I was driving to the golf course a few days ago and there was a no dumping sign on both sides of a bridge.  It's a sorry state whenever you have to put signs like that up.  After I went past the bridge I happen to notice quite a bit of litter along the roadside.  Come on people quit trashing up your area.  Later on we were on the course and Kelly found several Busch Light cans in the woods by a tee box.  So there's no misunderstanding Kelly did put the cans in the proper area.  Sad thing is there is a trash can/recycle container by the cart path. 
I just don't understand the mentality that would do things like this.

Wednesday was your typical hot and humid summer night at the bocce courts, by hot and humid I mean really hot and humid.  The only saving grace was a slight breeze blowing and of course the big fans that were going.  We played what seems like our normal 6:30 and 8 games so we were in the weather for a while.
In the first game we played Boccelicous on the middle court.  I'm exaggerating when I say played, we never really showed up.  We gave up two and four point frames to fall behind 6-0, real hard to come back from.  We scored a point and then they scored the last three to give us a 9-1 loss.
In the second game we gave up a two and three point frames to fall behind 5-0.  This time instead of rolling over we started coming back.  Once we got the pallino we started going deep and scored six points in a row before they made a nice knock and walked away with the pallino.  They went real short on their last throw and we left it wide open.  We had a glimmer of hope when their second ball went long but alas they got the next two in for a 9-6 loss.
Not much positive about the loss.  Once again we gave up way too many easy three and four point frames and those are hard to overcome.

We had a chance to go somewhere yesterday before the kid invasion began.  We went earlier than normal which gave us a chance to try some places that aren't normally open when we go places.  We decided on Jack Russell's Fish House.  We hadn't been there in a few years so off we went.  It was a nice day so we had the tops off the Jeep and cruised on over.
When we got there we found out you can no longer park in front of it so we parked around the corner in what appears to be a city parking lot.  I quickly decided on the fried catfish and a side salad.  After some thought I finally decided on red beans and rice for my other side.  Lisa went with blackened shrimp skewers with the same two sides.  We both ordered Blue Moon drafts.  The drafts came and were in a really nice tall mug.  The salad arrived shortly after and the croutons were excellent.  The salad wasn't very big and was just iceberg lettuce, shaved carrots and a couple onion rings (not the fried kind) but it tasted really good.  So much for the high point of the meal.
The entrees got there in a timely fashion.  My fried fish was okay but not what you expect from a place that bills itself as a fish house.  The red beans and rice were barely okay.  Lisa's shrimp were small and really over seasoned to the point that she didn't like them.  The one's I had were really uneven in seasoning, some okay some over seasoned.
Overall a disappointing experience.  We'll probably go back but it won't be for a while and I'll hopefully remember to get something besides the catfish.

Last night we played the 6:30 and 8 games, have I said how much I don't like late games?  It was perfect weather though, some people even put on jackets or hoodies.
The first game we took on Usual Suspects on the middle court.  We got off to a 1-0 start but they ran off a series of good frames before we could score a couple points.  Too little, too late.  The finished off with a 9-3 loss.
In the second game we played Muddy Rollers on the first court.  The game started out back and forth.  With the score 3-3 they made a great throw to move them into three points.  From there they finished us off with another three point frame.
In spite of two bad losses there we made a lot of good throws that were negated by a better throw especially hitting our ball and getting inside of us. 

After last weeks no AC we decided to order pizza Friday due in a big part to watching a food show showcasing pizza.  They showed a lot of deep dish or chicago style pizza so we decided to get a chicago style from Martels.  We'd gotten it before and it was pretty decent but this time it wasn't.  I can't put a finger on it but it just didn't taste that good.
On Saturday we were wiped out after the bocce tournament, we also missed the pizza that Whiffleboys had donated so we were also hungry.  We decided to hit up 17th St..  I thought it would be crowded with it being move in weekend at SIU but there were plenty of spots available.  I decided on the lotta bull sandwich, one of my favorite things there.  Lisa went with nachos, Debbie a pork steak and Mike pulled pork.  We got some pork rinds for an appetizer.  The pork rinds were good as always.  My sandwich was the last thing delivered and it had changed.  It now came on a sub looking bun and a pickle spear instead of the chopped pickles.  I must say it didn't change for the better.  The spear was a disappointment and the new bun didn't allow all the ingredients to blend as well as the old round bun.  Everyone else like theirs and was happy to finally get back home.

