrangement, with very few general freak-outs or meltdowns, and most of those are claimed by the munchkin.

Friday night we headed straight for S-town (if not the heart, then definitely the soul of Georgia), aka Savannah.  We made tracks out to Uncle Bubba's, a restaurant with a well-deserved reputation for some of the best eats in town (or in Georgia, for that matter). 

Without so much as a sign to signify the final turn, somehow the crowds still manage to find its simple presence (perhaps they follow their noses), and after a decent wait, we finally took our seats and our turns sampling their fare.  The dish of the night was a hard call.  With chargrilled oysters and crab bites to start, the flat-out best darn low country boil I've ever tasted, stuffed shrimp that would make you want to slap your mama, and the freshest boiled shrimp around, it's truly a toss up.   I'll probably have to go back again soon for the tie-breaker.

Saturday we bummed around historic Fernandina Beach, antique shopping, noshing on crab burgers, and hitting the beach for some photo ops and a little shell searching.

Sunday of course was the big event.  The time change made what was already an early wake up call that much more painful, but with Joel's Starbucks in hand, we were on our way to the Island for the Concours.  As with every year, the event did not disappoint. 

From new models that blow the term 'sports car' off the flippin' map, like this 1001 hp, 16 cylinder Bugatti,

to true race cars, like those of NASCAR's own #43 - Richard Petty, the show spans the gamut. 

One thing all these cars have in common is that they are top of their class, shining examples of the very razor-thin edge of an envelope being pushed to the limits.  There are concept cars from every era, with features and details that are as much art as they are automobile. 

There are historic cars; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 1904 Cadillac, Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts, Deusenburgs, Mercedes. 

And there are admirers of them all, by the thousands, that join us each year for this amazing event.

The weather was, as it nearly always is, perfect.  A good breeze, lots of sunshine, cool enough for a sweater in the morning, warm enough for sandals by the afternoon.  Always a nice break from the chill of the mountains, and a promise of what is to come.

Hayden loved every minute outside.

Walking around for nearly the first time in her life in the outdoors, she could barely contain her excitement, hopping, squeaking and clapping with every other step.  Running for birds, fish and dogs, playing with the other childen we saw, chasing waves and picking grass, she was in heaven the whole weekend.

After our festivities Sunday, we headed back to downtown Fernandina Beach to the Crab Trap for a sample of the best battered fries I've ever gotten at a restaurant, and some amazing crab legs. Then to the hotel for a hard crash.

Monday, we slowly made our way home (with a short detour back to Uncle Bubba's for some more oysters, boil and a sinful strawberry shortcake), and back to the realities of everyday life.   Of all the many years we've made this trip, I have to say that this was probably my favorite.  To have our friends, great food, cool cars, favorite cities, shopping and antiquing all rolled into one trip ranks this weekend pretty high in my book.  The fact that it was my first vacation from work in over a year didn't hurt its score at all, either.

He comes by it honestly

Today at lunch, I ran my mother-in-law on some errands, which included a trip to the local bank to process some paperwork and make a deposit. As we were waiting at the customer service desk, she decided to go ahead and fill out the deposit slip, and asked me to pass her one of the pens from the cup nearby. I complied, and commented that she was in fact already holding a pen. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed this, saying that her pen wasn't any good and she didn't like it. No worries, I told her, that's why they have this whole cup full of pens sitting right there. As she filled out the slip, she mentioned that the bank's pen "really writes good", and said she thought she'd keep it. I told her I was sure that was fine, since they typically put them out for customers to use and/or keep, you know, which is why they put their logo on it and all. Still, she was a bit surreptitious as she slipped the new found wonder into her handbag.

This cracked me up because of the number of pens we have carried home from dinner because inevitably whenever Chris is signing the receipt at dinner, he comments on how well the pen writes. It was an all-too familiar circumstance, but thankfully, I wasn't the one tucking the pilfered item into my bag today. Interestingly enough, Chris discovered later when using one of the 'borrowed' pens at work that the wonderful flow of the ink was due in fact to the lovely padded writing surface on most of the receipt trays, and not a virtue of the pen itself.

