OT: CTC

[Riley Smith]

No, this only is about boats in a minor way. I'm sitting here before daylight trying to decide if I want to brave the crowds in Biloxi this morning and sail the shoreline there. The big problem is Cruising the Coast and from what I've heard, it has basically shut Biloxi down. If you don't know, CTC is a gigantic classic car festival that encompasses the Mississippi Gulf Coast. There were 10K registered cars. That does not include those of local people that just want to ride around and look. EVERYONE within a hundred miles or more with a classic car attends. I just got a notification that one of my friends on FB had a relative come from Boston with their Mustang! It's a sight to see and there are fabulous cars EVERYWHERE. We let people stay at the Labrot House that couldn't get a motel room and had to go to a funeral. I think I'll pass and find a ramp closer to home. It's nice and cool and the wind is good though!

[Wayne Howard]

Once we were coming home from Pensacola and there was a storm in the gulf. I think it cancelled the show. Anyway, all the antique cars leaving Biloxi on I-10 made for a nice drive. Most of the cars were being driven with only a few on trailers.

[Riley Smith]

There is definitely some eye candy to be had at that show. No telling what you might see, what color it will be, and how much horsepower someone has stuffed in it! The sail didn't happen. Aches and pains and a general lack of energy left me just tinkering with the rigging and watching the 1894 that I'd run up the mast flap in the breeze. The heart medicine they've started me on makes me tired and the neck bone was giving me fits.
 I added two eye bolts to the boom jaw awhile back, which have really helped some niggling problems. One is with the reefing, although I'm still pondering on exactly how to deal with it. You have to capture the bottom cringle (loop of line taking the place of a mast hoop) to reef and previously it was just tied off. It was aggravating and not an elegant solution, so I'm plotting a new means using those eye bolts. I had considered adding those eye-bolts several years ago but was afraid it would be detrimental to the boom jaws. We'll see, but I think it'll work fine.
 No sailing happened but I still did some boat tinkering, and besides, I had a date with a hot blonde   We did a Sunday ride around, caught a fish at the old house, and ate a great meal in Ocean Springs. There are some of the best meals in the universe to be had in that town. I rediscovered a launch in Ocean Springs I had only used when my former son-in-law launched there. It would have negated having to cross the bridge into Biloxi and dealing with THAT traffic.
 And the weather is to DIE for. The temp is 48F this morning and hopefully I'm done sweating for the year. You never know here because it COULD turn back hot again. All in all a good day despite not getting out on the water.

[Frank B.]

My BIL participated a few times, an owner of several classics currently and over time, a Model A, a 46 Ford sedan, and currently a somewhat rare 51 Mercury that had an early version of a landau top. He likes ford products with flathead V-8's.  I'll stick with the smaller version, the Tupelo Blue Suede Cruise held every year late spring.  Probably a thousand cars and trucks, that's plenty, there are only so many repetitions of classic cars that are of interest to me and it keeps the traffic manageable.

Where was the great meal in OS?  The places I used to frequent have, over time, faded from owners dying off, selling out to Casinos, and not coming back from various hurricanes and I haven't kept up with the replacements.  I like the Phoenicia Gourmet in OS and Mary Mahoney's, in Biloxi, I suspect Bobby is running it now, I went to school with him when I lived there.

[Norm L.]

We drove east to a wedding Saturday morning and back from Gulf Shores early Sunday morning. Headed east I saw enough cars to realize the show was this weekend. Sunday morning westbound we saw dozens and dozens east bound on I-10.

it was a treat although there was about an equal amount on trailers as on wheels. As for an expensive hobby, it was the more than occasional $500k to $1MM motor homes pulling enclosed trailers that cost more than any of our boats.

Saturday morning, we drove along with a 60's Stingray Corvette. It has been a long time since I've seen one live.
The dentist aboard our Navy ship bought one. He said I'm so far in debt from dental school what is another $5000.

[Riley Smith]

Frank, we like Phoenicia Gourmet a lot ourselves. We tried Lady May this time and I had braised beef on a bed of grits. All you northerners may turn up your noses at grits until you've had some like that. It was great. We also like Kenny Wards for steaks. Puts Ruth Chris to shame. I don't do the buffets at the casinos except to scarf down some snow crabs on the rare occasion. There are all sorts of good places to eat there and we tried a different one this time. Service wasn't the greatest but we arrived close to quitting time and our waiter said that Saturday was the all-time biggest day the restaurant had ever had, due to the CTC crowd. I'm sure the wait staff was shell-shocked. There was still the occasional classic car running around and it was very nice weather, so we sat on the patio and watched the world go by on Washington St. Enjoyed it immensely.
 And I didn't even mention a seafood place!! Our favorite for that is the Half Shell over the bridge in Biloxi. I quit eating oysters on the half shell a few years ago but they have AWESOME charbroiled oysters there, as well as some of the best tuna dip I've ever tasted. I just can't understand someone that doesn't like seafood, although we never ate very much when I was young because my mother didn't care for it or know how to cook it well. I don't really care for fried anything anymore and some of those broiled/blackened fish dishes are to die for. Most years when CTC is going on, we just go the beach in Biloxi and sit and just watch the cars go by. I'm sure some of the paint jobs cost a FORTUNE!

[Wayne Howard]

You can hate grits but not after eating Grits Ya Ya from Atlas Fish House. Personally, I like grits but this is a whole nother level.

http://southernsimmering.com/a-florida-favorite-the-fish-house-and-grits-a-ya-ya/

[Riley Smith]

Oh that's gonna get made here at the Smith homestead!

[Doug SC]

Drooling on keyboard!

[Frank B.]

Yep, I just printed it out.  It will be coming up soon.  And I'll make sure I don't have any lipid panels coming up in the near future.

For Oysters, I used to stop in at Mikey's on the Bayou every time I was down, but it is permanently closed as of a couple of years ago. 

Next week it will be Indian Pass Raw Bar as I'm spending a week in Mexico Beach.  No custom cars but could be a bunch of motorcycles, I think that is the week they show up down there.

[Riley Smith]

We were down in PCB working a couple of years ago and it was Harley week. I always loved that Harley rumble but after a week of revving motors at all hours, I don't care if I ever hear it again.

[Norm L.]

We spent a day in Myrtle Beach with the same constant noise. Now my first Honda had straight pipes and I thought it was sorta cool. But now it's "Hey you kids. get your Harley off my lawn".
The guy across the street has two elderly Harleys that are his work transportation. Three times a week we hear him go to work at 6:45.
But he is such a great person I can't get mad at him. Besides, we are already up anyway.
Then there is a good friend also across the street that put a Chevy truck V8 in his Jeep. That also has a serious rumble but he only drives that in great weather.