Are you ready for some football?

     It’s Labor Day.  Football is in the air.

     We go this weekend to Colorado Springs with our Fabulous Friends to party and cheer on the Air Force Academy Falcons.  It’s a great weekend and a tradition with our senior group.  Been doing it every year since forever.  Last I heard there are 20 of us going.

     AFA is playing Utah State, I think it is.  Whatever.  I don’t really care that much about football, but I do like to go to the game…the atmosphere is awesome.  The pageantry is spectacular, what with the fighter jet fly-over, a parachutist landing exactly in the middle of the field, the presentation of the colors, the band, the falcon mascot going thru his paces, and hundreds of cadets running onto the field at every AFA score and doing pushups to match the number of accumulated points.  Shouldn’t be so cold this year, as we are going much earlier in the season.  It’s no fun when it’s cold.

     We actually drive down Friday morning and meet at our hotel.  Since our rooms are not available until later in the afternoon, we all go into town and have a leasurely lunch together and wander around some.  We get back to the hotel for the manager’s reception…free drinks and snacks…and then gather in our "party" room for fellowship and a supper of great appetizers which we take along.  This can last as long into the night as we old folks can make it… Maybe until 10:00 even!

     Saturday morning we partake of the free breakfast at the hotel and those going to the game carpool out to the field in plenty of time to be there for the pregame show.  More and more of the group are not even going to the game, but will shop, tour the area, or just hang out at the hotel. 

     After the game, we clean up, put on our glad rags and catch the reception again before heading into our banquet room for an over-priced so-so meal and sharing stories about ourselves or corny jokes.  Those who still have any energy will gather back in the party room for more stories and visiting.  It’s the best way we have of really getting to know each other and bonding.

     Years past we went on Sunday back out to the academy for brunch at the Officers’ Club.  We don’t have enough members left with credentials for the Club (retired military officers) to do that anymore.  More’s the pity.  Now we just take advantage of the hotel’s hospitality for  breakfast and head on back to the city. 

     So, Patty, I don’t suppose there will be time to get together this year, unless you could come over Friday evening for a little bit???