January 18, 2016

The local Veterinarian saw Zuma today and diagnosed the itchiness as allergies.  She couldn’t define the cause but she gave Z a steroid injection and then she stayed for a bath and nail trim.  Being without Zuma for three hours was horrible for me.  I went into little shops and browsed, snacked on oysters for lunch at A.J.’s and walked on the beach. All things I can’t do with Z.  But I missed her terribly as we’ve been inseparable for a very long time.  I was so glad to have her back and she felt the same way.  She is now on fatty acids and is no longer itching.  AAHH (loud) is the international language for dogs, kids, horses and husbands,  It works well.

Seriously, try it.

We had a short walk and watched the Great Egrets flying around the marsh behind the cottage this evening.  Zuma was very excited, thinking they were not unlike the wild turkeys back in Maine. These birds are white and graceful and probably nesting nearby. Thankfully we have a fenced yard.  The App Doug installed on my ‘phone confirms the many species of birds I see from the back yard. There are many songbirds I have yet to identify but that’s a nice project.

Doug received bad news today.  His friend Sandy was riding his motorcycle in Florida on Sunday and was hit by a car and killed. Sandy was a really nice guy, loved by all.  Doug has lost three friends in the past three months, two in the past week.  We are feeling very sad about all this, as are all Sandy’s friends.  His wife is a former horse show Mom whom we know from Emma’s equine competition days.  She must be devastated.  My thoughts and prayers are with her and Sandy’s family and friends.  Sandy was only 58 years young.  He was a vibrant man who gave all of himself to others and will be missed.

I’d been worrying about purchasing the RV as it’s a major purchase and lifestyle change, but now I see that this is the right decision.
Do it while you can.  This vehicle will be a huge improvement for our journey.  I pick up Doug in Savannah on Thursday the 21st. Once we get the RV we’ll still have ten days here on Tybee Island and will be able to go into Savannah (30 minutes from Tybee Island) and other places.

The next phase of our journey is to head to Jekyll Island a(north of avnd practice with the RV for a few days, then on to St. Augustine, Florida.

January 15th, 2016

It’s raining buckets.  We decided to drive into Savannah for breakfast.  Clary’s is a favorite breakfast restaurant of ours; the place is humble and bustling, clean and friendly.  The waitresses seem to have been there since the 60s and they know their stuff. Prompt service with a smile.  The food is unbelievably divine and one plate is enough for two.  I had two crab cakes on Canadian bacon atop an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce and home fries and I took one crab cake combination home. They were unbelievably huge and fresh.  With a breakfast like this there’s no need for lunch, we didn’t eat until dinner time late in the evening. Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil was filmed in Savannah and there is a major scene filmed at Clary’s Diner.  It’s a really fun place and always paced solid.

Afterwards, we decided to look at RVs at nearby RV place.  Long story short, we found a beautiful lightly used 25′ unit.  We pick it up next week!  Now we’ll have more room and no more hunting for pet-friendly hotels.  Zuma really likes the new space and settled in immediately.  Doug is very sad to say goodbye to Blanca. We have her running perfectly so it’s sad to let her go, but it seems this is the solution for us to carry on with our trip.

pic of RV

When we arrived back at The Crabby Pirate, we took Zuma to the Dog Park where she reunited with her doggie buddies and we chatted with their owners. The sun cae out after we bought the RV and we were eager to get home and exercise Zuma.  She gets very excited about going to the Dog Park now she knows many of the dogs.  Sometimes there are as many as eight dogs.  All breeds and sizes intermingle here, it’s good fun to watch and everybody gets along.  Zuma hangs back and waits for the little ones to go to her. Everyone is amazed that she is so gentle and kind to the other dogs.

pic of fried oysters

While walking to A.J.’s, a woman stopped us when driving by and asked us if we knew anyone who would be interested in taking two Great Danes in need of homes.  She gave us her contact info and within minutes of arriving at A.J.’s, a waitress there expressed sincere interest in taking one.  She has been looking for one for a long time.  I hope it works out.  Anyone out there looking for a Great Dane?

We sat on the deck and watched a spectacular sunset.  On our way home one of our Dog Park friends was driving by and stopped to chat.  We are starting to feel like locals.
We love being on Island time.

pic of D and Z with sunset.

When we got home to the cottage, we enjoyed a delicious meal of Belgian Beef Bourginion that Doug made last night.  It was fantastic!  I seriously have to get out walking more.

