8:11 PM |
Phone call at 9 a.m. on Sunday. Supposed to be lousy weather, but it was one of those "I'll go if you go" kind of things. Decided to make it to Willowdale Steeplechase in pickup as Woody in foul mood (or will be by the time it is to go home). Scrambled in kitchen cabinets and that refrigerator door shelf that holds the old capers and soy sauce for something to bring to eat. Found pepper jelly from Pork In The Park for cream cheese and Ritz crackers. Stumbled on Maker's Mark bottled mint julep that was a commercial failure so all that is left are the hidden bottles at the distillery in Kentucky. Glad to have had road trip. Went to supermarket to buy flowers. Let me repeat: nothing to eat to speak of, flowers, and a bottle of bourbon. This is not atypical for this all-day event. Luckily the guy next to me has lots of food (he also sold me his extra parking space which is a good thing because it is a good space and these are almost willed from generation to generation). I brought all the shit that everyone forgets:
- Paper towels
- Slotted spoons
- Pate spreaders
- Garbage bags
- Ice
- Plastic cups
Believe me, these are worth gold out here at the races. One year I had to go to about 15 trucks before someone would fork over a plastic cup for my bloody. Not good to drink directly from Clamato bottle. The tailgate competition is taken seriously by the few entrants. I thought it was "inspired by your favorite chef", but it is "hats off to the horses," or both, depending on who you ask. This is a competition entry. This is my table that I took out of the shed this morning. I think less is more, don't you? As long as you have flowers.
Dressed in country formal, meaning the usual crap with an Hermes scarf. And a little jacket. Hot as hell out here, I mean really sweaty, makes your makeup meet your shirt color sweaty. Pour mint julep into Sewanee cup. Seven people had to taste it before I got any. I would usually go nuts about the hygiene thing, especially with that lady in the locker room on Friday coughing her brains out, but somehow our "nice" neighbors are immune to germs of any variety. Well, there is alcohol involved and it's a disinfectant, right? All agree that bourbon bottle with green drippy wax holds some of the world's best juleps and you don't have to bring the mint and mess up your table when you get too drunk to properly prepare the sugar muddle. I have a feeling there will be none left for the Preakness. Got down to business buying stuff. Shop tent even hotter than hell. Feels like a sauna. Susie needs nicer shoes than her barn boots which she is wearing. Fratelli Rosetti lady has some comfortable cheap shoes, too. Susie bought the black ones and the flowered ones and she is very comfy. Later came back for the coral Fratelli Rosetti loafers. On sale. 
You can also buy more horse-appropriate stuff like this country-style fox painting and some hats. Most people do not wear hats to this event, but there are other events you need a hat for so this is valuable shopping time.
This is our favorite J. Mclaughlin store manager since Susie decided to cut back her days because the horse boarding and showing businesses are doing well. Anyhow, the JMcL stuff has horsey prints on it. I own a bunch.
This is my absolute favorite place to shop. Dubarry has its own tent so is only moderately hellish in terms of air quality. This is Mary. She is in a pan of water to demonstrate that you can wear Dubarry boots in the water. The guy who usually does this is flirting with the Swedish girl.I bought the jacket with the pink piping. They also had boots to match (a first, I think), so I bought those too. Susie will be purchasing the jacket on the left in my color. I said it would be okay if we matched. You can only do this with your best friend or you will be spending weeks trying to decide who looks better in it and you will not be speaking until July.
Threw purchases into truck and drank some more. A lot more. Julep bottle getting dangerously low. Decided to visit antique car display area. Even if Woody were here, he would not be in the antique car display. It is in the middle of nowhere. I always park with everyone else instead. Still don't have any idea what race is on and if, in fact, there are any horses here. 
Talked to a bunch of car guys. It was fun. I learned about which clubs to join. I must go to the Hagley show. I have been to the Hagley show in the Cadillac. My son was one and ate an entire loaf of french bread. This is John (I think). He told me to talk to Lou.
This is Lou. Lou had the Last Chance Garage. He can fix Woody. He will make a house call. Lou knows lots of stuff about cars. So do Jerrod and Amy. They are from Connecticut but just moved here. She is tall and pretty.
Talked with very, uh, significant member of the community whose goofy name is also the name of a big chemical company. He lives in a very big house that has been in the family for a very long time. His family also lived at HagleyHagley. Note to self: find out when Hagley show is. Guy from Hagley enters conversation. He is quite aggressive and exclusive. Goofy name guy is pretty old. He pulled out his wallet. He cannot find the photo of his family skipjack. He was showing this to me because my family is from where the skipjacks are. A little later, he pulled out a very cool picture. It was of four cars. The one on the left is the 1936 Oldsmobile that we are leaning against. His father gave it to him when he was sixteen. Later on his wife said it stank (I'm not sure if that was literal or socially unacceptable), so he got a convertible VW Beetle. After a while, the headlights weren't good enough so he bought some headlights attached to a Chevelle. When the headlights didn't work anymore he bought a new Olds. That is what he drives now. Four cars in a lifetime. No wonder he is rich. And a heck of a guy. Really. Wonder if his wife is still alive.
Sewanee insulated cup is becoming non-insulated because the two plastic layers are coming apart. I learned this when I spilled half a julep down my shirt. Go back to pickup and booze with Ritz crackers. There are children here. Some of them practice lacrosse and the ball goes everywhere and dad gets his brother to play with them. This is Rene with her daughter Dahlia. I fell in love with Dahlia. She would stand up for half an hour holding on to your finger. She doesn't crawl yet. She will be one of those kids that drinks from a cup before a bottle. Her mother feeds her with this thing that looks like one of those Capri Sun packages with the attached straw that you get for PeeWee Soccer. You screw a spoon thing on it and squeeze the baby food onto the spoon and put it in the baby's mouth.
This is Lila Rae's twin. She has little britches on and a big bow in her hair that you can't see. I cannot keep my eyes off of Lila Rae's doppleganger. She frolics with a stick horse. They have stick horse races here. They also have Jack Russell terrier races here. I never see them because they are the first even of the day and I am setting up the table and opening the liquor.
This is the local press ladies. One of them took my picture next to the Cadillac some year. It had a snarky caption under it, but that's the way we do things here.
These guys are pretending to watch the races. The woman in the shorts has kind of wobbly legs. I have legs like that. I am 51 and I bet she is too. I wouldn't wear those shorts though. The rubber boots, definitely. Oh, forgot about the dogs. Lots of dogs here. This is the kind of place where people pick up after their dogs at special events. It happens very quickly.
This is John who sold me my parking space. It is late in the day and John looks pretty much like the rest of us. This is Susie and Marjorie. Marjorie is wearing the popular Yuengling accessory. Yuengling is a regional beer that has been here for a very long time. I think the longest of any beer in the country, but I could be wrong.
Decide to place bet on second to last race. Choose Vegetable to show. It is really Veritable, but Vegetable is more fun. Vegetable shows. Which is more than I can say for the rest of us. Pack up. Guy with silver julep cup wants to try Maker's Mark julep. I think he is the guy in the truck next to me every year. Don't remember his name but kiss kiss works. Pull out bourbon bottle from truck and pour a short one. He agrees that this is the best julep ever. He will pay me lots of money to go back to the distillery and buy whatever they have left. Note to self: start concession stand selling bottled juleps. Drive home under the influence. Pretend I am not.Determined to put everything away by the time I go to sleep. Managed some of it. Susie left boots in truck. Fell asleep on sofa haunted by the thought that I could have found a better BMW.