Kentucky Derby

"You bet our last $26 on California Chrome?"

"Yup." I smiled and looked up at Nicolas - and thanks to my 5" heels I didn't even crane my neck.

"That was a waste of two mint juleps."

"Oh well. It'll be fun and the bus has a full bar anyway."

After two days at the Kentucky Oaks and Derby, we'd run out of cash; gambling venues don't take our preferred cowry shells: plastic. But we had just enough for this treat of a trip, flying to Kentucky with the fun-magnet Gosneys and staying with some more of Nick's flying friends, Victor and Jeannie. 

Here's the lowdown on the weekend...


The Town:

Louisville, Kentucky

Our awesome hosts:

These two celebrate their 40th anniversary this week.
(That would be their daughter's hair piece on his head.)

Our digs:

Our ride:

One of our hosts' personal vehicles, parked right in front of Churchill Downs.
The sides of the bus expanded making it huge inside. Dance floor-size huge.

The Hat (and the Horse... He's kind of important too):

The Venue:

Nick playing photographer.

The Tie:

It's a miracle

The Other Hat:

This was a two-day affair so got to play dress-up twice.

The Shoes:

Right??!!

The Mimosa Makers:

The gentlemen making mimosas for the Southern Belles

Inside the Coach:

The Bridge Over the River Kwai:

I mean, the Ohio

The Races:

The Results:

"And it's California Chrome by nearly two lengths!!"

WooHoo!!

We left Churchill Downs dancing on a bus, with $87 in our pockets.