Fa La La La La

Christmas has come and gone, and once again, the Remler family had a splendid holiday. This one was a little different because now that the boys are older, they're getting more involved with the giving as well as the getting. Take, for instance, this handsome Big Green Egg stand that Davis built for Stephen:

 

Stephen was surprised and pleased, and I was impressed

by Davis's craftsmanship. 

Lawson's contribution was two temperature gauges for the Big Green Eggs,

and Stephen, true to form, cooked a roast beast for our Christmas dinner. 

Yum!

 

Of course, the boys did enjoy getting gifts too, and they got plenty of them, most of them having to do with camping and hunting. Davis got a fine set of waders, which he tested out in Kelley's swimming pool. Lawson got several knives, pocket and otherwise, for use on his hunting expeditions. Stephen was delighted with a propeller, a pair of sunglasses, and some new shoes. 

What did I get? 

A meat grinder! 

Now I can grind up the venison Lawson brings home from the great woods. 

Later on, JoJo, Pop Pop, and Aunt Bea came by for a visit so they could marvel at the Christmas bounty.

In the Remler family, Christmas doesn't end on December 25th. 

Oh, no. 

On Boxing Day, we gather again at Tybee to roast oysters, play games, catch up with old friends, and, of course, eat. 

This year, we enjoyed visiting with the Tuckers, Aloysius, Sherry and Harry, Viviane and Max, Alisha, and all the extended family. 

 

Kelley invited all to enjoy the oysters Stephen roasted. 

Later we decided to see how many people we could fit on a couch.

Jelly won the game of Left, Right, Center.

And the bumper pool table got lots of mileage. 

Even Clorox had a merry Christmas. 

He's always easy to please. 

Just give him a box, and he's happy. 

The Boys Are Back

Stephen, Davis, and Lawson departed early Friday morning for a long weekend of camping, hunting, and manly revelry in Kingstree, SC. Though they left Friday, their minds had been in Kingstree since the day after Thanksgiving, so when the big day arrived, I couldn't wait for them to leave. But after five days by myself on Wilmington Island, I was kind of ready for them to come home.

They're back now.

They must have had a really good time. I've never heard so much bathroom humor come out of Stephen in my life.

Of course, Davis and Lawson's excitement came from their enthusiasm for hunting. Davis has enjoyed duck hunting for the past two or three years, and he couldn't wait to shoot some of those feathered beauties out of the sky. Unfortunately, the weather was kind of dry. Apparently, ducks prefer to fly in the rain. So Davis only got to shoot about two or three. The mother in me can't help being a little glad about that. I had requested that he take photos before he plucked the feathers of the birds, and Davis was kind enough to remember.

 

But the bigger news was that Lawson shot his first deer. Lawson's just entered the hunting world a year or so ago, so I was not expecting him to exhibit such marksmanship so soon. He sure surprised me. Uncle Bob was kind enough to take photos. Unfortunately, darkness had fallen by the time the deer got to camp, so the images are rather dim. But I think readers can make out Lawson and the deer (Lawson is the one wearing the glasses).

 

With the bottle of wine in the foreground, this second photo makes it look like the deer just had too much to drink. 

Now we'll have deer for dinner several nights this winter. If any readers have some good venison recipes to share, feel free to send them our way. I'll have the crock pot waiting.

This is What Happens When Lawsons Get Together

Yesterday was the annual Lawson Christmas reunion, which took place, coincidentally, on Bobbie's 98th birthday. She would have enjoyed the food, conversation, and fellowship as much as we did. Typically, we can expect to laugh, eat, and laugh some more as we catch up on what we've been doing over the past year.

Here's what happens at the Lawson family gathering:

This is what happens when Tom Peterson roasts the oysters.

This is what happens when you tell Harley he can't have any more chicken.
(We were just kidding.)

 

This is what happens when  Tom Peterson builds a cozy fire. 

The women just flock to it. 

This is what happens when Harriet tells a story. 

