We weren't delivered to the hotel until about 7:45 pm, but there was a Chili's (I know, it's a chain, but that's all there is around here and it's the best of the bunch in my opinion) close enough to walk over there, eat a mountain of fajitas, and still get back in time to watch the elimination on America's Next Top Model. Alas, poor Lluvy. I loved your unusual, Shelly Duvallish beauty and I hoped you would do a lot better. Alas, your photos uniformly sucked and they were probably right to cut you.
Okay, so, the car show. It's hu-u-uge! I thought it would fill the speedway, which would be big enough, but it takes up a big parking area outside too. The art cars are right in the middle of things. It's UMJ, the Aerocar, Miss Vicki, the Buckit Truck, Heaven and Hell car, Plaidmobile, the Button King, and the Stink Bug. I only got to talk to Dave (Aerocar), Chris (Heaven and Hell car), Danny (Buckit Truck) and Dean (Miss Vicki). The others had already set up and gone by the time I got there. We're set up inside a building with a few really choice classic cars, and each car is roped off. Because we're special! Our "handler" I guess you would call her, a student intern named Carly, says we're here because Mr. Wheeler, the president of the Speedway, likes art cars. Three cheers for Mr. Wheeler! Clearly he has good taste.
Setting up UMJ took about ten minutes: just a quick once-over with Windex, set up the bubble machine, and done! My only mishap was overfilling the bubble machine so much that the bubble juice leaked out of the machine, ran down the edge of the windshield, and dripped onto the ground under the hood. Where I thought it was an oil leak and freaked out. Chris reassured me that oil wouldn't be clear like that, and while we were cleaning it up we realized that it was soap and figured out what had happened. Whew!
The electrical outlets are in the ceiling so I can't start it up until tomorrow, when someone with a ladder will reportedly come by and plug me in. I hope the night security guard gets to see the bubble machine in action. I had a nice chat with her this evening while I was waiting for someone to ferry me back here. I had set up my camp chair next to the car and was reading a book (Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey) when she came by and started chatting with me. She seemed to really dig the car and asked me a lot of questions about it. She told me that she works from 6 pm to 6 am! What a schedule! She said her husband works as a guard in the local prison, so the night shift actually works out well for her.
Most of the cars weren't there yet when we left today, and Carly says that tomorrow is when most vendors and clubs come and set up. She said that Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the big days. Which is good because the weather is supposed to suck tomorrow. Heavy rain all day. Carly is going to pick me up here at 10 am, and I may ask her to bring me back to the hotel early tomorrow too. If I have to spend all day there tending the bubble machine, I'd rather it be on days when lots of people are there to enjoy it.
On my way out the door to dinner I ran into Chris, who suggested we all go out to eat together. I confess, I made up an excuse to beg off. I just wanted to be quiet and read my book while I ate. I'm not an anti-social person (well actually, I kind of am) but we're all going to be hanging around the speedway together for days. So I wanted some alone time tonight. While walking I saw a bird's nest in a tree outside the hotel! It was really nice to find a little encroachment of nature in the middle of this vast display of bland institutional landscaping.
Now I'm chilling in the hotel room. Which is nice, a bit small but it has a couch, a desk, decent cable and free wireless. What more do I need? I think I'll post my photos now, and then maybe get some work done. Or maybe just read my book.
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I forgot to mention that also in our building is the Monster Garage crew. They have a little workshop set up where they will be doing something or another during the car show. One of the Monster Truck guys came by on a little go-cart (everyone who's anyone has one of these to get around, the show is that big) and talked to Dave about the Aerocar. It's kind of cool to have TV people in the pavilion with us, but I fear they will be noisy.
Excellent! And good for you to have your quiet time. Travel is stressful. People are stressful. Showing off one's stuff is stressful. So of course it makes sense to make sure to have alone time, so think I.