24 Hours later

Buddha here...It's now 24 hours since I got home from Florida and I'm only thinking of one thing---I THINK WE CAN TAKE THOSE GUYS! Who's with me?

Namaste

Florida, Recapped

What can I say?  Another Ice Hole's road trip successfully accomplished.  For us, failure is not an option.  I believe by this time, all but maybe our goalie (who was getting a little bonus time in the Florida sun) should be back home, safe and sound.  In reading back through this blog, I think the essence of the trip was captured well, but here's some moments that made the experience so much more satisfying:

• 24 total hours in the car, listening to Mac either snoring, farting, or sniggering at some movie he was watching (or a combo of all three).
• Kent's antagonism of the dogs staying at our hotel.
• Thinking that the Friday afternoon game against the Sharks was going to be the tough one.
• Nicole, our feisty waitress at Meyer's Latin Fare (of course, to Chris V, she'll always be "Rachel")
• Mac making a small child cry at the bar when he yelled at him.  The kid had accidentally turned the TV off.
• Pompano Beach...ahh yes, the beach.
• "I'm not burned, it's just a good base!"
• Jesse telling us he likes to cycle the puck, thinking that we were capable of that. And also assuming that we even knew what cycling the puck was.
• Joe's spectacular save percentage of 0.940 (saving 602 out of 627 shots).
• Adonis DNA, Tiger Blood, and "Winning!!!"
• The Chrysler 300 versus the K-Car
• The relevance of the size of a woman's engagement ring (ask Mac - he has developed a theory).

 I hope the readers of the blog had as much fun reading about the excursion as we did living it. And if you feel saddened by the fact that this latest chapter of the Holes' adventures, fear not!  Plans for the next installment we being discussed on the 12 hour drive home.  Stay tuned to see what lies in store...

Mariska hargatay.

What hockey tournament?

Buddha here...I truly appreciate Bryan and the boys driving 12 hours to take the hockey bags. It enabled Doug and I to swing through South Beach and hang out with the hard bodies. NC beaches certainly don't look like this.

We've just landed in Raleigh. The games of this weekend seem like a distant memory. (Thank God). The memories of the meals, the jokes, the smells, and the restraining orders will last forever.

When do we leave for Prague?

Namaste

Saturday night's alright for fighting

Buddha here...Forgive the late posting of this. It was a late night. (At least for those of us eligible to play in the over-40 league)

On Saturday night, those who chose not to drink beer and smoke cigars by the pool decided to check out the Bru's Room sports bar. We hadn't planned for the fact that the UFC light heavyweight championship was on that night. The place was packed!

Luckily, some of our guys intimidated a little league baseball team into giving up their table. (A mostly true story)

The food was good, the beer was great, and the guy in the red shorts beat the living daylights out or the guy in the white shorts. If this had been a hockey game, we would have been wearing the white shorts.
Namaste.

Bumper to bumper

After having such good luck with the traffic on the way down, our luck ran out. We're within sight of the South Carolina line, and an accident has us crawling along. That, in itself, wouldn't be such a bad thing, but certain passengers have chosen this time to vent excess vapor pressure, and without a steady flow of air past the windows, trying to clear the fumes has become more difficult.

On the bright side, Kent and I (riding in the front) have been entertained by Mac for miles now. He's in the back watching movies. He has the headphones on, so we can't hear the dialogue, but from time to time, he burst out laughing. It's rather amusing.

Georgia on my mind

Buddha here...they say you learn a lot about people when you travel with them. Amen brother.

I escorted Georgia around the street fair this morning. We both bought some wall decorations from the same vendor. The nice man offered to put both items in one bag, assuming she and I were together. I was happy to let it go but Georgia was VERY quick to correct the man and tell him that we not married, not related, and in fact she had never seen before in her life.

Now it all becomes clear. She had her eyes on Captain Jack the whole time. I knew I should have gone with Mac to get that tattoo Friday night.

Namaste

Fire engine graveyard

If your local volunteer fire department needs a new-to-you engine, come on down I-95 and pick one up. They also have used military trucks and cranes. Crazy low prices! Everything must go!

Ahoy

Okay, so Kent, Mac, Brett, and I get on up this morning, pack everone's gear in the truck, and get started on our 12 hour drive home so we can get there before Monday. Meanwhile, I get a text from Georgia that she's hanging out with Captain Jack at the arts festival down the street from the hotel before she goes to the airport. Interesting...

