The curmudgeon in me thinks that skinny jeans are a crime to manhood.  My body isn't exactly cut out for skinny anything but even worse they look nerdish.  Skinny Jeans are nowhere as cool as the bell bottoms I wore back in the day and bell bottoms were much more practical.  Much easier to get your foot through especially if you were changing and didn't take off you shoes.
Lisa said it best when she said we used to make fun of Peewee Herman now kids dress like him to go to prom.
Most places stock what kids are wearing but please stock some regular stuff for us older people who care more about comfort than style.

Yesterday we decided to go somewhere close and take hike/walk/whatever you want to call it.  After discussing a few options we went to Alto Pass and went down the Quentil trail.  There were quite a few people on the early portion of the trail.  One group appeared t be a family's and there was another guy sitting on a bench with a bunch of rocks.  I said something to the guy with the rocks and he talked for a while about them and what they were before I said we better get going, I think we'd still be there if I hadn't.
Not a lot new to mention about the trail but I did see my first flower of the year, a jonquil.  There were still some shrine like things along the trail.  On the way back the first group we had encountered was doing some climbing on the bluff, not something that's ever interested me.

We stopped at Havesham for a quick beer and to decided where to eat.  We ended up going to Middies and got there when it wasn't very crowded.  I ordered the prime rib sandwich special with beans and slaw.  Lisa got an enchilada plate that she'd been craving.
I'm generally not a big prime rib guy but this was very good and of course the beans are some of my favorites.  The slaw was also good as always.  Lisa said her enchilada was good and she learned to eat one and save the other instead of eating half of each one and having two halves left over.
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It rained on Wednesday so yesterday we decided to check out the waterfall again at Ferne Cliff.  This time we knew a little of what we were doing so we parked in the right parking log and went down the big rocky hollow trail that we finished up on previously.  It's a nice easy trail that is rocked the whole way.  The creek seemed to be running a little more but not as much as I expected.  There were several people taking advantage of nice February day, it was nice enough we wore shorts.  When we got to the falls it was running over a little more but not as much as I expected.  On the way back we saw another small waterfall that wasn't running the last time we were there.

We got done with the first trail and decided to check out Hawk's cave trail.  This trail is a loop and we decided to go right mainly because it went up and I wanted to finish going down.  We went up a rock paved trail that had several steps that were kept in place with railroad ties.  It took awhile but we finally reached the cave.  There was a smaller cave but we went a little further and there was a big cave that had several large rocks or boulders in it.  So far so good but after we left the cave the trail got a little tough and you had to go  from rock to rock to get to the rest of the trail, luckily the rocks weren't slick.  After that we got back to the rocked path that finished by going up and down.  In retrospect going left at the start was probably easier.

When we got that we both had some left in us so we went down the Rebman trail.  It's a nice flat trail with a rock creek to one side.  When we got to the end we were surprised, there was another really nice waterfall.  It wasn't as high as the other but you could see it coming down the side of the hill until it reached the drop off.  Once we left there we went on the opposite side of the creek and started down what looked like a trail.  I think it was for people who want to climb the cliff.  We got to where there trail went back across the creek and headed back.  That was enough for me in one day but as we say "it was a great day tater".

  Lisa suggested Turners Table for breakfast on Monday and I'm not one to turn down going out for breakfast so off we went.
I got two eggs over easy, sausage, hash browns and a biscuit.  Lisa got two eggs sunny side up, bacon, biscuit and a side of gravy.  Her order came with hash browns but she said she didn't want any.  For some reason the hash browns sounded good so I told her to go ahead and get that too.
The sausage was a premade patty and was slightly overcooked but Lisa's bacon looked great and she said it was real good.  Both eggs were cooked correctly and were good. We both used Lisa's gravy on our biscuits and it was also solid.  The star of the show was the hash browns, Lisa even ate some of hers after she didn't want any.  
We both agreed it was one of the better breakfasts we've had in a restaurant lately.
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After we left there we went to the beer store and then home where we changed into our hiking shoes.  We decided on Giant City nature trail but on the way over I said let's go to Ferne Cliff instead.  I hadn't really looked at how to get there but thought it was close to Lick Creek so we went down through AJ and took the round about way to get there.  Not a bad choice on a great February day.
We finally got there and I wanted to see the waterfall so we found the waterfall trail and parked in the camping area.  The trail was down hill and had some mud places, roots, logs, etc on the trail.  There were periodic signs showing which way to go but at some point we got off the trail.  I think we went down lower when we should have went higher but I'm not sure.  Not a big deal because we'd seen a rocked trail on the other side of a creek.  The creek wasn't very deep so we just crossed over and got on the other trail which took us right to the waterfall. 
The waterfall was coming over some and was awesome to see.  I'd like to go back after a big rain and check it out.  We spent a little time there and decided to take the trail back instead of trying to find our original trail.  It was a nice trail and there were quite a few people out and about.  It took us back to a different parking lot where there were several other trails branching out.
We took off on the heel toe express and started back to where we hoped our parking lot was.  Little did we know our parking lot was quite a bit away and that the road was a steep incline.  A little ways up and the heel toe express became the heel toe and rest slowpoke. 
Later I check and the map said it was 1.7 miles but I say bullshit,  It was closer to 2.5 miles or more.  Needless to say we'd both had all we wanted and headed home.

