What can I say that Mary Chapin Carpenter hasn't already so eloquently stated in her lyrics when she wrote, "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug...."? Springfield Extravaganza 2014 - we were pretty much the bugs, and it was pretty much a bust.
Sisters M, J and I were all ready to go Saturday morning, puffy eyes, boots, and layers all. It was 48° - BRRR - and even though Springfield had gotten nearly 2" of rain from Wednesday through Friday, Saturday looked fair and promising. Sadly, we all know promises can be broken.
Springfield is nearly 2 hours north of Cincinnati. We arrived at 10:30 am to a double lane of cars trying to get admitted and parked, which looked like this:
As you can see, the skies looked pretty threatening already at this point. Not to be discouraged, we parked and started trekking through the fields. The wind was pretty brisk, about 10mph, and did I mention it was cold??
Not there more than 45 minutes, vendors were scurrying to cover items, pulling in those things skirting the tarps so as not to get wet. The winds picked up, things were blowing over, and the skies opened up.
Most everyone started running to any number of the buildings in order to stay dry. We were all cramped.
Almost simultaneously, sister M got a phone call from home. Her beloved Havanese pet of 13 years had died the night before. Again, the rain poured - only this time not from the skies.
We waited it out a while longer in the building, but our mojo was shot. We decided to head back to the car and eat our packed lunch. The rain didn't let up.
When life gives you lemons, you just make lemonade. So we left Springfield Extravaganza and headed to the huge, Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, Ohio, just about 3 miles up the road. With 116,000 square feet of antiques and thrifty treasures, we tried to get our shopping mojo back.
Still not quite excited over much of anything, we headed about halfway back toward home base, and hoped to regain our shopping mojo once again in a small-town antique mall. Based on the shopping successes we had the day before, we felt it was a sure bet. Plus, we hadn't quite finished getting all the way through the mall anyway. We were on a mission to finish what we started.
It was only in this place that we were able to salvage the day and not have to call it a total bust. Among other treasures, I scored these two, awesomely authentic, glass fishing floats pictured below.
And I bought two wood, vintage beach/patio chairs with canvas slings and adjustable arms, still wrapped in protective plastic! They came from this cute little lady, named Susie, who just happened to be working her booths (below).
She was a hoot, and said she had 8 different booth spaces in this particular mall. Doesn't every REAL woman wear 5" heels to do her housework? Work it, baby! She actually said she was a long-distance runner, and the higher heels made her thigh muscles feel better, and she wears them most of the time.
So, upon leaving all the shopping for the day, car packed and ready for the hour drive back home, we had one more squeeze of lemon. The car door on the passenger back seat wouldn't open. Seems the unlocking of the car with the key fob and simultaneous motion of the passenger trying to open the door confused the mechanism, and a piece broke off in the process, jamming the lock. Once I pulled it open, it then wouldn't shut! We considered bungee cording it shut, but driving 70 mph on the interstate seemed a little scary. We could see all our treasures being sucked out of the side door as we sped down the highway. So, using a nail file as a tool (lemonade!), I plucked the broken piece of plastic out of the locking mechanism, and tried slamming the door - it worked!
So, with our collective ingenuity, we pushed the seat forward, and pulled the seatbelt through the car door handle, and clicked it. If the door flew open, we were giving ourselves a fighting chance to keep it closed. Off we went.
I drove about 350 miles after that, and we made it home safe and sound. It's a good thing I love lemons. So, all in all, Springfield Extravaganza 2014 was pretty much a bust.
In case you may be interested, you can read about last year's more successful extravaganza trip here:
Springfield Extravaganza 2013.
Linking with:
Melissa's Thrifty Finds Friday
Sisters M, J and I were all ready to go Saturday morning, puffy eyes, boots, and layers all. It was 48° - BRRR - and even though Springfield had gotten nearly 2" of rain from Wednesday through Friday, Saturday looked fair and promising. Sadly, we all know promises can be broken.
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| Entry to Springfield Extravaganza |
Most everyone started running to any number of the buildings in order to stay dry. We were all cramped.
We waited it out a while longer in the building, but our mojo was shot. We decided to head back to the car and eat our packed lunch. The rain didn't let up.
When life gives you lemons, you just make lemonade. So we left Springfield Extravaganza and headed to the huge, Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, Ohio, just about 3 miles up the road. With 116,000 square feet of antiques and thrifty treasures, we tried to get our shopping mojo back.
 |
| Heart of Ohio Antique Center, Springfield Ohio |
It was only in this place that we were able to salvage the day and not have to call it a total bust. Among other treasures, I scored these two, awesomely authentic, glass fishing floats pictured below.
So, with our collective ingenuity, we pushed the seat forward, and pulled the seatbelt through the car door handle, and clicked it. If the door flew open, we were giving ourselves a fighting chance to keep it closed. Off we went.
In case you may be interested, you can read about last year's more successful extravaganza trip here:
Springfield Extravaganza 2013.
Linking with:
Melissa's Thrifty Finds Friday
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