The Fat Lady Has Sung

Three games down, and I'm happy to say that we have maintained a perfect record for the tournament. Our last game was probably the closest we came to being halfway competitive. Of course, when I say that, I just mean that we scored a few goals. The bad news is, the other team scored a few more. Six more than us, to be exact.
We played hard, and honestly did the best we could. We just don't belong in the division that we ended up being put in. Final scores of the games not withstanding, we had an awesome weekend. As things wind down, some of the gang has gone in search of a sports bar to hang at, some are enjoying cigars at the hotel pool, and some are loading up on ibuprofen and hitting the hay.
All that's left to do now is try to dry out some of this nasty hockey gear as best we can before sealing it up for the 12 hour trek home tomorrow. That's always the tough part of the trip.

An authentic Greek at the authentic Greek restaurant. (owned by a Canadian)

It's All Greek for Dinner

Sitting outside on a wonderful Florida evening at a Greek restaurant just down from our hotel. We've got a variety of gyros and souvlaki coming our way, and life is good. Oh, and if we can not get pummeled in our 8:50 game tonight, that would be even better.

Recovery

The boys recovering and drying the gear at the pool. The hazmat crew temporarily quarantined the area.

Family Ties

Buddha here. (#17 in your program...#1 in your heart.) Why would we drive 12 hours to get beaten like a rented mule on a hockey rink? It's all about family.

When else could I guilt my brother into flying to miami with me and having lunch at Lulu's in Ft. Lauderdale? I even talked my in-laws into taking a detour on their trip from Jax to Key West to watch us play and drink beer at the bar after the game.

We may not win many games, but we definitely win at the family game.

Namaste.

0 for 2...

It was unbelievable folks! The Cinderella team from North Carolina, who was inadvertently put in the wrong division taking down perhaps the best team in the intermediate division! I mean, we took it to 'em. They didn't know which way to turn. We smoked that team 9-2, and we are now upstairs in the bar celebrating while the other losers are drowning their sorrows at the table next to ours. *

*this post is a work of fiction and is intended for entertainment purposes only. While it is based on actual events, certain aspects have been embellished for dramatic effect.

Pompano Beached

Photo evidence of our trip to the beach this morning. Some little kids tried to push Johnny into the ocean, but we were able to shoo them away. Kent didn't get in the water. Apparently, the ocean isn't safe.

Dinner, Cuban Style

As is becoming the trend with this group, dinner was again memorable tonight. As we sat in the ice rink bar and contemplated our gastronomic options, Joe and I decided that some Latin fare would be good, and had our sights set on a Cuban place that seemed to be just down the street from the hotel. After unsuccessfully trying to call them, we discovered that the place was out of business. Okay, disappointing, but we still had a hankerin' for some Cuban. After getting back to the hotel, Joe came up with another place that, again, was right down from the hotel. It was a relatively new restaurant called Meyer's Latin Flare. After walking in, I thought, "nice atmosphere". After looking at the menu, I thought, "good selections". After getting our food, I thought, "great food". And we ordered a lot of it. Everything I sampled was excellent. Z and I split a ceviche appetizer of mixed seafood. Awesome. Several ordered the paella. Awesome. I ordered the mufungo with pork. Awesome. And let's not forget the desserts: tres leches cake, flan, and churros. And on top of that, the wait staff was great fun and very accommodating to this large, and at times, unruly group. One of our waitresses didnt even mind that Vrettacos repeatedly called her by the wrong name (isn't there a country song by that title?). The chef even came out a few times to check on us. I can absolutely recommend the place if you ever find yourself in Coral Springs.

After dinner, some headed back to the hotel, while others cruised down the street to find a sports bar to hang out in. We soon discovered the bar was closing up (this doesn't seem to be the "party all night area of town). After a few more failed attempts to extend the evening, we gave up and joined the others in lounging next to the pool as Mac, Z, and Joe enjoyed their cigars. So what's on the docket for tomorrow? Well, a trip to the beach in the morning seems to be a popular idea, so we give that a go before our first game. The team we're playing at 2:30 tomorrow won their first game today 6-1, so we will probably have to be sharp tomorrow. Gotta go take some Advil and get some beauty rest. More later...

