Start your engines and head to NASCAR, Feb. 18, 2012

I slept like a log. The couch cuddled me all night and I had a little dog up on the back all curled up. Molly kept watch over me and whenever I moved she was at the alert position.

The little moptop guard dog, Molly.

This morning I got to see where we are, on the Halifax River that is part of the Intercoastal Waterway. Susie is my spotter. She found me a bird sitting near the water so I grabbed my camera. Nah, need a longer lens, and off I went to get the 300. It appeared to be a blue heron, and absolutely beautiful.

A blue heron just across the street from where we're staying.

He was quite intent on watching the fish in the river, but he never went after one while I was watching. Bad timing on my part.

This bird had eyes only for the fish in the river.  I was of no consequence as I kept creeping
closer and closer to take pictures of him.

Jeff enjoying a cup coffee.

Inside Joe was making biscuits and gravy. It's not my favorite food, but I had a little on a biscuit. It was actually quite yummy and a tradition while everyone is down here for NASCAR.

Our NASCAR chef Joe.

The Daytona 500 practice runs are on the TV. My friends are working to teach me some terminology before we go to the track tonight. Joe bought me my first Daytona NASCAR T-shirt so I'll fit in.

Time to go do something. We drove down to the beach and drove along it for several miles. We needed to walk on it, and experience it first-hand. There were birds everywhere, mostly gulls, but pelicans. We got our feet wet, and I realized that just a few days ago I was on the Pacific Ocean, and now I was at the Atlantic.

Sue and Jeff at the beach.

Joe and Verlie



Elaine, Verlie, Susie and me getting our toes wet and in the sand on the Atlantic.

There was a guy on the beach with a parachute thing, and what looked like the fan of an airboat, so I went up and asked him what he was doing. He's a powered paraglider. No mountains nearby so he doesn't do the gliding thing; he has a power source. So we watched him take off, and it looked like fun as he powered off down the beach.

Suiting up, with his little motor and propeller like an airboat on his back.

Taking off into the wild blue yonder.

We then stopped by the Ponce Inlet lighthouse, which is beautiful. We just went in the gift shop and intend to come back to climb it later this week. There are 203 steps to the top. More about this later when we climb it, or maybe it will be just me.

The lighthouse and me.

We needed sustenance, so off we went to a little restaurant just down the street from the lighthouse. There were pelicans all over so, of course, I was busy doing the photo thing. There was also a little squirrel who was quite persistent about getting handouts from folks.

The pelican eye.

Multiple pelicans.  They are so fun to watch.



Lots of pelicans and fun to watch.

Then it was time to come home and change and head to the racetrack, the Daytona International Speedway. We drove in, parked and walked across the parking lot to the entrance, and there was a feeling of excitement and anticipation that took me over. This was the first time to the speedway for me, and I wasn't expecting to be all that enthused. I'd made this trip to go to Universal Studios and do a race because I was here. The second I heard the cars going around the track inside doing practice runs, I was filled with excitement. I wanted in so I could go see what this race thing was all about.

Sue, Verlie, Joe and me at the entrance to the track.

The track is 2-1/2 miles tri-oval track with 36 degree banking in the corners. 

Inside we found seats and started watching. The race going on was not the main event, but was exciting … the noise, the smells of rubber and exhaust. Who would have thought this would be fun? But it was.

The first cars I saw as I stood next to the track.  I could feel the wind as the cars went screaming by.

Looking over the track.

Coming round the end of the track during the first race.

The main event was the Budweiser Shoot Out, which is a race for the top drivers, but is not a points race. It's one winner take all, money and a trophy.

Verlie, me and Sue in our seats, looking all offical with headsets.

But before the Shoot Out there was an intermission with a concert by Little Big Town, which was great. And best of all, the Budweiser Clydesdales were there. They came around the track, with the wagon, the wagon drivers and the dog, Brewer. What a sight they were, with one at the front just a prancing and dancing.

The Clydesdales of Budwieser.

The Shoot Out is not your ordinary, typical race, and this one had some of everything. It's a 75-lap race, divided into 25 and 50 lap segments. There were high speeds of nearly 200 mph, bump drafting which is bumper-to-bumper drafting and they're actually touching each other, sometimes there's a train of five or seven cars running single file, double file or even three wide, smoke, sparks, dents, wrecks and a photofinish by a bumper. Wow! For my first time at the races, it was incredibly exciting.

The cars in the Bud Shoot Out coming round the turn.

Sparks flying (lifted from the replay).

It takes only seconds to change tires or gas these cars.

The big wreck of the evening was Jeff Gordon, Number 24, in the final laps.  (This was a 75-lap race.)  We saw it all, but this photo was lifted from the replay.  Luckily there were no injuries although there didn't appear to be much left of this vehicle.

According to my panel of NASCAR experts that I have on staff, they think the car that won may have started in the wrong place in the pack. That would be Kyle Busch, Number 18, the M&M car. He was in the right place at the wrong time for three wrecks, and came through basically unscathed and won the race by a bumper. The guy is a helluva a driver, and whether you like him or not, you have to give him credit. He has not only skill but the luck of the Irish and every other kind of luck. And also according to my panel, I should only type one thing about NASCAR, “F _ _ _ _ _ G AWESOME!!!