Central Virginia getting pounded

@Musicman It was an area of very heavy rain.

@Gibbon Did it come as far north as Northern Virginia?

@Musicman Yes but didn't cross the Potomac where I am it went West of here traveling into Maryland. They issued flood warnings again tonight about 45 minutes ago for part of the same area in Virginia.

@Gibbon I am from Fairfax county in Virginia. We have friends who have retired and are living in the Shenandoah Valley.

@Musicman Beautiful area. Harpers Ferry is about 15 minutes to my West and Lovettsville VA is just across the river from me. When Vickie was living we spent many days driving the loop around both areas and shopping in Charles Town. We often took day drives which paralleled the Shenandoah River and would loop North up into western MD and come back home from Hagerstown MD this side of the Potomac River.

@Gibbon We use to enjoy a drive along Skyline Drive and staying the night in Charlottesville. It made a nice weekend away. 😊 We didn't do too much in West Virginia. We only went to the casino once. We liked Hagerstown too. 🙂

@Musicman After going to Trump plaza in Atlantic City so many times with my mom I stay out of the casino except for years I went to Charles Town watch and play the ponies. When I took Vickie there I would park where we to walk through the casino to get to the track. While passing through we stop at a machine every so often and give them my money. Never won anything. I did win a jackpot in Atlantic City. I had a roll of nickels I wanted to get rid of and that's the machine it happened on. It wasn't worth squat and now I had a bucket of nickels lol.
I always to come home even or ahead on the ponies. Plus I love to watch them. After living temporarily on two different horse farms I establish a relationship with horses. Never road one and those I wouldn't because they were high strung thoroughbreds. But just handling them they can be very social. And while people are down on horse raising because of the human element I'll tell you they love to run and know what they are on that track for. They would literally race each other in the fields.

@Gibbon Good for you on the horses. Sorry for my late reply. My dad had a interesting outlook on gambling. He said whether you go to the movies, a show or a concert your evening is going to cost you X amount of dollars. So he said figure out how much you plan to spend on your evening and take that with you to the casino. Play until it's done then leave.

@Musicman He was right about an evening out however especially correct about casino's. When going to Atlantic City my thought was how much am I willing to give them so I can play the machines for awhile. Because that's what it is. Now you sure to get some small wins every so many spins which just gives you more playing time. It's seldom you hit a high enough payout to say damn that really put me ahead and quit. And it doesn't take a jackpot for that kind of win.
Ponies. Here's the difference. If you decide the type of bet you want to place each race. Multiply that by 9, which is usually the number of races, and your betting budget is set for the night. Don't get cocky and change your plan. Depending on the type of betting you decide to do for me it's always cheaper than the casino. And its relaxing. There's 20 minutes between each race start. So there's time to pick the horses to fill your bets. I usually have them picked from a prepurchase program before I leave the house. And time to place your bets. And there's people watching lol.

@Gibbon Sounds like you really have a good time with the ponies. 🙂

@Musicman yes it's been a long time but that was favorite. When my mom was alive I would laugh because I would look at the paddock and come back and say don't bother I'll by your tickets. If there was a gray in the race she bet on 2? Yup both.
Funny quick one. My 1st wife and I were there and she bet on a horse named Boogie Dancer. It was a long full track race. As they all came around the last turn down the stretch she yelled load enough for everyone to hear Where's My Horse. 8 of 9 horses had crossed the finish line and here comes Boogie Dancer around the last turn. The whole crowd within hearing distance literally laughed there ass off.

@Gibbon One of my best friends younger brother trains horses. 🙂

@Musicman I have walked them on two horse breader farms i temporarily lived. They can be surprisingly smart and social. They like cats and dogs each have their own temperament and disposition. I walked named Lucky Discovery who was Giant. She was a professional race horse who had to be retired because she pulled up a front leg finishing 2nd at Laurel Race course. My shoulders matched her height so her head towered over me. She was the boss of the field. Whenever I walked her from to barn to the field or vice versa i'd be on her left and she'd turn her slightly toward me with that monster eyeball looking at just nudge me with her shoulder with every step. We became friends over time. The best feeling I ever had was 3 years after I moved from the farm I happened to be in the area and drove by. I saw her way out in the field so I stopped in the driveway went to the fence and called Lucky. She picked her head up from grazing looked for a bit and came running. When she got to the fence she turned her tail towards me like she was pissed. I pulled up some fresh grass said her name and she turned around and ate all I pulled for her. I probably spent a half hour with her. That was the last time I saw her. She was showing her age too.

@Gibbon I am so sorry for your loss. They become family.

@Musicman I don't know when she passed but she got her name from a tragic birth. Ron the farm owner told he and his pulled down the long driveway in the snow and for away in a back field the saw red. Ron got back there asap and the mother had died giving birth and the colt was laying in the snow cord still attached. He wrapped up the colt and slept with it strawed in in the barn for three nights. That's why she was called Lucky Discovery. As far as I know she was bred twice in her life she had one colt while I was there he sold named Star baby because it had a near perfect shaped Star on the bridge of it's nose between her eyes.

@Gibbon Oh wow! That is an interesting story.