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Passing On Your Left

Passing On Your Left

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It’s Belmont Stakes Day.

Kim and I got up early and walked five miles along the Sugarland Run Trail.

After lunch, we decided to keep moving and ride our bikes, so I loaded up the bikes and drove to downtown Herndon to jump on the W&OD bike trail.

Today, not feeling the cycling cool, I opted not to wear my bike shirt, just a sleeveless tee-shirt and I put my bike pants on under my shorts.

Besides being more practical since I could carry my wallet and phone, though not my goal, the bike pants under my shorts made my butt look bigger.

When you are me, that’s a plus.

 

I have never been to the Belmont. I have been to the Kentucky Derby, I have been to the Preakness, but never the Belmont.  Growing up in New Jersey, not that far from Nassau County on Long Island, I had plenty of opportunities.

I remember a bunch of us watching the Belmont race one year at my friend Ricky’s house back in the 70’s.  As we watched the winner being brought into the winner’s circle for the photos and the interviews, there on our TV screen was another good friend and classmate from Oceanport,  Chris Nagel smiling and wildly waving his tickets, winners I guessed, while pressed up against the winner’s circle fence and on national TV.

Since I am not normally that lucky when it comes to betting on these races, the 2008 Belmont Stakes is another memory.  A long shot named D’Tara won the race at odds of 38 to 1.  A horse named Dennis of Cork ran second.  Anak Nakal and Ready’s Echo ended up in a dead heat for third.  I had all four of those horses boxed in a trifecta (the first three horses) and the exacta (the first two horses).  As a result, I landed two trifectas, one with each third-place horse, and the exacta.

Kim got some new patio doors and a front door out of that one.

 

The problem with biking along the W&OD bike trail is there are beer stops.  Heading towards Reston the first stop was The Bike Lane, a bike shop that also brews their own beer.  They had a great Kolsch and we sat outside at a picnic table.  I asked the guy pouring my beer if Tommy, an awesome young man who attends my church still worked there.  “Tom Brown?” he asked, “yeah we call him ‘T Bone,’ he is off today for his sister’s graduation party, I’ll tell him someone was asking about him.”

Another four miles and one very large hill later we stopped at The Caboose, a brewery in Vienna, Virginia adjacent to the bike trail. There we had a Czech and a Citrus Pilsner.

Then it was eight miles and that one big hill back to Herndon, ending at the Green Lizard, our local bike shop, for one more draft beer.

Then home to watch the Belmont Stakes.

It was a good race, though I didn’t get as lucky as I did in 2008. The horse Rombauer who won the Preakness beat my pick, Known Agenda, for third place knocking my trifecta out.  But I did have the exacta.  Not bad since I just played my birthday numbers and threw in Hot Rod Charlie because he had a good story.

No Triple Crown winner this year, some unneeded drama, now we look forward to next year.

 

At one point on the way home on the bike trail, Kim and I had gotten separated a bit.

I was riding slow, now tired from the long day.

A bike rider came up behind me and gave the courtesy warning before passing me, “passing on your left.”

Only this guy said, “passing on your left, ma’am.”

I had to laugh.

 

It was a nice relaxing day.

Lots of exercise.

Lots of sun.

A few beers.

Lots of racing.

And the question,

Was it my hair?

Or my new butt maybe?

That earned me a…

“Passing on your left, ma’am?”

Guess I will never know.

 

Postscript:

Our feature image is a selfie taken at The Caboose Brewing Company and Tavern in Vienna, Virginia.

