Explaining Duke/UNC to Floridians

Congratulations to Duke and Coach K on #5...but...

I'm a Tar Heel born, I'm a Tar Heel bred,

and when I die I'll be a Tar Heel dead..."

Yesterday afternoon I was out walking the dog when I encountered one of our neighbors doing the same. We stopped to chat as we often do. He noticed I was wearing my Carolina (let's start offending people right now- there is only one Carolina. NORTH CAROLINA!) hat and asked if I had watched the national championship game and if I was sad that Duke won. He seemed surprised when informed that while we did watch the game, we were cheering for the Blue Devils. In fact. the reason I had on my UNC hat was cheering for Duke always makes me feel a little bit dirty. But I always pull for original ACC teams in the tourny unless they are playing my Heels. Sorry, Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse and others- you haven't earned that respect from me yet. We then talked for a few minutes about the Duke/Carolina rivalry.

I have lived in Florida for most of the past 20 years now, and from day one people have said things like this to me- "Yeah we get that rivalry. It's like Florida/Florida State in football." My neighbor said this yesterday. I generally just nod and smile while thinking, "You have NO idea." Bur for reasons I cannot explain, yesterday my disagreement with that statement came pouring out. As I said to him, in one sense yes- it is a traditional rivalry between two quality programs. But here's the difference. UNC and Duke are in the same conference. The games always matter and are usually (see graphics on this page) ridiculously close. But what matters even more is geography. Here's how I explained it: "You know Tampa is home to both the U. of South Florida and The U. of Tampa. They are about 10 miles apart. Imagine if those 2 schools were Florida and FSU, with students from both schools living in the same apartment complexes, eating at the same restaurants and drinking at the same bars. ALL THE TIME! In two small NC towns,not a metroplex like Tampa Bay. And they were both in the SEC. And they had both won 5 national championships. That is Duke/Carolina." He was both surprised and a little take aback. He had no idea they were that close together. I continued: "And there's more. That rivalry is not like North vs. South, it's personal like the Hatfields and McCoys. They are not just competitors like Ohio State/Michigan, they are neighbors on the same way East and West Berlin used to be. Blue is not a color in NC- it is a line of demarcation. Duke Blue or Carolina Blue. Choose one. But you do have to choose. And it's not just local, it's national. Ratings spike when they play, and every game in on TV. If they ever play each other for the national championship it will be the most watched college basketball game in history. This rivalry MATTERS. " 

He then asked given all of that how I could possibly bring myself to cheer for Duke on Monday night. It's like family, I told him. It's ok for me to beat up my little brother, but I'll always have his back with the bullies come calling. The ACC is like family for many of us. We love our teams, but we rejoice with our brothers as well.

There are many great rivalries in sports, but it is the intimacy of the schools as well as the unmatched quality of the basketball programs that set UNC/Duke apart in my mind. The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears have one of the great longtime rivalries in all of sports, with decades of history, great animosity and multiple championships between them. But imagine how the intensity  of those games would increase if they were both great most every year, if they often had to play 3 times a year, and if BOTH teams called the little town of Green Bay home. That's Duke/Carolina. It's just unmatched. 

So congrats to Duke on a job well done. But now it's back to business as usual. The Tar Heels look loaded for next year. DOOK is going down!

A Visit To Memory Lane

Yesterday I returned to Tampa after spending 5 glorious, wondrous days in my native state of North Carolina. It was more than amazing to share warm hugs and big laughs with people I had not seen in many years- some in over 20. People kept asking about the purpose of my trip, when in fact people were the purpose of my trip- and it was a major success! One of my friends answered that question by saying. "It's a Carl reunion," And it did feel that way. There will be much more written about this adventure as the week goes on, but after hitting the road at 4 am yesterday and driving the 700 miles home, I am reminded that the words "spring chicken" no longer apply to me. So today you get a brief summary of my journey.

Last Friday I drove past the house you see above at 405 Springtime Road in the Guilford College area of Greensboro. My parents had this house built in 1964, and we lived there throughout my childhood and young adult years. For the purpose of this trip, it may as well as well have been located at 405 Memory Lane. That house was ground zero for so many adventures, so many relationships and sooooo many memories. It still looks great, and even though many of the leaves have not turned yet, the tree you see welcomed to me to Autumn- a season which for all practical purposes does not exist in Florida. The lawn looks too good, making me think that the front yard football games may be a thing of the past. When I told my friend Carl Semmler about my "drive by" he wondered if the current residents had left the living room unfurnished (The Chinese Room- you had to sit on the floor!) as my parents had for all those many years. It was a powerful visit for me. They say you can't go home again. They also say home is where the heart is. As I took that picture and the memories of my years in NC flooded my soul I was much more connected to the second of those old sayings than the first...

To the dozens of people with whom I sat and visited during my trip, thank you for making my time with you so special. There will be more specifics coming in the Saturday Shout Outs later this week, but the love, grace and friendship you showed me was overwhelming. I am truly blessed.

To the dozens of other friends I didn't get to see, please know that you were thought of, talked about and missed. Marilyn and I will be back before too long and hopefully we can catch up with even more of you the next time around. I know that we can't live in the past. But for a few days, it was really nice to take up residence at 405 Memory Lane and just revel in the people and events that made me who I am today. And, as it turns out, Memory Lane can be a great starting point for planning new adventures. But more on that later this week. I hope you missed me while I was gone, dear readers. Have a blessed day, and peace be with you!

