THE HOKIE HOOPTY

Ohio Tailgating

2007-10-24T19:01:00.000-05:00

Another Saturday, another tailgate, but this time I'm an idiot, a moron, a buffoon..... I'm a baboon..... with a friend who's a racoon sitting on a spittoon under the moon in the middle of a monsoon playing a tune with the help of a spoon .... That's kind of fun in a 3rd grade kind of way. Anywho, I'm a buffoon because I forgot the camera, but luckily Cathy brought hers.

Maybe I should complete this entire post in juvenile poetry, hmmmmmmm.......

The tailgate was set
and the brats were a grilling

Chip was fondling a football,
drinking a beer and just chilling.
The oldest Hoopty Crew kids had on their game gear.
They were looking real tough and showing no fear.
It was only nine in the morning, barely past dawn,
but Cathy and J-Rock were getting their drank on.
Matt and Rhonda Miller were our new Hoopty guests.
They were sporting maroon,
but Navy and Hoo roots they were forced to confess.Matt, Rob, and Chip just drank beer and sat
while Linda and MJ were having a chat.Jay-man showed us his taekwondo-high-red-belt look
and we got a visit from these two who work on the yearbook. (Matt and Karen?)
Sheryl had a drink to cure all her ills
Bob and (I can't remember your name) were checking out my woodworking skills.
Brandon brought Donna, the kids loved her soccer moves and soccer twirls.
Hey man, I thought zimas were only for wahoos and girls.
Midshipmen and wahoos came to love our dear team.
Tell everyone we're first and give them a scream.
It was obvious to all
this was a key play.
So the key shaking started
by Sophie and Jay.
Now Jay, here's a few words of advice for your life
She's ignoring you and your screaming
It's good training for when you have your own wife.
So Sheryl begins to ponder as the game draws nigh,
How can you not love a man like Jeff with a mouthful of thigh?
Another great gameday and tailgate are done
as usual it was filled with friends having fun.

[silly poetry ends here]

ECU Tailgating

2007-09-05T19:18:00.000-05:00

It's official! The 2007 tailgating season has started! Oh yeah, there is some football going on as well. The ECU game was scheduled for noon so that meant a 6:30 start from Lynchburg. A traffic jam on 81 is the nemesis of any professional tailgater so our early departure helped us avoid any vehicular drama.
Colette and "sour stomach" Rob are original Hoopty Crew members but we had two guests this trip. Rob and MJ Pearson were yucking it up on the way to Blacksburg. Let's get everything out on the table here and now - MJ is a Wahoo but we like her anyway. Note the Tech shirt she's sporting.Steve and Sm'Ellen looking very happy despite the early hour.So the tailgating begins. The first thing you should notice is that this is not Lot 8. I know Lot 8 and this, sir, is not Lot 8. Lot 14 is the new Hoopty home (for now). It's a good lot with lots of green space and very few people. While the action isn't the same, Lot 14 does afford a much more relaxed tailgating experience, and let's not forget that the two blue rooms see much less "activity" than the Lot 8 blue rooms. Here the setup is almost complete.The breakfast tailgate included ham biscuits (although not enough - thanks a lot Chip), cheese grits, hash browns, sausage, fruit, bloody marys, and breakfast beers.Football discussion started early and the orange peeling competition was a big hit. Janet and Colette were amazed with Ellen's very nimble, prize winning, orange peeling fingers.Bob and Steve look like members of an over the hill boy band posing for the paparazzi. Something like Menudo if they never kicked anyone out. Steve, I'm pretty sure boy band members don't pick their butts while a picture is being taken. What exactly is Bret staring at.....am I gonna be forced to defend my wifes honor? Oh wait, he's staring at Cathy. Oh Laaaaaaance.....The Charlotte gang (Travis, Brandon, and Lance) were violently debating the value of wearing Dale Earnhardt shoes with Chip and Creech (or is it Creetch, or Creatch).Awwww, they still hold hands after all these years. Either that or Ellen is trying to hold Rob in his seat so he won't do the hey-look-I-have-raw-brat-hanging-out-my-zipper dance. Bret and Jeanell presented Cathy with her very own tuxedo t-shirt because she wants to be formal but she likes to party too.Obviously it was a day filled with classy clothes. Colette was kind enough to get these sexy shirts for Cathy and Jeanell. Hot, hot, hot.Jilian and Todd dropped by for a little pre-game tailgating. It's a bit embarrassing but they had to show off the box seats they stole off the little old lady they beat up. Sad.We could hear the cops coming so they had to make a quick exit on their high-end getaway vehicles. Everyone loves The Hokie Hoopty. Just being near it is exhilarating. It's famous and I feel like I'm driving a rock star....... wait, that didn't sound right.Even the walk to the stadium is fun for the Hoopty Crew.This is what the field looks like from great seats - 45 yard line, QQ. Jeanell and I lucked out this time. Thanks Stuart, Freda, and Jack! Best seats we've ever had. Jeanell and I posing for the obligatory self-portrait although we were lonely being separated from the rest of our people.This is the Hokie Nation. Hokie Pride.
.....we will prevail.
All eyes on the jumbo-tron for the very moving tribute.Before the game was over Jeanell and I had to slip over to our normal spot to be with our peeps.Rob is trying to be "that guy".
The post-game tailgate involves much more sitting than the pre-game tailgate. Could have something to do with excessive amounts of Wild Turkey. Note that we even have Hokie potato chips.
Mom (Linda) caught up with us for a little frivolity. It was really funny when she put Bret's fingers in that warm water while he napped.The Pearsons seemed happy to be hanging with The Hoopty Crew (despite their UVa connections). We were glad to have them along for the ride.