Sir Sidney, My 2020 Horse of the Year

Sir Sidney, My 2020 Horse of the Year

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Sir Sidney came home to us last night.  Me and my three kids drove 5 hours for him.  When he was walked out to me he was in tatters…. rain rot, bleached by the sun, deep gash on his withers, shoes look 3 months old, and he only has three of them hanging on by a thread.  Large osselet on the left front.  He was in a pasture with a sheep out in the middle of nowhere.  I took him anyway.  I paid for him just to get him out of there.  He seems very pleased with himself to be here.  Dr. will xray his osselet so we can make sure we keep him comfortable and serviceable, and the farrier will be here tomorrow to give his feet some much needed relief. He’s had 5 homes in the past 12 months, so he is now ours.  He will be babied from now on and will never know hard work again. He will be treated as a show horse here.  Lots of grass and hunter ponies and his own stall – blanketed when needed and he will have proper vet farrier dental and nutrition.  I hope you have a BLESSED day today…

 (An email to me from Tiffany M. received Wednesday, August 19)

 

 

A couple of weeks ago I was lying in bed on a Friday morning, not wanting to get out from under the covers, not wanting to go to work, just lamenting and feeling the weight of this unusual summer.

On that day it was mid-August and the signs of the summer’s ultimate passing had already begun.  Sitting out on the deck the evening before I had commented to Kim on how early the deck light with its darkness sensor was now tripping on. Our unusual summer was showing signs of winding down.  Some might think signaling the end of this summer might be a good thing.  That might be true if at least some of the reasons this summer has been so traumatic could be changed. But we can’t change God’s plan.  We can only change that which we can control. But the thoughts of moving into the fall and the early darkness combining seasonal affective disorder with coronavirus depression could be quite scary for many.

What do you do at 4:45 p.m. in the afternoon when it is dark outside?  How do you exercise safely, how do you go out and walk in nature and forget about being socially restricted.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our country’s leaders would consider that and extend Daylight Savings Time through the fall and winter this year to help us cope with our “new normal.”

 

On that Friday morning when I was feeling down and out, still in bed but now with a cup of coffee, I opened up my email. While I was asleep I had received this email:

It’s way past midnight and I’m sitting here doing Internet search on an 11-year-old off the track thoroughbred by the name of Sir Sidney. He is the now 11-year-old son of Ghostzapper. I found nothing of great interest other than racing stats and equivalent information. But I was craving a nice photograph or video…. Then I happened upon this: 

A SENTIMENTAL RACETRACK JOURNEY

 May 1, 2019 Curtisc27@Gmail.Com 

 Thank you for this wonderful article. 

You see, I was considering buying this fella for my family. Sight unseen, taking the trailer to meet he and his current owner in a couple days.

 Reading this article sealed the deal.

 I guess I found my Sir Sidney after all. And we will live him well. Wish us luck!!

 

Sent from my iPhone

(Received at 12:29 a.m. Friday, August 14 from Tiffany M.)

 

 

Wait…Sir Sidney?

 

I don’t know Tiffany M. but I do know Sir Sidney.

 

Sidney is part of my sentimental racetrack journey.

 

Once again, after reading Tiffany’s email, I got sentimental.

 

I even got a little teary-eyed.

 

I read Tiffany’s email to Kim.

 

I read “A Sentimental Racetrack Journey” again.

 

Then I read Tiffany’s email again.

 

And I got a little teary once more.

 

I got out of bed.

 

No longer feeling like staying under the covers I was now feeling totally elated.

 

 

Since I last wrote about Sidney just before last year’s Kentucky Derby, he ran eight more races running his last race on July 22, 2019, as a ten-year-old.

Born March 6, 2009, Sir Sidney had worked really hard since he ran his first race on New Year’s Day in 2012 as a three-year-old.  After three races that year, he would be sidelined until that third Saturday in May of 2014 when I was inadvertently introduced to Sir Sidney as a result of that botched wager. On that day he was five years old winning his first race. Over his career that ended last summer, he had run 68 races and finished in the top three 29 times, twelve of those as the winner earning a total of  $269,119.00.  This past March he officially turned eleven years old and was now finally retired.

 

The old guy who last year was still out there working, having to prove himself against the younger fellas, could now relax.

 

But Sir Sidney’s first year of retirement wasn’t like busting out in the RV and taking that dream trip across the country.