Because of Jesus,

Revisiting My NC Bucket List

In May of 2012 I wrote a blog post about how much I miss the great state of North Carolina, and included with it a Bucket List of things I wanted to do and people I wanted to see when I was finally able to return to my native land. As many of you know I was back in NC in August after my wife's father passed away, but didn't get a chance to check off too many of the items on the list. October 8-13 I will be driving up by myself with the intent of scratching as many of these itches as possible. As I was thinking about this last night it seemed like a good time to revisit my list and see what's changed. So here is my original NC Bucket List. The notes in red indicate changes in what can and needs to be done on this trip. So many people to see...still. Here we go:

1. Quaker Lake Camp-  There have been so many changes made to the old place since I last saw it in 2006 and I can't wait to see how it looks. My former youth Heather Beggs Varner still runs the place, and she is among the many people connected to camp that I would love to see again. Very high on that list are very old friends like Neal & Susie Thomas, Susan McBane Tuggle, Terry & Leigh Ann Venable, Jay Osborne, Laura Wheeler and Terri Johnson Harris. There are also literally hundreds of former campers and staff I would love to run into...  May just be a drive thru visit, but I do hope to go!
2. That Old Gang of Mine-  So many of the people I grew up with, and spent untold hours with in high school, college and beyond, are still in NC. Denise, Donna, Tammy & Chuck, Lisa & Dan, Beth & Bob, Carl & Diane, Mark & Liz, Mark & Martha, Alan, Tim and so many more are often in my thoughts and prayers. Now I just need them in the same room.  And I suppose Steve & Kathy could come from Ohio too- I hate to be a friend hog!  :)  I will make it so!!!
3. Ghassan's, Bojangles and Stamey's-  The best steak and cheese sandwich (that's right, you heard me Philadelphia!), the best spicy chicken biscuit and the some of the best barbecue (or "pulled pork" for those of you who don't speak the NC lingo) can all be found in Greensboro, and I intend to eat my way around the city upon my return! Did Bojangles in August; the other 2 are still high on my list!
4. Springfield Friends Meeting- We have been away way too long. I can't wait to get back to my "one particular harbor" and see so many people I love. Some of you I talk to regularly and can't wait to see. Others I miss so much. And of course there would be a great party and reunion at the Pizza Inn in High Point! The Pizza Inn party is happening Saturday the 11th at noon. Anyone and everyone are welcome!
5. The Reep Twins-  Two of my favorite Kissimmee youth, Teresa Reep Tysinger and Cyndi Reep Browning, now live with their families in NC.  I would love to visit them both, but I may have to hurry. I don't know how much longer both of them will be there...  Sadly I am indeed too late for this one. Cyndi now lives in Alabama and Teresa in Texas, so those are adventures still to come!
6. The Roller Derby Queen- One of my former minions at Springfield, Laurie Rees, is now involved in roller derby down in the Wilmington, NC area. This falls under the category of  "I did NOT see that coming!" Seeing Laurie flying around the ring doing damage ranks very high on the list of things I need to see...and soon!  I believe I am too late once again. Laurie may have "retired" from the rink. Dang it!
7. The Dean Dome-  There is nothing...NOTHING!...like UNC basketball.  I grew up loving players like Charlie Scott, George Karl, Bobby Jones and Dudley Bradley, and I still love my Heels today. I need to see another game in the greatest venue in college basketball, named after Dean Smith, one of the top 5 coaches ever. I am not even picky about who I see them play. As long as it's Dook... Wrong time of year. My dream was NOT to see UNC play football!
8. David Bills- He was the pastoral minister at New Garden Friends Meeting when I started attending in 1972. He still is (to the best of my knowledge). He (and many others at NGFM) had such an impact on my life, and I really want to take him to lunch and thank him. He can choose from Ghassan's, Bojangles or Stamey's...   :)  I would also love to see any of my now over the age of 40 former youth from my days as youth leader at New Garden. Just so many people to catch up with...  David finally retired so catching up with him will be much trickier. Would still LOVE to see some of those New Garden folks!
9. The Blue Ridge Mountains-  There are many lovely things about living in Florida.  But I do miss the mountains, especially in the autumn when the leaves change. I miss the cool breezes and the amazing scenery. I miss the picnics and hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway. And even though we'd have to sneak across the Virginia state line to do it, I'd love to pay one more visit to the Levering's apple orchard. Oh yeah. I'm going  to be there in October. #WIN
10. Calabash-  Since Myrtle Beach is in South Carolina (and trust me, there is a HUGE difference!), I would want to head to my favorite little coastal village in NC, Calabash.  It is basically a town made up of seafood restaurants. It is the kind of good old fashioned, bad-for-you, fried and battered seafood that is hard to find in Florida. And with LOTS of hush puppies!!!  I may spend a week there, eating in a different place every night!  Checked this one off in August. Doesn't mean it can't happen again!

So there's my list- with a few revisions. NC, I will see you soon. And if you want to hang out, give me a shout (813-919-3755) and get on the schedule. We'll get something to eat.  :)

Because of Jesus,