Yesterday started off very sad when Herbster and Clutch informed us that they didn't think they would be able to play anymore because of their work schedule.  We've been together since me and Lisa started playing 10 years ago.
Have no fear though the legendary bocce team Roll'em If Ya Got'em will continue. The time of Herb and Lissa leaving couldn't have been better, Lisa's brother Mike and his girlfriend, Debbie, are moving to Murphysboro and will be joining the team.  It most likely will be a rebuilding year since Mike has only played a couple times and Debbie has never played. 
Mike will also be joining the Grumpy Shillelaghs along with Fred, Lisa and me. 

I've been dreading Herb and Lissa leaving for a few years, it seemed inevitable with their jobs.  We've had a great run and you will be missed.

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Southern Illinois, sunny and mid 60's.  Lisa got caught up visiting a friend in the hospital and our plans to go on a hike got put on hold so we decided to take a little ride to Sparta and eat at long time favorite Broadway Bayou.
I had a pretty good idea what I was going to get and after some discussions Lisa decided on bourbon street shrimp.  As usual we planned on sharing so for sides she went with two salads so that I could have one.  The salads were a spring mix that I'm not wild about but Lisa likes.  I think this is a change from what they used to have when it was a more normal iceberg salad.  The house dressing was okay but nothing to inspiring but the croutons were great.
The entrees got there soon after the salads.  Maybe because we hadn't had any later but we both the etouffee was great, probably the best we've had there.  The bourbon shrimp was also really good but one salad and another side would have been better sides.
Overall a really good experience.
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Thursday we went to Turners Table at the Crab Orchard Golf Course.  It appears that more and more golf courses are farming their restaurant operation out.  Rumor has it that Hickory Ridge is thinking about going that way too.
Their special was all ayce fried chicken and Lisa went with that along with mashed potatoes and a salad.  The salad is actually a small salad bar so you can build you own.  I debated between pork steak special and chicken fried steak before settling on the latter.  I got mashed potatoes and carrots as my side.
The salad bar is a nice option as a side and looked pretty good.  I'd kind of had a hankering for chicken fried steak and it really hit the spot.  The carrots were most likely out of a can but they were cooked and seasoned nicely and really good.  Lisa's fried chicken was on the dry side and tasted liked it had been fried and held in a warmer.  Fresh it might have been pretty good but this was just okay.  The mashed potatoes and white gravy had a good flavor but were lukewarm at best.
Overall somewhat disappointing but good enough we'll most likely try it again..
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Monday was a relatively nice day so we decided on a hike instead of me playing golf.  There was still some ice and snow in some areas so I decided on Turkey Bayou.  I guess officially it is Oakwood Bottoms but I've always heard Turkey Bayou.
The first part of the trail is around a lake with a side trip over a bridge onto an island in the lake.  The trail was supposed to be rock but had some moss or grass growing on it.  It was a lot easier to see into the woods but only saw a raccoon and birds.  We thought the trail was done but we saw a bridge going over a swamp like area so we decided to check it out.  When we got on it it was obvious it was a boardwalk and was part of the trail.  This was the best part of the trail for me.
Overall it was a nice trail to start off the year and the weather was great for February.
We talked about several options including hitting the Quentil trail again so Lisa mentioned having a beer at the Duck Inn.  I was talking to a guy from Chicago and another guy and Lisa was talking to the bartender so one turned into two before we left.
From there we decided to go to the Revlon for a burger.  Both guys said the Revlons burger was better than the Duck Inn.  We both ordered a burger and beer and started talking to a guy at the end of the bar.  Come to find out he was originally from Murphysboro and lived around the corner from where Lisa grew up.  He was also related to the person we bought our house from and knew a lot of the same people we did.
The burger was nice and big, way too big for Lisa.  Lisa like the burger better than Duck Inn but she'd only got a slider there.  I liked the Duck Inn burger better but it was still a very good burger.
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Yesterday we made a long overdue visit to Cutting Edge in Murphysboro.  Lisa had been wanting to try their crawdad chowder special and yesterday was the day.  We went there not knowing what to expect.  We knew it would be a small place and were surprised to find out you could eat there.  I've always liked the inside of the building and it's fixed up nicely.
We both pretty well knew what we wanted so after a quick look at the menu and a few questions we were ready to order.
I went with the italian club with no tomatoes or olives and sweet potato fries.  Lisa ordered the chowder but found out she could get the chowder and a sandwich for a slight upcharge so she went with chowder and a cutting edge club.
As we waited we had a nice conversation with a guy who was eating close to the cash register and knew a lot about the place they're intending to move to.  As anyone around here knows the old pet & hardware store is in bad shape and is going to cost a lot to get up to code.  If it happens it will give them a lot more room and a nice view looking out on Walnut.
My italian club was okay but seemed lacking, maybe it was the loss of the tomatoes and olives.  I don't like olives and not a fan of tomatoes on sandwiches.  The sweet potato fries were real good and Lisa said her cutting edge club was good.  The star of the meal was the crawdad chowder.  I've never liked chowder and it's been years/decades since I've had any.  I wanted to give this a taste but once I took a taste I couldn't stop eating it.  Good thing Lisa got the large upgrade.
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