January 17th, 2016

Today I took Doug to Savannah Airport and he flew to Portland to catch up on work in Thomaston for the week.

It’s cool here (53 degrees in the daytime today) and colder at night but we are cozy in this little Crabby Pirate cottage.

pic of CP. sign

Emma had a problem at the farm with water heaters yesterday; Doug is heading home so he’ll fix the situation.  She’s doing a great job keeping up with the chores and we really appreciate her support, especially since she is holding down two day jobs.  They have snow in Maine and it’s cold.  I would be crippled up if I were there.  My knee is really doing well with all the warmth and activity.  I basically can walk anywhere here and that’s the best situation for my leg; if I’m active my leg works normally.  Zuma keeps me active as she needs a lot of exercise.  I’m so thankful not to be in the cold weather.

pic of Zuma walking

January 13th, 2016

The approach to Tybee Island is nothing less than impressive and feels like a true escape from the harshness of reality.  Wrapped in a salt marsh, the island joins the mainland with bridges; the road is landscaped with natural vegetation and rows of palm trees.  Great White Herons wade in the marsh beside the road and flock overhead, along with great Blue Herons and other birds.  Doug (Bless His Heart) installed an App on my ‘phone so I can identify the many different types of birds. I will need to have him massage my neck from oogling all the migratory birds.  Anything for an excuse.  Pretend to take up bird watching girls, always good for a neck massage, hee hee.

We checked into The Crabby Pirate yesterday and we absolutely love it here.  It is charming, simple and peaceful.  Everything we need to relax and put the real world behind us, if only for a week or two.

If I could have a dream cottage, this would be it.  Quaint, clean and located on a quiet residential street with friendly neighbors, this is all I need.  The rooms are nicely decorated with beachy themes and cute signs that make me smile and, best of all, there is a white picket fence all along the front of the property.  Sunsets are gorgeous here and there is a lovely patio area in the front yard (perfect for cocktail hour) and a bbq out back so we are able to purchase fresh local shrimp and grill our dinners.  Fresh shrimp is available daily at dockside places.  And it is INCREDIBLE, so fresh, right off the boat.

Live Oaks here host Spanish Moss, dripping hauntingly from the branches.  Orange and grapefruit trees display their produce and azaleas and other plants are blooming.  I love the sounds of the breeze rustling in the palms, the creaking screen door, the flap flap of the heron’s wings, the sou-filled tunes of the songbirds.

pic of live oaks

This lighthouse on Tybee is charming and supposedly haunted:

pic of lighthouse

On our way home from the Dog Park and Lighthouse today we met three 30-something Canadian guys who live in Ottawa and New Brunswick.  It’s their first trip here and they love it.  Like us, they are escaping the cold weather up north.  They were just plodding along on a walk, they said “We’re on Island Time”!  Yeh, we get that.  Life is slower here, it’s great.

Sadly, the morning after we moved in, Doug received the horrible news that his friend Jeff had passed away (cancer).  A few weeks prior to Christmas, Doug lost another friend, Daryl (heart attack). Both men lived long and productive lives, they traveled and did what they loved.  It makes you think about your own life, you have to slow down and accomplish now what you are able to do, while you can still do it.

I will be forever grateful for this opportunity to travel with Doug and Zuma, I only wish Emma could join us, hopefully she will be able to catch up with us when her work schedule slows down.  She is busy now (with her mobile pet grooming service and another project she has on the go). She would love it here and we would love to be with her here, but we also need her to manage the farm during our absence.  Thank You, Em, for taking care of the horses and cats and the farm.  we couldn’t do this without you.

Middle of The Night TV:

After I watched ads for blenders and other outrageous cooking gadgets (call now, the offer ends in 15 minutes, get your credit card ready) I scrolled down to:

Peter Popoff

Well, if you are sleepless in the south, you can always watch Peter Popoff on tv in the middle of the night.  OMG.  What I have missed by not having cable tv.  This dude has a tv show and apparently heals people by yelling in their faces.  Who knewwww?  He sells a spray that does “divine surgery” and apparently people are buying it.  Go ahead, Peter Popoff, sue me.  I’m promoting you and your ability to send ailments “back to the pits of hell where they belong”. So now you know.  Just send $$$ to Peter and you’ll be cured of everything.

You’re Welcome.

