CATAGORIES: JUGGFESTS, SPORTS, i love it when this happens — FloridaBill @ 9:32 am

What a weekend Sal Uki and I had!

Friday, I took the day off and we loaded up the van and headed to Carbondale. We had a great adventure and amazing timing the entire weekend.

We made it just in time for our tee time at Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion, IL. The sun came out as we stood on the first tee and we had been in dicey weather for most of the ride downstate. We both played pretty well and that place is magnificent.

After golf, we checked into our hotel and got cleaned up for the fund raising basketball kick-off party at Stadium Grille. We arrived just in time for the festivities where the coach introduced the entire SIUC basketball team and for $20 it was great food and all the beer you could want. They were also raffling off several items and Sal won the first item that was raffled, a maroon colored La-Z-Boy recliner. Here is a pic of Sal and the Saluki Basketball coach, Chris Lowery, who drew his name:

While the thing looks great in Sal’s underground sports museum/man cave (USMMC), I was the first person to ever recline in the La-Z-Boy:

After a short night in the hotel, we got up just in time for our next tee-time at Hickory Ridge Public Golf Center in Carbondale. I swear the fog lifted and the sun came out just as we putted on the putting green right before we teed off. It was glorious even though we both could have played better.

Leaving the golf course, we toured some old haunts (I can’t believe we lived in and hung-out at some of those places) and wound up having a pitcher of Blue Moon at Sidetracks. Sal’s pic of he and Mrs. Sal is still just inside the door:

Sal also ran into an old friend who works at the place (Johnny? I am not certain of his name):

We left to hit the tailgate party and grabbed some ice and beer on the way. We arrived in time for FREE food and beer and managed to get a plateful shovelled in (the food was incredible) before bad weather hit and they asked everyone to return to their vehicles for safety. After a 20-25 minute break (which we spent in the van), we continued to meet folks that Sal knows. Walking around the tailgate parties with Sal is like going there with a celebrity. He knows all kinds of people from his previous attendance at these and other Saluki related events. Like these guys:

(note the date and time on this pic is NOT correct)

We got free tickets to the game. After like 30 seconds of bartering with two scalpers, some guy just handed Sal two tix. We watched the Saluki’s win their 8th straight conference opener versus the North Dakota State Bison. We got free beer from the good folks tailgating outside during the game.

Following the Saluki victory, we got some good Mexican food at Tres Hombres and picked up a six pack at the liquor store next door. We only drank one of those before crashing back at the hotel. We drove back in great Sunday morning weather, just in time to get Sal’s recliner in the USMMC and then get home to watch (actually I napped thru most) the Bears beat the Seahawks and Mickelson beat Tiger in the Tour Championship. Phil got $1.35 million, while Tiger took $10 million, plus $800k for second place. Go figure. While their weekends might have been more profitable, I think Sal and I had more fun and played almost as much golf. It was truly an AWESOME weekend.