Concours d’Élegance in Fernandina Beach

I wrote this last year, but now the Concours is back!  May 20-23.  The huge tents are up and the cars are already arriving.  It you missed this fabulous and world famous car show, don't miss it this year!  There may be some admission prices during the auction days, but on May 23, there are no fees.  But beware of deep traffic.  You may have to park aways and make a stiff walk.  It'll be worth it!

Fernandina Beach’s yearly Concours d’Élegance in every way matches it’s twin in sunny Carmel, California.  An extravaganza!  What exactly is an extravaganza?   Allow me to clutter your mind with a word picture.

Huge tents sprung up across the multitudinous acres of both the Ritz Carlton and the Omni International, each large enough to hold several hundred cars.  You know of these resorts?  Just to give you an idea, the Omni stretches for several miles along route A1A, with golf courses and a massive hotel, massive neighborhoods, both public and private, The Sanctuary, where I presume the celebs hide out on their visits to the island, and more enclaves I’ve yet to discover.  I’ve been around the world and never have I seen resorts of the magnitude of the Ritz and the Omni.  It’s not an exaggeration to suggest they are the size of med-sized towns.

Back to the prep for the Concours.  Huge trucks and trailers brought million dollar cars to the island.  Normally lightly trafficked roads were jammed. The municipal airport was crammed with executive jets, parked wingtip to wingtip.  At times, roads approaching the venues were closed to normal traffic. State and local police guarded intersections, directing traffic.  Highways had miles of yellow no-parking tape and accompanying signs.  Even businesses sold parking spaces.  Spots for RVs had been sold out for over a year ahead.  On one day, dozens of the cars had a parade through the streets.  People with cameras jammed the sides of the roads.

There was also a parade of show cars that parked on the closed off streets downtown, allowing you to see the cars up close and talk to the owners.

So, what was the big deal?  The cars. And if you’re not a car person, or at least an admirer of the beauty and design of automobiles from the beginning of the horseless carriages to today’s multi-million dollar autos, then you’re right, it was no big deal.  But for the rest of us, whose numbers span the globe, Concours d’Élegance was a very big deal.  Name a famous car and I’ll assure you it was there.

While the auctions required a ticket in the range of $100-$150, there were many displays and open houses that cost nothing.  You could roam the golf course at the Ritz, for example, and view automobiles you’ve only dreamed of and seen photos of.

This short exchange took place at the Lotus exhibit:

Me:  What a great looking car!

Guy standing beside me:  Well, for 2.5 mil it should look good.

Me:  For 2.5 mil it should come with a thousand sexual favors.

Guy:  I think that’s one of the options.

Before I show you some cars and the venues, I know you want to know some prices at auction.  The most expensive I saw from Gooding and Co, was a 1914 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that went for a paltry $2,205,000.

A 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roster auctioned by Bonham, sold for $7.1 million.  As a matter of interest, Steve McQueen’s car from The Thomas Crown Affair, something called a 1967 Con-Ferr Buggy Myers Manx, took in $456,000.  Overall, Bonham sold 84% of their auctioned cars.  Interestingly, a 1952 Jaguar C-type sports racing two-seater failed to sell, despite a bit of $5.4 million!

The 1932 Bugatti Type 55.  7.1 Million bucks!

Steve McQueen's beach car from The Thomas Crown Affair

I could go on and on, but it’s time to show you some interesting cars, many of which I cannot name, even if I know the brand.

Putting' on the Ritz!

By the way, on Saturday at the Ritz golf course, mixed drinks sold for $12, but to lessen the pain, they were served in large to-go cups and the barkeeps poured until you told them to stop.  I think I had a thimble full of grapefruit juice in my spiced rum.  

But, oh those cars were beautiful and they got even more beautiful!  Must have been the grapefruit juice.

The Concours d’Élegance at Fernandina Beach was an extravaganza and a celebration of cars, past and present that filled the streets and the town.  An event for everyone and damn near everyone was there!

Amelia Island: 2020 Quilts by the Sea

Amelia Island: 2020 Quilts by the Sea

To tell the truth (as I almost always do), I was not familiar with quilting, other than memories of my grandmother’s threadbare and faded coverings that warmed me in the chill mornings on the farm, with snow so deep the horses had to be lifted by elevator to the hayloft and even we tiny children drank Jim Beam for breakfast to keep our blood from freezing.

No, that’s not true.  It was Johnny Walker.

But, of course quilting goes back even farther than my ancient memories.  As my young sons would ask, “Geez, Dad, back before cell phones?”

Yes.  Matter of fact, quilting can be traced back (by those even older than I) to Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs, and in the U.S. back to the Pilgrims, which we all know was even before video games.

As you might guess, quilting began as a necessity for bedding and warmth.  Simply put, quilting is hand-stitched patches of ragged cloth, with padding in between.  

In modern times, quilts are mostly machine made, but that doesn’t mean the old customs and crafts have passed on to the great beyond.  In fact, quilting is quite popular today, but gone are the ragged pieces of cloth.  Quilting has become a vibrant art form, the realm of super talented (and very patient) people, whose art has taken flight to ridiculous heights of ingenuity, design, color and construction.

At this year’s 2020 Quilts By the Sea, sponsored by the Amelia Island Quilt Guild, I saw stitched fabrics that rival, in texture and technique and sheer beauty, the art hanging on the walls of the finest painting galleries.

Interested in quilting, even beginning quilting?  Here’s where to start:

http://www.aiquilters.com

But, to talk and tell is not to see!  And you need to see.  So, I will step aside and do my best to show you the wondrous world  and art of modern quilting.

Best in Show!  Wind Beneath My Wings by Janet Sebastian, JB McCrary, and quilted by Sue Daurio

My personal favorite by Mary Williams.

The artist with her masterpiece.

Another favorite:

Favorites, yes, but all the quilts were magnificent!

Angel make from a book!  Pages folded to form the skirt and wings.

Can you even imagine the needlework this took???

Even at close inspection, this cloth quilt appears to be be made from tiles!

An apron made from a shirt!

First time quilter?  Classes and conversation offered!