The Citrus County Corvette and Camaro Club had a tour scheduled for this past Saturday of a car restoration facility. Followed by a car show. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to go. I like to ride in a fancy schmancy sports car but that doesn’t mean I want to know how they fix them. It was a cold morning and all I could think about is “do you think they have heat in the garage?”
But I couldn’t find any excuse (believe me I tried) to get out of the excursion so I went along. And actually enjoyed the tour!
Here’s the place. If you take regular trips to Spring Hill down 19, you’ve probably drove right by it without even noticing the building.
West Coast Classic, Inc.
First we saw two examples of the seven generations of the Corvette.
2014 Corvette1954 Corvette
Dave and Shannon Rodriguez started West Coast Classic in 2006. It’s a family business with daughter Sabrina also working in the office. Shannon welcomed us when our car club arrived then began the tour in the office. She then moved out to the garage where her husband Dave joined her. They both spoke passionately about the business and restoring cars the right way. Their projects have been featured in many car magazines plus they have been approached about doing reality TV. The Rodriguez’s have declined the TV show because the producers just want to see arguments. And “That’s no way to run a business”. I was very impressed with this young couple.
Several of the employees explained what part they played in restoring the vehicles.
1955 Buick Special, one of the current projects.And a 1949 Chevy Pickup, one of their past projects.
It was a very interesting tour. They not only do restorations but also do regular automobile maintenance. If you want to learn more about West Coast Classic, check out their website.
Connie, Michelle, and I spent some quality time at the Extravaganza in Mount Dora on Friday. We usually don’t go more than once a season but we all had an open day and why not? But this wasn’t a buying trip for me. I’m trying to get rid of stuff rather than collect more. So I was just going to see what I could see.
And I saw a lot….
Here’s some bizarro items….
Not sure what this is but I really wanted to buy it. Cooling Casket. $900. Did not want this.Octopus to complete someone’s weird coastal collection.Goat Heads in a Barrel, I was a bit revolted by this display. But I had to show you anyhow. Really, once upon a time these guys were alive and running through the mountains. Or somewhere.
Vendors aren’t just in tents, there are also several permanent shops that you can visit every weekend. And we usually spend a few hours browsing through them before heading out to the “field” as I heard one shop owner call it.
And I would show you some pics from my favorite place and it’s lovely gardens but after I took about 15 snaps I noticed the “NO PHOTOS” signs all over the place. So sorry, no free advertising for them!
But this shop had no problem with me taking pictures.
Connie wants to remodel her kitchen and thinks this bar should be the centerpiece. Or maybe the whole kitchen. I gotta agree. This bar is gorgeous.
Only $16,000!The deer does not come with it.These guys would miss him!
Terry and I talk about putting something large in our front area. A statement piece. (One that would stop our kids from running over the sprinkler system when they visit. And creating a large pool of water. And not fessing up who did it until a year later. You know who you are!) So I like to send him photos of possibilities as we wander the grounds.
Arrrrrgh! $500! Arrrrrgh!This would be Perfect! Fits right in to the area! But it’s $2000!This one is my favorite. I think the grandkids would love it. Complete with a metal donkey in his mouth! I jumped into the pic so you could see how big it is! $600! Darn, forgot my checkbook!
None of us bought much.
Me, because I think I’m turning into a hoarder. I’ve been going through cupboards, boxes, and all of the nooks and crannies that I use for storage. I discovered six water pitchers. And two were identical. But what’s really bad is the cake pedestals. I counted them before we headed out on our adventure. Nine ! Two with domes. And I don’t even bake! But I can’t give them up. And everywhere I went I found more and they were all calling my name. Next it will be salt shakers. Oh, wait, I already have too many of those. No, next it will be cats. The old lady with all the cats. And her husband hates cats so he left her. So sad.
We had a lot of fun, though. We’ve been doing this enough now that we have a routine. Connie makes lunch, I bring the beer (of course I bring the beer!), and we rotate who drives. Michelle had that awesome responsibility this time so I wasn’t too upset that she didn’t bake anything.
There’s one more extravaganza this year–February 20 – 22. If you like going to antique or thrift shops or just like to browse through junk, this is the place for you. Admission is $10 on Friday and gets progressively cheaper for the next two days. I like to go on Friday because it’s not crowded but Sunday is the better day since the vendors are more apt to deal. (Hey, they have a lot of stuff to pack up) But, I gotta warn you–the extravaganza covers acres. Almost 800 vendors. And those vendors are down in a valley and up the hills. Wear your most comfortable shoes. And plan to discover sore muscles the next day that you didn’t know you had!
Michelle, Connie and I are off treasure-hunting at Renninger’s Antique and Collectibles Extravaganza today! (I just love saying that word–ExtravaGANZA! That’s what I want my life to be–an extravaGANZA!)
We usually do this event once a season but here we are stepping out of our boundaries! We didn’t decide to actually go until this week so that’s really last minute for us. Because we are planners. And very busy people.
Here we are back in November!
I didn’t feel like we got to see everything last time. We were kind of wandering. Should we have a plan so we hit every booth and building?
Nah!
Wandering is good!
My treasures from our last outing–piano stool, crocheted snowflakes, and a really old phone. Still haven’t refinished that piano stool. But my coffee sits on it every morning while I peruse the newspaper in our family room. I thought we could rewire the phone but it might be beyond the “point of no return”. Meanwhile it looks great as a book end on my book case. The lovely cake pedestal is used every day holding fruit.Here’s one of the snowflakes! The other joined crystal snowflakes in my piano room for the holidays.
I’m not really searching for anything in my treasure hunt but I’m sure something will jump out and grab my eye. And my wallet.
Gonna get on my soap box a bit here. I live way out and the shopping choices are limited. I know–it’s totally my choice to live here. And I love it. Love Publix and get all my groceries there. Besides that we have Walmart. And it’s a very nice Walmart. And we have a lot of local people that are employed there. Plus the company does give back to the community. But if I want anything that Publix or Walmart can’t provide I drive to Spring Hill which is about 35 to 45 minutes away. Not a big deal. There is a Jo-annes Fabric there. I dropped my rotary cutter (which is indispensable to sewist) and it was bent. I needed a new one. I couldn’t order it online because I NEEDED IT NOW! I stood in line at Jo-annes almost 20 minutes. Really? I wasn’t even getting fabric cut. I am all about supporting local businesses. But really. If you are having a sale. And all businesses in the area know that we have a huge influx of shoppers in the winter, wouldn’t you have at least two cashiers? And that’s why I order my fabric and other sewing basics online. Stepping off the soap box now.
This weekend is the annual Manatee Festival in Crystal River. $4.00. Which includes a free bus ride to Three Sisters Springs. And there will be manatees there. If you haven’t been to the spring this is the perfect opportunity to check it out.
With apologies to my northern friends, it will be a beautiful weekend here in Florida, I hope you enjoy it!
