Headed to Cape Cod

Before we went to bed Saturday night we said good bye to Gib and Amber as they were headed back to Oregon at 5am the next morning. It had been a whirl wind trip, but a very memorable one. We got up Sunday morning and packed the rental car and headed to Cape Cod. (We flew into Providence, RI and rented a car there, drove it to NYC) Turns out it was and unforeseen blessing. I had chosen this itinerary, since I wanted to go visit my family on Cape Cod, and it’s easy to fly out of Providence. Gib and Amber paid as much to rent a car out of JFK for two days, as we did getting one for 7 days out of Rhode Island. Guess the pricing is all about markets and demand.

It was a pretty easy drive actually. We headed north and then west on 95 through southern Connecticut and into RI, and then over to Cape Cod. NY had several toll roads and bridges. One bridge toll was $5.00.
Connecticut has very nice rest areas. They call them service areas, they have large rest rooms, gas stations and a fast food court. It was really nice to not have to get off the freeway and hunt for gas or a snack. Again I was intrigued by the midget toilets… I even took a picture… Maybe Conn has a high population of short folks… The seat measures 16 inches off the floor. Guess I’m just easily amused... At some point later in the day, while we were still in Conn I stopped for gas. Ansel was ready for a restroom break, so I pulled around to TravelMart store for him to go inside. I always make a point to open the glass doors for him, because some of the doors are very heavy and they knock him off balance. As Ansel got out and started shuffling up toward the glass door, and I jumped out and when I ran around the front of the car… tripped over the cement parking block and splat - - fell in a pile on the asphalt… ouch was my pride ever hurt… it was blazing hot… I was horribly embarrassed, then an off duty fire fighter (I make this assumption based on the t-shirt he was wearing) came running over and of course wanted to call out the cavalry... It wasn't any big deal... I knew I was fine... just tweaked pride and wrenched my ankle a little and got a little road rash on my arm. After we got all collected up again, we headed out for the rest of the drive to the Cape. It wasn’t a bad drive at all… total on-the-road-time I think it was 3 ¾ hours.

the Belmont after glow

After we left Belmont Park… we headed back to our hotel neighborhood… just getting out of the parking lot proved to be a challenge. That really was the only time that we encountered the “masses”. I bet it took us 30 minutes to go ½ a mile. But after we got past the bunch getting on the freeway it was a piece of cake to surface streets in normal traffic load back to the hotel. Then we headed for a relaxing dinner and libations at a restaurant near the hotel.


Speaking of the hotel that we stayed at… our friend Lynn Sirrine was the one that told me about it. When I first started trying to put our itinerary together for the trip most of the hotel rooms that I came up on internet searches (Hotwire, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc…) were either sold out, or were ridiculously priced out of our budget. So I sent out an SOS email to my email circle of friends and family asking if anyone had any connections or ideas for lodging? And Lynn promptly wrote back that I should try The Five Towns Inn, that it was close to JFK, and that she stayed there frequently when she traveled to NY on business. She also said they put up several flight crews, and that was an indicator of how nice the place was. So I tried them and sure enough, they had vacancies and were very reasonable. Gib and Amber were also able to change their hotel reservations to the same place which made things nice.
If you are ever in the JFK area, stay at the FIVE TOWNS INN.The staff at the hotel treated us like family… the lobby and rooms were nice, and it was conveniently located near everything. I think it was only 10 miles to Belmont Park from the hotel. I wish we had taken another day to poke around there. It would have been nice for Ansel to see the Statue of Liberty and a few other attractions. But the bottom line was that we were able to fulfill his wish, and he was able to attend the Belmont Stakes. We’re still a little blue that we didn’t get to see a Triple Crown victory, or to see Big Brown give a valiant effort to get the Triple Crown… it’s hard to believe that it was all over so quickly. In the blink of an eye, they were in the home stretch. The whole experience was a fairytale, and I’m so thankful to those who had a hand in making it possible. !!!! There were so many wonderful things that worked out, answers to prayers, that made this trip possible. In the morning, we'll start our the next chapter of our adventure driving up to Cape Cod. Stay tuned :-)

Belmont Stakes cont.

The statue of Secretariat that is in the center of the Paddock. It is quite beautiful. (This picture was taken on Friday)

Rudy was the usher in charge of the door nearest our box... he was a sweetheart and treated us like royalty and was very impressed with Ansel. Rudy was a former jockey too.

Shaq with the "little people" :-), He was there giving some sort of presentation... I couldn't quite hear what they were saying on the PA system. Earlier in the day he was sporting Red w/white diamond silks... that was a sight. I didn't get my camera dug out and turned on in time to catch that picture, darn.