We must be entering The Bible Belt (?).  We’d better stock up on cocktail material before we get too far into the south.  OR we can just get healed by Peter Popoff and buy some of his “Miracle Spring Water”.  Jesus.

Moving right along, after watchng (for a few seconds) how to sue people for any ailment you can imagine, I scrolled around and found a tv show about eating raw snakes in the desert (chew their head off first, lots of rehydrating properties in there, the guy says). Who needs Gatorade?   It’s incredible that these shows exist.  This guy is totally serious. Who watches these shows?  Oh yeh, that would be me.

Nah, I have to switch channels.  Gawd, I have really been missing out of all this stuff.  My life has been sheltered, thank Gawd. AMEN Peter Popoff.

December 30 through January 7, 2016

Wilmington is a very attractive city with a beautiful historic district.  Reconnoitering the first day, we saw beautiful homes and buildings in the Historic District.

Nearby, Wrightsville Beach is a small seaside town with charming shops and restaurants; it has a really “beachy” feel with colorful houses, surfers and surf shops, a large marina and active sailing school.  I took a spin around the town ass its only 5 miles from the hotel in Wilmington and got a really good feel from the whole place.

Upon arrival in Wilmington, I heard on the news there was going to be a Polar Plunge into the Atlantic on New Years Day.  Yeh, let’s do that, I told myself.  Never having done such a thing, it appealed to me to run into the waves with a bunch of other crazies, all for a good cause.  The money raised goes to at risk youth. Totally the trip I am on.

The day before (New Year’s Eve) Zuma and I had spent my birthday walking and relaxing in Wilmington so I had plenty of energy after a low-key day.  Doug was back in Thomaston finalizing year-end business.

Waiting in the soft sand for the 11 a.m. call to get wet, the crowd was eager and pumped up by great music (Beach Boys, etc.) there were free drinks and snacks, provided by the associations organizing the event.  It was a feel good win-win event.

On the beach, I met a man about my age (Sam) who was on his own also; we were both newbies to such a sporting event (if one may generously label it that) and encouraged each other to go for it, so we ran in together.  Surprisingly, the water wasn’t very cold.  A few bold leaps into the sea and I saw it coming; a huge wave bowled most of us 250 (approximately) participants over and it felt terrific! A good mouthful of salt water is always invigorating and clears the palate of that nasty first coffee of the morning taste, haha!  It was a moment in time I will never forget and I wanted to go back in for a swim.  An excellent start to 2016!

Our plan was to spend another week in the area, walking and exploring.  I was very impressed that the city welcomed the eviction of Christmas trees from homes to line the dunes as protective barriers.  What a brilliant idea.  No waste and a natural “green” way to support the sand from being washed away in strong currents and winds.

I neglected to mention that we had a bit of an issue at the hotel. The first night I watched a person digging in the dumpster behind the hotel, nearby the designated doggie toilet area.  Initially unnerved, I asked the clerk at the desk to escort us to the area which he willingly did. The lighting was dim (and so was I); the hotel was undergoing renovations and he told me they sometimes have people out in the dumpsters picking for furniture, etc.  The next day I learned from a fellow hotel guest that there are no security cameras behind the hotel.  Then I felt more vulnerable.

We had rain for a couple of days and Zuma was wiggly and excited to get out and prance her 5 – 10 miles a day.  I was getting her things ready one afternoon when she bowled me over and I fell and hit my nose and face; the result was a black eye and very swollen nose.  Doug says it’s not broken but I sure as hell have a bump at the bridge and wearing glasses hurts.  It throbs all the time.

If this had happened to the dog, I would have rushed her to the vet but I toughed it up with ice packs on my nose and right eye and gobbled Advil.  The next day my eye was nearly swollen shut and I felt embarrassed to leave the hotel room, looking like a beaten wife (“I fell over the dog”), so I hunkered down for the next couple of days and only went out to walk Zuma with sunglasses on.
How. Low. Life.  But there was no other solution.  I thought I would just walk Zuma at night in the city.  However, during this time, I met a woman whose family live locally (and have for the past 27 years) and she told me that Wilmington has a high crime rate and advised me not to go into the city at night.  Great.

Within a few days, I was feeling much better and ready to get back on the road.  Then I heard on the news that there was a huge heroin bust (hooray) and 50 people from Wilmington were arrested and charged.  Then, within a day, 2 people were shot just blocks from our hotel and there was a robbery in a parking lot at a nearby hotel. Yikes.  Time to get out of here.  This is a nice area and well-lit but with security holes, I didn’t feel 100% safe.

