With Clutch still on the DL and the Herbster staying home to tend to her every whim and fancy we reached out to Danny and Jean to sub for them.  Since they normally play together the Glue moved to the other end to throw with me.
In the first game we played Late Bloomers led by soon to be retired Tim.  We scored the first point and then a three pointer for a 4-0 lead.  The Bloomers scored in the next two frames to make it 4-2 and then in the next to make it 4-3 before we could answer.  We got a two pointer then they got a single point to make it 6-4.  The Glue then got a ball close with her second throw and the Bloomers couldn't get one close and we capitalized with three points and a 9-4 win.
In the second game we played Feeder of the Pack who were playing with out grumpy old man Everett.  The game was back and forth for a few frames with the score 4-4.  Jean and Danny got a couple then the Glue came through with another good throw to put pressure on the Feeders.  They couldn't get close and we again capitalized with a three point frame and a 9-4 victory in a game that was very similar to the first one.
There were a couple marathon games last night with one of them lasting 53 minutes.  In the last game #thankusforyourwin had Squachy Bocce down 8-4 with a point showing and the Squatches down to their last ball.  When Drew let go he said "nope" and the teams started shaking hands only to see the ball ricochet off a front ball and get the point.  At this point I thought that the # were in trouble and I was correct with Squachy winning.
On to Wisconsin tomorrow, hopefully the rain will hold.

We had a pretty laid back weekend with much of the time spent on our newly refurbished veranda.  We got some new wrought iron chairs and an umbrella to spruce things up, thanks Debbie for the umbrella idea.
On Friday we entertained Brinley and Greyson on the veranda while their parents went and had supper.  Bailey and Shad made a special trip to Middies to bring back some wings for us as payment for watching them which was very nice.
On Saturday after a mediocre round of golf we decided to go down to Bottoms Up for something to eat.  When we got there a jeep run was there but it wasn't overly crowded.  Gene from the Eclectics was there along with Erin and we had a great time talking with them.  Good to see these two happy.  Lisa had the chicken which is always good while I had the cod which was ok.  We went for a short ride to Devil's Backbone and then on back to sit on the veranda for a while.  Once again we had the grandtwins out there but this time they spent the night.  They're getting much better about sleeping the night.
Yesterday after a terrible round of golf we decided to go to Fat Bottom Betty's for a late lunch.  They had Blue Point Toasted Lager on draft which was a good start.  We decided to share a big muff sandwich just to say we'd had one.  We also got a pound of wings, half asian soy half sriracha honey.  The big muff was good but I think next time I'll get the giardiniera on the side.  They were out of bone in wings so they allowed us to sub the boneless wings instead and they were good but think I'd rather have the bone in ones.  We started to go on a ride after we were done but decided to head home instead and sit once more on the veranda.
Barring a last minute complication I'll be heading to Wisconsin on Friday for some golf at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run.  Really awesome courses.  I'd been playing pretty good but the two rounds over the weekend have me worried.  Hopefully it was just a blip and I'll get back to playing well up there.

With Clutch on the DL we got our friend Valya to sub.  She's back visiting from Saudi Arabia.  She has a little bit of experience having subbed last year but not much.
In the first game we played Squatchy Bocce who are playing in the summer without Big Ed and Tammy.  They jumped out to a 3-0 lead and the closest we got after that was 3-1 before they took advantage of another three pointer and we went down 9-3.
In the second game I decided to split the girls up and I'd throw with Valya.  We played Kiwanis on the new court which they'd played on already.  The game was back and forth for the first part but at the end they pulled away and won 9-4.
It was a tough night as we let a couple winnable games slip through our fingers, falling to 2-4 and on a four game winless streak.  Valya also started having some breathing problems plus the heat and humidity was getting to her so she took off right after the game. 
Roll'em needs to get back on a roll in a hurry.

It was a great fathers day as both our kids came over along with the grandtwins and our nephew and his family.  The glue fixed turkey and dressing on request from Shad, it was his first fathers day so he had priority.  She also had mashed potatoes, gravy and a dump cake.  I smoked a chub of bologna, mainly for our son who doesn't like turkey and dressing.   After we ate we got a surprise visit from our friend Valya who is home from teaching in Saudi Arabia.  She got to meet the grandtwins and our nephew Andrew who she hadn't seen in a long time.  She also got to see the Glue's sister Mona and nephew Aaron who stopped by for some smoked bologna.
The Glue got me an awesome insulated cup which Pop's Shop had customized with the Packer G on one side and MTHS Devil head on the other.  I also got an Packer ornament with the a picture of Brinley and Greyson in the middle to put on the the Packer tree and an album of pictures of them.
All in all it was a great day and the highlight was hearing my son talk technical terms.  Made an old computer nerd feel proud :-).  Actually the highlight was getting everyone together like old times.

