Goodbye Hollywood, I'm off to The Daytona 500!

I look so short without heels on!

Yes, I boycotted the Oscars. Just like I boycotted the NFL, the Grammys, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. I refuse to watch any show which chooses to use its platform for anything other than its intended purpose: entertain everyone while patting themselves on the back for a job well-done. They've all gone political.

Instead, I chose to spend some time with Charles at the Daytona 500 race. I had so much fun and I didn't have to sit around listening to a bunch of Hollywood elites bashing our country and our president. Thank goodness for NASCAR. :P

Unlike these awards shows, I've never even watched a NASCAR race on television, so this was a novelty for me to actually BE there in the stands, taking photos, filming flybys, and drinking beer. Talk about stress-free living and camaraderie. Quit whining and get out there and have some fun with your fellow Americans, and quit listening to this consistent message in the media that everything is going to hell.

You know what? The Daytona 500 sold out of seats this year. Can you say that about any NFL games, including the Super Bowl? I heard the Oscars had the lowest ratings since 2008. Ouch.

Enjoy the photos, and leave me some comments. All are welcome, just be kind to each other!

We had just got on the tractor trolley that took us to the buses.

I have a camera that likes to be creative and it spit this out. 

Outside the stadium before the race.

Getting ready to enter the Daytona International Speedway
stadium for the first time ever.

And here we are!

This is what sold out looks like. THIS is living life and not
whining about politics. Don't give yourself ulcers!

Creative Zoom this is called. Love it.

Waiting to see shit talking and fighting, but it never happened.

One of the better close up photos I took.

Excited crowd.

It was hard to capture photos this clear
when the cars were going so fast!

The side of the track where most of the crashes happened.

We had seats high enough, we could see the backside.

Pit stops were amazing!

My guy, Keselowski in the Miller Lite car! lol

Sun has gone done and we are in the shade....cool out.

The blimp is last because that's when it showed up! Last.

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My First Ever Demolition Derby

You all know that I'm one to try new things, right? Get ready for this one!

Okay, so I wasn't sure what I was going to experience, but sitting in the stand and watching the showboating, careening of metal, and mudslinging of pure earthly product, was actually a lot of fun. It reminded me that not everything in life that you create must be kept hidden away and protected from damage. The things you create produce no glory if others cannot see it and challenge it with their own creations. 

Here's a 9-minute video of the last heat of the demolition derby. We were up high enough to avoid the assault of flying dirt and debris, but the air reeked of smoke and burning rubber. Somehow, it was nostalgic and comforting.

When was the last time you experienced something for the first time? I guess I need to get out more often.   :)



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My Daughter in Thailand - Part III

Here they are. More pictures to share with you all. 

Chelsey is finally back at work and earning a paycheck, but as promised, I'm sharing the last of the photos from Thailand. Here's Part III from her Loop Abroad trip. I'll link Part I and Part II in case you missed them!

Some more touristy stuff for you. These two and the next two photos were taken in Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai. 

The one below is referred to as the Golden Spire. The real temple exists in Bangkok, but I'm not sure why. I'll need to do some research on that!

Here's Chelsey looking all thuggish and tatted up. Yantra tattoos are believed to be magical and they bestow mystical powers, protection, and good luck on to the bearer. The three main effects of a Yantra tattoo: to make the bearer more eloquent, to ward off evil and hardship, and to invoke fear in everyone around the bearer. The tattoo only confers its powers so long as the bearer observes certain rules and taboos, such as abstaining from a certain type of food. If that food happens to be cheeseburgers, then it wore off when she child stepped back onto US soil. 

In the voice of a thug, "PEACE!!"

There's no way you would guess what this is, no way! Seriously, give it a try. Um, Ruffles? Doritos? Gee, I'm so confused. Okay, so everything is written in this foreign language, but if you look closely, you'll discover that this company wants the consumer to know that it is the "original flavor". 

The gang is all here!

The girls get therapeutic massages after a long day working with big animals.

This looks like a rice field to me, but I could be wrong. It's beautiful either way, even though the water looks a bit murky.

Chelsey and her roommates hanging out and being lazy. And she said they were roughing it in Thailand. 

I received a lot of videos of the elephants, but I didn't know how to save the Snapchat videos to my phone. Here are the majority of the elephant pictures Chelsey sent via Snapchat.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you've enjoyed a taste of Thailand. Thanks to the Loop Abroad folks for keeping my daughter safe and making sure that she had a productive experience.

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My Daughter in Thailand - Part II

So many more pictures to share with you all. Chelsey is finally home in the United States, but I haven't even shared some of my most favorite photos from Thailand. Here's part II from her Loop Abroad trip, as promised. Here's Part I in case you missed it!


I can only guess that this is some sort of tea indigenous to Thailand, like Japan and their green tea called Sencha. Or Korea and their Ginseng tea. Whatever it is, I love the cup! 

Did you really make these?
Because I can't even roll that tight.

I think these are purple orchids.
Not sure what they did with these.

In Hinduism, Ganesha is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshiped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

This fountain is gorgeous and I love the Thai architecture and lights as the backdrop. This is almost like being there.

She looks so lovely and refreshed here.
I know the flight must have been a doozy!

Thai version of Mountain Dew. I would have guessed this one even if she hadn't given the hint.

Chelsey is enjoying the land, the people, and mostly the many animals she gets to hang out with in the village. 

One of the things I enjoy most about seeing photos of different countries is their culture. The most captivating pictures are those taken unencumbered by traditional media coverage. It looks like they are grinding corn or something.

I guess they are shopping for and donating to kids in the local area.

Making new friends in Thailand.

It's paint! No, she did not get this tattooed.

These fish eat the dead skin off your feet.
They are getting pedicures, maybe?

I'm so happy to have her home. I will post more photos in part III of Chelsey's Loop Abroad trip to Thailand soon enough. Stay tuned!
 


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