After three days of no AC and a lot of cash the last thing I wanted to do was be outside in hot humid weather but we'd signed up to play in the For Pete's Sake bocce tournament.  It's a big source of funds for the MBC and is usually well attended.  I'd also had a minor case of vertigo and wasn't feeling real great.
Pete was well known for his hat and his flowery Hawaiian shirts and there were several in attendance.
In the first game we played the Fedoras a team we weren't familiar with.  At least until they stepped on the court and it was the Pallino Posse members.  We played on the first court and needless to say got off poor start.  We gave up a three and two point frames and were down 5-0 before the game really got started.  From that point on we started stringing together some good frames and cut the lead to 8-6.  We couldn't close it out though and lost 9-6.
In the second game we played Riverside Rollers featuring out former super sub Fred.  In a highly competitive game we managed to get the win 9-6.
In a probable win and in game against a team I can't remember the name but it consisted of Pete's daughter, son in law plus MBC players Gene and Kenny.  Another really good game with throw after throw close of in.  It was also a fun game with a lot of back and forth between Kenny and Lisa.  We managed to prevail but I can't remember the score.  The win advanced us out of pool play and into the eight team playoff.
In the first game we played another team I don't remember and gave them a game before losing.  I think the score was 9-6.
At this point heat and vertigo had taken a toll and I was ready to get home and relax.  Luckily this morning the vertigo has passed.

After a bad day finding out our ac was shot we went to bocce for out Wednesday night games.  We played at 7&8, have I mentioned how much I dislike late games?
We played our first game on the third court against Boobs, Booze and Bocce.  We got off to a hot start getting two points then three points for a 5-0 lead.  We kept up the pressure and walked away with a 9-0 win.  Lisa and Debbie were making really good first throws causing them to use most or all of their throws. 
In the second game we played No Beer, No Bocce on the first court.  The first court has been somewhat erratic lately.  We traded points the first few frames before we got the lead only to have them leapfrog us with a three point frame.  We finally got a 7-6 lead and with the pallino deep Lisa put her first throw close.  They used all their balls and with game point in my hand my throw didn't move as much as I expected and pushed them into a point.  No problem, Debbie put her first throw on the pallino and nobody could get anything better so we had a 8-5 lead.  Lisa then led off with a throw that was real close and that was the end of that, we finally had a win over them.
Both lead off throwers did a great job getting their first throw close.

Cave In Rock part one.  After we went through Cave In Rock we went up to Kaylors which is the Cave In Rock lodge for a drink.  The place was smaller than I expected and was packed.  Most people appeared to be eating from the buffet but a few ordered off the menu and that looked good.  We were trying to decide where to go and finally decided on a plan.
We went by E Town restaurant to show Debbie it but it was packed.  Next we headed to Diver Down in Golconda.  We ended up having a beer and some fried pickles.  I thought the pickles were very good.  I'd sent a message to Batman, a high school teacher of ours, and were hoping he'd show up.  He didn't but I got a message saying he'd been in Marion.  Diver Down was an interesting place but for some reason the bar was sticky and it wouldn't come off with a bar rag.
We decided to go to Shotgun Eddies next for something to eat.  When we got there the place was packed on the outside but there were some spots on the inside.  We chose a both and hit the jackpot with our waitress.  She was very fun and helpful and picked up on things quickly.  Lisa got chips for the table but they were bland, Lisa put some salt on them and that helped but I wasn't impressed.  Me and Debbie decided to get a rueben and a pork loin sandwich and then split them between us.  I got onion rings while Debbie got chips.  Lisa went with a cheeseburger and fries, she's been on a burger kick lately.  Mike went with pulled pork and chips.  The loin sandwich was really good, only downside was the bottom bun was very soggy and couldn't hold the sandwich together.  The rueben was okay but kind of disappointing.  The onion rings were supposed to have special battering but they seemed your typical frozen onion rings.  Lisa's burger was also very good but the fries were your run of the mill crinkle cut fries.  Mike said his BBQ was really good.
After some back and forth with the waitress it was time to go but not before Mike got his t shirt fix.  He is a tee shirt whore.  On our way out they had a claw machine with ducks in it.  Lisa wanted a duck so she gave it a couple unsuccessful tries.  We were out of ones but our waitress came over and put one of her dollars in the machine and got a duck for Lisa.  You don't see that very often.
Overall a great stop and trip.  On our way home we saw a bobcat on the side of the road before it went back in the corn.

After an extended time off from hiking due to some health issues we finally went hiking again, albeit a very short walk down and back up on some steps.  I'd been wanting to go to Cave In Rock for a couple years and we finally decided to go, probably to appease me.  I went there when I was young but didn't remember much about it.
Anyway we found our way there and parked in a lot that said cave parking.  We went up some stairs only to come out in an area where we could have been much closer.  There was also an outhouse that provided some relief for us. 
Then it was down some other stairs to the short path that went to the cave.  Let me tell you it is really cool.  There's a narrow natural path that allows you to without bending over but it's tricky.  We walked back in the cave and looked around without getting into the muddy areas.  There is a hole in the top that provided some light but I had a small flashlight I used to see the path.  I've been having balance issues for a while and had a couple close calls with falling but all went well.
I think everyone was impressed with the trip and really enjoyed it except the dead fish smell coming from the numerous dead fish in the river.
Part two will tell the places we went after the Cave.

