Thanks Groundhogs, Sunnyside, Legion, a Band and Chili!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Went to Sunnyside on a really cold day.  Thanks a lot Groundhog!!  Willie and that six more weeks of winter!!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4

First Saturday of the month means the Fox Lake American Legion was having their monthly music in the bar from 3 p, to 6 pm.  Where else you gonna get entertainment on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of winter (thanks Groundhogs)?  And today's group was the Three Aces who excell at 50s-60s and old country music. One of my favorite local bands.  You should hear themk do "The Auctioneer."

And, the Fox Lake/Round Lake Rotary Club was having their annual chili cookoff, so I was forced to judge and sample the 20 different entries.  Man, music, beer and chili in one day.  Nothing could be finer.

An Eager Volunteer, Believe Me.  --RoadChili

I'd Celebrate That!!! February 22: National Chili and Margarita Days Today

**  I'd celebrate that.

FEBRUARY 22

BE HUMBLE DAY--**  And I have a lot to be humble for.  Like the old song says, "Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in ev'ry way."

NATIONAL CHILI DAY--**    And here I sit with no chili.  Not even a chili cookoff!!!  Must correct that.

NATIONAL COOK A SWEET POTATO DAY--**  Love my sweet taters.

NATIONAL MARGARITA DAY--**  Eatin' my chili and washing i down with 'ritas.

WALKING THE DOG DAY--**    Dogs absolutely hate more than anything when you take them for a walk.  Don't do it.  Actually, few things more dear to a dog than going for a walk.

Chili and Margaritas.  Now, That's What I'm Talking About.  --RoadDog

COME SAIL AWAY:  Who wrote about the young sailor Billy Budd?


Herman Melville

A Dickens Christmas, Chili Cookoff and Top Christmas Movies

DECEMBER 13, THURSDAY--  Finished putting up Christmas decorations.  Movie "The Possession of Hannah Grace"  Subdivision decorations and "Miracle on 34th Street."

DECEMBER 14, FRIDAY--  Legion for 50-50.

DECEMBER 15, SATURDAY--  "It's a Wonderful Life" Antioch's Dickens Christmas with statues along the streets.    Stores and the Lodge.  Sunnyside in Johnsburg.

DECEMBER 16, Sunday--  Fox Lake American Legion for Bears game (Win). Also, chili cookoff.  I love chili cookoffs.

I now am missing just one of my top four Christmas movies and that is "A Christmas Story," but I know TNT and TBS will have their marathon Christmas Eve and Day so am not worried.

My Top 4 Christmas Movies:

#1 .  "A Christmas Story"
#2.   "Christmas Vacation"
#3.   "It's A Wonderful Life"
#4.   "Miracle On 34th Street"

--RoadDog

FOOD COMMENTS:  "I told my doctor I get very tired when I go on a diet, so he gave me some pep pills.   Know what happened?   I ate faster,"    Joe E. Lewis

Cold Ahead, 2014 N.C. T-Giving Trip: Day 1

NOVEMBER 20TH:  Actually left early at 7 a.m..  Took Il-49 south to Mahomet, Illinois, stopping at Gibson City for a McRib meal (that season, you know).  Gas was $2.65 in Mahomet, the lowest I've seen in years.

Picked up I-74 southeast to Indianapolis in no problems going through the city on I-70.  East to Ohio and a stop at Englewood, Ohio, for my Skyline Chili fix (gotta have my Cincy Chili every chance I get.  I got to Columbus, Ohio, near the end of rush hour, but no traffic jams and got a room east of town at a Knight's Inn.

Drove around the surrounding area and found one of my favorite stores anywhere, Half Price Books.  Books and music, that's my game.  I almost thought I was going to set a record and get out of there without buying anything, but then found two Civil War Navy books, a CD by Buck Owens and two historical calendars.

The reason I'm calling this Cold Ahead is that it is mighty cold for November.  The temp in Spring Grove was 12 degrees when I left and it finally got into the upper 20s by the time I got to Ohio.  At least there wasn't as much road work as there was in the summer trip.

--RoadDog

Chilly and Chili Here in the Midwest

Still coping with all this cold and snow. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24TH: Temp in the 20s, but stayed in all day because of the high winds and wind chill. //// SATURDAY, JANUARY 25TH: Had to do some shoveling because of the drifting snow. Went to Stormy Monday on the frozen Fox Lake for their 3rd annual Chili Cookoff. Love my chili. They had seven different chilis and I sampled all of them. Then went to the Legion on frozen Nippersing Lake and went to the Round Lake/Fox Lake Rotary Club Chili Cookoff. Sampled another 14 chilis. I decided that sampling all that many chilis is not a good thing and won't do it again in a single day. One chili cookoff is enough. Had to remain upwind of myself. //// SUNDAY, JANUARY 25TH: Bob Stroud played every track in the Beatles first United States album, "Meet the Beatles" on his Rock and Roll Roots Show. Also recorded Breakfast With the Beatles to listen to this week. Had to clear another 3 inches of snow off the driveway and sidewalk, along with drifting snow. My neighbor Dan cleared the "Bad Snow" off at the foot of the driveway, home of village snow plow-deposited snow. We then cleared off a neighbor's driveway. //// We had three chili cookoffs to choose from on this non-football Sunday (the Pro Bowl doesn't count as a football game). Went to the new Dirty Rooster in Antioch for a Bloody Mary and then met up with Missy, Sue, Paul and J.C. at the Squaw Bar for their Chili Cookoff. //// Saw two bald eagles outside the place. Five chilis, all good. Like I say about bbq, I never met one I didn't like unless its way too hot (a little's ok). Paul took his voting seriously. I just pick my favorite, he was taking all sorts of notes. //// Then went to Stormy Monday for a friend's birthday party. //// Came home in the snow falling and blowing snow. Watched Fox's Animation Domination and the Grammys. //// Coping With It, Though. --RoadDog