It was just amusing to learn after all these years that my dear husband's propensity for lifting well-writing pens was in fact a genetic trait, and makes me wonder if our daughter has inherited the same. I suppose only time will tell. For now, just keep an eye on your pens if a Padgett's around.

Happy Fourth of July!

We celebrated the 4th this year by joining the Jasper city parade in our Hudson. The theme of the parade was "Everyday Heros in America", and our car really fit the bill, I think. It is 100 years old this year and is a great example of the pioneering spirit of early America and a testament to our forefathers' engineering ingenuity.

Hayden had a blast riding in my lap as I tossed candy and waved to the crowds and Chris honked for the kiddies. Our description of the car surprised the announcer when he read that this vintage machine could reach 50 mph! (We even have the speed marked on our speedometer to prove it!)

Throughout the parade, we heard people shouting "Hayden, Hayden!" and saw many friends and co-workers trying valiantly to get our wee one to look their way. Alas, she paid them no mind, sitting quietly in my lap the entire time. Of course, as we rounded the final turn, I discovered why Hayden was so patient along our route. She'd discovered a pack of Sweettarts and was hurridly trying to suck through the paper to get to the tangy candies inside. Thank goodness I figured her activities out before she was successful!

Piano Lessons

Hayden has, in the last month, taken to singing along in church. It is a cacophany of sounds, some sweet, some pretty obnoxious, but you can tell she's loving it, and since she doesn't have the foggiest clue of what "shhh" means, we let her go for it. Chris is our pianist and she waits until he starts playing to start singing. She's sometimes a little behind on stopping the song, but I think that's mostly due to the volume of her singing - it takes her a minute to realize she's doing a solo. She's enamored with the song book, and tries to help me hold it when we sing. Totally uninterested in any of her toys during song time.

She is the delight of all the women we sit near at church - her wailing keeps them in stitches, and they're convinced she'll walk in her daddy's footsteps and become an accomplished singer and musician. I hope so, because the alternative (following after me) means it won't be getting much better than what she's belting out now.

Tonight, at Thurmon and Gwenell's, Chris decided to play some for us, and Hayden and I sat on the bench and sang along. Hayden discovered her natural born talent (everyone says she's got piano hands with those long fingers of hers) and began playing along with her daddy. As you can see from the pictures, she soon channeled her inner Jerry Lee and was not so much singing as shouting her own little lyrics to the songs. This provided us with enormous entertainment, particularly for her Grandma and Papa, and has further encouraged her daddy in his quest for the perfect piano for her. Now I think we're looking for a baby size model to start her off on before we move her up to the Steinway baby grand he's on the hunt for... Lord, help us! Thankfully we're starting small, though. The way she was singing tonight, I think it'd definitely be worth making sure the chick can sing before we invest too much in our future Mozart's instruments!

Steam Day

Yesterday was the 3rd annual Steam Day at Jeff's place, and I have to say, it was probably the best one yet. This is Chris's big deal - an opportunity to bring the Hudson (our 1909 car), the Peerless steam tractor, and his love of bluegrass together along with some good old-fashioned beans, cornbread and homemade ice cream. Throw Hayden and I in the mix, and I think it's fair to say all his favorite things were in one place. I'm not sure how he contained himself.

For those who haven't been exposed to Chris's "addictions", a Steam Day is an opportunity for all the boys and girls who play with old steam engines, tractors, hit and miss engines, old cars, antique machinery and all manner of rusted-out junk to get together, play with one another's toys, make a lot of noise and basically just have a big ol' time.
One of the big attractions is the saw mill, which is belt-driven and powered by one of the old steam engines. Scott, who is a sawyer by trade, comes to help run it, and they cut up a bunch of trees into boards. Then, there's a cut-off saw, usually powered by some manner of smaller gas engine, where they cut the boards and logs into smaller boards and logs. They they take these smaller pieces and use to fire up the big steam tractors, which they drive around the field, giving rides and blowing whistles.