I expected there would be times I would be fearful but this was out of my league.

Then I got a high fever and realized after a night with my head in the bathroom sink it was the ‘flu.  Man, was I sick for two days. The weather was rainy and it really was all I could do to get up to take Zuma outside.  Something happened to my laptop en route and the keyboard was sticking so I couldn’t write.  TV was my friend. Zuma snuggled beside me on the bed and tolerated the sudden exits I had to make to the bathroom to throw up.  (Sorry, ya’ll).  This went on for two solid days.

Doug called and said he wanted to come down and, although I felt we could continue on our own, I was very glad to have him by my side and he really wanted to be with us.

Doug arrived the next day and we stayed one more night to visit Wrightsville Beach and the area and then drove on to Savannah. Blanca is running really well.  She is a reliable vehicle and we laugh a lot when people drive by and give us the thumbs up sign for driving this 2001 VW van.  Gotta love it.

December 28th and 29th, 2015

Virginia Beach is a nice enough city but not our cup of tea.  Nice restaurants and boutique shops line the posh streets a couple of blocks from our hotel and the beach and the Boardwalk are really nice but it’s atmosphere lacked the casual warmth of OC.  I know, apples and oranges.

I was too exhausted to care the first night and crashed.  The following day we walked all around the area near the beach.

The boardwalk is colorful and fun with lots of interesting characters and artistic creations.

This is King Neptune, a magnificent statue conquering the center of the Boardwalk.

What a nice way to spend a mild evening right before New Year’s Eve!

The following morning I opened the curtains in the hotel room and SURPRISE!  I called the desk about the SPIT on the windows.  Not just spit. GOBS.  They said they would look into it.  Some people clearly had a spitting contest against the windows.  It was disgusting.  Then, I went out to the car for about 10 minutes to fetch some groceries and came back to find our hotel room door open.  I surmised housekeeping opened the door, saw Zuma and bolted without shutting the door.  For some people she may as well be a velocoraptor.  I was shaken as Zuma, my purse, money and credit cards, camera and laptop were all in full view.  I took a few deep breaths and called the desk.  Most importantly, Zuma was there without me.  They said they would look into it. Nothing.

We gave it a try but after two days we decided two days in Virginia Beach was enough.  There isn’t really much there for us.  If you’re able to dine and shop, it’s a fun place but for our needs, we can’t rationalize staying on.  Plus, our goal is to head further south.

It was time to exit.

We left Virginia Beach on the 28th and began to make our way our way to Wilmington, NC, a 4 1/2 hour drive.

December 29th, 2015

The first big hurdle this morning was crossing the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel which is a bridge that goes underwater into a tunnel, back up to a bridge and then down again and up again.  Seriously, I thought I was going to shat myself.  When we went down for the second time, I was like (aloud), Bloody Hell, are you serious?

There is no stopping and no turning back.  The tractor trailers whip along and the wind up there was frantic that day.  For someone like me, a claustrophobic who doesn’t like heights/bridges and especially despises underground travel, it was a bit of a nightmare.

tunnel/bridge pix

I patted myself on the back for stepping galloping out of my comfort zone.  We got through it.  We were on the final stage of the bridge and a tractor trailer was on the opposite side of our lane, it had experienced some catastrophic injury and literally had crashed and burned.  It was a twisted mass of black metal.  We couldn’t stop, we had to keep going.  Here I was worried about getting a flat tire. Thank you, Blanca, for making it through that scary crossing. Blanca was a true champ.  So was Zu.

pix from cell ‘phone of bridge approach and the bridge tunnel.

This leg of the trip was a true test of emotional endurance for me as I don’t like driving, especially in foul weather.  Not long after we set out, it began to rain. Then it poured.  Then, when I thought it couldn’t rain any harder, it came down in buckets.  Then in garbage cans.  Seriously.  I had the wipers on full blast and pondered whether or not they may fly off at some point.  I have never seen rain like it and wanted desperately to get off the highway but there were no exits where I was and the shoulder was miniscule.  Cars were in the ditch.  I was terrified of hydroplaning but Blanca held onto the road and we slogged along.  The speed limit was 70 mph but the rain was torrential and even the tractor trailers joined me at 40 mph; we all had our 4 way flashers on.  There was little shoulder to pull over to so I decided it was safer to keep plodding along, as scary as it was.

