Ty and I went to the horseraces at Fonner Park last weekend. I didn’t get any pictures of horses, but there were raging ice storms every half hour.

I got the 3rd place winner for the first 5 races. Unfortunately, I bet them to win and place too, so ended up almost even. Ty wasn’t as lucky. It is so weird going the first day when the most recent race most horses ran was in October. Some hadn’t raced in 1-2 years!

The good news is that I’m back to craftin’. The extra day for the holiday coming up really brings that out in me.

Had Ethiopian food for the first time! It was great. The BBQ, called “wot” had a robust spiciness. The cabbage was a dreamy mix of thick cut saurkraut and curry. The corn even had a great flavor, and I’m really not partial to any sort of corn outside sweetcorn on the cob.

When we got out of the restaurant, there was this most amazing light.

Spent the day at the track on Sunday with Michael and his friend Craig. Craig is one of Govenor Bill Ritter’s legal advisors. Michael and Craig were hitting exacta after exacta for the middle 5 races:

Ty and I started winning at the end, but not enough to cover what we had already lost. Arapahoe Park is very pretty with the mountains on one side and the illusion of flat prairie on the other.

I got to drive home from the track, and drove around for the first time in Denver. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I think I may be close to getting it all figured out.

Before I actually ever went to the horse races, I thought it would be closer to the Kentucky Derby or all of the crazy outfits from My Fair Lady, and that the minute I went, the habit would be formed and all of my money would be spent on gambling and crazy hats.

Lucky for me, at State Fair Park opening day, they provide free hats to the first 100 or so people:

Our friend Jack Jackson ventured out too. The only thing we won was a great deal on tacos and a couple of $2 show bets.

We were surprised to see how many people showed up for opening day. It was the most crowded I’d ever seen it in the grandstands. Between races, kids would play soccer with empty beer glasses. There were a set of triplets that were really good, and almost slide-tackled each other on the cement!

Tyrone took it upon himself to set up a race for these kids before we left. He asked them all to form a line and run to another tar line where I was at. It was fun for all of us, but in retrospect, I’m sure some parents watching think we’re the creepiest people in the world now.

More photos from the shoot this weekend so show off the backlog. Again, these aren’t my patterns. This is the Glampyre Mini-Sweater:

I didn’t do the triangle border. Still looking for a fun contrasting yarn.

So it is March Madness time. After years of coming close in the office pool, I’m not participating this year. When it comes to betting you’ve got to “feel” it to some extent. As with horse racing, I don’t bet every race just to bet a race. Already feeling the waves and waves of otherwise lost job productivity.

On that note, less than 2 months until live racing is back in Lincoln! Fifty days until the Kentucky Derby. It’s on Cinco de Mayo this year!