Myself, the Glue, ex-super sub Fred and my cousin Robert played in the Elks Flag Day tournament yesterday.  It was stipulated that players would not be allowed to sit in the court during play which is a big departure from our normal way of playing.  With that being said our team name was "Sitting in the Court" which I found very humorous.
In the first game we played Big Muddy Monsters.  We jumped out to a four point lead with a pair of two pointers and then just lost it, losing 9-4 which moved us to the losers bracket.
In the next game we took on The Eclectics who are always a fun time to play.  Neither team brought their A game but we pulled away and advanced on.
The next game was against Be Bocce Lu La, a Herrin team.  We played a little better and the Lu La's had some close misses and we were able to defeat them and move on.
Our fourth game was against a team that Ian from Holly Ballz and Little Joe's Middle School assistant wrestling coach.  We heated up in this game and played pretty well and got another victory to keep moving on.
The next game was against Bocce O's, a MBC female all star team featuring Pam, Vannessa, Lisa and Tina.  Both teams were on and it was a hard fought game to the end with Sitting in the Court getting a 9-8 win and clinching a top three finish.
The next game was against the Outsiders who had lost in the battle of the undefeated in the winners bracket.  The game started out close but we stayed hot and pulled away to advance to the championship.
In our 7th game of the day we played Dat's a Winner with my old classmate Bob.  They were undefeated so we had to beat them twice.  They'd been sitting for quite a while waiting for all the losers bracket games to get played.  We stayed hot and managed to get by them, setting up another game with them.
In our 8th and final game we played Dat's a Winner and the momentum was all on our side.  A close start with us leading 5-4 was sealed when we through a four pointer for the win and the championship.
It was a long but fun and rewarding day.  I had a great time, finally getting to throw with my cousin. 

We made a quick trip to Cape yesterday to pick up a stroller my old classmate Debbie had picked up for us.  After a tour of her really nice house and some we relaxing by her pool we decided on some lunch.  We choose the Pilot House which we've heard good things about but when we go there it was packed.  Instead we decided to go to The Bayou which had been recommended by the Glues classmate Chris.  Debbie drove us to Pocahontas since she's been there a few times.  The Glue and I split some fried catfish and some gumbo.  The catfish was good and the gumbo was excellent but I don't think it will make me forget Broussards like Chris said it would but we'll go back.  I wasn't feeling 100% so it was a quick trip back but really like trying out different restaurants. 
Our old friend Valya is heading to town today.  Two years ago we hurt her with too much alcohol then last year it was too much bacon.  What will it be this year I wonder?

On a hot humid night Roll'em didn't really show up, or at least it didn't seem like it.
In the first game we played Biotches.  The girls got us on the board with a four point frame but it was all down hill from there.  Other than a couple good shots we didn't really make any more good throws, going down to defeat 9-5.
In the second game we moved from the fast court to the slow new court and took on #thankus4urwin.  The pound signs had played on the new court their first game and seemed to have the speed and breaks down much better than Roll'em.  The game started out back and forth for the first few throws but their experience on the court showed itself and they cruised to a 9-4 win.
This disastrous night evened our record at 2-2.  None of us had a good night, we're going to have to find our strokes if we have any chance this season.

Last night I got a last minute call to sub on Can't Be Trusted.  We haven't seen many of the teams from Tuesday night so it was nice to go down and check it out.
In the first game we played The Clarks but sadly my old buddy Everett was at the other end.  I was paired with Jean while Danny and Kenny were at the other end.  The Clarks started with a point but we followed with back to back three pointers to take a 6-1 lead.  The Clarks battled back to 6-4 and but Jean led off with a great throw and they left it open and we got another three pointer to win 9-4.
In the second game we moved from the center court to the other old court and couldn't get used to the speed difference.  Everybocce Wang Chung had just finished up on that court and proceeded to pound us 9-1 in a game we only had a couple balls very close to the pallino. 
Oh well, it was fun playing with some different people and seeing some other teams.

