Entertainment – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

May Road Trips and Other Adventures

June 2, 2023Posted in Celebration, Entertainment, Road Trip, Sporting EventsTagged BananaBall, Blue Ridge Parkway, Books, Magnolia, Savannah Bananas, Weekend Coffee Share20 Comments

This May our wandering took us to the countryside in Georgia, to a baseball game, on a road trip to Virginia, and around our own neighborhood.

Georgia road trip

Our first trip was to the Georgia countryside. On the way to our destination we discovered a new to us barbeque restaurant in Portal where we tried their pulled pork and fantastic spare ribs. We enjoyed our time in the country where the wildflowers were blooming and the trees were showing off their new green leaves. We fed carrots to my brothers donkeys, walked in the woods, and had a fun visit with our 12 year old granddaughter.

Celebrating Henry’s birthday at a Savannah Bananas game

The Savannah Bananas sell out every home game so when I had an opportunity to buy two tickets for a game on Henry’s birthday I jumped at the chance.

We saw the team owner Jesse Cole outside the stadium so of course we stopped to meet him. Henry shook his hand, he posed for a photo with us, and wished Henry a happy birthday. The Bananas play a different kind of baseball called Banana Ball. It has different rules than regular baseball and the night is filled with entertainment during and between the innings. We were laughing and entertained the entire night.

Around my Neighborhood

Flowers were blooming all around our neighborhood and in our own backyard. The header image is one of the gorgeous white blooms I captured one morning as I walked by the giant Magnolia tree in a neighbor’s yard.

In our backyard the Painted Buntings fed at my bird feeder almost every day. The resident lizard likes to hang out on the railing on our back deck.

Road Trip to Virginia

We traveled to Virginia to visit our daughter’s family for Memorial Day weekend. We spent the first night in a motel and had a nice visit with my cousin and his wife when we met them for lunch at a Cracker Barrel by the interstate before continuing on to our daughter’s house.

Being with our daughter and her family was the highlight of the trip. The weather was overcast, chilly and sometimes raining but we didn’t let the weather spoil our visit.

It was wonderful to see our Grandson who just finished his first year of college and our Granddaughter who just finished her junior year of high school. My daughter and I enjoyed a trip to the local farmer’s market where I picked up a frozen smoked trout to bring home and she brought home some beautiful fresh produce. Later that day we drove into the mountains, had lunch in the small town of Floyd, and took a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Chateau Morrisette Winery.

Books

Our Book Club book for May was “The Measure” by Nikki Erlich. It was a very interesting and thought provoking story.

I also enjoyed reading “No Plan B”, the latest Jack Reacher book by Lee Child and “Still Life” by Louise Penney.

Shared with Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share

Four NASCAR Races in Four Days

March 8, 2019June 21, 2026Posted in Entertainment, Florida, RVing, Sporting EventsTagged Daytona 500, Gander Outdoors Truck Series, Great American Race, NASCAR, ovarian cancer awareness, Sherry Pollex, U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds, XFinity Series14 Comments

Whew! Just reading the title of this post makes me tired again. It was four days of non stop action in Daytona. We arrived in the campground on Thursday before the Daytona 500 and hit the ground running. After we set up the fifth wheel we hopped on a shuttle for our first trip to the Daytona International Speedway.

Number one on my bucket list was to attend an appearance by Sherry Polex, an ovarian cancer survivor who works tirelessly to promote ovarian cancer awareness and works with the Martin Truex, Jr Foundation to raise money for childhood and ovarian cancer. After wandering around the midway and buying some souvenirs we headed to the Toyota Racing Experience for her appearance. After the interview was over, she took a lot of time to sign autographs, pose for pictures and talk to the fans. You can learn more about Sherry at SherryStrong.org

The Duel at Daytona that night was the first of the four races we attended.

Beth with Sherry Pollex, advocate for ovarian cancer awareness and girlfriend of Martin Truex, Jr

Henry with the Tototas

Beautiful night for a race

Friday we enjoyed lunch with a water front view at Caribbean Jack’s Restaurant before heading to the race track for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race.

Getting ready for the Friday night truck race

Sunset before the Friday night truck race

One of the trucks foming out of his pit stop

Panoramic view of the Daytona International Speedway

Saturday morning the United States Air Force Thunderbirds flew right over our campground during their practice. When we made a run to Publix Saturday morning for a few groceries what did we find but Kyle Busch’s #18 M&M truck and car in the parking lot! Oh, the M&M’s were buy one get one free in the store so of course we came out with two bags!

Saturday afternoon we were once again in the stands for the Xfinity Series race.