Coping With This Lousy Winter Over the Weekend (Sorry Snowmobilers)

I just got back in from shoveling drifted snow on the sides of teh driveway as we had a lot of that this past several days, especially yesterday with those high winds. It was about 30 degrees, but that wind made it very uncomfortable. //// We had light snow most of Thursday-Saturday. It melted when hitting cleared areas, but the flakes that didn't got their show the last two days with drifting. //// And, forecasts call for a couple days with highs in the single digits. Well, at least the snowmobilers and skiers are having a good time. We now have received more than the average winter snowfall. //// Anyway, I'm keeping busy and enjoying as well as I can. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17TH-- We went to Popeye's (not the chicken place) in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for their great fish fry and then stopped at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes and Tommy's in Spring Grove. //// SATURDAY, JANUARY 18TH-- I went to the Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society meeting in the morning and then hit my first Chili Cookoff of the winter at Route 12 Bar and Grill in Fox Lake. //// SUNDAY, JANUARY 19TH-- We went to All Sports in McCullum Lake to watch the first period of the Black Hawk game and to have their great pizza (at $5 for a 12-inch with 75 cent extras: pineapple, Canadian bacon and black olives). Then to Twisted Moose in McHenry for the last two periods in the Hawks game (Hawks won in shootout!!!) Then saw the first part of the Denver-New England game there. Saw the last half at Antonio's in Spring Grove (Way to go Peyton Manning and Broncos!!). Then went to Tommy's for the first half of the Seattle-San Francisco game and home for the last half. //// Not Letting the Snow Get me Down. --RoadDog

NC Bound Fall 2013: September 6th-- Part 1

Took the usual way to avoid the Chicago Hassle, Il-47 from Woodstock to Champaign and then I-74 into Indiana and I-70 east to Columbus. Stopped at Boz Hot Dogs in Morris, Illinois, a place I've always wanted to eat. Good hot dogs.

Then, stopped at the Ambler-Becker gas station in Dwight for my taste of Route 66. Got gas at the Pilot station east of Crawfordsville, Indiana, the cheapest I had seen at $3.50 a gallon.

All the traffic you could ever want on I-465 bypass going south around Indianapolis. They have I-65 and I-70 torn up going through town What a mess!!! Backed up for miles and miles. I have to figure out a way to avoid the city on my way back.

Clear sailing I-70 going east, despite lots of areas of construction. Had my usual Cincy chili at Skyline Chili by Dayton, then drove to London, hoping this was not an Ohio State home game weekend. It wasn't fortunately, so no problem getting a room at the Motel 6.

Things Along This Route Starting to Look Familiar. --RoadDog

JSIS: Denny's Chili-- Reality Show At Pier West and Angelo's-- SOS

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff


1.  DENNY'S CHILI--  I see my buddy Denny has been going to various places noted for their Cincinnati Chili and reviewing them.  Most recently he did one called "5 More 4's."  You can get your chili three-way, four-way or even five-way.  I don't know whether to thank or condemn him for getting me hooked on the stuff.  You can read it at www.dennygibson.com/blog.


2.  REALITY SHOW AT PIER WEST AND ANGELO'S--  Last week one of the Reality shows on the Food Network filmed at Pier West in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.  This week, they are filming at Angelo's on the square in Woodstock, Illinois.  I forget the name of the show, but it has something to do with helping failing restaurants succeed.  Last Tuesday, we met some of the show's people at Donovan's.  We were not impressed at all.


3.  SOS--  We are in the midst of the ten-day SOS Spring Safari Party in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  That's Shaggin' On the Strand and it is a big Beach Music celebration.  Sure would like to be there.  If it keeps raining, we might just float over to there.  By the way, here shagging refers to the dance.

My, Oh My, It's SOS Again.  --RoadDog

Good Times in the Area

FRIDAY

And, the roads were perfectly cleared by the time we went out in the late afternoon and met the Usual suspects at Stormy Monday and later stopped off by the Legion on the way home.  Great jukebox songs (Oldies) playing at both places.  A bunch of us Vietnam War-era folk had a great time singing Country Joe & the Fish's "Fixin'to-Die Rag."  " What are we fighting for?"  The Lakes Area Swing Band plays at the Legion next Saturday.  Planning on being there.

SATURDAY

In the afternoon, I was a judge at a chili cookoff at Stormy Monday.  Like bbq, I've never met a chili I didn't like unless there were super hot peppers in it.

Then went to Captain's Quarters for their Mardi Gras party.  They had qll the decorations, but no food or drinks associated with the celebration.  Plus, the deejay never said a word or played any music that is associated with it either.  I used to play a lot of it.


SUNDAY

Out looking for a humidifier belt (you need them with all the furnace heat).  Then went to All-Sports for their $5 pizza special and $5 pitchers. Their chili cookoff is next Sunday. A local snowmobile club was there (by car) because all trails are slush now.  They are from our Spring Grove and call themselves the Spring Grovers.

Then, went to the newly reopened Rusty Nail in Ringwood and found that some old friends of ours are running it, Brian and Mike.  Their parents, Phil and Bonnie, used to run one of out favorite Chain of Lakes places, Leisure Point.  We hadn't seen them in 15 years.  The Spring Grovers were also there.

Then, we found that O'Leary's and Twisted Moose were too crowded and ended up at Half Time's in Johnsburg.

Always a Good Time Round Here.  --RoadDog