The first clue that race 11 was coming up, was when the NYPD showed up enmass. There must have been over 100 NYPD officers on foot as well as several on horseback. We were told they were very concerned that PETA was going to try and sabotage the race.

Big Brown entered the track to a deafening standing ovation... guess this was another example of "it ain't over until it's over" The energy in the whole Park was beyond words, the noise was deafening, the anticipation of witnessing a Triple Crown Victory in just a few moments had the entire place revved beyond imagination. We couldn't hear ourselves think... the bell, "they're off !!!!!" the noise, the energy, the race announcer's voice booming... and suddenly there were gasps, and almost silence as 150,000 plus fans looked in disbelief as Big Brown was pulled up and in last place...

One of the things that I remember thinking was it all happened so fast... and it was over in the blink of a couple of eyes. Seemed one second they were loading the gate... and the next they were around the track coming into the finish... I think 99% of every one there was in shock... total disbelief that Big Brown was a big dud...



The 2008 Winner of the Belmont Stakes: The race was won by Da'Tara, who led the race from wire to wire. The little bay horse had odds of 38-1. Just imagine the few believers in Da'Tara that bet on him to win... 

watching the replay...

I was quietly grinning when the race was over and when I figured out "this" horse had won with the long shot odds... as I had followed the advice of my friends Cindi and Laurie and had bet $5.00 on all 9 horses to win so I'd have a souvenir ticket of the winner. I didn't say anything to anyone... then Amber said something like too bad we didn't bet on this one, look at the odds, and I quietly said, well I did... WHAT ! you did, really ?? !! $5.00 bucks??? you probably got $800-1000 dollars... I was feeling pretty smug as I went to the window to cash in my ticket... However my big head and smug attitude was short lived... When I presented my ticket, the lady stuck it in a computer and then handed me $26.00 cash... and I stood there waiting for more... and she was confused and I was confused... I said I thought it should be more... she showed me why it wasn't... and then I saw it... CRAP !!! when I placed the bet, the teller who took my money, put it on race number 10 instead of race number 11... and there was absolutely nothing that could be done... I did talk to the gal who did it, and she felt bad and remembered and admitted it was her mistake... but none the less there still was nothing that could be done... signs every where warning you to check your ticket before leaving the booth... that little lesson learned was more disappointing than Big Brown not winning. Oh Well... I'll be wiser next time.

The one thing I forgot to do that I intended to, was to buy a Mint Juleps. Oh well, I did buy Ansel a commemorative set of four glasses. One is for the Derby, Preakness, Belmont and Triple Crown each respectfully listing the winners of each for each year. Some of you reading may have seen the Derby glass that at the house that Ansel has from the 80’s. He jokingly refers to that glass as his computer… when he is trying to recall what horse won what Derby, he’ll say just a second I’ll go look that up… and he’s going to look at his old Derby glass. So now he’ll have a current full set.

Ansel is still in awe that he attended the Belmont Stakes... he said over and over again... he thought maybe he was dreaming... He thanked me many times for making it happen for him. We really did have a fantastic time. It was also lots of fun to have Gibb and Amber along... I think especially Ansel appreciated having Gibb there to chat ponies with. It was definitely a fairybook adventure, I'm so thankful we have stepped out on faith and let God bless us. I shall never forget the kindness of Belmont Park in 2008.

Call to Post on video

I was able to capture the trumpeting of the Call to Post yesterday and thought it would be neat to post here.

Click the go arrow to hear it.

Go Big Brown !!!

Sigh... what a day!!! Cinderella at the Ball !!! Here we are in New York... we've come to see Big Brown be the 13th Triple Crown winner. It's the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. They have predicted crowds of 150,000. We are so blessed to not only have box seats in the Club House above the winners circle, but parking right next to the clubhouse in the Owners and Trainers lot. All compliments of Belmont Park as a gift to Ansel.

Gib and Amber arrived late last night. We met this morning for breakfast at a classic diner up the street from the hotel and then headed out to Belmont Park. It was pretty slick (easy) driving there... we didn't head out there until mid morning, hoping to miss the heaviest traffic.

When we got to the front doors of the clubhouse, we were greeted by several UPS employees in their "browns" back dropped with a "Big Brown" truck. I made Ansel, Gibb and Amber pose in front of the truck... then a couple came along, and the guy had on a RED SOX cap... I smiled... after all we were in the heart of Yankee territory... I offered right away for him to go stand with his girl and I'd take the picture... he inquired "really"??? I said sure... only because of the hat... I saw three others later in the day and made sure I thumbs up'd them with a hardy "GO SOX"!

