Screaming kids are running between our horses while dribbling peeping, bleeping yo-yos. Some are throwing Snap and Pops at each other, small firecrackers that go off when thrown against a hard surface. Some don't snap on impact but pop when stepped on by unwary pedestrians and policemen. After the parade, we end the day at the carnival horse races. The racecourse overlooks a glittering lagoon and a garbage dump.
Snowy egrets stalk the infield and the dump.
As tailgate parties rage, thoroughbreds crash from the starting gates. The announcer calls the races from his battered tower. Between races, he fills the festive tropical air with local horse racing trivia. Twice he breaks into his own routine to warmly announce that a particular car is being broken into in the parking lot. As the sun traces its arc to the sea, we while away the hours on the creaky grandstand cheering home losing bets.