Zuma was snuggled on her puffy bed behind me, both paws over her head as she doesn’t like rain.  The only good thing I can say about the drive was that I got to see cotton fields.  I imagined the slaves of days gone by working in them, forced into labor by the owners of the large homes at the back of lengthy driveways.

Along the side of the road were multiple carcasses of what appeared to be possums:  splayed out with their bellies exposed and their arms and legs twisted into hideous poses, exposing all like shameless Playboy models.  Poor things.

Leaving Virginia and entering North Carolina, the rain slowed and then stopped.  The skies brightened and the sun came out.

This morning we walked 2 1/2 miles to the end of the Boardwalk and I snooped around and found the cat Amanda had told us about. She is clearly wild, a beautiful black and orange tortoiseshell with yellow eyes, she was drinking rain water from a bright green frisbee. Photographing her was impossible but she was very interested in the “cat-calling” my friend Rose taught me.  Then, poof! she vanished, skittering at top speed into a rubbish-filled space beneath the boards. Creeping closer and still “cat talking” softly, I waited to see if she would return.  Then a small orange face appeared, then a tricolor face, then another ginger face who was missing his right ear.  Slowly I took a few photos and backed away.  They have two clean stainless steel bowls under the Boardwalk in their seaside cat condo.

The kittens look about 4 months old.  Oops, I guess Amanda doesn’t know about Sunset’s secret family!

Mission Accomplished.  They look healthy, they’re just homeless. Well, they’re not really homeless, they have a room with a fantastic view and there are lots of good, caring people looking out for them.

Speaking of good people looking out for transients, Doug and I went to Bob and Carole’s home in Lewes, Delaware for a delicious Italian dinner of salad and pasta.  Carole is Italian and she is one fantastic cook!  As an added bonus, Jim and Betsy were there too so we all enjoyed a fabulous evening together, getting to know each other. Jim is a poet (a too humble and very talented poet); he recited one of his works, “Rainbow” for me, about travels.  I am deeply touched.  We learned we all have much in common and we are hoping they will all accept our invitation to visit us in Maine in 2016.

Bob and Jim and Carole and Betsy.

Jim and Bob.

How could you not love these people?

Zuma and Doug were totally exhausted from all the Christmas celebrations.
Even though we missed being with Emma and friends back in Maine, we had a really nice Christmas and hope ya’ll did too.

From our family to yours, we wish you all a peaceful and joyful Christmas and holiday season.

What an incredibly different Christmas Day for us as Mainers used to snow and frigid temperatures at this time of year!  The weather is in the 70s here (apologies, apologies, not trying to rub it in) so we walked beside the sea to Christmas dinner.

Families were building sand castles and playing frisbee, flying kites and wading in the waves.

When we first arrived in O.C., we made reservations at a “traditional Christmas buffet” offered by a nearby Marriot on the Boardwalk.  Doug trekked a total of 9 hours with Zuma that day, I walked 5 with them, so we felt no guilt as we loaded our plates with prime rib, turkey, vegetables and all the trimmings plus wonderful, fresh, fried oysters!  Protein overload, Iiiii know.
Back to the regular, healthier meal plan tomorrow (uh …. doesn’t everyone say the same thing?)!

We are seriously watching the weather channel so I can plan the next leg of our journey.  With rain and flooding, lightning, snow and tornadoes happening in the south, I have to be uber cautious. We are feeling so badly for the people further south who are struggling with the weather, news ofthe tornadoes and the flooding are broadcast constantly.  Those poor people.  They are homeless and have lost so much.

On our morning walk, we met Amanda who works for Animal Control.  She stopped specifically to meet Zuma and they had a nice meet and greet.  Zu is such a celebrity around here, it’s like, sign the autograph, move along.

Amanda told us there is a feral cat living under the boardwalk at the south end where you can look across the inlet to Assateague.  Amanda checks on her regularly but Sunset wouldn’t come out of her hiding place on Christmas Day.  Amanda informed us there are homeless people who feed and take care of her and, since the cat is spayed, Amanda doesn’t make a fuss about it.  I knew then and there I had to meet the elusive Sunset.

From all of us, Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

December 24th.