Roll'em If Ya Got'em took the courts to begin the fall 2024 season.  Luckily a cool front had rolled through the area and we had a really nice evening instead of the scorcher it had been the several days.
We opened up playing Money Balls on the third court.  The third court isn't bad if you catch it right off the bat but gets worse as games are played.  Of course that's true of most courts.  Anyway we started out with a two then a three point frame and opened up to a 5-0 lead.  They pecked away at the lead until it was tied at 5.  I was thinking here we go again.  We got the next point then they let us have and chance to close it out and we did winning 9-5.
In the second game we played Boccelism on the first court.  We had trouble adjusting to the speed change between the courts and the first court was acting somewhat erratic.  Or maybe it was just us.  Anyway not a lot to say other than they made shots to either get inside us or knock us out and we lost 9-0. 
Typical Roll'em night, win a close one lose big.
Afterwards we went to KFC, mainly because there wasn't a line and the donger needed food as did the dongette.  I ordered two piece all white and Lisa went with some kind of chalupa or such.  She said hers was alright but would have been better with beef on it.  Big surprise when I opened my box, it had two chicken breasts in it.  Jackpot.  The chicken was  a little overcooked but not terrible and the mashed potatoes and gravy needed to be warmer.  But hey, it's KFC so expectations can't be too high.

A late start yesterday so we decided to revisit a couple places we haven't been in a while.  First up was Route 51, such a cool decor but very uncomfortable seats.  Mike had their standard lager while the rest of us had an amber ale.  The amber ale was really nice and surprisingly a lot better than the irish red.  They also had doppelbock but at %9.5 abv it was too much for me.  We got an order of cheese curds but they weren't very good.  They seemed more like fried cheese squares to me.
It was still too early for Buckwater to open so we took a ride around Giant City and then headed to Buckwater.  Mike and Debbie hadn't been there and Mike had mentioned it a couple times.  For those who haven't been it's a real nice vibe and some really nice sitting options.  We opted for a table in the front window with really nice comfortable chairs.  A big change from Route 51.  You have to order at the bar and it was a slow process but we finally got our drinks.  I got one an octoberfest while Lisa got a raspberry lemon drop mixed drink and Mike and Debbie got bamba punch.  The octoberfest is one of the best local brewery beers I've had, right up there with Big Muddy's Red Devil Red.  I had a taste of the others drinks and they were also very good, the kind of good that gets you in trouble when there is alcohol in the drink.
For substance we ordered a variety of things.  For starters we got a "big as your head" pretzel.  False advertising, it wasn't as big as my head since I'm why hats say fits most and not fits all 😊.  Actually it was big and really tasty and had a really good dipping sauce with it.  Next up was a humas platter type thing.  I didn't try it but both girls seemed to really like it.  Next was an order of wings with parm garlic peppercorn.  The wings were solid but may have been overload with our final item.  For it we ordered the sampler which was half orders of fish, shrimp, chicken crispers, hushpuppies and fries.  The fish was surprisingly really good and the shrimp was nice too.  I didn't try any chicken.  I think we only got one hushpuppy and Mike snapped that up in a hurry.  Everything in it was fried of course so if you're not wanting fried overload don't get it. 
I think everyone enjoyed the stop and Lisa admitted she wasn't wild about the itinerary but ended up really enjoying it. 

Lisa wanted to take advantage of no kid, no bocce day and go somewhere.  I mentioned several options and both of us were in the mood to try a place we hadn't been to before.  That narrowed the search and we finally decided on Pups 212 in West Frankfort. 
We parked in back and there appeared to be two backdoors.  We chose one that looked more like an entrance.  It appears that a wall has been knocked out and two places combined.  There is a nice curved bar in both places.   The bar maid was on the other side so we walked around and ordered a couple beers.  We were told food had to be ordered on the other side at the food service window.  We were also told that we had to purchase drinks and food separately.  We both thought it was a strange setup. 
We chose a booth and went to the window and ordered a cheeseburger, wings and house made chips.  After we sat down the cook came out and said they were out of bone in wings so we went with boneless wings.  The burger was a nice solid burger but nothing that really stood out.  The boneless wings were mediocre but we much prefer bone in wings.  The chips were disappointing.  Very little seasoning on them and they were a little overcooked.  I added salt and that helped but still not a great chip.
We both had been wanting to try Pups and it had gotten good reviews but it's not a place either of us are really wanting to go back to.