Really, Now 6,793 Posts and 14 Years To This Blog

Today marks the 6,793rd post to this blog, which started as my second blog, 14 years ago in 2007.

My original blog was RoadDog's RoadLog blog, but after I started it with the help of my niece Andrea in Tennessee, I couldn't get into it back home in Illinois where I was just looking out my back door.

While trying to get back into it, I accidentally started this one and let it continue even after I was able to get back into the original.  I figured this one could cover anything besides traveling on those old roads and trips.  All my other blogs, all six of them, started from this blog as I found more and more posts were about the Civil War, World War II and history in general.

This one came to mostly being current stuff, what we're doing and music, which is another one of my big loves.

Called Down Da Road I Go because it is me going down da road.  RoadDog as a signoff is a carry over from RoadDog's RoadLog blog.

--RoadDog

Two New Names on Nashville's Music Walk of Fame

That would be Johnny Cash and Steve Cropper of Booker T. & the MGs.

Some of the others on it:

Trace Adkins
Bill Anderson
Eddy Arnold
Garth Brooks
Kix Brooks
Rodney Crowell
Charlie Daniels
Little Jimmy Dickens
John Hiatt
Alan Jackson
Kris Kristofferson
Loretta Lynn
Ronnie Milsap

--RoadDog

JSIS: Gambling-- Big Boy-- State Dog--Scrawny Cub-- Pilot Man

From the Jan. 22, 2015, USA Today "State-By-State."

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff:

1.  GAMBLING--  Gamblers lost more than 234.8 million at Louisiana's 20 major gambling venues in December.

2.  BIG BOY--  The nation's largest Big Boy franchise is accusing their  former assistant treasurer od embezzling at least $3.3 million over the past seven years in Ohio.

3.  STATE DOG--  A Vermont state senator has proposed naming the beagle as the state dog.

4.  SCRAWNY CUB--  The scrawny bear cub that fell out of a tree in southern Oregon will get a chance to return to the wild.

5.  PILOT MAN--  Tennessee Governor Haslam is the riches elected official in the USA despite the fall of gas prices according to Forbes Magazine.  His father founded Knoxville-based Pilot Flying J in 1958 and the governor still owns 15% of it.

Stay Out of Trees.  --RoadDog


CHEERS' NORM PETERSON QUOTES:  What'd you like, Norm?  "A reason to live.  Give me another beer."

JSIS: Battle of Bristol-- What Not to Wear

JSIS-- Just Some Interesting Stuff

From Yahoo! News.

1. BATTLE OF BRISTOL-- On September 10, 2016, there will be the "Battle of Bristol" between the football teams of the the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech. I'm sure hoping UT gets a football team by then.

They expect a crowd of 160,000 which would set a college single game attendance record, currently held by University of Michigan Stadium with 115,101.

The race track will have to take down the scoring tower in the middle of the infield, however. Tennessee had to rearrange its schedule and was originally to play Nebraska on that date. (They replaced Nebraska with the University of Oregon on another date. (Hey, NIU plays Nebraska in 2016.)

2. WHAT NOT TO WEAR-- Army phasing out its $5 billion camouflage uniform, which was originally regarded as good for fighting in either desert or woodland. The UCP, Universal Camouflage Pattern, has performed poorly and is not being worn very often in Afghanistan.

Just Some Interesting Stuff. --RoadDog

Heading for the Warmth: December 29th-- The Tennessee Horror

Spent a considerable time this morning cleaning the 4-5 inches of snow off the car.  Not what you want to do when going to Florida, but maybe it is.  See what you'll be missing.

Had breakfast Sliders at White Castle, then drive through around Indianapolis on the bypass and I-65 through Indiana and Kentucky.  Stopped at White House, Tennessee, and bought Chocolate Uglys and visited a short while with my nephew Andy and his family.

It was snowing lightly all the way through Tennessee, but nothing sticking.  We encountered three traffic jams getting to Nashville, only one because of construction.  We don't know why we had the other two.  Stopped for tacos at Jacks (Jack-In-the-Box) southeast of Nashville.  We love their tacos and the chain is no longer anywhere near Chicago.

Then, we had a long gapers' block on I-24.  Going through the mountains, we had a traffic jam all the way up and all the way down.  And then, there was a 20-30 mile back up west of Chattanooga.  Again, no reason for it.  Just a jam.

