Last Friday while we were in Lubbock we took my uncle out to eat at the place of his choice. It was his birthday and he was kind enough to take us in for a few days. The destination - Acuff Steakhouse, which is about 10 miles east of Lubbock and south of Idalou (where I lived when I was 1). My uncle first ate there as a kid back in 1968 after one of my dad's football games at Tech...I believe the UT game...Tech won by the way. Anyway, this place from the outside looks like a complete dive. It pretty much is. The food on the other hand, was awesome. We went on all you can eat catfish and chicken fried steak night. Oh mama! I had 3 plates. The banana pudding for dessert was about the best I've ever had. So if you are ever on the east side of Lubbock, just drive east on 4th street until you get to Acuff, Texas then loosen your belt a few notches and get to work. Don't be scared by the rusted sign, cracked adobe walls, and pot holes. Thanks for the tip Mike!

Alpine Lodge Ruidoso, NM - Yes, that is the snow on the mountain in the background

Thursday evening Cory and I drove an hour or so across the Red River to see Old 97's. They were playing at Winstar Casino off Exit 1. Which just happens to be like the 4th largest casino in the U.S. or something.....it's huge. The evening began with us checking out our assigned seats around 7 or so. We were escorted by 3 security people into a very large auditorium with 3500 seats and a huge stage at one end. We were greeted by another entire host of security people guarding the VIP section (1st 10 rows). Pretty funny since we were the only ones there at the time. We checked it out and went off to play a few hands at blackjack and walk around until the 8 PM showtime. 8 o'clock rolled around and the show started. It started off weird and uncomfortable. We were standing up on row 10 of this huge arena and everyone in front of us was sitting down. The crowd would clap and yell after each song while sitting in their convention center chairs. The show picked up tremendously about the time they played "King Of All The World" as a few faithful disregarded security and rushed the stage...us included of course. Then this concert got rolling. We were front and center about 6 feet from the band. This was starting to become a good $10 investment. Old 97's played for about an hour and 45 minutes and it was really fun. One highlight was the cover of the Beatles "I'll Cry Instead" ....nice! After the show, Cory jumped on stage or should I say dove on stage to retrieve the setlist while a 60 year old security lady tried to pull him off by the ankles. Cory won that battle and got it. It is now in my possession. We even had a new found friend, Jim buy us a t-shirt as a souvenir after the show. We met Jim at the blackjack table before the show and he decided to go to the concert with us. Thank Jim! Overall, it was a great show and a fun time even after an awkward beginning.

Doreen clip: