I just met a horse named Eragon.

We had a lovely autumn evening in Chattanooga tonight. The hubs and I had our usual weekly get together with our friend Bruce. We enjoyed a meal at Genghis Grill and then wandered around downtown while the boys walked off the Mongorita buzz that they had acquired, with the keys in my sober pocket. There were lots of very tall muscular college kids milling about, as the Head of the Hooch Rowing Meet will be held tomorrow. (We're hosting the Chattahoochie River races on our own Tennessee River for some reason.) It reminded me of the one time I did the Head of the Hooch, on the actual Hooch. I shook my head and wondered where the time has gone... most of the rowers I saw here were just being born during my brief tenure as a coxswain for the UTChattanooga team.

We wandered around to look at the new movie theater that just opened. It's a new style of theater, with recliners, gourmet snacks, and adult beverages. We didn't go in, but we watched the crowd for a moment. Some costumed characters wandered about, entertaining those queueing up for tickets. Batman, Catwoman, and Lora Croft were there, and the Grinch snuck up on me and gave me a high five after I squealed in surprise. Then we strolled over to the aquarium, where the carriages waited for passengers. The hubs and I had not taken a carriage ride in a while. They aren't cheap, but after you pay for the first two passengers, additionals are only five more bucks, so the three of us took a ride with a very nice driver, his dalmation Ivan, and a draft horse named Eragon. He was pretty big but nowhere has big as his dragon namesake. He was a gentle, laid back horse, and after the ride was over he let me stroke his nose for just a moment. Just standing next to him calmed me down after a hectic day at work. I never know how a day is going to end, but in this case it was a great ending. It was cool but not too cold, and the air had a great energy to it, fed by all the young people there, anxious and excited for their races to begin. Here's hoping that everyone has a safe race and that nobody catches any crabs! (And if you've ever rowed, you know what I'm talking about.)