FSU vs Alabama - Roll Tribe!

FSU hadn't played Alabama since the 70's and prior to Bobby Bowden coming to Florida State. So, this was going to be a big game. I'll spare you the details but the outcome was in our favor - 21-14. (Would have hoped for a bigger lead, but a win is a win!)

Go Noles!

The new World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

Also known as FSU vs Alabama in Jacksonville.

We knew we would have a big group coming from all over for the football game and had planned accordingly. Little did we know that things would turn out so perfectly for our tailgate!

Our tailgate grew into a small village (or large mansion) complete with bar, dining room, TV in the living room, family room and outdoor patio. All we needed was a pool to cool things off!

The weather was terrific (some clouds and bit of wind). The lot was exactly what we hoped for and had enough space for us to all park comfortably.

I think it is fair to say that everyone (all 60+) enjoyed the great food, festivities and camaraderie!

Here fishy fishy...

(Read this after you've read "And the rockets red glare" entry.)

After getting under all the bridges, we made our way down the river and out the inlet to relatively calm seas. Rich, Frank and I were all thinking positive thoughts. Perhaps it was our visit with Capt. Bob and the recap of his day's experience (5 sailfish) that sparked our enthusiasm. We politely asked (grilled him) all sorts of questions about depth, bait, dredges, tricks, etc. and he graciously shared information with us.

We were all excited when we got our first bite! (But it was quickly dashed when all we pulled in a small barracuda.) Then Rich got a big bite, took half his bait, but skillfully avoided the hook.

Frank did some good quick calculations and figured 1:00 would be the 'witching hour'. So,we zigged and zagged for a while and kept our ear to the radio. Sure enough there were boats pulling in dolphin left and right. As we trolled toward them, I saw a big splash of a sailfish! We headed in that direction and all of a sudden, Rich's line went off. SAILFISH ON! She was a beauty and jumped several times. Frank cleared rods, I manned the helm and video camera and Rich made sure there was pressure on the rod/line. It was really fun to be a part of his first sailfish. Unfortunately she was a part of the early release program and broke the line as he was getting her closer to the boat. But she didn't realize she was free and continued to jump several more times crossing in front of the boat! It was pretty cool to see it free-jumping that close!

Then Rich caught a good-sized dolphin (which some-what made up for the sailfish). After getting the boat cleaned up and baits reloaded, we headed toward some weed patches. Sure enough the dolphin were plentiful and with multiple hook-ups, Capt. Frank said, "every man for him/herself"!! We stopped after getting 6 in the box. (No need to be greedy.) :o)

And the rockets red glare...

We weren't going to let getting skunked on Wednesday get us down. And so, the next morning we left the dock bright and early only to get stuck at the railroad bridge. But how fortunate we were! Little did we know but NASA was sending up a rocket that morning. A huge full moon was shining brightly in the perfectly clear skies when all of a sudden we saw this vapor streak across the sky trailing behind a bright red flame. It was pretty cool to be sitting on the St. Lucie River, watching the sky!

Bucs win! Bucs win!

If it's Sunday, there must be football! And the Bucs were home today...and so were we!

Our tailgating seems to get better and better. Each home game we have a theme and people sign up to bring different things (main dishes, side dishes, snacks, shots, and sweet treats). Today's theme was "All American". The food was great! Ribs, brisket, beans, different salads, corn on the cob, watermelon and yummy caramel apple pie!

During tailgating, the 'Miller Lite Girls' come by on their scooter and check out the tailgates. If you've got Miller Lite beer, they'll give you a shirt or hat or something like that. Well, Christopher was willing to make the sacrifice and Frank encouraged him to track the girls down. Needless to say, Christopher was able to get them to come by not only the first time, but again with passes to the ML Party Deck because he did something radical (like funnel a ML beer).

And Frank earned some passes too after offering the girls an adult beverage in a glass. :o)

We watched the first half of the game from our nosebleed seats and then headed down to the party deck (for our free beer) to watch the rest. Just as we got to the bar and our beers poured, the skies opened! We were smooshed up against the bar with three people behind us, but it didn't matter...we were dry and had something to drink, not to mention ponchos in our hands.

