Early March 2025 BLOG
Since my last BLOG ended on February the 20th, after I’d got home from this years Florida trip, it’s been back to reality .
Lots of snow and winter weather to deal with as well as attending medical appointments, and official ‘paperwork’ things that always need to be sorted at this time of year.
I did get some racing in on Saturday March the 1st , when I took a drive over to Clarence Creek for the Lions Club annual winter races. They should of taken place two weeks earlier when I was in Florida but were postponed because of too much snow.
When I’ve attended this event in the past , I normally only stay for a short time.
I just stay long enough to get a few pictures before heading back to the warmth of my home .
The Following week , on Saturday March the 8th , I was heading south again for something I always look forward to.
It was time for the annual Motor Sports Expo in Syracuse New York, a show I’ve been attending for over 20 years. Back in the day it used to be organized by the now ‘defunct’ Gator Racing News, but has since been taken over by Jeremy Corcoran.
I picked up my buddy Don Simpson , on route and we drove down in my Impala.
As usual the show was taking place at the New York State Fairgounds, and we arrived there about 11-30 am. The show draws race fans from all disciplines of racing , and there was plenty to see .
It’s always a breath of fresh air , attending this event after the long winter break. It’s a chance to meet up with friends and discuss the coming season.
Here’s me with some of my photographer buddies, Left to Right Mark Ranalletta, Alex Bruce, Ken Dippel John Meloling , Me , and Nick Meka (Photo credit Scott Hixon) .
Don and I stayed at the show for a couple of hours before making our exit.
It was a nice day for driving , there were no delays , and I was back home in Cornwall by supper time.
Unfortunately this happened to be an occasion where ‘my’ Ottawa Senators were playing an afternoon game , so I wasn’t back in time to watch them beat the New York Rangers on TV.
After a dismal string of losses while I was in Florida, they’ve turned themselves around, started winning games and are back to chasing a play off spot.
On Monday the 10th, they were at home in Ottawa, playing against play off chasing rivals , the Detroit Red Wings.
‘Monday Night Hockey’ is not covered by my TV subscription , so I decided to go to the game. I had other stuff to do in Ottawa so made a day of it.
I hadn’t got a ticket so got there before the box office opened, and was in line to grab a cheap ‘nose bleed’ section seat.
I was one of the first in the arena, and had plenty of time to kill before puck drop. It turned out to be the most exciting Sens game I’ve been to. It was a real nail biter , right down to the final whistle, where goal tender Linus Ulmark made some tremendous saves , to give the Sens a 2-1 win.
The next night (Tuesday 11th) the Sens were in Philly, where they got a 5-2 win over the Flyers.
On the 12th of March, as the weather warmed up and most of the snow melted, I decided it was time to get the Thunderbird out of hibernation.
I treated the old girl to a new battery and off we went for a coffee.
On Thursday the 13th, the Sens had another home game in Ottawa where they trounced the Boston Bruins 6-3. With the weekend approaching the Battle of Ontario takes place on Saturday , where they play the Leafs in Toronto.
Also this weekend, the Short Track Super Series makes it’s regular early season visit to the Port Royal Speedway in Pennsylvania . I attended this show last year but have decided to give it a miss this time round. I said I would try to cut down a bit this year, and this is one that I chose to miss.