Life in the Slow Lane
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We headed down to Andrews yesterday for their annual crawdad boil. The do this on Blessing of the Bikes and there seemed like a lot more bikes than normal. On the way down we got behind an amish wagon. It finally pulled over only to get behind another amish wagon. They too pulled over and once again we got behind another amish wagon that ended up turning, when I looked in my mirror there was a horse and buggy right behind and gaining. Never had that before.
The crawdads were really good and they had some pans that were mild instead of spicy. I had a couple spicy and think I could have done those. The sausage was really good too but the shrimp was lacking. I couldn't find any corn in any of the pans. It was really hot so we went to Andrews porch after a walk through the park. There was a band playing that made it nearly impossible to hear anything down there. After we left we took the back road into Hutchins Creek area (Rhine road). It was a nice change and another dip through the water. I thought the water looked down but when we went through it was still up some. When we got to the top we decided to go down snake road. We hadn't been in a while and it was another nice change. On the way home we called in a couple cheeseburgers and an order for fries from 17th St. The fries weren't very warm but the cheeseburgers really hit the spot for both of us.
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With a league tournament berth on the line Roll'em took to the courts determined to make the tournament. Debbie was gone so Bob took her place.
In the first game we played Holy Ballz on the third court. Not wanting to do anything easy we gave up five straight one point frames to fall behind 5-0. Not wanting to miss out on the tournament we mounted a comeback with a point in the next frame. That was the extent of our comeback losing 9-1. In the second game we played Mission Imbocceball on the middle court. We scored the first two points of the game before our captain (me) knocked us out of a point and them into one. We scored the next four points to move ahead 6-2 but then we gave up a three point frame and the score was 6-5. They tied the game before we moved ahead 7-6. That was it and they scored the last three points to win 9-7 effectively ending our chance of a tournament berth. That was confirmed this morning when the final standings came out. 😭😭😭 Roll'em If Ya Got'em has a couple big games tonight. The way it looks we will have to win one game to make the tournament. We play Holly Ballz and Mission Imbocceball, tough assignment.
Because we are using this week to make up last weeks games our towel tournament will be played next Wednesday. Not my favorite solution but there isn't any perfect solution. We'll also be playing without Debbie since she's out of town. Bob from Boro City Rollers will be subbing for us tonight and for the tournament if we make it. Just win baby. Yesterday we took yet another ride in LaRue-Pine Hills. Our intent was to stop for appetizers at Mases Place but they looked crowded. I was afraid of that because of Mothers Day and SIU Graduation weekend. So we drove on past.
Once again we took the road down to Hutchins Creek. This time when we got to the bottom there was a tree or big branch across the road. Mike jumped out and went and started moving it out of the way. Lisa got there and helped too and I was on my way when the tree moved enough I could get around it. Neither of us are big on taking the Jeep off road but there are a couple spots on Hutchins Creek road that can have water running over it and we both really like that. The first one wasn't too bad but the second one was a little higher and faster. There was a big tree down that had been cut so that vehicles could pass. I could feel the current pushing the Jeep a little and I had to pay a lot of attention to the cut tree so I didn't get to see as much as usual. After got out of the Hutchins Creek area and turned down to go to route 3 we came upon a wreck that had just happened. Obviously we stopped which apparently isn't as obvious as I thought according to a responding police officer. A mini van type vehicle was down in the ditch and I saw two females one who was saying talk to me. When I got closer I saw a third female on the ground not moving. I immediately call 911 and gave them the information. Lisa went right to the girl on the ground and started talking to her and holding her hand. Mike got the driver who was bordering on hysterical away. Both of us walked her some to try and calm her down. Luckily the girl on the ground could respond to Lisa and move her hands and feet. The third girl seemed okay but may have been concussed. A family in a golf cart stopped and then left to get the forest ranger who just lived down the road and he responded first. When we left the girl on the ground was in the ambulance and they were trying to get the other two to go to the hospital. Most people slowed down and made sure things were under control but a few didn't including one guy in a panel truck who didn't bother to slow down and he was most likely speeding. Anticlimactic but we stopped by Bottoms Up for chicken. Our favorite waitress/cook was there but not working. When we sat down we talked her into cooking for us which was nice of her. The wings we got were great with a lot of talk about the wreck.` Yesterday after we Derachio Dax left we decided to run out and checkout how much the spillway was coming over. Hint: it was a lot, not the most I've ever seen but a lot. We walked up and sat on one of the concrete picnic tables and talked and listened to the water. Nice relaxing time.