 

Nope, he got shuffled from one owner to another and had five homes in twelve months and as was evident in Tiffany description of him in her email of August 19, no one was caring for him anymore.

 

Sidney’s long and proud journey that included all those years of fighting to win was now forgotten. In quite the literal sense, Sidney had been put out to pasture and neglected.

 

Then Sid’s angel of mercy on a wing and a prayer, this nice lady named Tiffany, made the impetuous decision to drive many hours go get him sight unseen.

 

She “found her Sir Sidney after all.”

 

And in doing so she saved Sid.

 

 

Now Sidney can really enjoy his retirement.

He is not being asked to win races anymore, but he is still winning hearts.

He is appreciated and being cared for by a wonderful family.

He “will never know hard work again.”

 

And me?

I am still elated.

Once again we are reacquainted.

Once again he becomes part of my journey.

Once again I got goosebumps.

 

And I get to follow how happy he is by the photos I can view.

 

Next Saturday is the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby.

It’s not generating the same amount of excitement and sense of optimistic anticipation of producing a new National Obsession as it would normally do for me on the first Saturday in May,  which also serves as my personal unofficial first day of summer.

In fact, it’s being run on Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer.

 

But of course, I will watch.

 

And I hope you will watch too.

 

And like I said in “A Sentimental Racetrack Journey” before last year’s Derby:

 

“I hope you take some time this Saturday and watch the Kentucky Derby. I hope you pay attention to the stories, enjoy the majestic beauty of these animals, get caught up in the drama.

I hope you find something sentimental in the experience that makes you want to return.

I hope you find your Sir Sidney.”

 

Like I did.

Like Tiffany did.

 

Sir Sidney, once again, my vote for Horse of the Year.

 

Post Script:

I would like to thank Tiffany and her family for saving this horse and providing a loving and safe environment for Sidney to enjoy his retirement.

And for sharing the experience with me.

And as for that BLESSED day, it surely was, and not just for me.

Life is Good!
We’re Going to Make It……

We’re Going to Make It……

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I haven’t told my wife yet.

How do I tell my wife this?

Do I just come out and say it?

Do I leave a note on the counter?

Maybe a photo?

Maybe write a blog?

 

 

This is a big weekend for me.

I am a big fan of horse racing as you may know and today is the Belmont Stakes.

Tomorrow, as you also know I am sure, is Father’s Day. And next to horse racing, yeah I think my kids are pretty special too.   So I am looking forward to spending some time this weekend  watching some horse racing and also spending some time with at least some of my kids.

Eighteen years ago the family wanted to do something for me that was special so they asked me what I wanted to do on Father’s Day and they would arrange that.

I said, “I want to go to the horse races.”

And so, they worked it out that they would take me to the races at Laurel Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland on Father’s Day.

Not having a vehicle big enough for the six of us, we took two cars.  Alexa at the time was attending the University of Maryland in College Park and recommended that on the way, we also go out for brunch at the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant located at the College Park Airport which she had been to before. This restaurant was a theme restaurant based on World War I and II aviation and complete with replica planes surrounding the building with sections made to look like it was exposed to “air raids.” On the way out of the restaurant we asked a passerby to take what would turn out to be the last photo of all six of us together in front of one of the planes positioned outside the restaurant, before heading over to the racetrack.

That was a great Father’s Day memory from 2002.

Now it is Father’s Day weekend 2020.

And this year we happen to have a horse racing emphasis once again on this weekend. As a result, it made it a little bit more special, though still bittersweet.

The Belmont Stakes is typically run on the third Saturday after the third Saturday in May when the Preakness is run which works out to be normally the first Saturday in June.   This year, however it’s on the third Saturday in June.  And typically the Belmont Stakes is the third leg of the Triple Crown and usually follows the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness which are the three races that make up the Triple Crown, but this year the Preakness will be the third leg sometime in October.  Triple Crown races are limited to horses that are three years old.

 

Are you following all this?

 

Of course, all the confusion created this year is on account of the virus.

