Go Bulldogs
Big doings in Fresno last weekend. We drove down Friday so we could be there for the grandson’s 8:30 am football game. In any decent society, that would be illegal, but this is Fresno. The good news is that we had dinner at Ruth’s Chris, which is probably the best food available in the Central Valley.
No, I won’t bore you with how wonderful 6th grade football can be, or how great the grandson is (even though he plays both directions, and was good enough to be put in with the A team of 7th graders). Let’s talk about Saturday night, time for some big boy college football.
Gail’s son Ross has one of the luxury boxes for Fresno State football, so we were off to spend the evening celebrating what was widely expected to be the rout of the Nevada State Wolfpack.
Just getting there was an adventure, because Ross has a new car–a one of a kind custom job. He took a new Ford pickup truck, and mated it with the back of a Ford Excursion to make an enormous SUV. As part of the customization, he had a new horn installed, powered by an onboard air compressor, which sounds exactly like a freight train. We had a great time blowing that horn as often as possible, reason not required.
The only one of its kind–the 2013 Blackburn.
This thing is huge and just owns the road.
Although kickoff was scheduled for 7:30, we arrived just after 5, to enjoy the tailgating. Not your old fashioned “put a barbecue on the tailgate” sort of dinner, but the fancy corporate kind of tailgating with a DJ, open bar and caterer.
Our host for the evening, a home theater and security company.
The owner of the company is a friend of Ross’s, and also the guy who did all the sound and home automation Chez Blackburn. This gives Ross just a bit of pull.
Where the in crowd sits.
We had a good time sitting around for a couple of hours, enjoying the very open bar, the DJ, the VIP lounge and the little chachis they left around for people to play with.
Fun with glow sticks.
I took a walk around to see what the other “tailgate” areas were like.
The word fan is derived from fanatic. It may have been coined in Fresno.
That’s a big investment in a car you probably don’t want to take to the grocery store.
People were there to have fun–and silly costumes are part of fun:
He may have started partying a bit earlier than the rest of us.
As the sun went down, the sky got prettier, and people got more and more into the swing of things.
Gail, Ross, Carole and Julie
As game time approached, we made our way up to the suite. Ross has had it for years, so Julie has completely covered the walls in photos of the family and friends who make it an adventure.
So here’s an observation that isn’t new, but one I keep learning–the rich have life better. Fresno State stadium, like all Pac 12 stadiums, is dry. You can’t buy a beer. Unless you have a luxury box, that is.
Can’t get this in the cheap seats.
Inside the boxes, anything goes. The liquor flows like the Mississippi river after the spring rains. You can bring anything you want up to your suite, nobody cares. RHIP, rank hath its privileges.
The view is pretty spectacular, too:
Big celebration as the teams come on the field.
I thought that a college game would be shorter than a professional game. Wrong-o. Kickoff was at 7:30, and the game didn’t end until almost 11:30. It was being televised on ESPN-U, and there were copious commercial breaks, time for official reviews, a half time show, and God only knows what else.
With all that time, there was socializing among the suites. We had a visitor drop in, a friend Ross has made between the Fresno State games and his love of the San Diego Chargers.
Gail, Ross and Lorenzo
Lorenzo Neal went to Fresno State, then played 16 seasons in the NFL. A three time all Pro, many think he will be elected to the Hall of Fame when he is eligible. Lorenzo was one of the greatest blocking fullbacks in the game. And he’s a really nice guy, too.
Fresno won the game, as expected. I drove the world’s only Blackburn home, being the designated driver so Ross could enjoy the game more. We stopped to pick up the #1 grandson at a party, and I blew the horn in some quiet residential neighborhood to get him to come out to the car. The big, loud, deep, extended, train horn powered by the air compressor. Poor kid may never be invited back, but we laughed all the way home.
Totally Unauthorized 
Ruth’s Chris is definitely not the best food available in the Central Valley. Next time you are in the Fresno area, try Trelio in Clovis. I just discovered this restaurant last month — and it would be on a list of the best, even if it was in San Francisco.
The menu chages every day — but here’s a sample: http://www.treliorestaurant.com/food-menu/
Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 08:14:50 +0000 To: dbpbear@aol.com
That 2013 BLACKBURN is . . . WOW!
What else is there to do in Fresno other than 1) grow raisins (#1 raisin producer in America), 2) Work for the IRS, 3) bemoan living in the largest city in the lower 48 that is not served by an Interstate Highway.
And it is tchotchke – Chachi (Scott Baio) is who was loved by Joanie. At least for one season. 🙂