In amongst all that fun, they have a big shed where everyone gathers to watch the festivities, jaw about the good ol' days, and eat some home cookin'. There's a pot of beans as big as the trunk of your car, mounds of cornbread and fried cornbread, fresh onions, hot pickled peppers and homemade pound cake. While everyone eats, Chris, Poppie and crew take a break from the steam operations for a bit to crank up some bluegrass, and we have a little live entertainment.
It is in honor of Jeff's granddad, Lewis, that we started these, for his birthday, and it's proved to be a great success every year. We have friends come from far and wide to visit, play and celebrate. Mom and Dad came this year again, as did our friends Carrie and Joel, to help with the musical goings-on, Chris's parents even stopped by for a bit, and even little Hayden had her first experience with Daddy's toys. She was, of course, all decked out for the event in her little overall dress, and we brought earplugs to help protect her ears. Those didn't last long, but it was worth a shot. She actually wasn't too bothered by the whistles and steam pop-offs, and of course enjoyed all the attention she got from friends and family. She was as much an attraction this year as the tractors, I believe. And boy, did she sleep good Saturday night after all that fun!

Old School

If you can't tell by our Victorian-style bathroom and 1909 Hudson automobile, Chris and I have a penchant for antiques. That with the patina of age, the markings of a well-used, well-loved item. Well, his is more of an obsession than a penchant, but that's a whole other story.

I love the uniqueness of each treasure we unearth. The story that it tells, the sense of history, of being tied to something more lasting and enduring than the latest mass merchant bargain buy. I love the feeling of honoring tradition, of carrying on bygone ways and practices, of remembering where one came from, and of, in a broad Adam-and-Eve-we-all-came-from-one-place sense, family.

Since we met, we have enjoyed antique shopping, thrift store bargain hunting, swap-meet browsing, and in the more modern ways of tracking down those wonderful heirlooms, ebaying and craigslisting... We have found some really neat pieces - an old typewriter for me (the fold-up type with carrying case), a melodian for our living room (with beautiful rosewood octagon legs and ivory keys), a shoe button hook, a Gibson girl blouse, spats, boater hats, a church bench (made by Chris' great-great-great grandfather), an old slot machine, a beautiful brass cash register, too-many-to-count phonographs, and all sorts of odds and ends.

Now, with a baby in tow, we are able to blend our love of antiques and our daughter into a new hobby. Finding items that we will enjoy sharing with her has already become a fun pasttime. Her nursery, while not yet set up, has been long dreamed about, and instead of some trendy, frilly, dime-a-dozen standard matching set, we've been accumulating hand-me-downs and family heirlooms to decorate it with. We have a lovely "Over the Rainbow" wall hanging my mother was given while pregnant with me (which hung in my nursery), some beautiful quilts made by Chris's Nanny, outfits we wore, and toys we had, as well as some new quilts that are handmade in the old style. Now that we're almost moved in, I've been allowing myself to look for items for her room, and last weekend was delighted to find this gorgeous little school desk and chair. It is just so quiant and perfectly suited for a little girl who I know will one day love playing school. It even has an old inkwell hole in it. This is a really unique desk - most of the desks of this era had the seats attached to the front of the desk, so to have a complete set, you'd need 1 1/2 of them. This one has a little chair that sits by itself, and is just such a cute little design, I couldn't pass it up. With a little cleaning and touching up, this will be great in the corner of her room, where I'm sure her teddy bears will sit studiously until she is old enough to play there herself.

Road Trip, Part 2

The conclusion of our Amelia Island trip, finally!

When we got to the show, it was a beautiful day; not too hot, not too cold, just right! We really lucked out again this year with the weather, which was such a blessing with Hayden in tow!

As always, there were some fabulous cars there, which Chris could tell you about in much more detail than I, although I'm sure he told me much more than I'll be able to relay accurately here. Shame on me. Of course, as you can see, I was a little more distracted this year...

