Off to the Races

OK~ I was tagged by SweetPeaSurrey. I agree with her that this is a nice distraction from the usual heavy crap I blog about.

So ... here are the instructions:

1.go to your documents

2. go to your 6th file. (I had to skip a file because it was an IM file which is empty. It's empty because I don't IM anyone,ever)

3.go to your 6th picture.

4. blog about it.

5. tag 6 friends to do the same.



and the Photo:





This is Dru and I, at the Radnor Spring Races, May 2006. I had captioned it "Champagne Blondes Drink Champagne."
This is an example of one of my many haircolor changes.
I had actually blogged about this at TV.com. Here is a rerun of what the Spring Races are about:

Yesterday, I had off from work and attended the Radnor Hunt Spring Races. It is a steeplechase event that is held in an area 15 minutes from where I live. I used to live 2 minutes away at a farm back in the 90s. My friend Dru,who has the large animal rescue farm, has a parking spot that we tailgate from every year. This has been a tradition for my fellow horse owning friends for the past 17 years.

Horses over the fence

Here in Pennsylvania, May can be a tricky month. It is often cold,wet and rainy.Sometimes Mother Nature will throw you a loop by making it 80 degrees and broiling sunshine.Yesterday, we had both. We had a couple sprinkles and cloud cover early in the day and by the afternoon we were basking in sunshine with no jackets. I saw a lot of friends,ate a lot of food and got a chance to sit back and enjoy what I love about the area of Pennsylvania I live in.

Tailgating at horse shows is much different from tailgating at other sports events.First of all,they are judged in different categories. Since this sport attracts the wealthy sect, the tailgate often reflects that.Some people park antique cars or some kind of rare British import car and these are judged on the vehicle and the presentation around it.

The next category is a designated theme that is presented every year. This year was TV series. We saw an American Bandstand tailgate where everyone dressed in poodle skirts and they had Motown playing.Their plates for food looked like record albums.It was really cute! Another was The Flying Nun which was my favorite.Imagine even the fat,old guys were dressed as a nuns. Poor Sally Field was blessed by God to recover her career from that series. There was a Gilligan's Island theme which you can spot in this picture:

The third category is just on the elegance and uniqueness of your tailgate.In this category you will see expensively catered food with fine china,crystal stemware,ice sculptures,flowers galore and linens. The people will be dressed very formally with the women in hats and the men in suit coats.

The last category is the one where the people just park a vehicle and set up food and drinks with no care in how it looks. Believe it or not, this gets judged in the end for "Worst Tailgate" and you are awarded black balloons.Well,guess who won that category? It was us!!! I told my friend Dru's husband, I think we won because when the judges came by I was holding a bag of Wheat Thins. No dish or plate,just a bag out in the open.It is all in good fun and we cheered our heads off because we were the trash of the tailgating sect!

Evidence of Wheat Thins and Black Balloons


I enjoy spending a day with friends and seeing how the other folk live. I even went over and had a drink with the people I once worked for when I was with my ex,on their coach . They were so gracious and it reminded me that I can still have contact and socialize with these people and not have to work for them.

This is their Roof Seat Brake carriage. The carriages line up and tailgate for a couple hours. The grooms standing on the ground is what I used to get paid to do. The coach is being pulled by a formation called "Unicorn" because it is two horses at the wheel of the coach and one in the front. It is one of the most difficult forms of driving.

On a side note,after the Radnor Races we all went to the clubhouse to watch the Preakness. It was sad and sickening to watch Pennsylvania's golden horse shatter his ankle. White Light to Michael Matz and Barbero.

So, there you have what that picture meant. I had just started dating Prick. I didn't take him because I knew I would be drinking. I love this picture of Dru and I. We look so happy. I know I was. I love these events. The people, the horses, the whole atmosphere is just fun. It was so sad to be in the clubhouse afterwards and watch Barbaro run that fateful race.
It all seems so long ago. I still attend the Radnor Races with Dru each year. I know rain or shine,hot or cold, we will be there.

Hey, I don't have a lot of public friends here. I'm just going for it. Tag! You are it!

SparkleFarkle
Christina
MatterEaterLad
Namdev
Betsy
Doctawho