The greeting in picture above, "UPS welcomes you to the Belmont" was on the floor as you entered into the Clubhouse before you went through the turnstyles. We made our way to "our box" through a maze of people... and there we met Tim, pictured here with friends.We knew there would be another handicapped person sharing the box with us. (It was very interesting that his name was "Tim"... I thought to myself when we were introduced) He was a very charming and intellectual person who was obviously very ill. (Cancer I assume) he told me he was seriously ill, was very weak, could only stand for very short spells. He said he didn't have any family, was living in an assisted living center, and spent a lot of time online with other race horse fans. He had many friends who stopped by to meet their online chat room buddy in person. The day was very hot... 96 degrees, I'm not complaining... I have been longing for it for some time after our especially long and cold spring in Oregon. One of the big mistakes I made yesterday was not getting all the souvenirs purchased that I wanted... by the time I got there today all of the booths were sold out of anything Big Brown. Gibb and Amber spent the day as true race fans, choosing their pics and placing bets. Our box had it's very own video monitor, the idea being that we slide our credit card in it, and place bets right there from the box with out having to get up an go get in line. But we never got it to work, and had to place bets the old fashioned way by walking to the windows. Amber tried to teach me how to place bets... funny I've been around horses all my life, and have never bet on a racehorse until today.

Gibb and Amber studying the Daily Racing Form.
This is all I have the posting I have energy for tonight more later... I have lots more pictures. and a bitter sweet ending to the Big Brown adventure.

Amazing, just Amazing !!! and God is so Good, is all can say !!!

June 6, 2008

Sometimes you just have to step out on faith and know that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. There were a few nay sayers, that thought I was nuts for trying to take Ansel to the Belmont, "it would be 100 degrees, there would be over 100,000 people... blah blah blah... what are you thinking ???" Well I was thinking I was going to make his dream come true and I would do my best to make that happen...

Last week I had sent an email to every Belmont Park email address I could find, letting them know about Ansel his past, being a jockey in the 20's and 30's, race horse trainer etc, his age, and that I was bringing him to see the race... I didn't ask for anything special, just advice on handicap accessibility what area I should buy gen admission tickets for... I didn't hear back from anyone... my plan was to head to the track on Friday get the lay of the land, buy our tickets for what ever area looked doable with Ansel and his scooter, figure out where to park Sat AM, and I was prepared to join the 100,000 plus masses that will buy General Admission tickets and stand in the sun for first come first serve places... ( I had an umbrella and special stick to attach it to Ansel's scooter. Other friends of our's from Bend, Amber Scott and her dad Gib Daniels were flying in late Friday night, staying at our hotel and joining us at the track for the possible Triple Crown Victory, GO BIG BROWN !!! so I was also getting their tickets also.

Yesterday, Thursday, we flew into Providence, RI. rented a car and drove down to Long Island. We checked into our hotel near the JFK airport and got all settled in. In the morning we'd drive out to Belmont Park and make a plan for Saturday and watching Big Brown run for the Triple Crown.

Well, last night (Thursday) about 8:00PM, my cell phone rang with a blocked number, I answered, and this lovely lady identified herself as Cathy Moreno from the Belmont Park front office... she asked if I was still planning to bring Ansel to New York... Oh yes, I answered, we are already here in New York, checked in to our hotel near JFK. I told her I was planning to come to the track today to scope things out and see where things were, and make a plan for Saturday... She asked if I would bring Ansel to her office in the morning when we arrived and meet with her... she said to tell the parking attendants that we had an appointment with Cathy Moreno and they would show us where to park. 

When we drove in to the Park this morning and as I told each person (parking attendants and ticket takers) that we had an appointment with Cathy Moreno... each one treated us like royalty and escorted us all the way to the Club House... our cheap little blue economy rental car was parked among black limos, black Porsches, Ferraris and rolls royces... you get the picture. To us country bumpkins from Burns, OR walking into the club house was like walking into Windsor Castle (to me anyways) the whole place was a buzz with Big Brown... We were shown to her office, she was a charmingly elegant business woman and she reminded me of "Carolyn" that used to be Donald Trump's assistant. She was so warm and welcoming, She was incredible...

She asked if it would be okay for Mr Marshall to wait at her office, while she showed me some seats that were available. (Now bear in mind this cowgirl, me, who can ride the hair off of anything on the ranch, has never been to a horse race in her life) I didn't really understand what it meant to be in "the club house". She took me to a box seat above the winners circle, and asked if I thought we would be comfortable in these seats ? I looked at her and said "well... how much with they cost?" she said you are going to be our guests and there will be no charge." I explained that we had two more friends joining us from Oregon, and she said that would not be a problem. She said we could use the box all day today and tomorrow. It was ours to enjoy...