Drove around Chattanooga for awhile then on to Dalton, Georgia, and a stop at a Super 8.  We found a great little place called the Oyster Pub and did some relaxing after all that traffic , snow, sleet and rain.

Nothing Like Snow On Your Way to Someplace.  --RoadDog

Heading for North Carolina 2010-- Part 4-- Kentucky to Tennessee

AUGUST 29th-- Sunday-- Part 2

Took I-64 to I-65 through Louisville and after some driving, found a White Castle to enjoy their $2.99 Snack Pack (3 A-1 Sliders, fries and drink). I especially like the new A-1 sliders.

Got on US-150/US-31E and took it to Bardstown where the two split. Drove US-150 to Perryville, Kentucky where I went to the Civil War Battle of Perryville. I looked at some of the battlefield and the museum, then headed to Mount Vernon, by US-75 where I met up with my buddy Denny G. who was just finishing up a weeklong drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway which is celebrating its 75th anniversary of the start of it.

Then drove I-75 to London, Kentucky, where I got off and liked the $2.50 gas and found the NTN site I was looking for right next door, Shiloh Roadhouse. Played a couple games then back on I-75 to the Tennessee stateline where I got off at Jellico and took US-25W. Denny had said this is quite a beautiful drive and he was absolutely right. Took it to La Follette and back on the interstate to just north of Knoxville where I spent the night.

Superslabbing It Across NC Next. --RoadDog

Here's Hoping for a Miracle

Tomorrow night, Northern Illinois takes on Tennessee in what is a family feud-thing. My wife and I went to NIU while nephew and wife went to Tennessee.

It was bad enough that Northern is coming off a 2-10 season and now a new coach and rebuilding. However, Tennessee is having a rough season and primed to do a real "whupping" on somebody, and I believe that might be us.

We don't have tickets, but nephew believes we shouldn't have a problem getting ones because of large numbers of "fair weather" Vol fans.

Hoping for the Best. --RoadDog

Great Day for Bowl Games

There really weren't a lot of bowl games that really cared much about until today. There are WAY TOO MANY bowl games these days. One of them even featured two .500 teams!!!

I was happy to see East Carolina defeat Boise State. Both Mom and Dad graduated from there, and I would probably have gone there as well had we not moved to Illinois. Unfortunately, Central Michigan lost in the last minute to Purdue after coming back and tying the game.

Way to go Mr. Paterno who won his 500th game with Penn State at the Alamo Bowl. I have a lot of regard for this man.

But, today there are lots of great games.

I am a big Wisconsin fan, actually, they're my very favorite Big Ten team. Unfortunately, they're playing my second favorite SEC team, Tennessee. My nephew Andy is one of the biggest Vol fans in the world. Just ask anyone who knows him and walk into his "orange" room. My brother Bob, didn't go to Tennessee, but his money sure did. Tennessee won 21-17.

The Really Big Game today, is the Rose Bowl. Come on Illinois!!!! I attended Northern Illinois, and at one time really hated the Illini, but I have since become a Big Ten, well, Eleven actually. Win one for the Chief!!! The late great Chief Illinewek.

The Sugar Bowl will pit Georgia against Hawaii. I'm pulling for Georgia as I went there one year and my sister graduated from there and my niece goes there now.

I'm pulling for LSU in the championship. Two teams I really don't like are Michigan and Ohio State.

Nothing Like Some Good College Football on New Year's Day. --RoadDog

Now, Here Are Some Folks Who REALLY Decorate

The December 16th American Profile Magazine had an article by Marta W. Aldrich about some REALLY DECORATED HOUSES with some really beautiful pictures.

Glenn and Christina Barber of Spring Hill, Tn, put up 35,000 lights on their home topped by an eight-foot lighted cross. "It's all about the kids. I love the look on their faces," said Glenn. He has become an amateur electrician and starts mapping out the next year's lighting in April, then spend a full month preparing for the Thanksgiving lighting. He uses more than a hundred extension cords and six circuit breakers.

He's happy to do all this despite the $300 jump in his December electric bill.

The article then goes on to say that outdoor lighting really came into vogue in the 1950s. Over the last 50 years, the displays have steadily grown, especially with the introduction of inexpensive lights. Today, some are even computer controlled.

Chuck Smith, an electrical engineer in Franklin, Tn., had massive lighting displays at his home for thirty years. At its peak, he had 130,000 miniature lights connected by seven miles of wire controlled by a computer and nearly 400 circuits.

