Fantastic weekend!...and Roy Williams

[House G]

I would like to thank everyone who gave recommendations on places to go and things to do in Durham. My Christmas present to my two younger sons last year ('08) was a trip to Durham for a Blue Devil basketball game. Because they both play lacrosee (they are 13 and 16 years old), I decided on this past weekend so that they could take in both a lacrosse game and a b-ball game.

We flew in Friday evening. That night we went to Tyler's in downtown Durham. Willie Nelson was performing nearby and the place was packed--what a beer selection! Saturday we watched the lacrosse team practice and then took in a baseball doubleheader (Duke swept La Salle). That evening my sons found an open door at CIS and "snuck" down to center court for a panoramic view of the arena. Saturday night we took in the Angus Barn--I don't think it has changed in over 30 years. My youngest son could not believe that people are allowed to smoke in a restaurant--I guess this is not surprising on Tobacco Road. Sunday morning we had breakfast at Elmo's. Sunday noon was Duke-Harvard lacrosse. Although Duke lost, the boys really enjoyed the D-I action. Sunday afternoon we ate Bar-B-Q at The Q Shack(?) and drove through Chapel Hill (I wanted them to get a better appreciation for the proximity of the 2 schools and how different they are). And, of course, Sunday night was the grand finale (Duke-Wake). Could I have asked for a better game? My older son had been to one other game (when JJ Redick dropped 40 pts on UVa his senior season) and he had spent some time informing his younger brother about the Crazies and other antics at the game. I will never forget the sheer joy on my kids' faces throughout the game--priceless!

One final note: we flew out of RDU airport this a.m. While we were walking down the concourse, we noticed a familiar face off to one side. We were surprised to see Roy Williams getting his shoes shined. I told my boys to go back and see if they could get their picture taken with him. My older son took this pic of his younger brother with Roy. The funny thing is that the guy shining the shoes and two airport workers nearby had no idea who the guy was on the shoeshine stand until my kids asked for the picture. In any event, kudos to Roy for being so nice!

[Rudy]

Sounds like you had a great weekend. You picked a good one with the lax game and the Wake game. CIS and the crazies were in good form.

Going into CIS for the first time, even when it's empty is a special experience. When my son and I first explored Duke the summer after his junior year touring colleges, we managed to get inside when no one was around. We were both basketball fans but had no particular loyalty to Duke then. It was just one of several colleges under consideration. We were amazed at how intimate an arena it is. It was hard to imagine from seeing it on t.v. just how intimate an arena it is, how close the bleachers are to the court.

We toured many other colleges, but nothing measured up. Early admission made the application process considerably less stressful, since Duke took him.

[weezie]

Great pic! I'm glad ol'Roy was happy to cooperate.

[alteran]

Great pic! I'm glad ol'Roy was happy to cooperate.

And hopefully, he was watching his language around the young 'uns.

[moonpie23]

that should be an illegal recruiting violation...

[devildeac]

It's a shame you didn't have a GTHC sticker to give him to thank him for his time. A Kansas sticker would have been nice, too.

[77devil]

That was a classic alum weekend with kids. Reminds me of my intineraries for Duke visits when my children were younger. My only request is that you take the picture and photoshop a Duke logo onto Ol' Roys turtleneck and circulate it over the internet.