While we were there Lisa mention that she wished we could drive around the lake like Giant City. That settled it we were off to Giant City to see how the water was there. I don't think I could ever say a trip around Giant City was a disappointment but there wasn't much water running. Really surprising. It was way past time to eat so we ordered Dales on the way out of Giant City. We didn't time the order very well cause it appeared to be waiting when we got there. They really appreciate call ins so we need to remember that. I ordered a rueben and got the bigger one while Lisa ordered a cheeseburger with pepper cheese. And of course huge fries extra crispy and salty. The fries didn't appear extra crispy like we've had but that could have been since they'd been waiting too long. We ate some and then decided to take the rest home and put them in the air fryer. It helped some but just not what we were hoping for. My rueben was big, too big in fact. I got the 1/2 pound but need to remember not to get stuff that big. It was big enough there was over half left. I tried Lisa's cheeseburger and holy shit balls it burned me up. She found out later it was ghost pepper cheese. I doubt she gets that again. Overall a nice trip but Dales wasn't as good as normal, not bad though just high expectations there. 15 years later May 8th again gives us some intense weather. There were several rounds of storms including some tornado warnings and some tornados that touched down. In view of the elevated bad weather chance the MBC decided to cancel the May 8th games to help ensure the safety of it's members. Wise move in my opinion. Making up these games will be hard with next week being the coveted towel tournament.
I haven't written much lately partly because we haven't done much different but mostly just lazy. Yesterday we went to opening day at MBI to see Greyson & Brinley play. It's the first year they've been on separate teams.
After we finished we both thought sitting home sounded good but then I mentioned talking the tops out of the Jeep and going on a ride. Lisa was all in so off we went. We decided to stop in Pomona Winery to have a glass of wine. Neither of us are big wine drinkers but we like supporting local places and the owners of the winery place bocce and are really nice. We had a glass of Orchard Harvest out on the deck. Off again we took the road to Hutchenson creek road and went down that. We haven't done it much so it's still something different. We lucked out yesterday and the creek was over the road in a couple places so we got to go through the water. It's not very deep but still pretty cool. After we finished we went down to Ware Market. A small place with an old school feel. We picked up some tomatoes, cheese curds and candied pecans. The pecans are dangerously addictive. After leaving we headed home. Last nights game was nice and warm, and humid of course. We played the 7pm game but there was a forfeit ahead of us so we got started a little early.
We played the first game on the dreaded third court against Mission: Imbocceball. The game started out as a back and forth game until we gradually pulled ahead 6-3. In typical Roll'em fashion we gave up a three point frame and let them tie the game. This time was different though. We traded points then made a really tough throw to move up 8-7 and then put it away on a good bank shot, winning 9-7. We really needed the win and then got a forfeit in the second game for a much needed sweep. No not that, get your mind out of the gutter. Wednesday we tried out the new version of the legendary sandwich shop Boobys. One of my favorite places back in college and for several years after.
First off there weren't many parking spots open so we ended up parking at the Hilton hotel, thanks Hilton. When we walked in my first thought was it's a lot different than the Boobys of old. The old Boobys had a more cozy feeling, the new version is a lot more open. The meat case and counter seem smaller and the seats in the front window are gone, my favorite. We both ordered Tyrolian subs with no tomato and each got a draft beer. Notably absent is the Charlies Chip tin, instead packaged chips are used. The subs and a pickle are served in wrap instead of the baskets formally used. We both got kettle chips and I thought they were really good. I don't know what it is but pickles in a sub shop always taste better than any other and this was no exception. Neither of us were a fan of the bun, not the same and there was something that just didn't seem right. I liked the sauce and the lettuce and the amount of meat and cheese was sufficient. Overall disappointing but that's probably due to unrealistic expectations. I did take a look at the beer garden and it looks exactly the same. Week 6 was cooler that last week but still much better than we'd played in earlier. We actually got to play a 6pm game instead of waiting until 7, yay. We didn't play again until 7:30.