So, there it is.... the first tailgate of 2007. I'll do my best to post throughout the entire season, but I ain't promising jack. If any of you want to feel the Hoopty Love, come by Lot 14 and see if the we're there. If the bus is rocking, don't stop knocking. We'll eventually swing open the passenger door.

Blog Maintenance

2007-08-19T20:58:00.000-05:00

Obviously things look different around here. Because of changes that Blogger made, it makes it easier (and nicer looking) if I make some wholesale changes with the Hoopty blog. The format is different but all of the old posts are still here.

In addition to the format change there have been a few small content changes:

A Hokie Hoopty Hall of Fame page has been added. This is where we will brag about all of the famous people the Hoopty Crew meet.

A Hokie Hoopty Tailgating link has been added but the page isn't there yet. It will be a simple index to those previous posts specific to tailgating events much like our Hoopty construction page.

I've added a couple new college buses to our list - Iowa State, Purdue, Florida, Texas Hoopty, and Ohio State. The NFL list of vehicle links is not back yet, but it will be when I get around to it.

Enjoy!

Southern Miss Tailgating

2006-10-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

Let's start with the obvious, this blog has been in hibernation during the offseason. Actually, it was already hitting the snooze button during the second half of the 2006 season. The good news is that I have some pictures left over from last season that we can use to get the juices flowing in preparation for the '07 season. Here's a brief recap of the Southern Mississippi game. Time is short so the commentary will be limited. Sorry.

Southern Miss was our annual "Group" game where we attempt to get everyone together for an entire weekend of football fun. Of course Lance couldn't make - just another schedule conflict. Something about saving someone's vein. I'm not sure if it was the main vein or some lesser vein, but either way it kept him away from the fun.

Since we were there for the entire weekend we were able to make it to the on-campus pep rally. Here's a shot of the big man explaining how we're going to beat the crapola out of Southern M-i-crooked-letter-crooked-letter-i-crooked-letter-crooked-letter-i-hump-
back-hump-back-i (I had to do that once).