I cried, Ansel cried... and she said it gave her a great deal of satisfaction to give these tickets to someone whom they meant so much to. OH MY GOD... you can not believe how cool these seats are... OH MY GOD... I still can't believe it !!! I cried and shook my head in disbelief. Ansel was very choked up all day too... and said over and over again... "I can't believe I'm really here, it's like I'm dreaming. Thank you darling for making it happen"

Our tickets… I didn’t notice until after the fact that is says right on the tickets that they were $200.00 each. I’m still in awe. Ansel was very impressed with the video monitor that was in each booth. He was able to see the replays on it. They are designed so that you swipe your credit card into them and place your bets from the box seat with out having to leave the box. They even had waiters coming around taking drink orders…

Honoring the past Triple Crown winners

This whole thing is rather amazing... we spent most of the day at the track... we were like kids in a candy jar... Lots of folks talked to Ansel... many of the NYRA employees spoke to him... they recognized that he likely was a jockey from days of yore... and were very very kind and attentive to Ansel. They would ask if he knew the old greats, Johnny Longden, Eddie Acaro, Georgie Woolf, Red Pollard...and for each one, Ansel had a personal story for.


This gal that is visiting with Ansel was security at a turn style between the Clubhouse and the Grandstand area... but it wasn't apparent to me that the other side was the grandstand. After she was done talking to Ansel, I asked her innocently "what was so top secret on the other side of the turnstile??? and she said "Honey, you're on the top secret side! The grandstand folk can't come over here..." ahhhhh, and then I began to understand how special our seats were.


 The two ushers from our box seat area... fussed and fussed over us. Gave us their names, and assured us they would be there to greet us and help us in any way tomorrow. Both of them were former jockeys... very small in stature, Portuguese and now probably in their late 60's.

Oh and then there was the issue with parking... as we were leaving Ms Moreno's office, I asked if she had a suggestion on parking for Saturday, she smiled reached in her desk and pulled out an orange parking pass, signed it and handed it to me. You'll park in this lot she said. So at the end of the day when we were leaving the track, I wanted to find the parking lot that our pass was for, so that I'd know where to go amongst the 100,000 other people. It turned out to be the Owner's lots next to the Club House. Holy Cow, talk about being given the red carpet.

Now that we have the parking pass and seats for tomorrow... we don't have to get to the Park at the crack of dawn... and don't have to wait in line to buy tickets, hike a mile from a general parking lot... or fight to keep a spot where we can see. I still can't believe it. Oh it was funny to call Amber this morning 20 minutes before they were leaving for the airport, to tell them we had box seats in the Club House. I was crying, I was so in awe, she couldn't hardly understand me. They are from Tumalo and Amber and her kids are who normally take care of the horses when we are gone from home. Gib is Lula Stirewalt Gibson's widower, she passed away two years ago. Her parents, Jim and Effie Stirwalt were Ansel and Martina's best friends from the Spray, OR area. 

Sigh... God is soooo cool !

A misc race on Friday

checking out the beautiful grounds, see the art work in the fence ?

Detour Mystic Seaport, CT

June 5, 2008
Wednesday night we landed in Providence, RI and in the morning rented a car and drove 95 along the south coast of Connecticut toward NY... On the way, we swung in to Mystic Seaport and poked around a bit... Ansel has never been east of Chicago... he was intrigued by the tiny narrow one lane streets, and the houses being so close together. A lot of them had signs with year of origin and who the original home owner was and their occupation. Most I saw were early 1800's. Not too impressive to me, as there are many homes on the Cape that were built in the early 1700's. The town I grew up in was Incorporated in 1651

For lunch I treated him to a REAL bowl of New England Clam Chowdah!!! We had a very nice habah (harbar) side window table... was sweet to watch the boats go by... I was intrigued by this couple that was trolling by in a Boston Whaler... look who's lounging and who's doing the piloting???

One nice thing about traveling back here is they have gas and fast food at the rest area's on the freeways so you don't have to get off the highway and hunt something... However at the rest area in Conn I was flabbergasted with the toilets... Matt Roloff (little people big world) would be proud... they were at most 14" off the ground. the height of the toilet set was mid calf on me... At first I thought maybe it was just one short pot specifically for dwarfs... so I had to look in several stalls, of them were the same very low height. I don't think I'd ever seen a pot mounted so low. I was too tire to go back to the car to get the camera... so you'll just have to believe me :-)