In the first game we played Bocce and Brews and in what the seems like the norm we got off to a terrible start giving up three points in the opening frame. We had a point and a wide open shot and we (I) couldn't capitalize causing me to go back to my old throwing stance. We played them pretty even evening the score at 6-6 but they scored the last three for another loss for us. In the second game we played corner bocce on the third court. This time we got off to a quick start but they came back and tied the game 6-6. This time we ended it with a three point frame and win. Collectively Roll'em threw a lot better than last week but still need to be a lot more consistent. We decided on a trip to Perryville yesterday mainly because Lisa wanted to go to Stoneys for beef jerky so off we went.
First stop was Mary Janes but they had a small wait so we went next door for a drink at J Street Eats (formally J Street Brewery). Before we could even finish our order the flashy thing went off signalling our table was ready. Mike was ecstatic because J Street had Sailor Jerrys and we were able to take our drinks back next door. I ordered a Yuengling but when another waitress brought it she brought a Yuengling light then said she thought maybe I wanted something lighter, basically calling me a fat ass (I am). Then tried to cover by saying she meant I wanted more flavor. By the time she left we were all laughing and having a great time. We ordered cheese curds and Me and Lisa went with chicken wings while Mike got a pork sandwich and Debbie got a chicken one. The curds are possibly the best fried cheese curds I've had. We got dry rubbed wings with sauce on the side. They were excellent, some of the best around. Mike said his sandwich was too smoky and no sauce while Debbie liked hers. Highly recommend the wings if you're there. We saw the waitress as we were leaving and there was a short back and forth then it was back to J Street. I tried their red and it was very good and was brewed in Charleville in St Gens, we'll have to check that out. They wanted to sit outside even though it wasn't that great a day for it. While we were sitting there someone came and started messing with my chair, lo and behold it was the waitress from Mary Janes so started another round of laughs. Such a great time. We left there and went to Stoneys and picked up some jerky and other things then it was off for home bypassing the Landmark much to Mike and Debbies chagrin. Last stop was Da-Nite for a drink. I'd made it clear one drink so one drink and we left. Great day. Finally, a nice night for bocce, shorts and short sleeves. That was the good news.
In the first game we played Dark Side of the Pallino on the third court. We came out cold and gave up back to back three point frames. We started making a comeback but it was too big to overcome losing 9-4. In the second game we started better going back and forth to 3-3. The got the next point then followed with a three point frame and 7-3 lead. We got a couple back to close the gap. We had a ball close but on their last throw they pushed the pallino and got the final two points for a 9-5 loss. Probably our worst collective showing of the season especially me. Way too many times not taking advantage when we should and leaving wide open shots for them. Saturday we went to Alto Vineyards to see Holt & Crain preform. I've know both of them for a long time. The weather was perfect and so was the music, they did a really good job. Debbie had sangria while the rest of us had buckets of beer. We also got a pizza so we'd have something to soak up the alcohol. Best thing is that Holt and Crain finished up at 5, it would have been a nice early night but:
After we left we went to River Rats for long time friend Apyrl who we don't see very often. The patio was crowded and 2nd Wind was playing. We saw a lot of people we don't see very often any more. After way too many beers we left and headed to KFC, both of us were "starving". I got a chicken sandwich and slaw while Lisa got Taco Bell (yuck). The slaw was great but the sandwich was just okay and only because I was so hungry. I had my eyes dilated and an eyeball shot yesterday. When we got back we decided to go back over and get Dale's. We decided to get something different yesterday so we got a bacon sandwich and a hero. And of course large fries done extra crispy and with extra salt.
The fries were there usual great selves and we ate most of them on the ride home. I ate my half of the bacon sandwich and thought it was very good, maybe my new go to there. Wow the hero was big, I'm thinking around three inches tall. So tall it was hard to eat. In spite of that it was a really good sandwich but I couldn't finish my half. The hero was made of corned beef and roast beef and it made for a great combination but one that we need to split in the future. We finally got a night that wasn't too cold however it was raining.
We played our first game on the dreaded third court against Boccelicous. We jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead but they got a couple points. We responded with three more points before they made it 6-3. I'm not sure if they scored again but if they did it was only one more point with us winning 9-3 or 4. About halfway through the game Wednesday night coordinator Ian came over to me and said we got a forfeit on on 8 o'clock game so we finally got a much needed two win night. Eclipse 2024 was so cool, better even than 2017. It got off to a bad start the day before when the igniter in my pellet grill didn't work. So there I was with a fully thawed and prepped brisket and no smoker. After a little panic I decided to do it in the oven overnight.