The cheerleaders were there doing their thing.
No caption necessary.
The Hokie Bird was there getting his picture with some famous people.
Game Day. Here's our standard tailgating setup.
The newest Hoopty addition was a custom built ramp to roll our serious equipment out of the back. The ramp folds in half and stores on the floor between the table cart and the grill cart. The two coolers fit perfectly within the rails of the ramp on the non-slip surface.Here's the obligatory group photo (minus Lance, of course). Please note the strategically placed VT sweatshirt to cover Janet's lack of spirit.Alice is wondering why Steve is geeking out with his laptop. Wifi? Whofi? Whatfi? Must....have...google....must.....locate....network.....
Ah, the pumpkins. Ellen diligently works on her pumpkin artwork.
Alice and Bobby hamming it up for the camera. Please note the ever-present Wild Turkey bottle in the window. Gobble, Gobble.Martha and Craig were kind enough to pay us a visit. Why were they standing on boxes?
Cathy shows her perfect sit-in-a-chair-with-a-beer-in-the-arm-tailgating-football-
toss.
Someone brought some old pictures from the dorm days. That's a very nice before and after shot of Steve. No, really, he always looked like that. I'm sure he was just tired from all of that late night studying.
Chip and Bobby are about to enjoy a new Hoopty tailgating tradition - the pre-game tequila shot. Probably not very prudent considering all of the drinking that occurs during the tailgate and our propensity to "lose" Bobby.Colette kicking up her happy (maroon and orange) heels on the way to the game.
Bret and Tanya are just happy to be here, although Bret's smile looks a tad bit forced.
Rob being, well.... Rob.Colette, Jeanell, and Cathy may have had a few dranks. Regardless, they are excited to see you.
Awwww, now that's a cute couple.
That's my friend Mark. He's drunk. Can you tell? I can almost make out his uvula (I still think that's a funny word).The fireworks capped off a great weekend and what would be the beginning of a great run of games. Go Hokies!

Ga Tech Tailgating

2006-10-17T19:53:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm a little late with a post. Actually, I'm two losses.....er....two games behind. A man's gotta take a break once in a while. It has been said before, but I'll say it again, I'm not a college football pundit, not one of those talking heads, and this isn't the place to go over the details of why the unspeakable has happened (twice). This site is about tailgating and having a great time regardless of what happens on the field. So here are some shots from the Ga Tech tailgate. Yes, we had fun.

The tailgate setup is underway.
The overkill tailgating table with matching chairs in action and the newest addition, the overkill super grill cart is poised and ready to perform.Here's a better shot of the super grill cart and support table. We don't grill on no sheet metal hibachi. That's a three burner Weber Genesis Silver B power-house. I'll dedicate a post later to the details of the grill. ....and here is why you need a support table. Brats and pork tenderloin coming off the grill.Everyone just trying to be in the moment.The Gustafsons showed up and became honorary Hoopty Crew members.Steve joined us and Cathy made everyone uncomfortable with pictures of me cheesing it up 17 years ago with this wife. Great. I need that kind of pressure.
Janet is back to her old ways - blue, blue, blue by you (or bayou). Janet, you can wear anything you want as long as you keep bringing good stuff like those crab stuffed deviled eggs.Cathy's bro Jeff and wife Cheryl made the trip to party with us. Cheryl made herself scarce and I couldn't find a single picture with her in it. Sorry.Here's Bret and Bobby (next picture down), official Hoopty Crew members attending their first tailgate with the Hoopty.
Mom Frazier (Linda) showing off her Hokie Bling.Bret's friend from work, DJ and his wife Teresa added to the merriment although in this particular picture it appears that DJ is sneezing "buuullllshhhniiit" to some story Bret is babbling about. Probably something about how he rained endless three pointers over Bimbo Coles in the day. Right.Jilian made another appearance with her Jackie-O, -O, -Ooooh glasses. Todd came this time and showed his ability to toss the long ball (sorry no pictures). The Hoopty Charity table for the Hospice organization was up again and did much better this time around. It ain't much but 60 bucks is 60 bucks.Finally, no Hokie tailgate would be complete without the drink of choice for all fighting gobblers! Next tailgate is Southern Mississippi. It's a 7 o'clock game so as long as the weather is good we should be tailgating all day. Gotta pace ourselves for that.

