No, this is not a reference to my father, not directly, that is. Nor is it a reference to our last name, although that does sound like a bit of fun, playing with our name. It IS about the fact that less than an hour ago my father and I were sitting in a bar in Nantes CALLED Le Petit Jockey. You see, it’s a place where one can place bets on horse races and my father has a couple of races in the U.S. on which he wants to bet. Indeed, it’s Breeder’s Cup Day in the U.S. so the races are significant ones. I won’t bore you with more of those details – go look it up yourself. I will say that if Atta Boy Roy wins the Sprint or Blame wins the classic my dad will be a happy guy.

It took a bit of effort to place his bets and we fumbled and bumbled our way though it. Fortunately, everyone inside Le Petit Jockey was extremely helpful and tolerant. Ultimately, the man we think is the proprietor introduced us to a patron who speaks some English. He was very kind and helpful. We brought an Emerald Downs t-shirt to give away and gave it to the man who took my dad’s bets. We bought and drank a couple of beers while reviewing the program for tomorrow’s races in Nantes (see photo) that we will be attending (with my mom, Melinda, and Frédérique & Laurent!). I think we became a conversation piece in the bar, so much so that as we were getting ready to go we were presented with 2 free passes to tomorrow’s races! That already puts us 10€ ahead since admission is 5€ each! Score!

Speaking of scoring, next up my folks, Chloe and I are off to tonight’s hockey game. That’s living!!