 The Sunshine State Cougar Club, of which the Old Guys are members, planned to attend the Toys For Tots show at Biff Burger in St. Petersburg on December 2nd.
Since the Old Guys are always lookin' for decent BBQ, and Packard Bill recently found Hungry Harry's, we started the weekend in Land O' Lakes, about 40 miles north of St. Pete.
Bill was right...the BBQ was excellent (just don't ask for french fries!), and we ranked Hungry Harry's right below the Number Two-ranked BBQ joint in the country (Interstate in Memphis), which adds credence to our belief that those who do the BBQ ratings have missed a lot of good, local places in their travels.
After lunch, we headed south, and most of us took turns getting lost. We eventually checked into the hotel, gathered poolside, and made plans for the evening.
As it turns out, the Old Guys opted out of a visit to Quaker Steak and Lube, and it was probably a wise move on our part...we learned later that while the place itself was pretty neat, the food left a little something to be desired. And no matter what anyone else says, the Atomic Wing Sauce is unbelievably HOT!
As the evening progressed, the size of our party increased, as did the cocktail consumption. Even Phil drank a few beers! But by 11:00, the party was over...about an hour after the Old Guys ussal bedtime!
Since the show officially began at 10:00 AM, we left the hotel for the ten-minute drive at 8:30. When we arrived, the entire front of Biff Burger's was full, with only a very few spaces in the back. After some jockeying with a couple dozen motorcycles, the SSCC was pretty much parked together.
We handed over our toys (they expect to collect more than 6000), and the SSCC donated $150 to the Toys For Tots fundraiser (they'll eventually collect more than $30K this year).
Some had breakfast there, while most of us waited a little longer, so we could sample the world-famous Biff Burger burger. As Swami found out, you can only get certain burgers during certain hours, and he picked the wrong hour to order!
When it came time for the awards, two of the SSCC Cougars were amongst the Top 50, as well as the club winning the Club Participation award, which was a trophy and $100 cash. The $100 was donated back to the Toys For Tots fund.
While most everyone headed home after the show, a couple of us who had four-plus hour drives home elected to spend the night in St. Pete.
After a long night Saturday, and a long day Sunday, as you would probably expect from the Old Guys, Sunday night was limited to some TV watching, some more of Mrs. Sonny's two-fer cake, early to bed, and on the road to home just after 6:00 AM Monday morning. |