Cincinnati Tailgating

2006-09-28T18:36:00.000-05:00

The very first real tailgate with the Hokie Hoopty (last year's miami game was with the pre-pimped Hoopty) took place this past weekend for the Cincinnati game. There was some last minute work to be completed Friday night. Here Colette gets the back window ready for its Virginia Tech sticker.

Nine of us made the early morning trip from Lynchburg to Blacksburg Saturday morning. Sophie secured the only bench seat with a seat belt.She somehow convinced her Aunt Cathy to pass the time with some cards. I think they work better if you look at the side with the numbers.Jeanell, Steve, and Colette mug for the camera while Brandon concentrates on a photo album of previous tailgates and general debauchery.Ellen and Rob seem suprisingly happy despite Robs sour stomach or some other mysterious illness that, as usual, results in strange abdominal noises and the constant threat of explosion.Happy driver at 65mph - I guess I should concentrate on the road.
Let the tailgating begin. Note that most of the pictures are from the post-game tailgate. We were too excited and forgot to take pictures from the early tailgate.The matching chairs certainly looked nice and the table/chair cart performed flawlessly. Those stainless coolers kept food and beverages nice and frosty.The photo album gets passed around.Lance, Cathy, Steve, and Colette enjoying some those chips and dip. Oh yeah, and a beer too.Cathy was quite animated in this particular discussion. Either that or she was about to smack me.Brandon, a friend that works with Jeanell at the restaurant, was enthralled with Cathy's soliloquy. Let it be known that Brandon is one chatty guy. We couldn't get him to shut up the whole day. He must have dropped at least 10 or 12 words.Janet is also listening intently but it seems like she isn't really believing whatever Cathy is saying.
I think Cathy has Colette and Steve either confused or just plain scared.
Why does she look annoyed?
Standard Ellen and Rob pose.Grillmaster Chip wielding his tool of choice.
Dude, are those burgers done or are you trying to make us sick? Our second grill failed miserably but Chip's ol' faithful bailed us out. One grill is definitely not big enough for 12 or 14 people. I'm still working on the super-grill. Hopefully it will be ready to cook for the Ga Tech game.
Family friend (that seems the simplest way to explain a girlfriend- in- law- twice- removed- by- marriage) Jilian dropped by with her friend Jill and they took part in our post-game tailgate. Sorry I don't have a better picture - the only other one I have shows Jilian shoving some seven layer dip in her face and I figured I should keep that out of public view.The Hokie Hoopty tailgate isn't all just hedonistic fun. Here's our charity table for Hospice. I hope to add a seperate page to explain what this is all about so keep your eyes open.Sophie had to be indoctrinated in the details of proper tailgating and tossing football is a key activity. She's a leader so she opted to direct the offense.
Look at that arm! Look at that form! That's a Mike Vick-like frozen rope.Aaaaah, but alas, throwing football isn't the only tailgating activity. Here Sophie takes part in the age old tradition of waiting on a blue room to open up. Nobody likes "ocupado" when nature is calling.
So, the first Hoopty tailgate was a definite success! A good time was had by all and the win over Cincy ensures that there is no bad Hoopty juju. The loss to Miami last year was not, in any way, tied to the presence of the Hoopty. Whew, now everyone can go back to believing their lucky hat, lucky shirt, lucky drawers, lucky stuffed hand-glove-thing (brandon), or lucky socks are directly tied to the abililty of the Hokies to win.
post-script: Please note the matching shirts! With lots of help from High Peak Sportwear in Lynchburg we have official Hokie Hoopty t-shirts. They're a very nice touch for our olympic synchronized tailgating team. Heck, we even got Janet to wear Hokie colors for about the first time ever. I'll get better pictures of the shirts at the Ga Tech game. A big thanks to Ralph and High Peak for making us look much better than we actually are.

Getting Game-Ready

2006-09-24T16:16:00.000-05:00

The clock was ticking a lot faster than normal. Saturday was approaching and the Hoopty had to be ready for its inaugural run. Thursday and Friday was a mad, mad, mad flurry of activity starting with the final dress-up of the exterior.