Pit Stop for #1 Michael Annett Saturday Xfinity Race

Pit Stop for #0 Garrett Smithley Saturday Xfinity Race

XFinity Series Race Winner #1 Michael Annett

The Daytona 500, also called the Great American Race, kicks off the NASCAR season in February every year. Pre-race activities began early in the morning before the race. Fans who purchased a Fan Zone pass were down on the field for a close up view. This year country singer Jake Owen performed for the crowd before the driver introductions. The crowd loved the flyover by the United States Thunderbirds.

Pre race festivities at 2019 Daytona 500

Crowd gathered to watch the driver introductions before the 2019 Daytona 500

Lineup for the 2019 Daytona 500 with infield in the background

Crowd waiting for pre race concert by country singer Jake Owen

Flyover by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds

One of the Thunderbirds landing at the airport behind the Speedway

Drivers, start your engines!

2019 Daytona 500

Racing past the infield on the backstretch

Nearing the start/finish line

Turn 1 of Daytona 500

Pit stop for #19 Martin Truex, Jr, 2019 Daytona 500

Race off Pit Road, 2019 Daytona 500

The race was exciting and it was close at the finish line. The winner was #11 Denny Hamlin.

By Monday morning we were exhausted. What better way to relax than to take a leisurely drive down highway A1A. Lunch at Racing’s North Turn Restaurant in Ponce Inlet was followed by a walk on the beach and a drive to see the Ponce Inlet lighthouse.

An after lunch walk on the beach at Ponce Inlet

Racing’s North Turn at Ponce Inlet

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

After the excitement of Daytona we were ready for a quiet week at at our next destination. Stay tuned.

Savannah Scottish Games and Celtic Festival

May 8, 2018May 8, 2018Posted in Entertainment, Historic Sites, Sporting EventsTagged Bagpipes, Bethesda Academy, Border Collie, Caber Toss, Family Roots, Geneology, Highland Dancing, Pipes and Drums, Scottish Games10 Comments

Celebrating Scottish culture and history, the 42nd Annual Savannah Scottish Games and Celtic Festival took place this year on a warm and sunny May 5.

The festival was held on the beautiful grounds of historic Bethesda Academy. Ancient live oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss surrounded the event field. The salt marsh was a perfect backdrop for Highland Dancers. Scottish clans, societies and organizations had their tents set up under the trees. And of course there were food trucks and vendors.

20180505Scottish-Games-(81) — Beautiful location for the Savannah Games

With so many events going on at the same time, we had plenty to keep us entertained. Pipes and Drums music, Border Collie demonstrations, Highland Dancing competition, and Celtic music performances were all taking place at the same time as the Heavy Athletics. In addition, there were tents with information about genealogy and many different Clans.

20180505Scottish-Games-(109) — Border Collie Demonstration

20180505Scottish-Games-(111) — Border Collie Demonstration

20180505Scottish-Games-(28) — Highland Dancers

20180505Scottish-Games-(25) — Highland Dancers

20180505Scottish-Games-(36) — Opening Ceremony

20180505Scottish-Games-(37) — Pipes and Drums

The Heavy Athletics competition included several fun events to watch. The Caber Toss is a fan favorite. In this event the athlete lifts a twenty foot caber weighing over one hundred pounds, runs a few steps holding it upright, and then tosses it. The object is to have the caber flip once and land straight in front of the athlete at the 12 o’clock position. We also enjoyed watching the Clachneart (Stone Put) and the Sheaf Toss. We didn’t get to see the Throwing of the Weights or the Hammer Throw.

20180505Scottish-Games-(32) — Sheaf Toss

20180505Scottish-Games-(85) — Women’s Caber Toss

20180505Scottish-Games-(95) — Caber Toss

20180505Scottish-Games-(97) — Caber Toss

20180505Scottish-Games-(98) — Caber Toss

The Pipes and Drums were beautiful to hear.

I have Scottish ancestors on both sides of my family. I enjoyed stopping at a couple of tents to see if I could learn anything about my families. I found out a little about my father’s side of the family but didn’t discover anything new about my Scottish roots on my mothers side. And I still don’t know what our Tartan is. A little more research is in my future.

After the games we stopped to check out the roses at the Savannah Botanical Gardens. Stay tuned for more coming up about that in my next post.

Daytona Speedweeks and the Great American Race

March 10, 2018June 16, 2026Posted in Entertainment, Florida, Sporting EventsTagged Auto Racing, Camping World Truck Series, CanAm Duel, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Great American Race, Monster Energy Cup Series, NASCAR11 Comments

Henry and I have only been following NASCAR for two years. Ever since the first time we watched the Daytona 500 on TV in 2016 I knew I wanted to go. So this year we went. And it was even more fun than I thought it would be.

NASCAR stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The biggest race of the year is at the beginning of the NASCAR season. Every February, the Daytona Speedweeks is held at the Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 – the Great American Race- ends a fun filled week of entertainment on the midway and qualifying races for the Daytona 500 as well as two other NASCAR races.