Nice try

Our first matchup for the tournament was against a team called the Sharks. We thought we might be in trouble when we heard they were from Minnisota. We knew we were in for a tough one watching them take the ice. We played a great first period, keeping them off the scoreboard. Joe was brilliant in the net. The second period was not so kind. They got a few goals on the board, then followed up with a few more in the third. We ended up losing 6-0, but we really played a good game against a team that was definitely a level above. Did I mention that they stuck us in the intermediate division? We are certainly NOT an intermediate level team.

The good news is, we got beer tickets to use after the game, so all is well. We're currently hanging out at the rink bar, finishing our free beer, before we figure out where to head out for dinner.

"You don't want to burn"

Mac offered to help Kent put on some sunblock. Kent resisted, to no avail.

The other lunch

Joe, Mac, Z, and Johnny's lunch at JB's Raw Bar. Flipper sandwiches all around.

Lunch

Eating lunch at "Pizza Time" in Coral Springs. I know it sounds like a cheap chain restaurant, but let me tell you, this was some great authentic Italian food. Between the group, we sampled margharita pizza, caprese subs, and a saltimbucca panini - all excellent. Now back to the hotel for a pregame nap.

The waiting game

Everybody's up this morning. Well, most everyone. No one's seen Z yet, but we know he was at the hotel last night, so barring any grissly discovery this morning by housekeeping, I'm sure he'll surface before our game. We got word that the last of the Friday morning travelers is on the ground bs headed this way, so we should all be united by noon. Several have taken the opportunity to utilize the pool area of the hotel, which is very nice. The collective solar radiation reflecting off of the whitened North Carolina skin that hasn't seen the sun since last September is a bit blinding, but the sunglasses help. Z's the only one that has a decent tan right now, and he somehow manages to maintain that year-round. I'm predicting there will be some nice burns by the end of the weekend.

About last night

Wow. What a dinner last night. And I'm not talking about the food, which was pretty good. Mostly seafare, but they have some other offerings, including the churasco beef, which I can whole-heartedly recommend. We also sampled some fried alligator as an appetizer. Some say it tastes like chicken, but I think it's more like armadillo (okay, maybe that's a Texas thing). The real entertainment started after the meal, when we noticed a couple of ladies staring at Mac. And when I say staring, I mean "take a picture, it'll last longer" staring. They finally came over and struck up a conversation. And while the full experience can never be adequately recreated in this format, I'll hit on some of the highlights:

1. It seems they didn't understand that we weren't an NHL level hockey team.

2. They wanted to know how we were allowed to use the same jerseys as the San Jose Sharks.

3. They were incredulous as to how we could afford to play the game. (I guess our apparently extravagant lifestyle amazed them.)

4. The one pictured kept leaning over the rail, (well, at least a portion of her was) in an apparent attempt to flirt with Mac.

After a long, repetitive conversation that left us feeling like we had run over our head with a car several times, they finally excused themselves and left. Or so we thought. They then came back with their husbands. Yes, you heard that right. So now the second part of the amusing, but admittedly awkward conversation commenced.

One if the husbands wanted to know how we could be any good at hockey if we weren't from Canada. We informed him that no one on the team claimed to be any good at hockey. He then informed us that he was from Detroit and was a die-hard Wings fan, which got Johnny's ire up, being from Chicago and a Blackhawks fan. He sarcastically asked the guy what kind of car he drive, to which the guy responded, "I worked for Chrysler- what kind of car do you think I drive?". When Johnny replied, "Toyota", and I thought we were going to have a showdown. There were some other comments about the quality of some 80's model Detroit products before both sides seemed to calm down, and the interlopers retired.

Chalk it up to another Ice Hole adventure. Good times.

Almost all here

My truckload arrived at the hotel, got checked in, and unloaded our bags. By the time we got all that done, Johnny and his carload arrived. We also got a text from Joe that his plane had landed. After getting settled at the hotel, we headed down to Ft Lauderdale to a restaurant that Joe recommended. He, of course, was already there, drinking and eating conch fritters. We had a 35 minute trek across town that took us by no less than 200 dining establishments, we now find ourselves at the 15th Street Fisheries. It's right on the intercoastal waterway. Looks like a fun place. We'll give you a report on the food later.

