And the Race is On

After scalping my Nats tickets, I was unsure about what to do with the rest of my day. I was not sure if anything else would provide as much excitement and/or dread.

I went to visit my friend Mary. I am not sure if Mary and I have ever had a boring time together. We are both animated and try to live life to the fullest. Mary is constantly planning some small trip or activity. People should really consult her before having a party or going on a trip.

I was talking with Mary about my scalping experience and she said, "Now that you don't have plans you should come with me to Charles Town, WV." It took me about ten minutes to be convinced and I ran home to get ready.

Those of you that don't live in Virginia, Charles Town probably does not mean anything to you. For those of you that live in Virginia you probably hate the commercials - "Charles Town...races and slots." I love going to Charles Town because it means three things: 1- I get to drive through West Virginia and stop at vendors along side of the road. 2- I am going to eat at a buffet at the same time as watching the horse races. 3- I am will bet amongst my friends and get them to do silly things.

And their off....
Once we entered West Virginia, we stopped and bought some snacks along side of the road. We bought some peanut brittle, cashews, and some warm kettle corn. The worker at the stand took our picture and said "Aww, that's a perty one."

Mary, Wayne, me, Diana

I swear the buffet was a furlong....

We ate at the buffet for almost two hours. I ate mostly meat items and a lot of dessert. Wayne shared his strategy on how to get your money's worth at a buffet: no breads, no water, no starches, and take your time.

The race is on...
We went outside and watched the live horse races. Around race time, a huge crowed gathers. As the horses race, everyone is yelling for their pick. It goes something like this: "Run Littlemisslouwho!!" or "Come on, Easy Street." Now, I don't gamble....with money. Instead, I gamble with my friends and my own pride. We would place bets amongst ourselves like these: the losers serenade the winner with a song or the loser cooks dinner. Diana won twice, Mary won once, and I won four times. Wayne did not win.

Public Service Announcement # 96: How to watch horse races.