Round Top Antiques Week

Round Top Antiques Week

The area in and around Round Top, Texas, is full of antique shops and malls, but a couple times a year they host a massive gathering of vendors for a week or two - depending on the location - that draws a staggering amount of people.  I found this out the hard way last fall when my wife suggested we make a "quick day trip" to the show on a Saturday.  It was awful.  Most of the places are along a stretch of two-lane highway that was basically a parking lot for hours when we tried to leave.  

This spring we decided to head over again, but during the week and early in the show to avoid crowds.  Much better!

The first thing you have to know if you've never been before is that it's huge. This map doesn't even do it justice.  There are so many places to stop that you could spend every day for a week and not come close to seeing everything. Each of the places on this map aren't just single vendors, they're massive malls or markets with hundreds of vendors in some cases.  

Another thing to know is that you get all types of antique vendors in one place here.  Antiques fall into two main categories for me.  You have the dealers who think antiques are "treasure" and want thousands for everything.  Then there are the guys who sort of just sell old stuff.  I prefer the latter, but if you want an 18th century French armoire for $11,000, you'll find it here....by the dozens.  I can't believe I didn't come home with this chair!

Some of the venues are basically like flea markets, while others like Marburger Farms pictured here have restaurants and facilities and dozens of giant tents. They also charge you to get in.  There are only a few places that do that, and we skipped most this spring, but we did pay for Marburger and found some things.  

Incidentally - A little tip for the fellas:  Don't be so quick to dismiss this event.  If you're looking for middle-aged women, you would have a hard time finding a more target-rich environment than this place.  There are packs of them!  I think it's like a sport.  My wife described it like a super-sized version of The Nutcracker Market, where women even tailgate pre-show.

It's a very relaxed atmosphere.  Everyone seems to be having a good time and no one seemed to get too uptight about anything.  

Yes, the Super 8 has a Jacuzzi Suite......

We were heading to Colorado to do some skiing on Wednesday, so we drove over on Monday and back on Tuesday - hitting the antique spots for two days. There aren't a lot of hotel options right around Round Top.  For one, they're all booked up, and even if they weren't most are B&B type places, and I don't do B&Bs.  Your options are really the nearby and slightly larger towns of Brenham or La Grange.    

You may be asking yourself two questions:

1 - Does the Super 8 in Brenham, Texas, really have a Jacuzzi Suite?

2 - How does one end up in the Jacuzzi Suite at a Super 8?

Well, obviously they do have one. As for the "how"?  This wasn't really planned as a "romantic getaway" that would necessitate in-room hydrofrolicking (although as I pointed out to my wife - any getaway with me is a romantic one).  

The reason we ended up here comes down to Hotels.com.  I use the service to book rooms a lot and every time you stay 10 nights they give you a free night. The value of that night is based on the average cost of the 10 rooms you stayed in.  We travel enough to save up some rooms and we had a couple of free nights when I booked this.  The thing is, most of our last 10 stays were in rather expensive rooms in France.  I know you might find this surprising, but hotels in the Texas hill country aren't quite as expensive as ones that overlook the Seine.  I could basically book any room in the area I could find for free and it turns out the most expensive room you can get is the Jacuzzi Suite at the Super 8 in Brenham.  To be fair, it was actually a really nice and comfortable room, but we never touched the Jacuzzi.

  
I told Nel that since we had the "suite", I would just go ahead and make it a Five Star Date Night!  How do you do that?  (These tips are free gentleman.)  First off we hit up the K-Bob's Steak House where I treated Branelle to unlimited trips to the "World Famous Salad Wagon"!

Next up, how about a private screening of a Hollywood blockbuster - "CHIPS!" (Okay - yes it was a small town theater late on a Monday night showing a bad movie that's been out for weeks, but still....private screening!)

I didn't stop with date night.  I even sprung for breakfast!  Now ladies, before you get any ideas, I'm already taken.

Parking in the actual town for all of the antique places is a little tricky.  We accidentally parked illegally at one stop and a sheriff walked up and asked to see my license.  It was an honest mistake - there were dozens of cars parked there and I guess I assumed there were different rules for Antiques Week, but he was right.  He actually let us go with just a warning because, as he said, "You didn't give me a bunch of grief about it."  I respect police officers all the time.  It paid off in this case.

