from the porches

some games

 
Some football games are just downright frustrating.  After the Gator's loss to LSU last night I'm trying to piece the puzzle together to see what I could have done differently to change the outcome of our loss to LSU. I know I'm not the only one who is supersticious regarding football games, now am I?

 
Maybe it was started during our tailgate party where all the Gator fans laughed and laughed as Alabama got beat by Spurrier's team.

 
Maybe it was because our bicycle driver told us he had to go to the emergency room that morning with diverticulitis.

 
Oh, I've got it.  We lost to LSU because of the red sunset.  Yeah, that must have been it. Red is an omen, isn't it?

 
I keep reminding myself, "It's only a stupid old football game."  But the Florida Gators are just not used to losing two games in a row.

 
Surely, it wasn't those ugly old orange jerseys our guys wore.  Surely, not.  I kept thinking our boys looked like Miami players.  I want our blue jerseys back.

 
Then I thought about Merry Jennifer and Sam sitting with us.  They normally don't, so there is that possibility that they may have to sit in their regular seats way across the stadium from us from now on.That's a sad thought.

 
I suppose I'll never know why Florida didn't win against LSU.  Some people think the refs had something to do with it and others believe it was bad coaching. I really think it has to do with inexperienced players. 

Nevertheless, we love our Florida Gators and will support them to the end. 

merry-go-round

A merry-go-round. 

A spinning, twirling, hurtling, whizzing playground ride constructed for our young children.

A merry-go-round is a ride that spins your child so fast that the world beyond is only a blur of rainbow colors.

A merry-go-round is a ride that sends your daughter to the ground when her tiny hands slip off the bars and lands her on her face down in the dirt.

A merry-go-round sometimes means an investment in costly dental services for years to come once you discover your daughter's front tooth is broken off at a diagonal.

A merry-go-round sets your daughter up for name calling through elementary school.  Names such as snaggle tooth or Bugsy. 

A merry-go-round leaves lasting reminders of kid fun in graduation photos, wedding portraits, even candid shots taken at the beach.

I have other names for this kid ride.  More realistic names such as: the Whizzer, the Zipper, the Flinger, the Slinger, and last but not least, the Tooth Chipper.

You only have to look at photos of me to realize I've had some kind of run-in with a merry-go-round.

We were lucky this weekend.  Madeline was flung from the ride and so was Oliver; but their only wounds were scraped knees and embarrassment.

Comes to find out, Merry Jennifer has forbidden these two children from the merry-go-round.  "Smart woman," I'd say. 

art of tailgating

   First, you clean the car really good.

For many years Truett and I have gone to football games, but we rarely ever tailgate.  Usually, it's just the two of us and we'd prefer to eat before the game, at the game, or following the game.  I may be speaking for myself here, but that's what I prefer. Not tailgating keeps you from the blistering sun and 90 degree weather here in Florida.

 
   Next, you purchase chicken wings, nuts, and drinks. . .and ice.  Oh, and brownies!

Last year's Florida/Georgia football game in Jacksonville opened our eyes to the true nature of tailgating.  The Florida/Georgia football game is headlined as The World's Biggest Cocktail Party, and it is.

  Then you pick up your friends.

 

   You must visibly display your Gator colors.

 Of course, you must, by all means, plaster your car with Gator magnets and Gator flags, or as we do, we just hang Truett's hat over the GPS so every Bulldog fan that passes us knows whose team we are for.

 
Then you drive to your destination.

You get your heart revved up as you pass your colors along the way.

 
You arrive at your parking spot and finally, the real tailgating party begins!

This year the tailgating party didn't seem to be as rowdy at our parking place as it was last year.

 

The word was out that there would be more security this year to control the rowdy behavior, and the city of Jacksonville stuck to their word.

As you may know, Florida beat Georgia so all ended well.  It certainly made for a happy ride home.

And that is the art of tailgating!

big game

Every living creature in North Florida is in a tizzy today.

Why?

Because today the University of Florida Gators will play the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

Yes, we're all anxious to play a real team, a team in the SEC Conference; and we hope to shut the Tennessee's coach's big mouth.

I'll be sitting in the stands along with approxiametely 93,000 other avid fans. 

We have Truett's brother, Kenneth, and his son, Jason, visiting us from Tennessee, so we're hoping to share the excitement we feel every football Saturday.

Now, GO GATORS!