And They're Off!

Sunday afternoons are for naps...at least according to my Mama, they are. Lately my Sunday afternoons have been for homework but this past Sunday, I was invited by my friends, Shane & Lana Burchfiel and their sweet girls Addison & Harper, to go to opening day of the horse races at historic Churchill Downs. If you visit Louisville, you can't help but notice the influence of equine activities. The Kentucky state slogan is "Unbridled Spirit" and I believe everyone here has all the different odds payouts memorized.

Many sizable cities have begun placing painted statues all over the place. Usually these animals mean something to the town or act as a symbol of the city. For instance, Athens, Georgia has a bunch of bulldog statues sprinkled all around town, obviously as a tribute to the mascot of the University of Georgia...Go Dawgs! Usually these statues are painted in strange and brightly ornate ways to grab attention. Well, in Louisville, we have horse statues. They're life-sized and gaudily decorated statues but they're kinda neat. The statue in this picture is not a good example because it's in a small garden inside Churchill Downs. The ones in town are crazy looking. Anyway, I haven't been to the horse races since I was a kid and went to the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens near Pine Mountain, Georgia. After church and a quick lunch, Shane, Lana, the girls and I all hopped in the car and headed to the races. It was a pretty cool thing to do and we had a great time.

Because we are common people, we weren't allowed to hit up the "Millionaire's Row" so we sat down in the "regular folks" section. Actually, if you want to be close to the track, it's best to sit down there. We were so close to the horses that we could smell the...dirt on the track. What did you think I was going to say? We sat for a few races, watched and listened to all the people trying to make their fortune by betting on the races (it was kinda sad), then perused all the overpriced souvenirs in the gift shop. It was a fun time and it only cost $3 to get in. Anytime you can have fun without spending a pile of money, it's good with me. I had a great time hanging out with my friends. Thanks to the Burchfiels for inviting me! I'll post some pictures as soon as I can figure out a way to make them show up.

CRH

"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." Isaiah 6:3b (NASB)