You'll find when looking around that some places do seem to specialize.  In the case of the place pictured above, they had probably 50 or more entrance doors.

Since I'm closing in on having a Man Cave to decorate, I was looking for stuff like this.  This little couch was in perfect condition, was well done, wasn't over priced, and would have made a really interesting piece of furniture.  I passed, after much consideration, because it was made from a Hindustan Ambassador - a car that I have absolutely no interest in or attachment to.  

  
We didn't do too much damage (in part because we decided at the last minute not to bring our trailer).  Here's our haul - a few decorative items, a bench for the end of our bed so our older cat can get up there a little easier, and an old Monte Carlo grill I have plans for.

I have to admit that I enjoyed our second trip to Antiques Week.  I'm up for going back but I'm NEVER going on a weekend again like we did last fall.  This time through the traffic was minimal, the crowds were bearable, and the stuff was just as plentiful.  

2002 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition

2002 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition

If someone ever covers the history of the automobile, the Miata will have a place in that story.  I'm not sure if Mazda were brilliant or just lucky, but they really hit on something with this little car and it has served them well for decades.  

I bought this particular model in 2003 and it only had about 8K miles on it.  It was showroom new and I kept it that way.  A couple interesting facts about this vehicle:

1. It was actually kind of a rare car - not that it made it valuable or anything, just unique.  First off it was an SE, for Special Edition.  Most rare of all, it had also been ordered with an automatic.  
2. To this day, this is the only Mazda I've ever owned.

I loved the color combo on the interior.  Even though this was a "cute" little car, I would describe the interior as "handsome".  It smelled like a showroom car.

The SE package came in either a Mica Yellow, or this Titanium Gray.  The Titanium Gray Metallic came with a saddle brown leather faced interior and door panel inserts. It also included a two-tone, three spoke Nardi steering wheel with a Nardi leather shift knob and handbrake lever. In addition there was a Torsen limited-slip differential, a 6-speed transmission, white gauge faces with aluminum accent rings, aluminum door handles, chrome fuel lid and aluminum scuff plates and foot pedals, in dash 6-disk CD changer with speed-sensing audio volume control, and unique keys and badging.  Mazda sold 1491 SE Miatas in Titanium Gray Metallic.

SE package or not, I have to admit that I get the appeal of the Miata.  This is coming from someone who likes giant AMG Merc's and multiple turbos on his 911s.  This car was a lot of fun to drive and actually very pleasant to live with. The balance is great and it sort of a point and go car.  It didn't feel like it needed more power - it was perfect like it was.

The little 1.8-liter 4-cylinder was just right for this car.  Front engined, rear drive, and just enough power to be fun.  You could throw the car around at will.  

  

I never look at Miatas.  After writing this though, and remembering my little SE, I might reconsider adding one.  They hardly cost anything, they're reliable, and they're fun.  My wife would probably enjoy having one around as well.

Let's Build A Pool! Part 5: Tile & Coping

Let's Build A Pool!

Part 5:  Tile & Coping

After the utility stuff goes in, the tile and coping guys get started.  They actually started while some of the utility stuff was still going on.  The first thing they did was run the water line tile around in a perfectly level strip.  After they had finished, the boss came out and decided that the row was a fraction too high and had them remove it all and start again about a half inch lower.  I wouldn't have ever noticed, but I appreciate his attention to details.

Our original plans called for flagstone for the coping.  We decided to switch to travertine.  It's more expensive, and as one of the tile guys told me one day "a LOT harder and slower to work with", but I think it was the right choice.  You never know until it's all finished and together, but I like it so far.

Travertine wouldn't be so difficult to deal with if you had a square or rectangular pool, but we don't have a single straight line so every piece of thick stone has to be cut and shaped on multiple sides.

The dry spa area is especially tricky.  Since every edge that sticks out from any side has to be the bullnose edge, they have to really think about their pattern.

This part took them the longest.  The bar where the travertine and glass tiles meet had to be perfectly level.  They did a great job.  It's interesting to watch. The glass tile comes in these sheets, but you can't use it like that because nothing is square.  They basically cut each individual little one inch tile out and then place every single one where they want it.  They've been working out here for weeks on this, but it's easy to see why it takes so long when you watch them up close.  