The day itself was beautiful, nice and warm with only a few cloud very light clouds. The grandkids had so much fun playing with water balloons, even Dax was squeezing them and having a blast. Thanks to Mike and Fred who put up the umbrella for me, as the day went on it was needed. Only almost bad moment came when Greyson "accidentally" hit his mother with a water balloon. Bailey told me he could play with if he could hit me with a water balloon. That made his day but the balloon didn't bust until it. His mother decided that she needed to hit me with on to make up for it. The eclipse itself lived up and surpassed expectations. Four plus minutes of darkness. Just so cool. I don't know how many out of towners were in Murphysboro but it seemed like a lot. The highlight was the moment of totality a big cheer came from Riverside Park followed by other areas of town. Of course I had to howl at the moon since I don't stay late enough to do it anymore. Fun was had by all. Oh and the brisket turned out surprisingly good. Last Friday we went on show Mike and Debbie the road we'd been on the last weekend. I thought the creeks would be higher but they were lower. Another really nice ride that took us back up to LaRue-Pine hills and then down again.
After we went to Ware Market again. Once again I got some candied pecans that are awesome. Mike got some cajun cheese curds that were great. Getting a sense of deja vu? Well we didn't go to Duck Inn this time, we went to Bottoms up instead. We decided to split some wings only to be told they only have flats. Damn the luck, me and Lisa both like flats better anyway but I managed to convince the cook we should get a couple extra for our trouble. I also got a side salad and Lisa got an order of fried okra. The side salad was good and much needed. Lisa's okra were ok, I'm not really that big on okra. Mike had got an order of chips for everyone and they were great. As great as the chips were the wings were even better, outstanding. I was ready to go back the next day. For some reason after we left there Lisa was adamant about going to Makanda to see how crowded it was. My goal was to stay out of those areas but I finally relented with the provision we weren't stopping so off we went. I don't recall being there late on a Friday afternoon but it did see like a big crowd. Off course we ended up stopping and looking around and going through Rainmakers "garden". Finally we headed back home again to end a fun day. Lisa's good friend Martha Stewart, aka Paula, puts on a Relay for Life bocce tournament so naturally we played in it. It was surprisingly brisk day and the wind didn't help any.
In the first game we played the Wops, a team we don't get to play often. They couldn't miss. Their leadoff thrower was putting a ball really close each frame. We finally scored towards the end of the game but lost 9-1. In the second game we played Delivery. They had a no show so they rotated. It's no secret I dislike rotating but understand the situation. Once again we fell behind early. This time we scored three points to make it 6-3 before falling 9-3. Our last pool game was against a team I don't remember the name. Once again we fell behind but all of a sudden we started making throws and slowly made our way back. This time we kept going and won, don't remember the score. This put us into a roll off against the last two teams we played. Our captain Lisa chose the wrong person to be in the roll off and he (me) didn't make good throws so that ended our tournament. Spring break without grandkids continued yesterday with a trip to Frenchman's Widow. Lisa really wanted to try the soup flight special so off we went. I got a ribeye philly with no peppers and Lisa got chile, cauliflower & mexican corn soups on her flight.
I got a side salad with my sandwich and it was very good. I really liked the croutons and the house dressing plus it was big enough to share. My philly was good but nothing special. Lisa's corn soup was really good and she said the chile was real good but needed more spice to it. The cauliflower soup was lacking something, just not impressed. Week 3 was cold, even more so than the previous week. We played the 6:30 then had a cold break until 8. We played the 6:30 game so we got there around 6:20 in case the game started early only to find out the other two 6:30 games had already started. There was a forfeit and 9-0 games.
We played the first game on the middle court against the Usual Suspects. We got the first point but they tied it up. They moved ahead 4-2 when they got a four point frame and the game was all but over. We lost 9-2. Once again we played on the middle court this time against Muddy Rollers. They only had three but picked up a player from another team. Once again we picked up the first point only to have them tie it. We got another point and then the game turned on a four point frame but this time it was us and it propelled up to a 9-1 win. We've split each of the three weeks but our losses have been blowouts. We took a advantage of no grandkids to go to Bennie's in Marion. We've been there a couple other times and always enjoyed it. I went over thinking a sandwich but when I got over there I wavered.