This is what happens when B.B. tells a story.

While the women are telling stories, 

the men go outside. 

 

This is what happens when Lawson gets home. 

It was an active, fun day for everyone. Many thanks for Nancy and Tom Peterson for hosting the party this year. It was so good to see everyone again. Let's hope it's not a year before we see each other again!

Sigh

As I write this post, the SEC Championship is still underway, but I've decided to stop watching. I can't stand to see anymore. LSU is leading 28-10, and while I am not surprised by the result of this game, I don't want to watch the gap between these two scores grow any wider.

I've been watching this game from my hotel room at the Rosen Center Hotel in Orlando, Florida. I'm in town for a SACS/COC conference. Coincidentally, on my drive down here, I stopped in Palm Coast, Florida to have lunch at the Steak n Shake, and who did I run into in the parking lot? Tom and Judy Mahoney! They were also on their way to Orlando to attend different meetings (Theirs sound like more fun). They invited me to have lunch with them (how nice!), and we had a bit of football talk.

Mr. Mahoney's prediction: He thought LSU would win, but he hoped Georgia would make a good showing against the no. 1 ranked team. I wonder what his assessment is at this point. Here's mine:

1. Georgia's defense rocked in the first half. By halftime, Georgia had gained a total of (I think) 137 yards. LSU had gained 12. LSU didn't achieve a first down until the third quarter--which is when they also achieved several touchdowns, but that's too painful to talk about. 
2. Unfortunately, Georgia's offense suffered for several reasons
   
   • Richard Samuel's foot is still so injured that he didn't even dress out for the game. 
   • Isaiah Crowell is not fully recovered, and even though he played here and there, it was obvious his ankle was not well enough for him to make a difference.
   • By the second half,  LSU was no longer surprised by Georgia's plays, and they covered Aaron Murray like syrup on pancakes, which...
   • Forced Murray to run with the ball, and he's just not prepared for that. He eventually fumbled the ball (it was just a matter of time), but at least when he did, he had both hands on the ball. 
   • Georgia's offensive players looked like they'd rubbed olive oil on their gloves. Boykin fumbled two punts. Tevarres King and Malcom Mitchell let the ball slip through their fingers a number of times. Not good. 
   • After LSU scored in the third quarter, our offense looked like they'd just given up.  Sad. Sad. 
    

So it looks like LSU is the SEC champion as well as the no. 1 ranked team. They'll go to the NCG, but who will host the Sugar Bowl?








Mr. Mahoney and I had an interesting conversation about that today at lunch. He says that his son (Tom III) says, that his grandson (TJ) says that even if Georgia wins today's game, the Dawgs will not be able to go to a major bowl game because only two SEC games can play in one of the five major bowls. Well, that doesn't sound fair to me, but it's a moot point now because Georgia's losing.


But just for kicks, I looked up the bowl game selection guidelines from the BCS website. According to those guidelines, “The champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern conferences will have automatic berths in one of the participating bowls through the 2013 regular season.”  Not only that, but the guidelines also state that "The top two teams in the final BCS Standings will be placed in the National Championship Game ("NCG")." Those two teams are LSU and Alabama (two SEC teams.Hmm.) But "unless they qualify to play in the NCG, the champions of selected conferences are contractually committed to host selected games:

• Atlantic Coast Conference--Orange Bowl
• Big Ten Conference--Rose Bowl
• Big 12 Conference--Fiesta Bowl
• Pac-12 Conference--Rose Bowl
• Southeastern Conference--Sugar Bowl"

So if Georgia had won the SEC Championship game, the Dawgs would have been required to host the Sugar Bowl. Wouldn't that have been nice? Oh well. But now what happens with LSU? Well, the BCS guidelines address that:  If a bowl game loses its host team to a national championship, "such bowl shall select a replacement team from among the automatic-qualifying teams and the at-large teams before any other selections are made." So if my reading is correct, the Sugar Bowl can invite another qualifying team, perhaps from the SEC or another conference, to host the Sugar Bowl. I wonder what that team will be. 


