We visited a whole different world yesterday and to my surprise I liked it there. Liz took me to a Professional Bull Riding event at Turning Stone Casino up in Verona. I did not really want to go, as I am no big fan of bull riding, (I hate to see guys get hurt).
However, I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun. We got autographs from the riders, sat behind a woman who bred one of the bucking bulls, (who answered any questions we had about the bulls, contractors and contestants) and drank bad coffee in one of the cafes while we watched the people walk by. Cameras were permitted so I took tons of pictures, but the bulls were a lot faster than my shutter so most of them are just colorful blurs. Sometimes you can pick out a pair of horns or a cowboy hat though.
The contestants were amazingly well-mannered and pleasant guys, taking time to chat with each person in the autograph line and being incredibly courtly, (even the ones who were bleeding all over the table from the scrapes and cuts they got in the arena.) I might add that Guilherme Marchi is about as handsome as they make them, right along with having very charming manners.
I expected the casino to be embarrassingly glitzy and garish, but except right in the gambling areas it was hushed and elegant and very welcoming. We figure that farming is all the gamble a sensible soul needs so we didn’t even play a slot machine, but we liked the place and were impressed by the security.
Obviously with all that money changing hands a lot of guards and police are needed but they were unobtrusive, professional and actually quite nice. There was certainly no danger of getting lost in the gigantic place, as there was always someone around to ask how to get where you needed to go.
Liz drove, both ways, bought the bad coffee and fed me McDonald’s on the way home, as well as paying for my ticket for a seat in the second row, right in front of the chutes.
Thanks, kiddo, it was great! Let's do it again next year...and have Alan show me how to speed up the camera.
About Me
- threecollie
- Embracing agricultural diversity, one species at a time. All rights reserved
Talk about coincidence, I too was at the TS casino on the seventh. My friend Linda and I went to a very posh wedding (her grandson was ring bearer) and saw how the other half lives. I'm here to tell you I wouldn't change life styles for anything...give me manure and meadows and mourning doves! There was equally as much bull at our event as at yours only yours was legitemate! Aunt Sandy
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I learned so much from my kids, and I, too, have had the experience of being pleasantly surprised when I thought I was participating just for the kid's sake! I didn't even know that there were things like that at the casinos, for I've never been to one.
ReplyDeleteAunt Sandy, I can't believe you were there at the same time we were. How did we not run into you!!???!! lol We had a terrific amount of fun, but then Liz is a huge bull riding fan and her enthusiasm at seeing the big guys was catching.
ReplyDeleteNumberwise, it was my first time, and I wouldn't go back to gamble as I have no interest in that...but a rodeo like that, yeah, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Amazing even to me.