Exterior
Let's talk about the most obvious change first - the mirrors. Alright, maybe not the most obvious but they do make a difference. New stainless mirrors on the doors help me see who I'm passing while the refurbished white mirrors let me ensure I'm actually taking up only one lane at a time.

Ooooh, now the lettering. Roberta at Bruce Signs was great to work with and very helpful with getting the final, but most important touch on the Hoopty. Vinyl lettering now adorns the front, sides, and rear of the bus. Man, that lettering really makes the Hoopty stand out. Thanks to the Diehls for footing the bill on this one.

The steps were finally installed and a little cherry cover plate for the non-functional step light.

Driver's Throne
With all of the interior work mostly finished, Jeanell thought the driver's seat should get some of the same love that has been showered on the rest of the Hoopty. After several attempts (which I unknowingly botched) she was able to put together the greatest of surprises. While I was at work she ran the Hoopty down to Fears Upholstery in downtown Lynchburg and those guys worked some abbreviated-schedule magic. In a half a day they turned the ugly brown driver's seat into something amazing and beautiful. Jeanell you're the best - thanks. Check it out.....
That orange really sets off the dark, cherry, black, and maroon interior.

Trimwork
The last bit of trimwork was installed on the ends of the benches...
....and around the rear door opening. Also note those groovy orange accent pillows courtesy of Colette Walker. Definitely a nice touch. No, the rear curtain did not arrive in time, but we have to leave something for future blog updates. You can also see the chair cart neatly tucked into the cargo area.

Entertainment
The electronics/entertainment panel above the passenger door was installed (credit to Colette again for making the anti-head-banging cushions and credit to Steve for installing them). Our nice sony radio/cd player and the sirius satellite radio are both mounted on the panel. To the right of the satellite receiver is a general storage box that is sized just big enough to hold cd cases. Two accessory outlets were installed in the back of the box and will be used to charge cell phones and power mp3 players, etc. The two toggle switches at the bottom of the panel are for the 12v power supply. In the down position, the left switch powers the radio and satellite receiver from the bus battery while we're driving. With the switch in the up position the radio equipment is run off a spare deep cycle battery stored in the back of the bus so while we're tailgating we won't drain down the starting battery. The right switch does the same thing for the three accessory plugs. Three plugs?.....Yes, the third plug was located around the corner on the wall facing the bench seat (top left of the VT). The hope is we can have an ipod dock plugged in there and the passengers can easily pick the music they want.

So there it is. The Hoopty 85% complete and ready for its first tailgate. Strangely enough, the first tailgate has already gone down, but you'll have to wait a couple days before I get that posting up. Thanks again to Colette, Steve, Ellen, Rob, Cathy, Lance, Jeanell, and Sophie for various contributions over these last two days getting the Hoopty ready. We're ready to roll and here's our new view of Hokie happiness....

PAINT.....enough said.

2006-09-17T18:37:00.000-05:00

Whew, I'm tired. That was a long four days, but oh what a difference four days can make! I'm too exhausted for lots of words, so we'll let the pictures do the talking.