We arrived in Daytona on Thursday afternoon. During the next few days we went to three races, drove along A1A on the way to lunch at Racing’s North Turn restaurant in Ponce Inlet, had lunch at Caribbean Jack’s on the Intercoastal waterway, watched the Thunderbirds practice, and didn’t have time to catch our breath until Monday morning.

Old photo from when the race was held on the beach

Our first NASCAR race was the Can-Am Duel on Thursday night. Here’s a short video to give you an idea of how fast these cars are going and how loud they are.

Our second race was Camping World Truck Series race on Friday night. We arrived at the track early so we could wander around the midway to see some of the exhibits and do a little shopping. We entered the grandstands with plenty of time to walk around for different views of the track.

The trucks were fast and loud and the race was exciting. A great way to spend a Friday night!

20180216Truck-Race-(16) — Panoramic view of Daytona Speedway from near start-finish line

20180216Truck-Race-(13) — Daytona Speedway

20180216Truck-Race-(8) — Trucks lined up before the race

After two night races in a row, we decided to take it easy and skip the Saturday Xfinity series race. Instead, we watched the United States Air Force Thunderbirds practice in the morning before enjoying lunch at Caribbean Jack’s on the Intercoastal Waterway.

The USAF Thunderbirds flew right over the campground during their Saturday practice

Sunday was the day of the 60th Daytona 500 and a long day at the track for us. We had tickets for the Fanzone so we arrived in the morning to have plenty of time to go out in the middle of the track and get up close to the pit area, see the cars, and enjoy some of the pre-race festivities.

20180218Daytona-500-(7) — A look at the stands from track level

20180218Daytona-500-(15) — Cars lined up before the race

We had a great view of the whole track from our seats in the upper section. After a concert by Rascal Flatts and the driver introductions, each driver rode around the track in a pickup truck.

20180218Daytona-500-(67) — The stages are set for the pre-race entertainment and driver introductions

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series champion #78 Martin Truex, Jr

20180218Daytona-500-(107) — The cars lined up before the race

After the national anthem, the USAF Thunderbirds performed a flyover.

20180218Daytona-500-(102) — U. S. Air Force Thunderbirds flyover before the race

Drivers, start your engines!

20180218Daytona-500-(123) — Start/Finish line at Daytona 500

20180218Daytona-500-(138) — Pit stop for Kyle Bush #18 and Joey Lagano #22

20180218Daytona-500-(148) — RV’s filled the infield

The race was exciting with the lead changing several times. A huge wreck near the end of the race knocked out all of the leaders and #3 Austin Dillon was the winner.

Watching a race on tv is fun, but nothing compares to seeing it in person. I was fascinated seeing all the things that go on before the race, at how well organized and perfectly timed everything was. The sight and sound of the cars going by at almost 200 miles per hour is mind boggling. Most fans have a favorite driver and it was fun seeing them all decked out in their favorite driver’s gear.

In case you are wondering, our favorite driver is #78 Martin Truex, Jr. He was in second place until the last wreck but he did finish the race.

I’ve already made reservations at the RV park for next year!

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Nevada

May 30, 2017June 7, 2017Posted in Entertainment, RVing, Wandering around AmericaTagged Cirque de Soleil, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Oasis RV Park6 Comments

State 26:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Nevada

Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864. The capital is Carson City.

For our one and only trip to Nevada we stayed in, where else, Las Vegas. The Oasis RV Park, a short drive from the Vegas Strip, was our home during our stay. I enjoyed relaxing in the pool when we weren’t wandering around the Vegas Strip, driving to Hoover Dam or walking next door to the huge Bass Pro Shop and it’s casino.

For our first excursion to Sin City we decided to try the free trolley shuttle. Big mistake. Even though it was only May it was hot riding around in the open air trolley. We also discovered the stops were behind all the major casinos so we didn’t get to see much of the Vegas strip. Once we departed the trolley at the Stratosphere we enjoyed wandering around and stopping in a few of the casinos to play a few slots. Our pockets were a little emptier and the casinos had a few more dollars in their coffers when we left.

20070527Strip-at-night-(11) — Vegas Strip at Night

When in Vegas seeing a show is a must. We called at the last minute and snagged two tickets to Cirque de Soleil’s Mystere at Treasure Island. It was Memorial Day weekend and there were throngs of people everywhere. I loved seeing the city at night and the show was spectacular.

20070527Strip-at-night-(16) — The Cirque de Soleil show at Treasure Island was fantastic

One day we took a drive to Hoover Dam. On the way to the dam we had spectacular views of Lake Mead. Traffic was bumper to bumper as we crossed the dam.