Sammy Cat inspection!  She's very thorough.  I would call her quality control, except she's too easily distracted by just about anything.

  
The activity that seems to have brought the most excitement in the household was the installation of the stacked stone on the spa.  Everyone loves it.  I'm glad because I wasn't sure I had full support when we picked it out.

One afternoon a crew came and buried all the utility lines.  It cleaned the place up a lot and I'm guessing they're getting ready to start on the patios. 

So now that the tile and coping guys are basically finished, I have a suspicion that the stone work is next since this showed up in our driveway today.  We have something like 8 tons of rock in our pool.  I think these are for the waterfall, but we'll see.  To be continued.....

Mecum Houston 2017 Report

Mecum Houston 2017 Report

It finally happened - I went to a car auction and didn't buy anything.  I've bought at least one car, if not more, every time Mecum has come to Houston (and at every other car auction I've been to in recent years).  I came home empty handed this year.  There are probably a number of reasons for this tragedy, but lets just talk about the auction this year instead of whining about my own disappointments. 

They sold $21.7 million in cars with about a 70% sell-through rate.  Both numbers are great, proving once again that Houston is a sellers market and not the best place to be a buyer. 

The venue wasn't as good as past years.  The auction was held in NRG Arena instead of the NRG Center because the Houston Auto Show was occupying that massive space.  It was unfortunate.  The Arena isn't as large and it's very segmented.  You were either looking at the cars or watching the auction but you couldn't do both at the same time.  There wasn't enough room either so all of the Thursday cars were actually outside.  We got lucky with a beautiful Thursday, but it still wasn't as good a set up as the Center.  

On a side note, the Houston Auto Show is a complete waste of time.  I LOVE cars, and I can't think of a single reason to go.  It's basically just like going to a bunch of dealer showrooms but in a single location.  For some reason, as big an automotive market as Houston is, we don't get any of the concept cars or reveals that bigger shows get.  Don't waste your time.  

Normally I cover these with a bunch of "Stuff We Didn't Buy" followed by a "Stuff We Bought" section.  Since we bought no "stuff" this year, I'm just going with a bunch of pictures and comments.

My wife couldn't go with me on Thursday morning, so my mom tagged along until Branelle was able to get away and join me.  These are two very different auction "supervisors" to have, as illustrated by this picture.  My mom, although she always enjoys herself and likes to have a good time, doesn't see the logic in spending large amounts of money on toys for some silly reason.  My wife, on the other hand, is an enabler.  She's usually quite sensible and frugal (compared to me) but at a car auction she gets into it and starts encouraging me - when it's things she likes anyway.

I still love Pace Cars, and matched sets are even better.  This Camaro and truck from the '93 race were fantastic, but the car had less than 1000 miles on it and I just don't have any interest in cars I can't drive.  Neither of them sold, with the car hitting $20K and the truck $10K.

After last year, I wasn't taking any chances with hidden rust so I took a close look underneath a number of cars like this '73 Mercury Cougar Convertible.  I really liked this car, and it sold for $13,500 which I thought wasn't bad.  It's basically the same car as our '73 Mustang Convertible though so I let it go.

Nel was on a conference call for about an hour, but she still checked out cars.  I have always wanted a DeLorean.  It's on my top 10 list of cars I want to buy. This was a great example and sold for a mere $21K.  When I didn't bid on this one I realized something was wrong with me.  

 
Pantera's are great.  My first car was almost a Pantera.  That said, they've gotten pricey so I stayed away this time.

I'm not usually a fan of "replica" cars, but this Auburn 852 recreation I liked.  It's hard to put a value on a car like this.  It's sort of worth whatever you want to pay for it I guess.  I would love to have owned it, but I wasn't even around when it went through.

This was a fantastic 924, but we already have a fantastic 924 in our stable and Nel wasn't really seeing the fun in having two.  I disagreed, but it brought crazy money anyway, and didn't sell!

Not a replica - this was a real deal Ferrari Daytona.  Nel did actually like this one, but I told her she would probably need to get a paper route or something if she wanted me to buy this.

I love Lamborghini Jalpa's.  This one sold for $74K, which is really kind of on the low end.  I missed it, which is probably a good thing because I might have taken a run at this one.

