Sunday, January 23, 2011

Pamela Louderback, Day 90

Most of the morning was spent at the library and the office researching journal articles.  I still need to get to the Linen Hall Library and the Public Library to see what they might have that Queens' doesn't carry.  I also had an invite to the Drumbo Park Greyhound Stadium http://www.drumbopark.com/ for dog races.  Having never been to a dog race, I wasn't sure what to expect -- but what a treat!  Eileen invited me, Don Bogen and his wife Cathryn to join her, her son Charles, and several other guests from Queens (Jim and Colette) Eileen's work (Martina, Jane) Stephanie - niece of Jim's, Dorothy - Eileen's sister, (and another young lady). 

Prior to the evening at the races, I did some grocery shopping and stopped in to Don and Cathryn's to invite them to the dog races and was graciously met with conversation, tea and a new treat unfamiliar to me made of a cracker-like substance and fig-like filling.  I also finished putting together questions for my upcoming Friday interviews with the Bunscoil principals.

The evening began with a brisk walk to Eileen's accompanied by Don and Cathryn.  Once there, we piled into Eileen's car and made a quick stop to pick up Eileen's sister Dorothy.  The rest of the trip to to the racetrack took about 10 minutes time.  There was quite a bit of excitement in our group as none of us had ever attended a dog race.  Our seats were prime real estate -- up high and against the window.  There were ten races in all that took place at Drumbo, and there were also t.v.'s that displayed races from Drumbo as well as as Shelbourne Park, Dublin.  Bets were £2 minimum at Drumbo, and £3 minimum at Shelbourne.  Having never done this prior, and having no idea how it all worked, I played it safe and made only three bets of £2 based on tips I'd received from Jim (who moonlights as a bookie when not engaged in academic endeavors).  Two of the three dogs placed, so I ended up with a £4 lead by the end of the night.

Dinner was included in the entry fee - it was a special evening deal to entice people to come to Drumbo in hopes that one would return again (called "Terrific Thursday deal").  The dinner was spectacular with appetizers (I chose lamb, chicken skewers, and a vegetable patty of some sort).  For dinner, I chose lamb again (locally grown from Armagh) with assorted vegetables and potatos.  The lamb was some of the best I've ever tasted and just melted in the mouth.  Although I had no room left for it, I went for dessert - brownie crumble and stuffed down a couple of bites.   It was truly a great night out with wonderful friends and spectacular foods.  And I saw some really beautiful dogs that I wouldn't mind adopting!

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