Summer of 19 - #5 - Dale Earnhardt Inc, Magnolia Trees

Thursday August 15th, 2019
Dale Earnhardt Inc. was where we headed today.  It has limited days and hours that it is open, so check before you go.

The first thing we saw was a Magnolia tree that had flowers open on it.  We both looked at each other and got instantly transported back in time to a service area on the I-10, that we had stopped at with Bryans Mom & Dad on our way to Pensacola.  There was one of these trees there.  I stopped in awe and said, "What is that??"  Pops (my nickname for him), replied instantly with the wicked look that he often gave me when he teased me, and a sparkle in his eye, and said, "That's a tree!!"  We will never forget that moment, everyone was laughing so hard.  It took me a minute before I could ask him what type of tree and I discovered the Magnolia tree.  We have driven that route many, many times since then and always comment as we drive past.
There were a row of Magnolia trees here and only the first and last one were in bloom.  The rest still had buds.

You might notice that we are mirrored in the windows behind the tree.  Mirrors and mirrored windows play a very large part of the building, inside and out!!

We entered the foyer of the building to this.  It felt as though Dale Earnhardt had come alive. 

As you looked above, the trophies that Dale had won at Bristol Motor Speedway stood on a ledge above you.  These trophies are over 4 feet tall and he won 9 of them.  His first Winston Cup win was at Bristol on April 1st, 1979.

Here's a side view of the lobby.  The mirrors reflecting the light through the windows.  The first impression took my breath away and also took some getting used to as you walked through.

He was obviously an outdoor person, sharing hobbies with Richard Childress.  

I loved this photo, that shows his love of horses.

He was a 7 timeWinston Cup Champion.

1994

melted rubber hanging from the sleeve

A couple of the other suits he wore during races.

Loved this metal chair.

DEI cars on display

Cars shown in picture below

Cars shown in picture below

As we left we took another picture looking at the magnolia tree.  See our reflections in the mirrored window of the building.

Was a lovely couple of hours out.  On the way home we stopped to buy a new fan for the "house" as one of ours has stopped working, and with temperatures in the 90's we need it to help out the air conditioning.

The satellite dish has been cooperating and we got the signal without any problems today.  Keep your fingers crossed.  

Tomorrow we have booked a tour of Charlotte Motor Speedway.  See you then.