And oh yes, the Bucs looked terrific and won the game!

Hickorywood Hookers and 4 Nauti Boys

What a fun day! Lily, Becky, Victoria and I formed a fishing team (Hickorywood Hookers) for the neighborhood fishing tournament. We took our little boat and each person contributed before, during and after a day of fishing. Becky brought bait, Lily took care of lunch and Victoria made sure we were well-hydrated.

Frank, Ken, Ray and Sully had their own team and were the 4 Nauti Boys on the Nauti Gator. The Boys left before the sun came up where the Hookers decided to wait until sunrise. We were all excited!

We head out to the first 'secret spot' and who do we see...The Boys! We snuck around to a little cove and set up shop. The Boys had the same idea and shortly were fishing down the way from us. But we caught the first fish! (Lucky Lily caught a 15" redfish.) That really got the juices flowing and we persisted in the same spot but after about 30 minutes, decided to pull anchor and move on.

On our way, we saw two groups of sea birds diving and getting bait. The 6-8 porpoise were stirring up the bait! We thought perhaps we would be able to get some small fish using the special subiki rig, but no luck. Still, it was fun to be so close to the porpoises and try something different.

We tried another area full of mangroves (the perfect haven for snook and redfish). And as it turned out, it was also home for jack cravelles. Lily caught 2 jacks and everyone pitched in to land, measure and release them.

After lunch and a visit with Officer Friendly from the Fish and Wildlife Commission, we went back to fishing and then it was Becky's turn to do some catching. She pulled in a small redfish! (It sorta made up for the 2 big fish that stole her bait and hooks.)

We tried a little while longer in that area and then decided to head back toward home. But before heading in, we stopped at another little alcove. Lots of nibbles, but no luck. Just as we were ready to head home, we saw this large fin coming out of the mangroves. Everyone threw a line in the water! We tried so hard, but that snook just wasn't interested.

A report from the Nauti Boys indicated they caught "The Captain's Platter" (blue crab, redfish, oyster, sting ray)!

Neither team won any prizes, but I think it's fair to say that everyone had a good time!

Seminoles vs Buffaloes

I think everyone (the people of Boulder and Seminoles) were very surprised how many FSU fans traveled to Boulder for the game on Saturday.

It was great to see so much Garnet & Gold throughout the town!

The Astors found a great brewery (Walnut Street Brewery) with several TVs and good food and so we set up camp to watch the Saturday games. (Football started at 10AM mountain time!)

After a short nap, we headed towards the stadium where we met up with the Ruggeri group for a festive tailgate.

After a bit of a walk through the University of Colorado campus, we reached the stadium and found our friends Tad & Bonnie, making sure we took our group picture.

A stressful game, but ended up having a favorable outcome, FSU wins (16-6)!

We had a really fun trip!

Golden Colorado - home of Coors Brewery

We decided to take a little adventure outside of Boulder to a small town of Golden, Colorado. We visited the Astor House Museum, which was originally a boarding house for travelers and miners in the wild west. It boasted the first bathroom (complete with sink, toilet and bathtub with hot water)!

Then we ventured a little further into Golden and found the Coors Brewery, with free tours and samples.

It was pretty interesting and the samples were pretty tasty too!

The copper pot was the original used by Adolph Kors.

All in all, it was a fun experience.

Rocky Mountains

What a spectacular display! We had a very pleasant drive from Denver to Boulder with the Rocky Mountains over our shoulder and clear skies. The elevation was about 5500 feet above sea level...quite a difference for us Florida Flatlanders.

The scenery was just amazing!

"I'm so....."

was the phrase we heard a lot of from the cute boys Chris and Nate while spending time with them in Portland! It was a short, but good visit. We spent lots of time doing outside things like playing baseball, picking tomatoes in the back yard, and some sidewalk art . The weather was "so beautiful". Actually September in Portland was terrific!

