I am not now...and nor shall I ever be...a serious gambler. But for a few short weeks in the summer I do love the ponies :-)
The thoroughbred horseracing season at Del Mar...where, as Bing Crosby croons in the track's theme song, "the turf meets the surf"...opened this past week and today was the first of several Sundays where I take time out to enjoy the ambiance...the excitement...the relaxation...of the "sport of kings".
The week's humidity had calmed down but the short trip north (it's just a 15 minute drive from where I live) to the soft shores of quaint Del Mar led to even more comfortable air to breathe.
I love the feel of this racetrack...the cool sea breezes wafting in from literally just yards away, the majesty of the glorious animals running with controlled abandon, the cheery camaraderie of the people (the serious gamblers and the casual fans alike...for two minutes at a time, all of us are focused in one gloriously thrilling wave of energy on the huge animals being guided by tiny people in gaudy garb.)
I lost more than I won this week...but the victories were more sweet than the defeats were sour...and I had a grand time. And next Sunday, my partner-in-crime Miguel and I will go back and do it again. It's a gentler madness.
And now, having used my Sunday thusly, I return to work...work to be completed, chapters to be written, bills to be paid...ready to take it all on with a lighter heart.
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