When Doug and Zuma and I were first here, we met two nice couples on the Boardwalk (I blogged about them earlier), Bob and Carole and Jim and Betsy. On a trip to the town of Rehoboth Beach today, we chose a fun and funky bar/restaurant called The Purple Parrot to stop at for a drink. This vibrantly decorated watering hole was full of jovial, colorful locals "preparing" for Christmas Eve (no doubt whilst their other halves were sweating it out in the kitchen at home, haha!) We plopped down on stools in the open-air indoor seating; it was very refreshing with the soft breeze on us as it was a warm, balmy day and Doug and I were hot and thirsty from walking. We were just being served our beverages and some fabulous chicken wings when Bob and Carole were seated at the table right behind us! We were all surprised and happy to see each other again and had a great chat, then they invited us for dinner on Saturday! We have met so many nice people here, some we feel will stay in our lives.
You know how it is, you meet good people and well, you just know.
Christmas Eve Dinner at Ruth's Chris was spectacular and made even better because we were seated upstairs in the old hay mow of a barn that was a huge part of Man O' War's life. There is warm, amazing horse karma in this building.
Adorning the walls in the downstairs area of the restaurant are paintings and photographs of the great horse himself, his son War Admiral and other equine racing celebrities, including Sea Biscuit. It is a trip back in time.
Samuel Riddle raced horses until his passing in 1951 his heirs took over the property and sadly, the farm's mansion burned in 1969. Then the farm was abandoned until real estate developers purchased it and made it what is today.
The smooth, well-worn brick floors in the restaurant are original flooring from the huge barn, as are most of the beams and some of the wall boards down in the bar area and the floor boards in the hay mow (visible from the bar area below). Our waiter informed us that 20% of the original building was salvaged during the rebuilding project.
Along a hallway in the back of the restaurant is a nostalgic collection of newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from the golden days of the Glen Riddle Farm, along with photographs of the property when it was in it's Heyday. On the opposite wall are photographs of the dilapidated buildings decades later, many of these had to be torn down because they could not be salvaged.
Although I am not a huge fan of Thoroughbred racing, I admire the courage and strength it takes for a horse to race, to give it's all, at an unreasonably young age.
Man O' War was known as a horse with "The look of eagles"; high-headed and proud, he exuded confidence. Here is a video of him! Grab a cuppa and enjoy!
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESLobHGVeMs:
December 23rd.
Wednesday. December 23rd.
We dropped off Blanca at Race Track Automotive after a drive around Assateague Island. Only three ponies could be spotted, they were off in the salt marsh, standing solemnly as a light rain drizzled softly down onto their fuzzy coats. George informed us that he and his brother are very close to finding a Dane for his sister in law! It didn't take long for the van to be repaired and we were off again, minus the "check engine" light.
There is a nice seafood restaurant (Waterman's) on the bay side of Ocean City that is open year round, so we swung in for lunch. Crab Imperial is a favorite in this area and it is delicious! I have to find a good recipe and try it!
No comments:
Post a Comment