The weather is starting to get just right for nice drives with the top down on the S2000. Last night, Wifey and I headed up to Columbus NC and had a great dinner at a small restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine: Giardini Trattoria. Food was great, equally excellent service and overall we had a great time. Since the sun had not totally set by the time we finished dinner, we headed to the nearby Tryon International Equestrian Center, in Tryon NC.
This picture does not do justice to this installation. This is just a tiny fraction of what this equestrian wonderland is all about. After all, word has it that a certain NY magnate and a west coast software mogul have invested many resources in this installation. From what I understand there is a multi-star resort hotel in the works. Many years ago, Wifey participated in this type of competitions and it was nice to have the play-by-play from someone who knows what is going on. Suffice to say this was a $25,000 Grand Prix event. It was most impressive…
Admission was free, and there are plenty of places to eat on the premises. It also features a very kid-friendly environment. I’m not a huge equestrian fan, but wifey and I will be checking this place out soon (hopefully with a better SLR camera, and not just an iPhone). I am particularly interested in watching a dressage event. Definitely a very nice place to visit.
Midway through the event – similar to hockey – the grounds underwent grooming. No Zamboni here, instead several water trucks and John Deere’s making sure the sand was oh-just-so-perfect.
Weather this morning was also perfect so I headed out for a nice bicycle ride. I had to burn off the outstanding panna cotta I had for dessert the night before, so I logged a longer than usual ride. Along the way, I snapped the following picture:
I know, an abandoned farm-house, big deal right? I’ve written about this very place before – about 2.5 years ago – click here. It looked less grown up with vegetation then, but the hold house is still there…