 

Although Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June remains unaffected by the virus with the exception of the fact that unlike eighteen years ago, this year I couldn’t go to the races even if I wanted to because patrons are not allowed in the stands to watch the live races.  Not to mention, though we probably could go out for brunch if we really wanted to by following the limited outdoor seating rule, I would prefer to stay in my back yard.

 

So in honor of this special memory of horse racing and Father’s Day eighteen years ago I thought it important this week to do something different that was special and on my bucket list.

 

Which, I haven’t told my wife about yet.

 

But here goes:

“Honey, we own a racehorse…”

“Actually, we own four…”

“Remember the evening this week we were sitting by the fire pit and I was on my cell phone?…

“And, you said you were going to go in because I was on my cell phone and not talking to you anyway?…”

“I wasn’t talking because I was busy buying a racehorse.  Well, actually four.  Well, actually just a share of four racehorses.”

“ A very small share.”

“They are just two years old and they are all girls.  Just what we need right?”

“Isn’t that great?”

“Happy Father’s Day?”

“Right Kim?”

“I love you…”

 

Donny is gone, the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant is gone, I don’t think I have been back to Laurel Racecourse since that day, but I still have a photo and a nice memory.

And still stuck in the door of one of our kitchen cabinets is another reminder of this same time not quite eighteen years ago.  This one came in a sympathy card at the time and reads:

“NO MATTER HOW TOUGH LIFE GETS, IF YOU CAN SEE THE SHORE OF HEAVEN, AND DRAW STRENGTH FROM CHRIST, YOU’LL MAKE IT………………..

Still a great reminder today, as it was that summer of 2002.

WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT…………………….

 

Happy Father’s Day, aren’t they cute?
Photo of the same plane taken in 2007 after the close of the restaurant courtesy of Ben Sumner.
A Hole in the World Tonight

A Hole in the World Tonight

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Would You Like a Lime With That Week Nine

 

There’s a hole in the world tonight
There’s a Cloud of fear and sorrow
There’s a hole in the world tonight
Don’t let there be a hole in the world tomorrow
(from “Hole in the World” written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey)                                                                                                          

 

I woke up a number of times last night worrying about having written nothing for this week and worse than that, not having any inspiration or motivation to do so.

It seems this week I have been more bothered by what is going on in our world and how it is affecting my world.

It’s somewhat depressing.

I can’t see my kids.

I can’t see my grand-kids.

I can’t see my parents or my mother on Mother’s Day.

We can’t see Kim’s parents or her mother on Mother’s Day.

We can’t visit our siblings.

Why am I telling you all this, you can’t either.

Well, unless they live with you.

Okay let’s not get too crazy.

But you know what I mean.

It’s tough.

 

I read that May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  How fitting is that?

The CDC warns that stress during an infectious disease outbreak can include:

  • Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones.
  • Changes in sleep or eating patterns.
  • Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
  • Worsening of chronic health problems.
  • Worsening of mental health conditions.
  • Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.

 

Can you check any of those off?

And they also suggest ways to cope with stress:

  • Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
  • Take care of your body.
    • Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate.
    • Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
    • Exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep.
    • Avoid alcohol and drugs.
  • Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
  • Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

 

And if it isn’t the pandemic it’s murder hornets, seventeen year cicadas, snow storms in May, politics, and the warning that we shouldn’t put the words fitness and Ben Roethlisberger together.

How do you not get stressed?

 

Last Saturday, as I mentioned last week, would normally have been Kentucky Derby Day, one of my  highlights of the year.  I usually make homemade meatballs and other foods and have some friends over, and watch the races.

This year since there was no race and therefore no friends I was a little sad.  But then on Friday evening my son in law Namaan and I decided we would “go to the races” virtually on Saturday anyway. Kentucky Derby or no Derby,  instead we would follow the races from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach,  Florida.  Gulfstream still has live racing however with no patrons in the stands.

We would “make time to unwind and do some activities we enjoy.”

So I made meatballs and macaroni salad.

