Derby Day!

So, I've lived in Phoenix almost thirty years now - and before this year's Kentucky Derby I had never been to Turf Paradise. I've been to the actual site of the real Kentucky Derby - but never to Turf Paradise. I wasn't even quite sure where it was. Ryan, on the other hand, spent his childhood attending events with his grandfather, Bop. It was special to him to be ale to bring his own kids. He dressed Brooklynn in an outfit specifically to match her sunhat.


Of course, it didn't last too long...


Anyway, apparently the tradition is for the men to dress nicely and the women to wear dresses and sunhats, because it's a "gentlemen's sport". (I assure you, the men I saw that looked the MOST at home there were less than... gentlemen-ly. We were surrounded by people dressed mostly like the polo scene from Pretty Woman, but an older man not too far from our table (definitely not a first-timer/holiday-only attender) was comfortable in his crumpled clothes, oblivious to the people around him, unshaven, chain-smoking and griping about what b*^$h!@ the last race was for whatever reason. Oh, and did I mention his pants were kind of falling off and I could see just what exactly his boxers looked like. Awesome.

Other than that though, it really was a great time! It was fun being a bit dressed up for a family event, mostly because it ensured we wouldn't be surrounded by people who were dressed in a way that makes you stare. (Doesn't it seem like so many big public events are like that? Maybe it's because the last outing we had in a similar fashion was the Goodyear Demolition Derby. A whole different kind of outfit is the "tradition" out there.)
The best part, I thought, was how kid friendly it really was. They had
pony rides

and face painting and blow-up jumpy things and obstacle courses

and a big shaded playground - and it was all free! Plus, since the horse track isn't the first place you think to take your kids, there really were very few. Even though Brooklynn's only three and a bit timid around big kids and rambunctious play, she was able to have turns on everything and loved it all. We had lunch and mint julips (no idea how to spell that) and lost only twenty bucks on a far-shot bet Ryan made. (He has a philosophy to betting. If it ever pays off, we'll be living the high life. ;)