Dubs. Let's start with some dubs. Ok, not exactly 20" rims, but they're our wheels and they used to look like crapola with layers of flaky black paint. Jeanell picked up where Rob left off scrubbing.
After lots of toxic paint stripper, wirewheels, and hand scrubbing, just about all of the paint was removed.Taped up and primed.
Now we're rolling in style.The back bumper also looked like poopy-doop so that was stripped down. In hindsight I should've stripped the front one as well.
Those white wheels look badass, but we've gotta do something about that yellow.And so it begins. Tape, tape, and more tape. Let's not forget about the tape.I am now the doctor of mixology. Not the bartending kind, although I can throw together a margarita when the need arises. Four parts primer, one part reducer, one part hardener. Time to say goodbye to the scout troop 99 transport vehicle. The Hoopty is about to be reborn.Pimped and primed.The first of about a million coats of color are starting to get sprayed. Before we move on with this, allow me to rant a tad. The paint is not nearly maroon enough. More like a dark red. It turns out picking car paint is the same as picking house paint only more expensive. In order to choose a color to cover about 60,000 square feet of bus, I have to look at a paint sample that is the size of a hummingbird booger. But hey, this one looks just right through the microscope but let's check the name because paints usually have cryptic names like "angry ocean amnesia". Turns out this paint has a reasonable name - "MAROON". Yes, maroon. That's what I'm looking for. Strangely though, the name was indeed cryptic. By "maroon", they really meant "dark red that hopes to grow up to be a real maroon one day". It looks better in low light so we can only go to night games and 3:30 games......well maybe.After two days of painting, the Hoopty is ready for its unveiling, or at least an untaping.The Hoopty is taking shape with all the tape and paper removed (except that little piece above the windshield). So I really should do a final buffing/wet-sand to remove all of the orange peel, fish-eyes, and bugs stuck in the paint, but I just don't have it in me so it will have to do, as is. So here she is in all her glory. Trust me, the pictures are better than the real thing, but it sure is better than the yellow and what do you expect for a $650 short bus.
The rear bumper has some maroon overspray, but we'll just pretend I meant it to be that way, and I got a tad overanxious and taped up the bumpers too early so the tape pulled some of the gloss off of both bumpers - still looks going down the road.
So we're getting much closer to being ready for Cincy next weekend. Hopefully we can get some signage on, and I still need to install the mirrors. I'm not sure if there will be another posting prior to next week's game, but there will definitely be one showing the fun of the tailgate. See you there.

Regarding football - two words - "Western Michigan".

Call me Bond-o....James Bondo

2006-09-10T19:41:00.000-05:00

Bondo. Lots of bondo. With paint coming just around the corner it was high time to get the body in shape... or at least in better shape (the bus, not me). Those illegal blinking lights up top were just taking up valuable space that could be used for Hokie propaganda. There were also some fold up/down "school bus" signs that had to go. First step was to remove the lights and the hinges that held the signs in place.
A little sheet metal, epoxy, and pop-rivets to close the big ugly holes.
Gotta love that grinder for bondo prepping.
After days and days and days of the bondo-sanding-bondo tango and everything looks reasonably better. This case is just the opposite of the interior - the pictures look better than the real thing. A career in body work is not in my future.
No, those aren't maroon rims. Just primer. Rims will be white.The passenger rocker panel was rusted completely through in several places (sorry I forgot the "before" picture) so I bought a replacement panel and used some high-tech installation technique. Like the blinking light covers, epoxy, rivets, and bondo gets the job done.A little primer and it's as good as new (sorta).

Rob Lends a Hand
Rob came down for a day of Hoopty work. He jumped right in and took over some of the most unglamorous jobs. The wheel rims needed to be cleaned up so they can be painted. With a large selection of sharp paint-scraping implements, Rob went after it with a seriousness that only he can muster.
The bench seat backs were looking pretty ugly with all those staples and loose vinyl edges. Roberto cut some plywood, painted it and installed it like a pro. The backs also needed to be installed in a way that would allow them to be easily removed. Thanks to big Pitera we now have a block installed with dowels that insert into the bench seat frames. Nice.Rob had plenty of help and it seemed that the two of them were communicating well and working like partners. Thanks for all your help Rob! It really did help me stay on schedule. I would also like to thank you for all of the bits of wisdom you passed on to my daughter. It seems she can't stop helping everyone understand that you should "keep the drama for your mama".

Jeanell has added some nice interior decorating touches. The Kirk Herbstreit picture is on the other side. VT ladies football clinic - $75. Pictures with all the coaches and "Herbie" and other experiences that the guys can only dream of having - priceless.
Now we're down to the short rows. If the rains stay away, I hope there will be paint spraying next weekend. I hope. Prep work has begun. The first wash job. A scuff sanding to follow this week. Sorry for the blubby soft-porn. Certainly not the safest, but clearly the most efficient method of roof washing.Go Hokies.