Unfortunately, he had to stop in 2003 after traffic in his neighborhood got to be too big of a problem. He now puts up his display at a local shopping center.

He has a website devoted to people who light up their homes http://www.planetchristmas.com/ . If you like majorly-decorated Christmas houses, you've got to check out this site.

The article closes with two other big-time decorators. Anthony Volpe who put up 90,000 lights last year in Monroe, NY.

In Scottsdale, Az, Michael Anderson has 35,000 lights synchronized to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, "The Chipmunk Song" and eight other Christmas songs.

"Let it glow!" by Marta W. Aldrich.

Now These Are Some People with Big Christmas Hearts. --RoadDog

Big Game in Town: Colts Vs. Patriots

Well, not Chicago, but one I'll watch anyway.

That would be the matchup of the two unbeatens in the NFL, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Now, I don't normally watch any NFL games unless its Da Bears or Da Pack, my two favorites. That's right, I like both teams, but definitely pull for the Bears when they play each other. I'll also watch a game if I'm at a bar and it's the only thing on TV.

However, this game today, is a BIG one.

I used to feel a bit sorry for the Patriots because the first time they went to the Super Bowl they lost against that great 1985 Bears team and it was a blow out. Then the second time was to the Packers, both at New Orleans' Super Bowl. However, of late, the Patriots have MORE than made up for those two losses.

I'm pulling for the Colts.

And, besides, the Colts are my third favorite team. A bunch of buddies and I used to go to Indianapolis for a game each year back when they were bad and you could get tickets, but those are hard to reasonably come by any more. Also, Tony Dungey is one of my favorite coaches after Mike Holmgren.

Plus, Indianapolis is a Midwestern team. Then there is Peyton Manning who also quarterbacked one of my favorite colleges, Tennessee.

Sad to see that the Patriots rallied to win the game.

Let's Go Colts!!!!! --RoadDog

Andy'll Be Sorry to Hear This

We have a brat-eater Down South in Tennessee and his name is Andy. He had never heard of a bratwurst before he came for visits during the summer (and I like to worked the poor little guy to death on the yard out here in Spring Grove). I took him out for them several times and he developed a taste for them, although I can't remember if he likes the VERY necessary condiment called sauerkraut on it.

I like mine with sauerkraut, mustard, and onions, either grilled or raw. Now that is a perfect brat. I'm always amazed how many places I go to that serve brats and DON'T have sauerkraut. That kind of defeats the purpose. It's like having Carolina bbq without coleslaw, hushpuppies, and tea.

Andy especially was impressed with the brats from Sheboygan, Wi. He had a very funny way of saying She-boy-gan brats. Ask him to say it sometime.

He also became quite fond of Johnsonville brats, widely considered the best you can get. He was quite happy when he found they had started selling them in Tennessee grocery stores.

Sad to report, that the founder of Johnsonville Sausage Co., Ralph F. Stayer, died yesterday at age 92. He took a butcher shop that was struggling in 1945 and turned it into a multimillion dollar company. You have to admire a person who sees a need, and through hard work, makes a success of himself.

For more info, see www.roaddogsroadlog.blogspot.com

I'll Have a Brat for Mr. Stayer, What Do You Mean You Don't Have ANY Sauerkraut!!!!! --RoadDog

Chicken Vols Scared of NIU

My nephew Andy, Mr. All-Things Tennessee Vols, e-mailed me the other day to say that Tennessee was no longer on Northern's schedule for this fall. We had planned a family get-together this September to cheer for out respective teams since he graduated from that little southern school, and I am a proud alumnus of Northern Illinois University, the mighty Huskies. I checked Northern's 2007 football schedule and he was right.

You should see his "Orange" room with wall-to-wall Tennessee Volunteer. I was surprised when he got a dog, then another dog, and both were dachshunds and not huntin' dogs. Liz and I take credit for getting him interested in UT as we stopped there after we picked him up and were on our way to Dad's retirement celebration at The Grove Inn in Asheville, NC.

Now, we have been doing very well the last seven years, and no doubt, that became an issue there in Knoxville. A big fear of losing to a poor boys' team from Dekalb just wouldn't set well with those rich alumni. We replaced UT with a better team, the University of Wisconsin; a team not afraid to lose to NIU.

Not Afraid to Say This as Andy Doesn't Check This Blog. --RoadDog