Friday is a quiet day around the resort, but a lot gets
done. Vicky is still working on her
interminable H&R Block course. I'm
working out the details of our trip to Italy,
which is not easy since internet service is intermittent here, at best. I do eventually get all of the hotel
arrangements finalized - a lot of free nights in luxurious places thanks to the
Marriott Rewards points I've been hoarding over the years; a delightful
apartment in Padua and a re-visit
to a cute B&B in Florence,
right around the corner from the duomo (cathedral) that we visited several
years go. The big achievement, though,
is getting us seats on direct flights to and from Rome
on Norwegian Air at a reasonable cost.
After dinner we go for a walk around the campground, seeing
a doe with 2 youngsters.
Saturday begins with breakfast in the RV lodge - their
special with scrambled eggs, cheese and (white) gravy which was good but very
filling. Let's just say I did enjoy it
but hope it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
The rest of the day we spend in the cute town of Grass
Valley. We have tickets for the evening performance
of the Draft Horse Classic at the county fairgrounds and head in that direction
even though it's still late morning.
There's plenty going on but we follow signs to a farmers' market and
find it after several wrong turns due to the absence of follow up signs. They have wonderful fresh vegetables so we're
disappointed that we didn't bring the cooler - after a day in the hot car the
veggies won't be fresh, so we just look.
With lots of time remaining we opt to check out the town,
which dates from the gold rush and is full of Victorian era buildings (like
every other town around here!) It
appears to have been settled by people from Cornwall
and one of the places we consider for lunch serves Cornish pasties. (We later find out it's just been permanently
closed)
We eventually settle in a Cirino's, run by Italians serving
family recipes, and, at least in the bar, served in a gold rush style
ambiance. I choose "Damn Hot
Peppers" as the owner said his mother called them. Hot and also sweet green peppers in a rich
tomato sauce served with a generous side of polenta covered in cheese. Don't be afraid of it - it has a slight bite
but for my taste could have been hotter.
Nevertheless, a very unusual dish that I enjoy immensely. Vicky settles for "Maltese Lamb" -
tender chunks of meat in a tomato based sauce with tarragon, rosemary,
coriander and garlic served with farfalle (bowtie) pasta. Vicky declares it "Absolutely
Wonderful", and from my small taste I agree. Both dishes come with crisp salads.
After the breakfast and this lunch I'm feeling full as we
continue to explore the town, so when we find a chocolate and ice cream store
(Lazy Dog) I'm inclined to pass. Until,
that is, I discover that they have, along with the gelato, Italian style
sorbets including a wonderfully juicy looking raspberry. So while Vicky savors a dish of lavender
gelato I let the raspberry ice melt in my mouth - sublime!
On to the fairgrounds where there's much to do. We visit the barns, where a beautiful black
Andalusian looks at us from a distance, decides we're OK and comes over for
some serious petting. We chat with his
owner who, we'll later discover, is an accomplished trick roper. We also visit with several other draft
horses, some of whom are aloof (or eating!), others friendly.
There's a permanent model railroad display on the
fairgrounds - an authentic reproduction of an actual narrow gauge railroad
built to connect these gold mining towns with the maintranscontinental line at
Colfax. We chat with some of the
volunteers and are invited to join them (I wish!), and we learn about the
history, including the story of a circus train that was derailed because horses
in one car caused it to unbalance. No
animals were harmed but 2 people were killed and from that point on the circus
stayed in Colfax and transported people by train!
After visiting craft shows, an art exhibition and loads of
vendors we eat the cheese sandwiches we brought and then - well - Lazy Dog (see
above) has an ice cream tent on the grounds - need I say more? Only that Vicky tries something called
"Death by Chocolate" which was ALMOST as good as my second raspberry
sorbet.
Time for the horse show - classes for all kinds of draft
horse combinations including teams of 3, 4 and 6 and a "unicorn"
class with 2 horses near the carriage and one more in the lead - apparently
very difficult to drive. The two announcers
keep us entertained but also informed, explaining the history of the various
combinations and the different draft horse breeds.
But what makes this show special is the specialty acts. If you've ever been to a rodeo you know what
I mean, but it's unusual to see this at a horse show. Normally there are long gaps as the horses
from one class clear the holding area and those for the next class get
ready. Not so here! These gaps are filled by everything from mule
races to the Mexican roper we already met, performing difficult rope tricks
while riding - and standing on the back of - his horse. Another performer tells us the story of the
American Mustang, demonstrating their capabilities, including having a dog lead
them by the halter and, at the end, having his mustang literally seated in the
back of a carriage while another horse pulls it (and the family) around the
arena. The final act, the California
Cowgirls Drill Team, consists of 12 women performing intricate and potentially
dangerous patterns on their horses. At
the end, one of the women is led to the center of the arena where a cowboy
rides in and proposes marriage to her.
She accepts!
The whole day has been full of wonderful experiences, and
well worth the 30 mile drive home in the dark, which Vicky executes admirably!
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