Mason Dixon Pod News

This is a cookoff everybody should try to attend.  It really has everything.  The beautiful setting is a park right in the middle of this quaint town, surrounded by the Rockies.  There was a nice crowd, including many of the local merchants stealing a little time away from their businesses, that came around to chat and taste the chili.  The weather was perfect.   

Awards began.  Susan and Amy were nowhere to be found.  ‘Fine time to go shopping’, I thought.  I was just waiting for them to call a number and have no one respond.  Shades of Susan at TICC.  However , they kept calling numbers that were all being claimed and none were ours.  Next, they read the third place number. They read it again.  They read it again and from across the parking lot, Susan came running shouting “It’s me.  It’s me.”  She went up on stage to claim third place and the final point she needed to be qualified.  They said “Where’s your number?”  and Oops!, she didn’t have it.  Thought it might be in the room…or in the car.  She assured them that it was her number and went to find it.   

Next came second place and it was Amy!  She sure brewed up a great pot of chili.  It was her first time cooking red as a Colorado resident and she qualified for TICC.  Wow!     

About this time I’m thinking I’m about to get my butt kicked by these two and what a long 

 

 weekend I’m going to have.  As I said my prayers, some very generous judges saved me and they read my number for first!  Can you believe it?  ‘Team Dean’, as they called us, went 1-2-3.  Phew!!!   

Well the celebration included a round of shopping and a return to Pancho & Lefty’s.  John Montgomery found us there and told us he heard that since we had come to town, the tequila supply was almost gone.  Didn’t stop him from helping us put a bigger dent in it, though. 

    It’s starting to sink in; Mom, Alan, and the two kids will all be cooking in Terlingua.  If you see Brian or Amy, please vouch for our character.  After they see how we all behave in the desert, they might not give us permission to go back.  

NFL News

 

A friend wrote: "I was watching the sports channel, and heard the City of Ft.

Worth was applying to the NFL for a football team. But it was turned down.

The NFL's reason was if they let Ft. Worth have a team, then Dallas would want one, too!"

 

Maryland State

In the continuing Chili War Between the States (Virginia and Maryland), Virginia mounted a sneak attack and stole the top four places at the Maryland State Chili Cookoff in College Park yesterday. Led by the victorious Jackie Koltz, Virginia troops captured six of the top ten places overall. The Maryland troop leader, Commander Pepperdean said, "Don't worry. This was merely one battle in a long war. The war will be ours." Rumor has it that all veteran and future Maryland chili judges will be convened for a month-long session of retraining.

Really, what a great day we had at our new location, the College Park Hard Times Cafe. Many thanks to Jim Parker, Bill Swint, the College Park general manager, and all of the staff at Hard Times. We had a very comfortable spot to cook chili, visit with one another, and chat with interested spectators about chili. Next year promises to be even better when we get a prime location in the front parking lot.

Brian Smith, top Maryland qualifier, and winner of the TICC expense money, vows his second trip to Terlingua will be different from the first. Brian says he'll be on site early, with a clear head on Saturday morning. Watch out! It sounds like he'll have an advantage over the rest of us.