Around here, that means four things:
1) School starts soon, which means the tourist season is winding down.
2) VBS is over for the year! We had a great week last week, but I'm ready to get back to writing :)
3) This is Rally Week - the 73rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Let's talk about Rally Week for a minute before we go on to #4.
It should really be written RALLY WEEK!!!!!
It's an absolutely CRAZY time of year. I've lived in a lot of different places, but nothing - - nothing - - compares to the Sturgis Rally.
In case you're not familiar with this RALLY I'm talking about, here's a short video that will introduce you: 2012 Sturgis Rally
Last year, the Rally had an estimated attendance of 500,000. All those people lived, ate, slept, partied and biked within 30 miles of my house.
Between 50,000 and 60,000 of them visited Mt. Rushmore each day. There were 43 marriage licenses issued (compared to 197 in 2000 - the 60th Rally), nearly 500 arrests with 451 people jailed, 351 emergency room visits (in Sturgis - many go straight to Rapid City), and 9 Rally related traffic deaths.
And yes, the notorious gangs show up. But so do the police. There hasn't been too much gang related violence in recent years.
Some people complain about the noise, dangerous traffic and (ahem) optional clothing for the female attendees (although that's been restricted to Sturgis in recent years) (and body paint is a big seller, I hear....), but most of us enjoy the craziness for ten days because of all the benefits. Rally Week pays the bills.
And then, next week, they all go home.
And that brings us to #4: FOOTBALL!
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I wasn't a football fan until we moved here. Oh, I liked to watch the Super Bowl when I was younger, but football wasn't a big deal. Then this guy came along:
Tim Tebow is so much fun to watch, isn't he? And even though he's wearing a different color jersey these days, I watch him when I can.
But then last year Denver signed on Peyton Manning. I never get tired of watching this guy play.
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Last year I realized the reason why I love watching this team play so much - it's leadership. The same reason why I like to watch Gibbs on NCIS. The same reason why I love John Wayne movies. The same reason why I got teary-eyed when my sons earned their Boy Scout Eagle ranks.
We don't see much leadership anymore. People think they don't need leaders, I guess. But we do. And that's why I love a good football game.
But when you watch football, you've got to have snacks, right? And the football pre-season starts THIS WEEK! The Bronco's first pre-season game is against the 49'ers on Thursday, August 8!
I tried this munchie to get ready for the big day:
Cheesy Pull-Apart Party Bread
Ingredients:
1 round loaf unsliced Sourdough Bread
8-12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat your oven to 350°.
Cut the bread crosswise into 1-inch slices - but not all the way through. Stop about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the loaf. Repeat the cuts in the opposites direction.
Cut the cheese into 1/4" slices and stick them into the cuts in the bread. You can also use shredded cheese, but make sure the cheese gets all the way down to the bottom.
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, sliced green onions, and garlic powder. Drizzle this over the bread.
Wrap the loaf in foil - I put two pieces of foil together to make a square large enough to wrap the loaf in. Place it on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Pull the top of the foil apart and away from the loaf and bake it for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.
Remove the loaf from the foil, put it on a plate, and enjoy! I had my share for Sunday night supper, and oh! was it good! All cheesy - oniony - melty!
And, of course, what Monday would be complete without a gratuitous puppy picture or two? Thatcher is 18 weeks old now, and learning tons of stuff at puppy preschool.
Before you go, though, be sure to tell us what your favorite game-day treat is!
Total wonderfulness from the bread to the corgi to the excitement of surviving Sturgis. Heard about that over the years. Can't believe you live near it now!
ReplyDeleteI really wish I could eat bread. What a fabulous recipe.
peace, Julie
The bread is really just a vehicle for the melty cheese and onions...there must be gluten-free alternative. Hmm...potato skins? Rice crackers?
DeleteWe'll have to think on that one. :)
First things first - Thatcher, I love you!!!!! And look at those ears...he still has some growing to do to fit them. :-) And his flop over ear popped up! Give him a belly rub for me and tell him it's from his Auntie Kav.
ReplyDeleteAs to the Sturgis rally...yikes, I'd be running for the hills until it was over!!!!!!!!!!!! Shudder.
I have never seen a recipe like this, Jan. It looks yummy and oh so easy. I'll have to make it the next time I host a figure skating watchathon...no football for me.
Belly rub given!
DeleteAnd with the Rally - you don't want to run to the Hills, because that's their favorite place to ride!
Many people who live around here rent their houses out during Rally week. They basically move out for ten days while strangers move in. They say it's worth it - the rent they charge pays for the vacation they take, plus a month or two of mortgage payments.
Have fun watching the figure skating!
I remember rally days from my time in Rapid City. I had never seen so many bikes. And people from all walks of life, kids and adults. Though I wouldn't consider it a good climate for kids. Just crazy.
ReplyDeleteI have a recipe very much like this--LOVE it--except it calls for Swiss cheese and a regular loaf of French bread. Oh, and no green onions. But I could see that being a nice addition. Ooey, gooey goodness, that's what this is. :)
Lovin' that Thatcher. What a cutie.
I also meant to say that, with the temps we're having here in Texas, you wouldn't even have to bake it in the oven. Just set the foil package on the hood of a car for an thirty minutes to an hour. :)
DeleteYou don't make me miss Texas. Not at all. :)
DeleteAnd I'm surprised at the number of kids who come to the rally - - although, to be honest, most of them are bikers-in-training. I see these kids at Walmart with their bikers hair and clothes, with the attitude to match, knowing that in a couple weeks they'll be back in school with all kinds of stories to tell their friends.
That would be some "what I did on my summer vacation" essay, wouldn't it?
Thatcher looks spoiled! I'd probably roll belly up for some of that bread myself!
ReplyDeletenot into football or any sport really though I might watch some of the olympics here and there - like watching the ice skating and the snow stuff(probably since I don't see snow down here except for last Christmas...)so my fave thing to do is quilt or read during the games! though I do think about watching sometime since these tailgate and superbowl parties have such good foods!
Susanna
I'm the only one in my family who likes to watch football. Sunday afternoons, I'm hunkered down with my counted cross stitch and ice water, yelling at the TV when Eric Decker makes one of his spectacular catches, while my husband assures the kids that I'll be okay. It's only temporary insanity.
DeleteAnd yes. Thatcher is spoiled. But he's a lot of fun!
I love watching some football... and baseball... And I love Tebow and Manning and Montana and Rice and that sweet new Colin Kaepernick who took my favorite SF 49ers to the Super Bowl last year.
DeleteSUHWEEEEET!!!!! And have you seen Johnny Manziel play in college? I watched the bowl game last year just to see if what they said was true... that he creates openings and walks through them. And he does, but then he's been doing the college freshman foolishness so I hope he does a mind-check and realizes how much he could lose.
Football food?
Pot roast. Pasta. One-pot dishes that I don't have to cook. Open the kettle at day's end and eat!
Perfect!!!
I tried to love the Buffalo Bills at one time. I couldn't live with the chronic disappointment, so I stayed with San Fran and Philly....
But even without loving a team to death like I do the Yankees, I love the game.
But not the head injuries.
That makes me sad.
Fletcher makes me happy.
Jeter has not eaten any shoes this week.
:)
Jeter! Good dog!
DeleteWe're working on housebreaking at this end. It appears Wynter has told Thatcher that he may not use the yard for his business. So his only alternative (in his mind) is the living room.
We're trying to change this.
I'll have to watch for Johnny Manziel.
And chronic disappointment? Some people seem to thrive on it. Just look at Cleveland Browns fans. And Cubs fans. They suck down disappointment like their favorite chocolate malt.
I'll stick with my Broncos, thank you :)