This week we are in the Pensacola area visiting my son and his family.

His wife sang last night at the local minor league professional Hockey game. Yes, a hockey game in Florida. She sang both our national anthem and that of Canada, acapella. The Canadian skaters tapped the ice with their sticks afterward.

We rode in a pedicab from our cars to the front door, with three adults and three children. The pedaller was cheerful and seemed unphased by all of us. He encouraged my son to ride too but he walked.

My grandsons love going to see Hockey since it is the only time they get to see adults in time out.

The Hockey is incomprehensible to me and appears pretty chaotic, kindof like a bunch of third graders playing soccer, but there was plenty of action. When they broke at the quarter the bird and cow mascot shot t shirts out of a grenade launcher looking gun, and an eight foot long blimp cruised around dropping ping pong balls on the crowd, redemable for prizes.

We ate hot dogs there which were good and only cost three dollars. I had mine with cole slaw on it.

I particuilarly liked the Zamboni, the vehicle they drive around the rink to renew the ice. The fellow driving it was very skilled, using oversteer to place the machine exactly where he wanted it.

Today I may mosey over to the Air museum again.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

sounds like a future snowbird in the works here....

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Pensacola - the navy air museum or the Air Force armament museum ? If you havent seen the AF armament museum (near Eglin AFB, off-base and free to get in)- Its well worth the trip (not as big as the AF museum in Dayton, but still cool.

My local VW board has a lot of murmurs that guys are getting sick of the 'big buisness' side of the NFL/NBA/MLB - and would rather spend less money and have more fun at the local Hockey ("Cincinnati Cyclones") events. I dont see anything wrong with this.

-John

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Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

Have been to the naval air museum there, great way to spend a day.

Mr Zamboni is in the ice skating hall of fame. It was a final Jeopardy question a few months ago.

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I spent the afternoon at the air museum yesterday....simply amazing.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Hockey is a great sport that loses everything when viewed on tv. We lost the Whalers but still have a minor league team (for the f'n Rangers ) and enjoy a few games a year with the family for the same reasons you stated. I'll have to get working on my DD to do the anthem(s), though.

Glad to hear everyone enjoyed the family time!

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
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More "thugs" in NHL than the NFL.

On the field/rink of play, that's true. Off the field/rink, probably not just due to the numbers. On the ice they prefer to be called goons, though. Growing up a Bruins fan, I learned about them early.

Along those lines, every year our school PTO does a fundraiser trip to the a minor league hockey game at the aforementioned local venue (in addition to a minor league baseball game in the spring). They usually end up with 350+ or so people including family and the kids sing the national anthem or a song during the intermission.

The thirst for blood on the ice is strong among the 5-6 graders! Anytime the gloves are dropped, chants of "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" ring out from 150+ kids in the section. And if there aren't any fights, chants of "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" follow every big check or stare down. It's a little unsettling that it seems to be an innate reaction. Very Lord of the Flies-ish!

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Have a friend who played briefly for the Bruins and then came to my town to be captain of our minor league hockey team. When I met him, I noticed a visible scar from the right corner of his mouth to his ear. Said he got cut by a skate and a "butcher" sewed him up with 80 stitches. Told me you could hardly see the scar from the left corner of his mouth to his other ear because a great doctor took care of that skate gash.

Further conversation revealed all 4 of his middle front teeth were prosthetic, he'd broken his wrist twice, his collar bone twice and his nose TWELVE times. And he was only 25. Tough life.

And to steer back on topic, Tom, I always enjoy your stories and enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing.

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Behind every great man is a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.

Yesterday we went over walk on the national seashore, then got lunch at Hemmingway's....lovely place with excellent food and reasonable prices, at least for lunch. Today we took the grandsons and all over to another seashore, had a picnic and generally fooled around.

On the beach was about a twenty two or four foot sailboat on its side and beaten and battered. It appears not to be going to be salvaged but may be in line to be burned. I saw a couple of nice looking fire extinguishers inside and was tempted to liberate them but did not want to be a poor example for my grandson. Is an abandoned boat like this free game?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Sez the man from Scotsdale...
Plus if any of that comic were true then FL wouldn't have NY'ers coming here in droves, lol

Good question that I do not know the answer to .Surprised they were even still there. My suspicion would be the boat was not there that long even though battered.

The Xamboni is my favorite part of the hockey game. I remember the one game that we went to was a local team, and there were two (count 'em --TWO) zambonis on the ice, made up to look like a fire truck and an ambulance.
That's one of my favorite comic strips .
X2

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2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."