According to the bowl projections of ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Brad Edwards, the Sugar Bowl will be between Michigan and Houston. Georgia, according to one sports psychic (Edwards) will play in the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska. Mark Schlabach picks the Outback Bowl for Georgia against Michigan State.


Well, they certainly know the BCS better than I do, but I think the Sugar Bowl should have an SEC team playing in it, ans since Alabama and LSU are both tied up, why  not Georgia? Just sayin'.


Whatever bowl Georgia plays in, I'll watch. I want to finish out the Georgia season. In the meantime, I have another sport to learn: basketball. Lawson's on the 7th grade team this year, so I think I should know what I'm doing when I yell, "Rebound!" 


Stay tuned...

Yellow Jackets Got Stung

I was expecting Georgia to win Saturday afternoon. After the train wreck of the season's start, the Dawgs have pulled themselves together into a winning team. We already knew they'd be going to the SEC championship next weekend, so the win over Tech was just icing on the cake. It's always fun to beat Tech. But that's all I'm going to say about that. Some people in my family who grew up in Atlanta fancy the Ramblin' Wreck. So I won't rub their noses in their loss too bad.

Instead, I'll comment on a couple of things I noticed during Saturday's game.

1. Tebowing:  It's the practice of taking a knee and praying in the end zone whenever one scores a touchdown. I guess this weekend it's appropriate to thank God for a score, though I think there are more important things to be thankful for. But now, players on other teams are Tebowing as well. When Tech scored their first TD, the player Tebowed. J.D. says that when players Tebow, they're mocking Tim Tebow, but Harley said some players are trying to emulate him. I don't really care which it is, but I think that once your last name becomes a verb and blogs are dedicated to it. you've made quite an impression.
2. Speaking of Tebowing:  I think the officials need to make a decision about what players can do when they're happy. For instance, Sean Williams made a beautiful pass interception, but then he got a penalty because he spiked the ball before he jumped up and down in celebration. It was the spike that cost the Dawgs the yards, not the whooping and hollering, which I thought were more conspicuous than throwing the ball on the ground. But then let's consider what is allowed and disallowed in the end zone. One cannot dance after a touchdown. One cannot spike the ball after a touchdown. Those behaviors are unsportsmanlike conduct. But one can fake a prayer after a touchdown. I just find that kind of odd. 
3. But what I think is more odd is that whenever Aaron Murray finds himself having to run with the ball, he waves it out to his side, holding it without only one hand as he does so. That drives me crazy. I know next to nothing about football, and even I know that's a precarious grip. I've been waiting for him to fumble. Fortunately, that hasn't happened, and I hope the first time doesn't occur next weekend!

See what I mean? 

And this photo doesn't even display his typical grip.

Usually that arm is straight out to the right, and he's waving it around like a traffic cop.

 

So next weekend, Georgia takes on LSU in the Georgia Dome. I am really looking forward to that game, but I'm a little bummed out that I have to go to Orlando that day. Stephen says the game starts at 4:00. Maybe I can get to Orlando and check into my hotel room before the game starts? Hope so. I can't take notes while I'm driving and listening to the radio. 

Thanksgiving Weekend

So much happened over the last weekend that I've had a hard time thinking of a title. In fact, so much happened over the weekend that I had to think about it for a little while before I wrote a blog posting. We had a delightful Thanksgiving with family, followed by a fun day at the farm, followed by a wienie roast, followed by a winning Georgia football game! The Lawsons and Remlers certainly enjoyed many blessings.


The Remlers traveled to Hawkinsville, Georgia for a Thanksgiving feast on McCormick Avenue. After filling our tummies with turkey, we played croquet, and Davis gave the grown-ups a ride in the wagon.

 

 

 

Then Uncle Dave went out to the farm, just to see what he could find, and he shot a deer! So we had to go out there and help him carry it to the truck. That made for an exciting evening.

