Vacation!

Day 1: the clock is ticking...less than 8 hours until the van picks us up at the house, and less than 11 hours before we are winging off to the big skies of Big Sky. I'm pretty keyed up, and yet calm at the same time. Legs and wind are pretty good--not the best I've ever been, but certainly good enough to feel comfortable that first week. And the second week...look out guys.

Things are the most planned they have ever been. I have bags shipped and waiting at the lodge; we're being driven to the airport for less than what it would cost to park a car for a week; I have lift tickets for Sunday waiting at the house; and I have even selected a spot for dinner upon arrival in Bozeman. Who is this crazy man? Age hath yet its honor and its toil...some noble work of note may yet be done...to strive, to seek, and not to yield.

I suppose we must change some with age or it will change us in ways we don't like. And now, to sleep. O-dark-30 comes early in these parts.

Day 1, part deux: Woke without the alarm. How does that happen? I can't wake to go to work worth a damn, and now, after 6 hours, my eyes are wide. Ah, well....

Ride should be here in about an hour. Nothing left to do now but have coffee and get dressed. Thankfully it is coldish here, so wearing a ski jacket won't be a problem.

And so it begins....

I had asked the driver to come at 8:15 so we would have time to pack the car and leave by 8:30 (for an 11:30 flight). Better an hour early than 5 minutes late. Unfortunately he came at 8 and we were out of the driveway at 8:15. I had wanted to protect against Superbowl traffic, but there was none. The guy was a speed demon, so we ended up at the airport 2 hours early. Ouch.

The flights were uneventful, smooth, and seemingly short. Arriving at Bozeman at 5:30, we got the cars and headed to the pizza parlor I had found on the internet; the meal was excellent and a good start to the trip. Then Jane and I went to Bozeman's Super Walmart for groceries while we waited for Pam and Dave's flight. I don't recall ever spending so much time at Wallymart and having it seem so short. The flight came in at 11:50 (late), so by the time we wandered around, we didn't get to the house until 2:00. Ouch. Bozeman airport is pretty cute.

The next day, I was up at 9, ready to go. But that bleeds into Day 2….

Birthday Girls

Happy Birthday to the twins, Maitlyn and Braiden Schwartz! They are a year old today, and already a handfull. Grrpa and Jane were unable to visit for the party (see auntlala's blog re that) but are looking forward to a belated celebration of some sort in Big Sky. I expect pictures will be posted on the web page, and I will reproduce a few of the good ones here.

Meanwhile, here's an oldie but goodie from a year ago. Amazing how time flies!

In honor of the occasion, I would have put the delivery video here, but .... It's enough that it's available at a nominal cost at http://www.brianandandrea.com/. Check it out.

Inauguration Day

If 69,456,897 people do a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.



Anatole France (paraphrased)

2 out of 3 ain't bad

Tebow already announced he is coming back...but what about Harvin and Spikes--the two most exciting players on offense and defense, respectively. The news is mixed. We had all hoped against hope that Percy would return for his senior season, even if just to watch the magic that he is capable of, but it was always a long shot at best. With his propensity to be injured, he couldn't take a chance on a career ending injury. He will undoubtedly go in the first round anyway. So his choosing to pass up his last year is not a surprise.

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GatorNation wishes him all the best, along with undying thanks for what he helped do this year. And for the memories of those exciting moments when time froze and Percy took over.

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Spikes was a tougher call. Clearly he was the heart and linchpin of the defense, but was that enough to guarantee a high draft position? Apparently some thought second

round at best. Yeah! That, plus Tim coming back, helped Brandon decide to stay another year (we think).

By the way, did I mention ....

Spikes Named Defensive Player of the Year. Gator junior linebacker Brandon Spikes was named the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year for his contributions, commitment and inspiring effort to the University of Florida defense this past season.

That means that all 11 starters on defense are returning. Yes, the defense that was in the top ten in the nation in numerous categories, that one. Oh, and look out SEC (et al), because all 11 on the second team defense are coming back as well. If all goes well, this will be the college equivalent of the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers! And most of the offensive horses are coming back too, plus some new additions with tremendous promise. (Keep your eye out for Andre Dubose.) It's not too much to hope to repeat as National Champions. If we do, think of Tebow's college stats: in addition to the records he set in 2007, he would have 3 championship rings (out of 4 years) and a Heisman in the off year. That's doing something. And, he could conceivably win the Heisman in 2009! Easily the greatest player in the history of Florida football, bar none.

I can't wait for September!

Shakin' Hands with the Guv'nor

Jane and I took a quick trip up to Indianapolis to participate in the celebration of middle America's lone example of common sense in the re-election of my friend and former roommate, Mitch Daniels as governor. We were two of about 30 Princeton folks (including SO's and spouses) that Mitch had invited to join in the festivities, similar to the event in 2005. All was wonderful, and we were treated like royalty, wined and dined beyond reason. The best part though, was seeing all the guys and getting to know their spouses, and having Jane meet them, and vice versa. It explains how I got like I am far better than I could. (Mitch had also met Grossi and Pappy many years ago.)

