Horsing Around

 
A DAY AT THE RACES: Sunday, we decided to cash in a couple of Groupons we'd been sitting on for awhile for admission and concessions at Emerald Downs, the only horse racing track in western Washington. Located in Auburn, it was about a 40 minute drive to the southeast for us.

CJ and Annabelle had never been to a horse race track, and Christian, Rick and I hadn't been to one in a decade or two (or more).

We're cheap, so we parked in the free lot, which is a looong haul from the track, but they had frequent, convenient shuttles, so we caught one of those.

Once inside, we stood and stared and looked like complete newbies. We looked at the electronic betting machines like we were strangers in a strange land. Friendly Emerald Downs staff spotted us and our lost looks, and pointed us in the right direction.

The kids and I started looking at some of the educational displays.

We learned that the average jockey height is 5-foot 3-inches, and their weight doesn't exceed 118 pounds - including their 2-pound saddle! The jockeys work as 'free agents,' and compete for mounts. Winning jockeys receive 10 percent of the purse, while non-winners get a base fee.

We also learned that there are a whole lot of different types of shoes. Makes sense, given track conditions can vary so dramatically.

Soon, we set about studying the program and getting ready for the first race.

Annabelle's scientific method seemed to be picking the pony with the girliest name. In race 1, that was Princess Madison. 

CJ and Annabelle were railbirds for every race.

We had a great view of all of the action.  Here's Havana Red streaking to a victory.

 And some more action shots ...

We enjoyed watching the ponies parade to the starting gate. This rider was about Annabelle's size. Seriously. 

In the shot below, you can just barely see Mt. Rainier through the all-too-familiar haze. Bet it's gorgeous on those rare clear days.

We were there a couple of hours, for a total of four races. In the end, we were out $5.80 in losses, thanks to CJ and Christian's picks. Annabelle picked the winner three of four times. Rick didn't spend much, and it's a good thing, as his picks were pretty awful. In the last race he had (a tiny bit of) money on EVERY horse but the one who won. LOL.

A DAY AT THE FARM: Come Monday, we used up another Groupon - admission to Remlinger Farms, in Carnation, about an hour east of us.

The place began as a roadside produce stand in 1965. Today, it's a 200-acre tourist center with rides, farm animals, physical challenges, concessions, produce (of course), and more. They host over 200,000 visitors a year.

Our visit started off at the pony rides.

This is Apple. She is NOT a race horse. In fact, she was very sleepy and, fortunately, not CJ or Annabelle's steed.

 Annabelle rode Sweet Beet, while CJ mounted Carrot.

Here, the cowpokes hit the dusty trail. ...

From there, we headed over to the steam train. It was a slow, but fun little ride.

  
Afterward, they pretended to drive tractors.

From there, it was on to a couple of other rides. They tooled around in a Model-T.

And they pedaled around a track.

They enjoyed spinning in barrels and pumpkins, but their favorite attraction was the little roller coaster.

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON: This evening we watched a wonderful documentary, "Pink Floyd - the Making of the Dark Side of the Moon." Insightful, entertaining, thought provoking, absolutely engrossing, it's a track-by-track look at the making of Pink Floyd's 1973 album, "Dark Side of the Moon." Even if you're not particularly into Pink Floyd, the documentary, made in 2003, is a fascinating look at the recording process and how the band (with a LOT of help from engineer Alan Parsons) used sampling, looping, layering and other electronic-assisted effects that were super pioneering at the time.

Double Dipping

 

IN TRAINING: I got behind/lazy earlier in the week, so this is a two-fer blog, making up for lost time. It's also mostly photos.

On Tuesday, the kids and I took a two-hour hike as part of our Statue of Liberty climb training program. It's 390-ish steps from base to crown of Lady Liberty, and that's probably not something you want to just get up out of your computer chair and conquer. So, we took to Discovery Park, a lush, lovely 534-acre expanse just a mile or two to our west.

We chose to go there, because when you park at its south lot and hike down to the beach, not only is it about 1.5 miles, it's a steep 1.5 miles down, which means it's also a steep hike up.

I decided to count our steps on the way back, to get a gauge for how it might compare to the Statue of Liberty. I only counted actual stairs up as well as really steep portions of the trail. In all it was 597 steps up. I think we're good for the statue! But, of course, we'll keep training, because the easier the climb is, the more pleasant it will be. Plus, the park trail offered a few stretches of flat walking on the way up. The statue will not.

The walk in the park wasn't easy, but it sure was pretty. The kids love playing in the driftwood forts on the beach.

CJ also grew a pair of antlers.

The dogs would have loved roaming the beach, too, but that's illegal in Seattle.

As usual, I was the only one following that rule during our visit. I kept my dogs off the beach and on their leashes. I was a club of exactly ONE following that rule. As usual. Sigh.

We saw lots of sailboats ...

We also got to watch some fishing - by a young eagle, and then this BIG blue heron. It had the largest wingspan of any heron I'd ever seen.

We checked out the lighthouse, of course.

The trail up and down also provides lots of pretty vantage points. Like this one. ...

And a big tree by the parking lot is fun to climb.

Someone - almost certainly not the parks department - installed a tire swing from one of the tree's branches. Big fun!.

SKYROCKETS IN FLIGHT: Thursday night, we did what so many other Americans do on the Fourth of July - we watched things blow up.

Of course, these explosions were the legal, sanctioned kind - the official city of Seattle fireworks show.

As has been the case in years past, we staked out our spot on the east side of Queen Anne hill, overlooking Lake Union, on the night before. Then, a little after 8 p.m. on the Fourth, we returned to our chairs to wait a couple of hours, for the 10:15 p.m. start.

The time goes quickly, as the view of the lake and city is pretty, we bring games and reading materials, and there are hundreds of people speaking lots of different languages.

Unfortunately, we got a show before the show. Just about 10 p.m., a column of black smoke rose on the north side of the lake. It grew and grew, and soon the sirens sounded. Turned out to be caused by some illegal fireworks, shot by careless idiots on a hill above a boat storage facility. They managed to destroy 14 boats and do upwards of $1.5  million worth of damages.

In happier news, the official fireworks were pretty.

 

This was part of the grand finale. ...

I think we were home by 11, but the blasts and crashes continued long into the night.