That wasn't pretty

Good thing we had fun tailgating. When you're a Cyclone fan, you have to take solace in that sometimes. But damn - it was a big stage, and once again the team fizzles. It's frustrating for fans not to even get out of the gate.

Kara and Jud got here Friday night about 7:30, and we went to Casa de Oro for some Mexican food, then we played a little Scene It while we listened to the Creston Panthers polish off the Winterset Huskies. Kara's not big on sports, so it was a compromise. She and I vs. Jud and Paul - they beat us at the very end.

I wore all my lucky clothing yesterday - down to my skivvies. Guess the stuff only worked in September, huh. It was gorgeous out - light breeze and mid 60's. We got to Ames about 1:30 PM, just in time to break out the grill. Paul wisely put on the apron to protect his shorts.

Bobbie and Jeff arrived shortly after we did, along with several with Jud and Kara's friends. Donnie decided to mix us up some delish shots to kick off the afternoon.

Then Diana and I went to watch the football team make its entrance to the game - very dramatic!

Paul Rhoads makes his way to the locker room along with players below

Add caption

The pageantry and crowd were A+. Too bad the team sucked. Nonetheless, we stayed until the bitter end. The drive home was long - got here about 1 a.m. Glad the deer stayed out of our way!

Jud and Kara pose for a pic along with Pablo and me

Jud's friend Noelle was Cy for 3 years, now works for Learfield Sports.