Race Weekend

For the first time in at least 15 years, I had two tickets for the Indianapolis 500. (Long story, which I won't go into here.) I invited my sister to come, since we used to go every year together, and I knew she would enjoy it. She arrived on Saturday afternoon. Good to have her on my turf!! She arrived at about 3:00 PM. After almost four hours on the road, she needed to decompress a bit before we headed out to pick up food and drinks to take to the race. We made four stops, then came home with our goodies to cook, mix, and pack for Sunday's adventure. We settled on chicken breast "tenders" and boneless honey barbecue wings from Aldi's, and cole slaw from KFC (of course!). For drinks, we packed water, Diet Pepsi, wine, Mojitos, and hand-mixed Manhattans. We threw in some chips and some chocolate, just in case.

Sunday morning dawned bright and early. We were leaving for the airport to ride the shuttle buses to the race by 7:30 AM. Unfortunately, exactly where we were to park at the airport wasn't clearly marked, so we ended up in a "long term" lot for $12 a day, then headed to the terminal to catch the bus. It wasn't a bad walk, but we weren't exactly sure where we were going. We didn't catch the first bus out. That cost us seeing the Parade of Bands that starts at the track at 8:00. Also, where the bus let us off was nowhere close to the track but was probably about the same distance that we used to walk from our old "premium" spot at a funeral home on 16th Street. I think we were at our seats at the track by 9:15 or so. We ate a hot dog for breakfast, took a short tour of the infield area, and came back to sit. The time went quickly. By the time we headed back to our seats, the crowd had increased considerably. Race Day!

The day was HOT. The best I heard was 96 humid degrees. Thankfully, our seats were under cover. If not, I couldn't have endured. Reports on TV said 1500 people were treated for heat-related illness. Track surface temperatures exceeded 130 degrees. It was reported on the track PA that it was the hottest race on record. I believe it! I perspired buckets. Could not bring myself to touch the alcoholic drinks we had packed. Although I drank water and pop, I didn't have to use the restroom the entire day, which indicated to me that I was sweating out everything I was ingesting. Still, I love the Indy 500!!

There were a couple of funny moments. One had to do with a fellow that sat by my daugher, Megan, two years ago, then wasn't there last year...then reappeared this year. He was really looking forward to seeing her since he is recently divorced. The joke was on him when we announced that Meg was remarried and living in California.

Another "funny" moment came after I told my sister that, as many years as I had come to the race, and as many years as I have lived here, I never ran into anyone I knew. Then...sitting directly below me in the next row, was a family that looked so familiar... Since most of the people in the box are Greencastle/Cloverdale people, I assumed I knew them from my previous life. I finally tapped one on the shoulder and said, "You people look so familiar. Are you from Cloverdale?" The wife of the family looked at me and said, "Peg!" It turned out to be the Gore family from my former school district (Monrovia). Husband (school board member), wife (cheerleading sponsor), and daughter (Valedictorian). I felt so stupid...but it was nice to connect with them!

When the race was over, Shari and I waited to see the winner drink his quart of milk, then headed toward the bus pickup site. It was sunny. It was hot. I was melting. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long to be loaded onto a bus back to the airport. Unfortunately, the AC on the bus wasn't working. We were back at our car at the airport in an hour. Not too bad considering the traffic. By the time we hit Plainfield and the other grandparents' house where my grandchildren had spent the day while Daddy and Stepmommy attended the race right with us, it was 6:00. We spent an hour visiting, then came home, totally pooped!!!

The children are growing up right under my nose! They are so tall and so handsome and smart. I miss them terribly! Looks like they will be here on a weekend near the end of June. I'll take what I can get!

Shari and I--gluttons for punishment--watched the race broadcast on TV as we ate our supper. Television gives perspectives that you don't get in attendance, but watching it on TV is NEVER the same as actually being there! When we went to bed last night, we went to bed plenty tired, but plenty happy that we had been able to share the time together.

My sister left for Illinois around 1:45, her time. I got a call a few hours later that she got home safely and that her husband and dog were happy to see her. We had a good time! I don't have any hope of having tickets next year, but I am grateful that we had some this year. (Thank you, Megan!)

Thanks be to God...these moments are precious. In spite of the challenges, I wouldn't have changed a thing!