 

 

The next day included a morning fishing tournament (J.D. won) and an afternoon shooting extravaganza. Lawson, Davis, and Dawn did most of the shooting. I made the targets. 

 

 

That night we dined on wienies and smores, cooked to perfection over an open flame. Yum!

 

Well, anybody who's read this blog for any amount of time knows how Lawsons like flames. The photo below speaks volumes. 

Nuff said about that. After a thrilling Thanksgiving and post-thanks holiday, we arose on Saturday morning ready to watch some football! We gathered at Harley's house to watch the game. I'll reserve my commentary for the next posting.

The End of an Era

In 1989, Stephen Remler bought a brand new Chevy Silverado. It was loaded: power steering, power brakes, power windows, power locks, even a cassette deck! State of the art! It was snazzy.

That truck drove us not only on many dates, but also through our marriage, the birth of two boys, a dozen moves to new houses (not to mention moves for other people's houses), graduate school, all the way to Davis's driver's license. It brought home Christmas trees, cords of wood, furniture, and bicycles.

 

In this photo, Stephen is loading Ben Remler's Christmas present,

a sand box, into the back of the truck. 

1991 

When Stephen first bought the truck, it was navy blue with a silver stripe along the side. Years went by, and the truck began to show wear and tear. It was the victim of a few reckless drivers, not to mention a four year old. One morning Stephen went into the garage to find Davis playing there. "What are you doing out here?" Stephen asked.

"Oh, I'm sanding the truck," Davis replied.

 Here's Dawn conversing with Davis, who is 

playing in the back of the Lucky Truck. 

1995

This was when it still had a stripe.

Shortly thereafter, the truck got a new paint  job, and from then on it's been solid blue.

Although it was Stephen's primary vehicle for years, once we had children, it moved to secondary status. Still, we put the miles on it. And others did too. Whenever friends needed to haul something to the dump or home from the furniture store, they borrowed the truck. And that's how it got its name.

By the mid 1990's, the truck had a huge dent on its side. Paint was peeling from the top, and the air conditioner worked when it felt like it. Still, the truck was good for many heavy duty jobs, and when friends' cars broke down, they used the truck as temporary wheels. Oddly enough, when the truck decided to break down, it always did so while others were borrowing it. So they fixed it for us. How lucky!

 We used the truck to move into our first 

house at 106 Neva Avenue, 1990.

But that wasn't the only thing. The truck has also been stolen. At the time, though, it wasn't getting much use. Stephen didn't even know about the theft until the police called him one day. "Do you know where your truck is?" they asked.

"Obviously I don't, or you wouldn't be calling me," Stephen replied. "Where is it?"

It was in a ditch on Mills B. Lane, stripped of its tires and its batteries, the windows bashed in. Nothing of value was in the truck to be stolen, and insurance paid to repair it--even the dents and peeling paint that had been there for years. How lucky!

From then on the  Silverado became the Lucky Truck.

And it was lucky in other ways too. Every year on Saint Patrick's Day, we managed to get a prime parking spot along Abercorn Street, and we put our coolers, jackets, snacks in the bed of the truck and sat on top of it to watch the parade.

 Saint Patrick's Day, 2007

During the Beach Bum Parade on Tybee, we lined the Lucky Truck's bed with plastic and filled it with water for the kids to reload their water guns. Ever since Davis was old enough to talk, we've told him that was the truck he would drive, and at sixteen, he got his license and took the wheel of the Lucky Truck, which he used to pull his boat, drive to school, and host tail gate parties at BC football games.

Now 22 years and 300,000 miles later, the Lucky Truck is moving on. Davis now drives Clifford, the Big Red Truck, and the Lucky Truck is moving on to another's driveway. I'm sad to see the truck go, but happy that it will have a good home. Stephen says we might see it around from time to time as he has sold it to one of his painters.

It won't be the same though. Bye bye, Lucky Truck! You're a good truck!

