Race Day-Indianapolis 500

Attending the Indianapolis 500 race has been a part of our Memorial Day activities for many years. I have probably attended at least 20 races and at one time lived in Speedway. There are many activities during the month of May that lead up to the race. It’s fun to also attend Carburation Day, Pole Day, and IPL 500 Festival Parade (my favorite). Over the years we have developed a “system” for enjoying the race such as good places to park the car, ways to avoid the traffic jams, excellent seat locations for seeing more of the race, necessary items to pack in our cooler, right type of gear to wear and take along, plus much more. It’s a great event.

This will probably be the last year we will attend, at least for awhile. Our workamping positions will probably conflict with our ability to attend. So, with a little bit of sadness we attended this year’s race. Well, first of all let’s just say it was very HOT! I’m going to have to say it again…it was HOT! Luckily, we packed a cooler stocked with lots of beverages and I spent some time under one of those misty things for some relief from the heat. It was announced that it was the hottest race ever. No kidding-over 1500 people were treated for heat related issues. That being said, it was a very exciting race with the winner almost coasting across the finish line running on fumes. Dario Franchit was this year’s winner and he certainly deserved the title. There was a lot of strategy involved and he ran a perfect race.

Our favorite driver is Helio Castroneves. He held the pole position but unfortunately made some errors in the pits and with fuel. Everyone’s favorite, however, was probably Tony Kanaan. He had the very last starting position due to wrecking his cars (yes, two cars) during qualifications. No driver has ever won the race starting in that position, but he almost did. He certainly helped make it a very exciting race

We took one last look around the track at the end of the race. Attending the race each year has been a great May tradition. Hopefully, we will be back sometime soon to watch another. If you haven’t been before, it’s another great bucket list item!

We want to extend a special thank you to all the men and women who are serving our country.  We are also so very grateful to all of those who have served in the past

Fins To The Left

Jimmy Buffett came to town last Saturday for his annual concert @ Verizon Music Center.  We love to go to his concerts and  always have such a good time.  This year his theme was Under The Big Top.

We attended this year with our fellow Parrotthead and friend Debbie.  She was introduced to his concerts last year and could not wait to attend.  (A Parrotthead is is a commonly used nickname for fans of Jimmy Buffett. "Parakeets" is the term used for younger fans)

It's a lot of fun to check out all the folks that attend.  This years concert was much earlier in the season and it was very chilly.  But, it did not seem to stop the fun. Most people party in the parking lot prior to the concert.  It's not unusual to see cheeseburgers being grilled and margarita's whirling in blenders powered by cigarette lighters.  Here are a few parrottheads playing corn hole.

Cars are often decorated for the event.

Parrottheads come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.  Here is our favorite couple in matching coconut bras.

So, if you have not ever attended a Jimmy Buffett concert, be sure to add it to your bucket list.