This '51 Crosley Hook and Ladder truck was built by an amusement park and completely restored.  Nel and I both loved it, but it sold for $60K, which is a lot of money for a novelty item, and I couldn't figure out how I would ever get it home.

This fantastic little Fiat 500C Topolino should be in my garage right now.  Nel and I both loved it.  It was completely restored.  It sold for next to nothing.  This is a casualty of me deciding I had other things to do on Saturday.  

This '54 Austin Healey 100 sold on Friday for $34K.  It wasn't in great shape, but I think the price was fair.  We both liked it but it would have been a project and I'm avoiding adding more of those at the moment.

Nel had a long day and didn't survive the ride home on Thursday.  We hit the auto show after the auction as well.

This sort of demonstrates the issue with holding the auction in NRG Arena. When they hold it in the Center, all the cars are in one giant room.  Here, they are spread out among a number of rooms, all separated from the actual auction block.  Not terrible, but not as good as previous years.

I was unsupervised on Friday, which usually means I'm buying!  I did come close a few times.  I bid on this '69 Buick Riviera, but was outbid by an older couple.  I talked to them afterwards and this is what they were there to buy so I actually felt a touch bad for driving the price up on them.

Older 911s are just so popular right now that you can't really get a good deal at an auction.  I always give them a cursory look, but other people want them more than I do.

This is a car that I would have bought but just missed it going across the block. I had no interest in a '53 Chevy 210 going in, but the fantastic restoration on this one won me over.  These aren't valuable cars, but I would have loved to have owned it.

I was high bidder on this one, but the owner wouldn't let it go.  I like these '95 Pace Cars more than most, but I understand him not wanting to let this nice low mileage example get away for very little money.

This is Katie Osborne, one of the on-air personalities for NBC that covers the auctions.  The on-air guys that you see and hear on TV are walking around but they usually don't engage you and I never bother them.  I was looking at some Dodge Dart that I didn't really have any interest in out away from the blocks and she came up and started chatting with me about the car.  I knew absolutely nothing about it, but I faked it as best as I could for a few minutes until her camera man showed up and I took the hint and got out of the shot.  She was delightful.  More of the TV guys should be as engaging as she was.

That's basically it.  No new cars - still had fun - wish I had bought at least something, but life is probably a little easier since I didn't.  Oh well, my new garage will be done soon. 

2002 Mercedes Benz C32 AMG

2002 Mercedes Benz C32 AMG

This was actually a really cool and fun car.  The AMG company has been around modifying Mercedes since the 60's, but I would argue that this was the first car of the modern era when they were tuning them as an in-house group - kind of like the M Sports division for BMW.  It made a difference.  Older AMG Mercs were sort of "aftermarket-y", but this one felt like a factory car with attitude.

The C-Class is the smallest of what I call the "adult" Mercedes, and they're a bit too small for me to be honest.  I wouldn't have bought this car as a long-term driver, but I definitely drove it while I had it.  It's luxurious, yes, but it's also fun. That's what AMG added to this car.  Today's C63 is a maniac!  It's a true beast, but this one wasn't quite over the top.  That was its charm.

There are styling and cosmetic updates, but the engine is what got the majority of AMG's attention.  This is a supercharged 6-cylinder and it puts out about 350 horsepower.  More than enough for a car that isn't overly weighted.  On sticky roads you could pull a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds.  That's very quick - today.  

I liked just about everything with regards to the interior - I just needed it to all be a bit bigger.  That's a statement about me more than it is about the car really.  If you like 3-series BMW's, you'll love the way this one feels.  

When I bought this car it was only a few years old, but it had about 70K miles on the clock.  It certainly didn't look it though.  I never had a single problem in the year or so I owned mine, but I've heard horror stories about maintenance on these.

I liked my car in the quintessential Mercedes silver.  It also looks fantastic in the MB 'Mars Red' color.  Regardless, you can buy these today for very little money. The only thing that should give you pause is the maintenance, but that can be said for a lot of cars really.  They made these for only three years, and I've heard only 1500 per year.  These will be collectible someday, but that's not a reason to buy one, and is a long way off.  You buy this car to drive.  If you're thinking about an older M3, you should really give the C32 a look.