A Sad Day for College Football

When Larry Munson was announcing Georgia football games, I didn't give much attention to the sport. I knew his voice because I'd hear it when Stephen listened to ball games, but because I wasn't a sports fan, I didn't think much about Munson either. Ironically, now that he's gone, I feel a little bummed out. After all, he was a beloved, important part of Georgia football.

But Larry Munson's death isn't the only sad news in SEC football today. According to Matt Hinton on Rivals.com, Arkansas redshirt freshman Garrett Uekman was found dead in his dorm room yesterday. The cause of death has not been reported, but whatever happened, the Razorbacks are mourning the loss of one of their teammates.

It's a sad day for college football.

Sigh.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

I have a confession to make. I missed much of yesterday's Georgia game against Kentucky. I woke up yesterday morning at 5:00 and couldn't go back to sleep, so by the time Stephen and I sat down for an afternoon of football, I was beginning to fade. I did watch the first half an part of the third quarter. After that, I watched the backs of my eyelids.

Today I slept all the way until 5:22, so with much more rest to fortify me, I examined this morning's sports page to see what I'd missed. I'm glad I fell asleep. Not that I'm poo-pooing the Dawgs' second half touchdown, which sealed the game for Georgia. It's just that most of the second half displayed what I saw in the first: Georgia's offense struggled, and its defense earned a gold star.

Roger Clarkson of the Athens Banner-Herald summed up the game with a grade report (it was syndicated--at least across Morris News papers, so you may have read this piece already). I thought it aptly portrayed yesterday's performance (at least what I saw of it), but I have some comments of my own:

• Players of the Game: Clarkson identifies Jarvis Jones for his "seven tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble that set up Georgia's lone touchdown and a pass breakup." Yep. And on top of that, Jones has finally managed to keep his helmet on the entire game. Thumbs up to that. Clarkson also credits Blair Walsh for hitting "four straight field goals" which "account[ed] for 13 of Georgia's 19 points." He follows up with the comment, "The special teams have certainly stabilized the last couple of weeks." Fair enough, but I suppose I'm not so generous with my praise because Walsh did yesterday what should have been doing all along. When your head coach describes your performance as "scary" after the Florida game, the only direction you can go is up.
• Play of the Game: Clarkson lauds Jarvis Jones again for his third quarter tackle:  "Jarvis Jones sacked Maxwell Smith and forced a fumble that Christian Robinson recovered at Kentucky's 10-yard line. Three plays later Georgia scored its only touchdown of the game to lead 19-10." I have to take Clarkson's word for it because I was asleep at the time, but if that tackle is the play of the game, then the play of the first half was Branden Smith's beautiful pass interception, which has been largely overlooked by the press. Clarkson simply writes that Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith "had pass interceptions." Now, he does give the passing defense an A- for their performance, but Smith's interception deserved a bit more atta-boys than it's gotten. So I'm putting it here: Way to go, Branden!
• Rushing Offense--C+:  I thought that grade was generous, but maybe Clarkson is considering Isaiah Crowell's ankle injury. Add that to Richard Samuel's injury in Jacksonville, and that puts some holes in Georgia's offensive game. And to top that off, my new player to watch, Carlton "Skeeter" Thomas was a no-show. Sports announcers reported that he was away "for personal reasons," but Clarkson's article reports that he missed the game "after violating team rules." If that's true, then I'm perplexed. Last week's stunning game against Auburn was Thomas's way of apologizing to the fans for his game suspension that let him down. Note to Thomas: After you've made good on a past offense, it's not the best decision to violate team rules again. Could you just keep your nose clean until after the bowl games? Can you manage that much for us? Huh?

So whether I agree with Clarkson or not, Georgia met its goal to beat Kentucky, thereby qualifying Georgia to go to the SEC championship. Congratulations, Dawgs!

 photo by David Goldman of the Associated Press

Now we get to play LSU. I always like when Georgia plays LSU because the game makes for some meaty football talk with my favorite LSU fan, Jack. Get ready, Jack!