On Tuesday we went to the z-o-o after driving on the eye-5. Unfortunately many of the animals weren't out in their areas but we did get to go for a ride that was "so fun" on the zoo train, engine number 5. Then for lunch we decided to go on an adventure. Frank had been reading the lastest edition of Gourmet where there was a huge article on Mexican food and the 'taco trailers'. There was an extensive list of the trailers around Portland, and there happened to be one near Daniel and Kathy's house. Well, sure enough, we tracked it down! The proprieters didn't speak much English and Frank didn't speak much Spanish, but he got his order in. While waiting he struck up a conversation with one of the locals and he's not sure, but thinks he may have hired him as a landscaper and bought his truck. :o) By the way, the food was awesome! We had another culinary adventure that day....the conveyer belt sushi place. Interesting concept...tables all around the 'kitchen' with the conveyer belt running along. Each dish is 1 of 4 colors and marked with a different price. Needless to say, at the end, we had a big stack of plates. (It was a lot of fun and something we hadn't done before.

On Wednesday, Chris and Nate went to preschool and Frank and I did a little shopping in Portland (at Powell's Bookstore and the REI store). Success at both stores. That afternoon the boys and I made cupcakes and they 'helped' with making spaghetti. Frank made his famous garlic knots and everyone thought they were 'so delicious'!

The boys have really gotten interested in taking pictures (and can barely snap the shutter before wanting to see what the picture looks like). Well, we found a kid's digital camera and gave it to them after dinner our last night there. They were "so excited because we've never had a camera before". Of course 2 three-year-olds figured it out before the parents and doting Aunt and Uncle.

All in all, it was a great trip and we're looking forward to going back for their 4 year old birthdays!

First FSU Home Tailgating

After suffering a horrible loss on Monday to Clemson, the Seminoles returned to Tallahassee to play host to the UAB Blazers (with a dragon-looking mascot). We were so excited because it would be the first home game and the first tailgate of the season in our new spot. (Very close to Renegade and Langford Green with all the activities.)

We thought we had divided up all our tailgate supplies but alas, found we needed a few more things (like a new tent, some chairs, cooler, etc.)

Thankfully we had the extra tent because it was H-O-T hot! We had a great turnout and everyone enjoyed the food and cold beverages.

Hopefully the Seminoles will stop this trend of waiting until the second half to turn their game around!

We're on our way to cheer them on against the University of Colorado in Boulder, but will first be making a stop in Portland to spend time with Chris & Nate (Daniel & Kathy too).

Go Noles!

While in Atlanta...

After leaving Clemson, we headed for Atlanta to visit friends and to make a stop at Trader Joe's!

We've only been to TJ's on the west coast when we visit Portland. Having learned there are several open in the Atlanta area, we had to stop. Plus, we needed some 'Two Buck Chuck'! (Three cases later, we've got enough to stock the wine chillers in all our locations.)

We met up with our friends Patty and Larry who have the Hutto Sports Bar in their basement. They are die-hard Seminoles, but with 5 TVs, a great bar setup and big comfy couch, they've decided to watch the games from home. Larry was kind enough to give us a guided tour of Roswell, GA, including several of the historic landmarks (first apartments in America, the cotton mill, etc.)

After a brief break, we met up with more friends, Mike and Carol. Had a great meal at Killer Creek along with lots of laughs and reminiscing.

It was really nice to see everyone and spend time together!

Wednesday morning we headed to Tallahassee where we'll spend a few days and attend the Nole's first home game on Saturday against UAB. Hopefully the team will be a little more confident and have a great game!

Ready for some FSU Football?

We were! After spending a few days back home, we flew to Atlanta, retrieved the car from the park-n-ride and drove to Clemson. Florida State was opening their season at Clemson on Labor Day and would be THE Monday Night Football game!

We had a nice time tailgating (VERY HOT) and then met up with friends outside the stadium at the Esso Club. (I thought it was going to be this exclusive club, with air conditioning and bathrooms.) Well, it turned out to be an old Esso gas station converted into a bar with an outdoor stage and beer stands. Oh well. It was nice to see friends and get a feel for the local entertainment.

We had great seats at the stadium and could see just about everything. Without boring you with all the painful details, the team didn't play very well and ended up losing the game. Finally got back to the hotel and crashed.

Up early the next morning to head for Atlanta and Trader Joe's!

Hopefully the Seminoles will have a better game Saturday.