We (I) toted Hayden around in her Sleepy Wrap, which is my favorite way to carry her. It's one of hers, too...

We (Chris) also took tons of photos of the gorgeous cars.


This is a Winton, and is one Chris was really taken with. It's a lovely restoration, and it has a lot of the curvy body elements that our Thomas Flyer has. It also has white tires, which Chris loves, and has many of the great brass era features - large front headlights, no windshield (well, really a roll-down cloth windshield), right hand drive, stirrup door handles, and long, thin fender lines...
This one, I can tell you, is a Mercer Raceabout. I scoped it out from the hill Hayden and I were lounging on as Chris indulged in his brass obsession a bit longer... Oh, and it's red. With black beads. The windshield is called a 'monicle' (not even sure I've spelled that right). The gas tank is that barrel behind the seats.
See? I know some car stuff. What year is that, you ask? How many were made? oooooohhhh, lookie here at this cute baby!!

Isn't she really a fancy model? Now her, I can really tell you about. Only one made, she's a 2008 vintage, but just barely. She wasn't manufactured until December of that year. Blue eyes, dark brown hair, chubby little arms and legs, perfect for nibbling...

I'll have to leave the car blogging to Chris, I suppose. But first, one final picture of his three loves together. Brass, Bonnie and Baby Hayden. Not in that order, but just barely...

Road Trip

This weekend we took Hayden for her first trip to Ameila Island, the continuation of one of our favorite family traditions. Chris and I have gone every year to the Concours D'elegance, an annual car show held on the fairways of the Ritz Carlton. Last year, this picture of us was taken posing in the Thomas Flyer that won the 1908 New York to Paris Race. Normally, however, we are just attendees to the Concours, and not participants. It is one of Chris's dreams to have a car worthy to show at this event, and I can't wait until we do. In the meantime, it was still a very big deal for Hayden as this was truly her first experience with her daddy's addiction...er, obsession...um, hobby.

When we told Hayden we were going to Amelia, she was so happy! It was our first trip out of state as a family, and we promised to have lots of eating of good food, visiting of good friends and even some sing-a-longs!



She started warming up her voice while we were packing, singing us a few tunes she's been working on at daycare. You may know them - "oooohhhhaaaahhhh -EEEEEEhhhhhaaaa", and "ddddaaaaaaaHEEEeeeeee-aaaaahhhhhooooo". She kept us entertained with these for quite a while. The kid's got some range!




She also helped us pick out our clothes - "You're not wearing that, are you, Mom?"
(By the way, if your 3-month old makes this face when you're trying on an outfit, you can bet others will, too...)



As we got ready, we entertained her with tales of where all we'd go, and what we'd do. You can almost see the sugarplums dancing, can't you?



And like a herd of turtles, we were finally ready to hit the road. We got snapped, buckled, tucked and locked in the car, and did a final verification to ensure we had all our necessities - Sunny sunshine rattle? check. Dangly dragonfly? check. Clangy caterpiller? check. Shoulder-strap doggies? check. Pooh Bear paci? check. Mama's milk? CHECK.



Before long, we were settled in and on our way. Hayden promptly fell asleep, a choice she elected to excercise for most of the ride, thankfully!

Our first stop - always - is at the Crab Shack at Tybee Island. We LOVE that place. It's a total hole, but has some of the best low country boil, and we dream about it for months before we go.
It doesn't matter - rain, shine or snow, we go to the Crab Shack if we're anywhere near Savannah! Hayden just insisted on posing with the giant Alligator, so of course we indulged her.

Hayden's become an old pro at traveling, so she wasn't impressed by our fancy hotel digs... She decided to relax for a bit, and try on her new shades -we were in the Sunshine State, after all!

Then, she decided to work off some of that big lunch with some calisthenics. First some arm work and tummy time...

...followed by some jelly rolls...

... then some leg lifts...

After all that fun, we were completely exhausted and decided to crash and catch some zzz's before the big show on Sunday...

Stay posted for the exciting conclusion to our trip and more fun pictures from Hayden's first car event!