Once again, we'll be playing Tigers. Recently, Stephen and I conversed about how many football teams are named after felines. We've already played Kentucky Wildcats, and Auburn Tigers. So this morning I surveyed Georgia's opponents and categorized them, and as it turns out military officers are represented more often than ferocious felines, at least on our schedule:

• Military/Vocational Personnel: Vanderbilt Commodores, Tennessee Volunteers, New Mexico State Aggies, Mississippi Rebels
• Poultry:  Carolina Gamecocks, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
• Copycats:  Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Other Sundry Animals: Boise State Broncos and Florida Gators
• Bugs: Georgia Tech Yellow jackets

Unexpected Victory

The Dawgs beat Auburn 45-7 yesterday. Whoda thought? Before the game, my attitude was, "I think we can win this one." I was not expecting the near shutout between the hedges. And it was a lot of fun to watch.

As Stephen says, "It's a lot more fun to watch the Dawgs beat Auburn by a lot of points than it is to watch them beat New Mexico State by a lot of points." I agree. Richt's Bulldogs plucked that War Eagle.

Not only did I enjoy watching the Saturday afternoon beat down, but I learned some important football concepts at the same time. And for that, I must thank my friend Cyndi Billac. Not only does she know her football, but she knows how to explain it to football idiots like me in a way that I can understand it.

Faithful readers already know I've been a little perplexed by the kicking game. Lately, my questions have revolved around the reasons receivers let the ball drop instead of catching it. I thought they were being sissies by avoiding a tackle. But Cyndi set me straight.

"When the kicker kicks the ball," she explained, "it goes way up in the air, and then it comes all the way down. All that time, the receiver has to stand there at watch it come to him. But all the while," she continued, "players from the opposing team are running toward him ready to tackle him when he catches the ball. They've built up a lot of momentum, and he's standing still. A tackle would be a train wreck."

A little light bulb started to illuminate above my head.

"Instead," she explained, "he waves to the referee, which means he doesn't intend to run with the ball. Haven't you ever seen him wave to the referee?"

No, I hadn't noticed that before.

"That's called a fair catch," Cyndi explained. "And that means the line of scrimmage will be where the receiver catches the ball."

So that little bit of knowledge gave me something to look for yesterday afternoon. And sure enough, I saw Brandon Smith and Brandon Boykin wave at the referee for fair catches during the game. So I have learned something new, and I will no longer criticize football players for being afraid of tackles.

Other observations from yesterday's game:                             Photo from ajc.com

1. While I will always have a little place in my heart for Richard Samuel, I am also developing a little affinity for  Carlton Thomas. Number 30 may be little, but he's fast, and he can weave through a pack of defensive linemen like nobody's business. While Isaiah Crowell finally showed some stuff in the second half, Carlton Thomas made fans proud every time he was on the field. He runs around like a little mosquito out there. Look at how much shorter he is than his teammates. I hope we get to see more of him. Chris White of the Athens Banner Herald reports that Thomas wanted to say he was sorry for last week's suspension. "I really feel like I let all of our fans down who have supported us since day one," he told White.  "And the only way I felt like I could get them back on my side was to come out here and have a good game."
   
   Okay, Carlton. You're forgiven.
   
2. I was glad to see Richt alternated kickers for the field goals yesterday. Blair Walsh did all right, but I think it was a good move to let Bogotay (another Brandon) step in too. The only problem with that was by the second half I started forgetting whose turn it was to kick. I guess that'll happen when the team scores that many touchdowns. Nice problem to have.
3. I suppose everybody's favorite moment was Bacarri Rambo's pass interception and touchdown. "Hopefully we made a statement with this game," Rambo told Associated Press's Paul Newberry. Yes, I think they did.

And now, if Georgia beats Kentucky next week, the Dawgs will go to the SEC Championship. I think Mark Richt can put his resume back in the drawer for now.