I ended up getting spaghetti with italian sausage and Lisa managed to order the baked manicotti correctly this time. Both dishes came out hot especially hers. My spaghetti didn't hit the spot for some reason but I don't know if anything would have yesterday. Lisa manicotti tasted a lot better though and she really liked it. We do this a lot, on the way home Lisa said we should have ordered one entree and a big salad. One of these days we'll actually do it. Yesterday started with a trip to Ultimate Gymnastics to watch the grandkids birthday party. Really nice place with lots for kids to do, even Dax could walk around and climb stuff. Greyson was everywhere and really liked it when big cousin Van played tag with him and a couple others. Brinley was impressive climbing and especially on this rubber thing hanging from the high bar.
Our plans changed when a warning light came on in the Jeep so instead we went to Draft Days at Walkers Bluff. Our first trip there and it is an impressive building but not a place that had a lot of character. We each had a beer and shared a huge pretzel and some fried cheese curds. Huge might not be big enough for the pretzel and not only is it big it was good as were the curds. Not really a place I care to go back but will the original location. Next we went to Honker Hill and Debbie got sangria while the rest of us got warm beer. We've always had a good time there but this time was different in big part due to the warm beer that I don't think anybody finished. Next we went to Blue Sky three of us shared a pitcher of sangria while Mike got a beer. The sangria was okay but very sweet. Once again the vibe was not really there yesterday so we headed on home. Not a great day but you can't hit everytime. We debated going to a couple different towns but Lisa mentioned a "ride" and off we went. We hadn't been up in LaRue-Pine HIlls in a while so that decided it. It was a beautiful day so we took the freedom tops off the jeep to enjoy the weather. Stuff is starting to bloom, noticed a lot of purple both trees and on the ground. Being able to see scenery you can't see during the summer when the trees are leafed out.
We came down and I didn't really have a plan but headed up towards Hutchinson creek. I was really surprised when we were able to continue all the way up to the LaRue Pine HIlls road. We'd never been able to do that before. We had to go through a couple creeks but no big deal since we were in the Jeep. I don't know that I would have tried it in the Durango. Once we got back down we went to Ware market, always a interesting stop. Wish we had one closer. We decided to stop in the Duck Inn and eat. I got a burger and Lisa got a cheeseburger but had them make it smaller. I also got fries. To say my burger was big would be an understatement, I'd say it was well over 1/2 pound. Hers was bigger than she wanted but both burgers were really good. One of my top burgers in the area. The fries were good but needed a hair longer in the fryer. Great stop. A little catching up on some of the last weeks activities.
Last Saturday we went to the Peachbarn to watch Pity Thy Neighbor play. Sadly it was too cold to be outdoors but they put on a great show and really played to the crowd or at least our table. Way to go Tanner & Ryan. Afterwards we were in dire need of food. We went to Midlands, Cummares & 17th St. and all were crowded and had various waits. We finally ended up at El Jalisco. I ordered street tacos and were okay but didn't really hit the spot. Wednesday we went over to New Kahala. I got Chinese veggies with fried rice and Lisa got chicken in garlic sauce with broccoli. I normally get white rice and extra sauce and veggies but this time wanted to change it up a little. Mistake. It seemed like they put extra beef on it so back to extra veggies. I like the fried rice by itself but the white rice to have with the entree. A good thing about New Kahala is that they give you enough for 2 or 3 meals. Before we took the courts we went to a birthday party for Derecho Dax at his house. He turned two years old, if there's any truth to the terrible twos we're in trouble.
On a cold night we played the 7 and 8 o'clock games, yuck. We ended up playing both games on the 3rd court. Normally it's an advantage playing both games on the same court, normally. In the first game we played Boobs, Booze & Bocce. The game started out close but we inched away before finally closing out a 9-4 win. In the second game we played No Beer, No Bocce. Once again the game started close, 2-2, but then it changed and not in a good way. They got a couple points to move ahead 4-2, then pushed the pallino into a three point frame that we could never recover from finally losing 9-2. The old adage "whatever can go wrong, will" held true in this game. Before I forget, I hate late games. |
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