After lunch siesta

Mac nap attack.

Fueling up

Kent's turn to pay. $3.54 per gallon in Florida. If you ask him nicely, he'll pump your gas, to. We saw Mac's long lost twin coming out of the DQ at the gas station.

Lunch

We opted for lunch at Sonny's BBQ, which seemed appropriate for St Patrick's day. Everyone had BBQ sandwiches except Mac. He had catfish. Which he made into a sandwich.

Icehole-ology: -noun. 1. the study of what makes an Ice Hole an Ice Hole

Brett has now completed his first assignment in becoming an Ice Hole - viewing of the theatrical masterpiece that is On Frozen Pond. We're glad to say that he now has a greater understanding of what is expected of him while wearing the teal, and I must say, he seemed to embrace the idea. A little fearful, perhaps, but enthusiastic, nonetheless. We'll immerse him in part 2 after lunch. We don't want to overload his system.

Mac posing by the sign. We got the "Kiss Me I'm Irish" girl to take a group photo. We all wondered what, exactly, she would do if Mac actually did kiss her. Her large boyfriend might have had something to say about it.

Florida State Line

We're making good time, with our ETA being around 6pm. We hit the Florida state line, and stopped at the rest area. Kent was gravely concerned over this, and reminded everyone that rest areas are not safe. Mac reassured him that he frequents a lot of rest areas, and has never been hit over the head and mugged. Now it's on to Jacksonville, then maybe a stop in Daytona for lunch.

First fuel stop

Mac finally woke up as we were making our first fuel stop in South Carolina. After filling the tank (and resisting, with great difficulty, the urge to buy an "authentic" southwestern blanket off the rack in front of the convenience store) we hit Burger King for some breakfast. My 4:30am cereal was a distant memory. Mac showed his budgeting prowess by refusing to pay $1.79 for a small beverage, opting, for the $1 value size.

Early Morning

Google maps estimates a 11.5 hour trip from Winston to Coral Springs, so we decided (okay, I decided) to get an early start. Somehow, I hoodwinked the guys into being at my house at 5:30am for a 6am departure time. Brett was a little early, and Kent/Mac were a little late. Kent blamed it on Mac, and Mac blamed it on Kent. No worries, though, as we soon had everything loaded and tied down. We were tight on space, and we almost opted to leave Sluggo's bag behind (we didnt think he'd miss it), but we were able to get it on the luggage rack. Last we checked, it was still there.

Here's what Mac spent the first three hours of the trip doing:

Changes In Latitudes...

Call it fate, or a desire for new adventures, or maybe just pure laziness in the fact that we procrastinated too long to get registered for the 2011 USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championship (which apparently filled up in record time this year), but the Ice Holes did not make a third trip to the frozen northwoods of Wisconsin this year.  I must admit, that I had some sad moments of reflection on the weekend of February 11-13.  I kinda hoped that maybe they would have a blizzard this year, and I could point to that and say, "See - I'm GLAD we're not there!"  But no such luck.  From the pictures I saw on the USA Hockey website, they, once again, had splendid weather.

When it was learned that a return trip to Eagle River wasn't in the cards, we began looking at alternatives.  Briefly, we contemplated making a trip to another pond hockey tournament, but, failing to find one both suitable for our high level of play and within a reasonable budget, we opted to head to warmer climes.  Subsequently, the Ice Holes are headed to Florida for Spring Break.  Now some would say that, given Mac's propensity for donning Speedos, that heading to an environment where that attire might be more justified is crazy.  But hey, we're all about living on the edge.  Besides, it would be wrong to limit Mac's exposure to the people of Wisconsin.  Everyone deserves the right to have that image burned into their retinas.

So come the weekend of March 18-20, the Holes will find themselves in Coral Springs to compete in the USA Hockey Adult Classic.  Obviously with this being a more traditional tournament, we have a larger crowd going.  While the roster has fluctuated a bit recently, it looks like we'll have a full complement of 13 skaters and a goalie.  Most of us will be making the trip overland, which looks to be a 12 hour drive.  Mac will be riding with us, so I'm sure I'll have some prime pictures and story fodder to add to the blog along the way.

So buckle up, our devoted fans!  The Holes are headed to Florida!