soapbox

Post-Derby-Party, John, Andy and I were in the proper mood to go see Mission: Impossible 3 at the Nugget, so we did. (Well, John and I did; Andy was going to meet us at the theater, but we never did see him again after the party… Hope he managed to slip in the back and enjoy the show for himself, even if we missed him…)

Anyways, it was a blast (on more than a few occasions) watching the latest Tom Cruise project last night, even if it was totally silly popcorn action movie fare. It’s not a serious film, folks, but what it aims to do, it does very well. If you enjoyed the previous two Mission: Impossible movies, you’ll like this one. If you liked stuff like last year’s The Island, you’ll also enjoy this flick.

Plus, with supporting roles by that guy from Shaun of the Dead and the alluring Maggie Q, not to mention Ving Rhames reprising his role as Luther Strickell, what excuse do you have not to enjoy yourself?

Well, as most folks know, yesterday’s most auspicious event was the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby, a race won decisively by Barbaro in what was widely believed to be a very competitive field.

Of course, the Derby is all about the pageantry and the party, as Nick would be happy to tell anyone, so it is in that spirit that I present a few select shots from the Derby party some of us enjoyed yesterday afternoon, in spite of slightly uncooperative weather. (Folks wanting copies of all the photos I took are welcome to borrow my flash drive with a ZIP file on it containing all the photos to permit easy transfer to your machine.) Thanks again to Michael and especially Miss K for playing the role of hosts so superbly!

A merry band of revelers, corraled momentarily for a group photo. (Thanks to John for reminding me at the last second to take my big hat off so as not to block Michael out of the shot!)

What’s a Derby party without mint juleps?

A party about a horse race + grilling = sounds like Texas to me!

A madcap early morning carpool misadventure northward with Winton, Becky, Jeremy, and Anya found us leaving my housing Lyme at 7:10 AM, bound for Sugar Hill, NH (just outside of Franconia), to partake of some hearty breakfast at the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor.

The food was great, albeit a shade higher in price than would merit that long of a trip for no reason other than breakfast. I would however, highly recommend stopping by if you’re up that way and in the mood for some good eats while they’re open. Whole wheat pancakes with real blueberries and locally-produced maple syrup = a most excellent way to start your weekend morning.

At least the company was good, so a few hours of driving and eating together affording us the chance to share in some good long conversations. To paraphrase Winton’s comment: it was a most excellent adventure, in spite of the rather anti-climactic meal.