When Doug and Zuma and I were first here, we met two nice couples on the Boardwalk (I blogged about them earlier), Bob and Carole and Jim and Betsy.  On a trip to the town of Rehoboth Beach today, we chose a fun and funky bar/restaurant called The Purple Parrot to stop at for a drink.  This vibrantly decorated watering hole was full of jovial, colorful locals “preparing” for Christmas Eve (no doubt whilst their other halves were sweating it out in the kitchen at home, haha!)   We plopped down on stools in the open-air indoor seating;  it was very refreshing with the soft breeze on us as it was a warm, balmy day and Doug and I were hot and thirsty from walking.  We were just being served our beverages and some fabulous chicken wings when Bob and Carole were seated at the table right behind us!  We were all surprised and happy to see each other again and had a great chat, then they invited us for dinner on Saturday!  We have met so many nice people here, some we feel will stay in our lives.
You know how it is, you meet good people and well, you just know.

Christmas Eve Dinner at Ruth’s Chris was spectacular and made even better because we were seated upstairs in the old hay mow of a barn that was a huge part of Man O’ War’s life.  There is warm, amazing horse karma in this building.

Adorning the walls in the downstairs area of the restaurant are paintings and photographs of the great horse himself, his son War Admiral and other equine racing celebrities, including Sea Biscuit. It is a trip back in time.

Samuel Riddle raced horses until his passing in 1951 his heirs took over the property and sadly, the farm’s mansion burned in 1969. Then the farm was abandoned until real estate developers purchased it and made it what is today.

The smooth, well-worn brick floors in the restaurant are original flooring from the huge barn, as are most of the beams and some of the wall boards down in the bar area and the floor boards in the hay mow (visible from the bar area below).  Our waiter informed us that 20% of the original building was salvaged during the rebuilding project.

Along a hallway in the back of the restaurant is a nostalgic collection of newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from the golden days of the Glen Riddle Farm, along with photographs of the property when it was in it’s Heyday.  On the opposite wall are photographs of the dilapidated buildings decades later, many of these had to be torn down because they could not be salvaged.

Although I am not a huge fan of Thoroughbred racing, I admire the courage and strength it takes for a horse to race, to give it’s all, at an unreasonably young age.

Man O’ War was known as a horse with “The look of eagles”; high-headed and proud, he exuded confidence.  Here is a video of him! Grab a cuppa and enjoy!

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESLobHGVeMs:

December 23rd.

Wednesday.  December 23rd.

We dropped off Blanca at Race Track Automotive after a drive around Assateague Island.  Only three ponies could be spotted, they were off in the salt marsh, standing solemnly as a light rain drizzled softly down onto their fuzzy coats.  George informed us that he and his brother are very close to finding a Dane for his sister in law!  It didn’t take long for the van to be repaired and we were off again, minus the “check engine” light.

There is a nice seafood restaurant (Waterman’s) on the bay side of Ocean City that is open year round, so we swung in for lunch.  Crab Imperial is a favorite in this area and it is delicious!  I have to find a good recipe and try it!

I was fortunate to find a local hairdresser right before Christmas and visited her this morning.  Noticing her photos of dogs and a horse on her desk, I started asking questions and we talked and talked animals.  One of the things she told me is that the legendary Man O’ War lived locally at a huge horse farm owned by Samuel Riddle; he was the owner of the horse, one of the greatest race horses of all time.  After Mr. Riddles’s death in 1951, his heirs took over the farm.  In 19a course of years, the mansion burned to the ground, the horses moved out and the farm was abandoned, left to decay for 30 years until a group of developers purchased the beautiful property and many barns and buildings.  Today, what was once home to Man O’ War, his famous son War Admiral and many other record breaking racehorses, as well as the training grounds for such prestigious horses as Seabiscuit is now a huge condominium complex with brand new large homes, golf course and golf club and, best of all, in one of the main barns, a Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

What a coincidence that I had made reservations for Doug and I to go there for dinner for Christmas Eve (not knowing any of this beforehand)!

We went for a drive to see the property in daylight.  Terri, my hairdresser told me that the giant metal horseshoe in front of what was the a main barn (which housed an indoor training track) was found in a paddock, overgrown with grass.  Now it stands proudly as the entrance way to the restaurant, with a plaque honoring “Big Red” as Man O’ War was known.

It’s strange to drive the road circling the golf course and think of how it was decades ago, with Thoroughbred royalty grazing on the flat fields, Spring crops of Man O’ War’s foals bounding beside their mothers.  Now it is sand pits and humps, but the grass is as green as ever.