Labor Day Weekend always marks the unofficial end of Summer. This has been hectic Summer for us what with all the home improvement projects, our garage sale and the trip to Europe. I am now ready for Fall and football season. This last weekend (Labor Day) on Saturday I rode up to Eugene with a friend to watch the Ducks beat Houston. Oregon won but the game was closer than the 21 point lead Oregon had at the end of the game. Oregon's defense looked terrible. No run defense and no ability to pressure the QB. The offense wasn't much better . There was no passing game until the middle of the 3rd quarter. However it was a nice day in Eugene and it's always fun to get together with 56,000 other Oregon Duck fans. All the same old faces that are getter older where sitting in our section 13. Bobby DeBischop even returned to his old seat after being gone for a few years working as a side lines reporter for the radio broadcast of Oregon games. The baby that used to attend the games with him is now a young man. I even got the latest addition to the plastic cups that soft drinks are sold in for my collection.. This years model is a winner.
On Sunday I did my yard work early and washed the car. I then watched on DVD the episodes from the 1974 British documentary "World at War" titled "The Fall of France" and "Alone" both about World War II and the fall of France to the Germans and the British fighting on alone in the Battle of Britain. After my trip to England and France these episodes took on new meaning. I also re watched on DVD the HBO movie "The Gathering Storm" two times. Once, with the commentary track off and once with it on. This is an excellent movie about Winston Churchill and his "wilderness" years and part of it was filmed at Chartwell. It was fun pausing the movie and checking the picture book I bought at Chartwell to see what scene's were actually filmed at Chartwell and which were filmed in a studio. Even the studio mock ups of rooms in Churchill's home were very accurate although you could see differences. The film staring Albert Finney as Churchill and Vanessa Redgrave as his wife Clemmie is very well done and was obviously done with loving care. To finish off the day I watched Bogart in Casablanca.
On Labor Day (Monday) my wife and I went to Lowes for some indoor/ outdoor carpet for the outside entrance to our home. We were able to find some that didn't look like indoor/outdoor carpeting. You know, the fake green grass type. We then had a late lunch at a new restaurant called Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. We were pleasantly surprised. The place is located on old highway 99 on the way to Central Point. It's located in a new building which is very spacious and well decorated with open beam ceilings. They have an extensive menu and the Pizza was very good. The pizza was baked in a wood fired oven. My wife liked her pot pie. The service was friendly and we will be back.
On Tuesday we had our Southern Oregon Duck Club lunch and several members are traveling from Southern Oregon to the Oregon/Michigan football game in Ann Arbor. I told them to watch for both of our kids who will be representing the Wickre family at the game. Go Ducks beat Michigan. I will be watching on TV.