And in the same manner we do everything lately, through the use of computers, texting and cell phone calls, Namaan and I followed the Gulfstream races all day while practicing good social distancing by about a thousand miles or so.

The thing I didn’t like about it though was that I had to buy my own beer, but on the plus side it wasn’t  PBR.

And though by the end of the day, in spite of the fact I think my wife was a little annoyed with me, and my daughter Alexa was probably annoyed with Namaan, it was fun.

It was a good distraction.

 

And it’s been fun writing again on a weekly basis.

But as I said, this week it did add a little to my stress.

Lying in bed this morning I told myself, “don’t worry about it, if you don’t want to write this week…you don’t have to.”

So that was it, problem solved.

I don’t have to.

I feel much better.

 

 

Post Script:

“Hole in the World” was written in response to the attacks of 9/11.

Oh they tell me there’s a place over yonder,
Cool water running through the burning sand
Until we learn to love one another

We will never reach the promise land

 

Something to think about.

 

Kim and I found the sign above on a corner in Herndon while out walking on Sunday.  A good reminder to say thank you to all those taking a risk to serve us.

Continue keeping healthcare workers and their families in your prayers. Remember “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:8);

All those sick or compromised from the virus and all other health issues;

Those non healthcare caregivers working to take care of a loved one while isolated at home;

Families who have lost loved ones;

Those who have lost jobs and businesses.

And keep reaching out to those who may need some attention.

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

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Well I’ve never been to Hawaii.

But I kind of like their shirts.

Well they tell me I was born there.

But I really don’t remember.

What does it matter?

 

Well you all know that’s a bunch of crap because I was born in New Jersey.

I guess I just got caught up in the moment.

 

The fact is I do have a jones for “Hawaiian” shirts.

The fact is, I have forty-six of them.

I just counted.

 

This is the time of the year I like to get organized.  I have been working on my closets.

Fun stuff, right?  Livin’ la vida loca is my 2020 motto.

Last week I worked on my bedroom closet.

Today it was my laundry room closet where all my Hawaiian shirts reside.

 

I knew I had a lot of Hawaiian shirts, but I didn’t actually know how many until today.

Some are special, some are not as.

Five of them were actually made in Hawaii.  One of those is my Christmas shirt with Santa, a couple of reindeer, a jalopy, and a surfboard.  Another of my Hawaii Hawaiian shirts is the one with the ships sunk in Pearl Harbor depicted on it.  Alexa and Namaan bought be that one on a trip to Hawaii.

I have nine Tommy Bahama shirts.  Those are expensive.

I have one Tommy Bahama that is a Disney Tommy Bahama with Mickey Mouse on it.  I am sure that one was crazy expensive, but lucky for me, that was gift,  as were three or four others.  I found a couple of Tommy B’s in a thrift store, which is more my speed.

There are other special ones.

My unofficial good luck racetrack Hawaiian shirt that has thoroughbred racehorses charging down the stretch on it.  Though I always get a lot of attention when I wear that shirt to the track, I usually don’t get any good luck from it.

I also have one that is an official Kentucky Derby Hawaiian shirt and I have an official NFL Steelers Hawaiian shirt too.  I wrote about that one once before.

One of my favorites was designed by Steven Stills.  I bought that one at one of his shows.

I have another one that has the Christian fish shape on it.  I like to wear it to church.

The rest I have accumulated in one way or another and some remind me of beach vacations, weddings, or other nice memories.

 

And now that I have organized my Hawaiian shirts my next project is my office and shredding my unwanted 2019 financial documents while I prepare for taxes.

Can you feel it?

It must be real.

It feels so good.

Oh, feels so good!

 

I hope your first weekend of 2020 is going as well as mine.  Remember my motto for 2020?

 

By the way, my word of the day today was Jabberwocky.

 

Jabberwocky: Writing or speech that contains meaningless words.

 

So,

How did I do?

 

(Lyrics lifted from Never Been to Spain, written by Hoyt Axton)