I don't think any of the PU crew stayed around for the actual inauguration, as we did 4 years ago, but this year was a more humble event on a much smaller scale. Mitch did manage to refer to or quote Ray Kroc, Kermit the Frog, Abe Lincoln, and the movie Speed in his speech, which relied heavily on seasonal and gardening metaphors. Few are better at metaphorical images than Mitch, and everyone we talked to was certain he would continue his term as the country's best governor (he did win that award recently). Of course, those were the staffers we were talking to, but.... I also spoke to a guy at the airport (he saw my Mitch button) who was complimentary of the job done so far, though not as gushing as Mitch's staff. I mentioned at breakfast on Sunday that I thought the true measure of a man's success was not how much wealth he had accumulated, but how many people around him would be willing to take a bullet for him--it is clear his staff would, as would the Indiana State Troopers who always accompany him. (Mitch laughed that off by saying the real test is the ratio of those people to the ones wanting to put one in him! He's the most humble and genuine politician I have ever seen. A great, great guy.) May he live long and prosper.



Mitch being sworn in on his family Bible, held by wife, Cherrie

A great day for Indiana.
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And, in honor of the occasion, a Special Bumper Sticker of the Week...
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.

Superbman Returns

Oh Happy Day ... for the GatorNation ....but not for the rest of the SEC. Superman, Tim Terrific, the Timinator, has decided to return for his senior year. We are golden now. With the rest of that talent, plus the new guys coming in...I shudder to think how good they can be. And if Harvin and Spikes decide to stay... oh, my... can you say undefeated, record-setting season?

A little Superhero worship, if you please...


The Announcement:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3825653
sorry to use a link, but it's the best quality I found

USC? Ha, we'll show you what Trojans are for. Texas? You'll be the Shorthorns when we're done. And Oklahoma? C'mon down, boys, and get some more. The Bullpups (now without Stafford or Moreno) only think they got beat bad in '08. The Semi-holes (when the NCAA gets finished with them) will be praying for rain again to keep the score below 100. But let's not get too cocky, just be professional, and beat the snot out of everybody.
I can foresee a situation in which the biggest question of the season will be who gets the Heisman--Tim or Percy? After the way they screwed it up this year, it doesn't really matter. That award is tainted. They should let just the former winners vote. (See prior post)

I can't wait for September.

Gators Champs (again)

OMG! what a game. If I were a cat, I'd have 4 fewer lives!
This was s-o-o-o sweet, after the Ole Miss disappointment, and the raw deal Tim got on the Heisman (see prior post), this was perfect. Actually, 64-14 would have been better, but it was still quite convincing. Was OU overrated? Absolutely. Were they as awful as the SEC rabblerousers were saying? Clearly not. But they were certainly no match for the Gators.

Heisman means best player in college football? My ass! We saw the best player in college football alright, but he was wearing white.

The hype told us this...

The game showed us this...

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Highlights of the game


Though the little guys--Demps and Rainey--were pretty much held in check, Tim and Percy took over and showed the Sooners what a great offense looks like.
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this might be the 52 yarder...

This looks like the crucial first down that Tim made, after being converged on by three Okies 4 yards short of the sticks--unstoppable when he wants a first down (well, all but once).

I call this one,"Yeah, you, Franks, I'm coming for you."

The reference, of course, was to Oklahoma defensive back Dominique Franks, who created a stir before the game when he said Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was no better than the fourth-best quarterback in the Big 12.

Tebow brushed those comments aside. "That might have been a compliment," Tebow said with a smile. "We'll see. . . . I'm thankful for being fourth. There's a lot of good quarterbacks in the Big 12."

UF receiver Percy Harvin said Franks made a big mistake with his comments (duh). "What people don't realize is you never want to wake up a sleeping giant," he said. "You kind of want to leave him alone because now you have to deal with him running even harder than he would have before. So good luck."

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It brings to mind a variation of a once popular song....

"You don't tug on Superman's cape
"You don't spit into the wind
"You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
"And you don't mess around with Tim...."

All you can do is smile, and hope that Franks was one of the 3 defenders Tim ran through to get that big first down.

Chris Rainey got hurt (not as bad as it looked--ouch!), but before he did, he left us with this bit of prestidigitation -- now you see him, now you don't. This move is almost as good as the one he put on Ahmad Black in the Spring Game.


But it was truly the Big D's night. Spikes, Dunlap, Black, and the gang kicked ass. How do you stop the highest scoring team in the history of college football? You knock them on their ass, and take away their balls. It was 3rd and goal from the 3--nice play guys, you stopped 'em once, that's a good show. But 4th and goal from the 1? Tackled for a loss? You gotta be kidding me!

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Spikes seems to have perfected the "let's-have-a-little-chat" tackle

I hope we don't ever have to listen to anyone try to argue that the Big 12 (might make an exception for OU in that statement) has any idea how to play defense. If UF had been playing in that conference, .... it boggles the mind.

A case in point. OU receivers are accustomed to running free, but not tonight. Welcome to the South, in a Major way. (What I love about this clip is the appreciation by the announcer in the background during the replay) .

The Major was a big part of the stop on third down at the goal line, and also had an interception at the goal line (deflected by Ahmad Black, inter alia).

Ahmad played extremely well and had a pick himself--and what a pick it was. It turned the game around, and that was according to Coach Meyer. It was a thing of beauty--he actually STOLE the ball from the Okies' best receiver. Amazing.

And Joe and Jenoris and the rest played well too. Just an exceptional game by the best secondary in the country. Oh, did I mention they were all coming back next year?

Percy was a force of nature, unstoppable. Throw it to him--first down. Hand it to him--touchdown (or else a 50 yard run). Not too shabby for someone coming out of rehab. Give me an injured Percy over a healthy Crabtree any day.

Speaking of Percy, is this how someone acts if he plans on returning next year?


Let's hope so. That playful little pixie Percy is pure pleasure to perceive.

In short, this year's results were FANtastic!