Off to the races with Renn

It's a beautiful day ahead. Dave was out at 7 to feed, then he left for his final big-money race of the year at Century Downs. Wishing him good luck! I brewed a pot of coffee and waited for Tony to pick me up at 9, then I completed the blog post for yesterday. Stella received her dewormer with her breakfast, so now everyone is up to date.

Renn's reading kills me!!

I decoupaged the ends of the basket and left them to dry. Potatoes were harvested for Boysis' house, washed, and packed in boxes along with a zucchini and a bag of apples. Additionally, I dug up and repotted a spider plant that was dying a few months ago; I thought it might enjoy being outside, and indeed, it thrived.

With AJ's assistance via FaceTime, I secured Aislyn's car seat in the car all ready to go. A bologna sandwich was prepared for Britt, who was running late; it seemed she needed extra sleep today. She finally arrived at 12:30, Cooper took care of his business, joined Harley inside, and we set off. We dropped the garbage at the dump en route and reached Kaylin's by 1:30. Renn was all set to go; we grabbed her bag and were about to place her in the car seat when Kaylin said it should have been rear-facing for her age—a change since my days of parenting a toddler 26 years ago. Kaylin, Britt, and I managed to reposition and secure the seat while Sheldon kept Renn amused in the driver's seat.

beep beep - and let me check all your buttons and dials please

Then it was off to the races—quite literally. Britt kept Renn amused during the 25-minute drive. Upon arrival, she was eager to dash—"open please" her way of asking to be freed from her car seat. She bustled about energetically. She mingled with other children, engaged in sidewalk chalk activities, petted a pony named Marshmallow, and rang a cowbell to root for Dave's impressive 2 yr old filly victory.

Just making some new friends

the occasional snack or two and Auntie Britt got to show her off to some friends

let's go check out the paddock events

prize winning games - yep I won a coozie :)

fun photo props

and Marshmallow, one of the ponies giving rides

Kaylin asked how her shorts got color blended... hmmm

Here come Dave and Outlawguns N Roses AKA Axle getting ready to line up

and here is the video win

Renn and I photobombed the winners circle photo, see us top right??

Renn scratching out her betting plan, scooped up by Grandpa and sharing her 'mad"face below

Sheldon didn't fare well betting today, winning one and losing another, with the loss outweighing the win. It was a beautiful sunny day with a pleasant breeze, marking the season's final race day, which concluded around 4:30. He has a break now then at end of September, Dave will head north to Century Mile for the winter. We met Nathan and Kaylin at Cross Iron Mall, where they borrowed the car seat to take her home in Nathan's Audi. It was an enjoyable day, Renn! XOXO

We returned to the ranch around 5:30, fed the dogs, put chicken wings in the oven, and I prepared a beet leaf saute to go with the leftover potatoes and zucchini. Britt decided to eat in town instead. After she came back, we went and caught horses for a ride.  I groomed and saddled Switch and Roo while she attempted to lure Beibs with oats, following my unsuccessful attempt with apples, but it ended up as another lengthy pursuit across the pasture until Harley and I joined in to assist. S was just emerging, dressed in his cowboy gear ready to ride.

We circled the hay field and encountered a skunk, which altered our path. As we approached from the east fence, Dave arrived. Sheldon and Beibs were done with Dave taking Bird who was along once more for the outing. Britt and I embarked on a lively trot with Switch, who was particularly energetic tonight. Dave maneuvered the paddock blade around the southern paddocks and headed home after 9, with Britt leading by about ten minutes. S and I enjoyed a soak in the hot tub, followed by watching a portion of the Cirque Du Soleil show. However, S quickly fell asleep, so I spent some time reading.