On a beautiful late October afternoon we all decided to put aside our trademark atire of flowered shirts, sandals, grass skirts and leighs to dress a little more appropriatly for the event at hand. There; however, was a good reason for this. We were going to hob nob with the elite of Virginia's equestrian world at the 99 edition of the International Gold Cup. Most of us met at the Vienna Metro to catch the bus to the venue. The bus; however, was very late, caught in DC traffic, who woulda thunk it. So let me paint the picture. 30 Parrot Heads hanging out in a parking lot, so far sound pretty normal, this is where it begins getting a little strange. All were dressed in their Sunday best slowly sipping and then passing around a lone can of Coors Light. It was a sight to behold. Finally after about an hour of waiting and exhausting every last drop of that Coors Light the bus pulls in, what a relief. This relief was short lived when we realized that the bus was already filled to capacity.

So here we are, 75 parrot heads on a 60 passenger bus speeding down RT. 66 at breakneck speeds. This is where the fun really began. The second we boarded the bus, Rock started passing out beer, if you didn't want one "well then take it and pass it around i'm sure someone else will". The main problem we now faced was how to hold on(we were obviously standing: refer back to the first line of this paragraph for the necessary explanation)and drink a beer or two or three... at the same time. Hey Rock, thanks for the Rolling Rock, you really know how to make a man feel welcome.

After about an hour of swinging and swaying, we arrived at the Gold Cup eager to escape the cramped quarters of the bus. We were told to meet at tent#911 along the rail. There we were met by the most elaborate spred of food that i have ever seen, yes i have led a sheltered life. Did i forget to mention that there were three "beverages" on tap with plenty of replenishment weighing down the back of a pickup truck parked directly ajacent to the tent. "Wow, this is going to be a great day", we even had our own private bathroom.

It was now time for the racing to begin, everyone was scrambling to get their wagers in and root on their favorite horse. However, it seemed that not many people had any luck because Rob and Allyson's horse seemed to win every race. Way to go guys. i was having the time of my life when i realized that the racing was over and its now time to get back on the bus.

I guess its true what they say "time flies when your having fun". So we boarded the bus to head back home, this time there was enough seating for everyone, it seems that the "other bus" finally found its way out of the DC traffic. The bus ride home was pretty uneventful until we ran out of fuel. Parrot Head phuel that is. So we made and emergency pit stop at a local convenience store to re-phuel. All was well from that point on. A fitting conclusion to an enjoyable day. Thanks to all who helped plan this event and i look foward to doing it again in the spring.