The passing clouds yesterday dropped a few sprinkles that made the still-bumpy DC streets shimmer as the IndyCar racers went through their practice runs. The result this morning is bright pavement, seemingly washed clean beneath sunny skies, low humidity and nearly perfect conditions for the Big Race this afternoon.
There is an energy in the air that is palpable for those of us headed for the Metro to travel beneath the great brown Potomac and emerge downtown in the middle of the excitement.

As you can see, our Pastor is going to hold his weekly meeting over at the Chapel on Lee Highway at the usual 10:00 hour. He intends to get down to the riverbank at speed immediately afterward so he will not miss a thing.

There are a few other things he will want to remind you about.

Don’t attempt to use the bridges to get into town. The 1.7-mile track will close most of the usual thoroughfares, so practical access will be through the Metro system and its underground stations. Don’t try to take bags or coolers, either. City officials say only small, clear-sided bags will be permitted, and security is going to be tight as the President does a lap of the course in the armored Beast before swinging the flag to start a race that will thunder for 250 miles around the National Mall.

Pastor Frank will be leaving Holly here in Fairfax to finalize preparations on the two eight-quart Crock-Pots that will be doing the slow-cooked Autumn Olive spare ribs this afternoon.

You saw the ribs yesterday when she carried twelve pounds of pork up from the freezer in the garage. They thawed overnight and were ready this morning for a quick dry rub before being divided between the two pots and slathered with a dollop or two of ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, salt, mustard, garlic powder and black pepper.

The total assembly time is about ten minutes: fill the Crock-Pots, turn them to HIGH, and go watch an exciting motorsports race on a beautiful summer Sunday.

By the time we get home, Holly should have a succulent rib dinner waiting, accompanied by Memphis-style coleslaw, beans and baguettes she loaded into the Galley yesterday after Rocket and Deirdre did their disappearing act Saturday morning.

And we may just get a kielbasa-on-a-roll down at the race to tide us over until the ribs appear at Happy Hour tonight.

There are distinct recipes for everything that happened this weekend, from disappearances to victory on the streets of Washington, DC.

No time for all that now.

But we think you can trust us!

Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra

www.vicsocotra.com