On a gorgeous spring evening The Glue, Clutch, Herbster and myself took the courts to open MBC's summer league. 
In the first game we played the Pallino Pounders which is a new team consisting of three first time players and a couple who have played before.  The three first timers and Chuck played while Clay made a rare wise decision and let Chuck help his wife while he "coached" the other two newcomers.  We played on the new court which was erratic to say the least.  In the first frame Chuck made a great throw and got the Pounders out to a 3-0 lead.  We answered with one and it was back and forth before we finally had a good frame and a 6-6 tie.  With Herb having the point I had a couple chances to win but one was just wide and the other caught a ball out front.  The Glue then followed with a lead off ball inches away from the pallino.  The Pounders couldn't get closer but had one pretty close and the other three balls as blockers.  I was thinking we needed to throw off because we had a better chance of knocking them into a point then getting another point but the Glue then made an even better throw and put another one on the pallino and we escaped with a 9-6 win.
The second game was against Here For The Beer.  We played on the middle court and I was real worried about the speed change coming from the new court.  We never were in real good rhythm but we gradually pulled away and won 9-4 in a game I that seemed closer than it was.
Neither game was our best effort but we started the summer 2-0.  It was great getting out and seeing everyone and I can't say enough about the weather. 

Yesterday myself, the Glue, Bailey, Brinley and Greyson piled in the Durrango to visit my soon to be 94 year old Aunt in Herrin.  It was the grandtwins first visit with Aunt EJ and the 93 year difference was quite a contrast.  I always learn something about her side of the family when I visit but I miss Uncle Taffie who had so much local business history knowledge that he loved to share.  My cousin Jane who lives across the street wanted to come over and see the grandtwins but was fighting a cold and didn't think she should.  The grandtwins did their part and were very good and Aunt EJ seemed to really enjoy holding them both.
All in all it was a lot better than yesterday mornings visit to the dentist :-). 

On Friday me and the Glue went down to Cape for a quick day trip.  We had to be back by five so we could babysit one of the grandtwins overnight (we means the Glue here).
I wanted to look at a couple grills since mine finally succumbed to rust and age.  First stop was at Sams to look at a grill by Smoke Hollow.  I was really surprised by the quality of the grill.  I didn't expect to like it much since I'd asked about the thickness of the metal and didn't care for the response but it was much thicker than I expected.
Next stop was Academy to look at a grill by Old Country who make some really solid smokers.  This is the one I thought we'd come home with since it was $100 off.  After a long search they didn't have any and it was being discontinued.  On our way in we'd saw a patio set we kind of liked so while the Glue bought some sunglasses for Brinley and Greyson I went back out for a closer look at the chairs.
We ended up getting the grill from Sams but had to take the display model which is good and bad.  Good because I don't have to put it together, bad because it's been picked at and took up a lot of room.  We then went back and got the patio set which we managed to cram in the Durrango.
After some deliberation we decided to go to Broussards for lunch since there's not much cajun opportunities around here.  We had ordered and were starting on out salad when who should walk in but our BBQ buddies from Poplar Bluff, Sally and Shorty.  We had a nice visit and visited regular stops Katy O'ferrals, The Bar and Bella Italia. 
All in all it was a great afternoon.

This past week has been a reminder of why I live in Southern Illinois.  The weather has been great which is something I can't say about our supposed representatives in Springfield who can't get a budget passed. The biggest downside to the weather has been having to mow about every five days or so but it's been great for my garden.  I've got some tomatoes, jalapenos, zucchinis, cucumbers and asparagus planted along with some sunflowers and marigolds.  They asparagus won't be ready for harvesting for a couple years though.
The grounds crew at Hickory Ridge really have the course looking great.  This past week they even had the sand traps worked up which doesn't happen near enough.  Great job guys especially considering how close we were to losing 7 & 8 greens in the flooding earlier this year. 
This coming week is the start of the summer bocce season.  Me and The Glue drove by Wednesday and there were 20-30 people there getting ready for the season.  People were even playing on the new court which you don't see often.  We did get some bad bocce news though as Clutch and Herbster won't be able to play in the league tournament this summer assuming we qualify.  Hopefully we can figure out a couple replacements so we can play again assume we make it.