NoCool 2007

[James Roscoe]

In just a few more years, the technology will have us sitting in a big circle, some real, some virtual, just like the Jedi Council.

Some of us are only virtual right now!

Jay, Even though I admit to being old and set in my ways, I can not for the life of me even think that any kind of communication device would replace for me satisfaction I get from the face to face interaction I have with Mo'Coolers. Can anyone imagine not being face to face with the Nolands?

. Can anyone imagine not being face to face with the Nolands?

Actually, Bob is lamenting not being face to face to with the Noland Brothers' cooking!

I agree!

JuliaB

I'm gonna miss swimming in that little lake. I love it just as much as the great wine. No brainstorm for an alternative yet, but the cogs are grinding...

We love you too, Bob!

. Can anyone imagine not being face to face with the Nolands?

Actually, Bob is lamenting not being face to face to with the Noland Brothers' cooking!

I agree!

JuliaB

Just for that JB, I am going to grill a big slab of fresh wild caught King salmon on Hot Mama today. Lets see, some cow butter, some fresh dill stir together to make an herb butter, paint it on and give it 10 minutes on Hot Mama. We will dine at 6pm, so come on down.

If I leave the office by 11, I could just about make it.
"366 mi – about 6 hours 2 mins"
http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&tab=wl ... on%2C%20ky

If I leave the office by 11, I could just about make it.
"366 mi – about 6 hours 2 mins"
http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&tab=wl ... on%2C%20ky

Jay,
Call me when you reach mile marker 118 on I-75 and I will give you directions. Are you familiar with Hot Mama? here she is right down to the correct color. click the link. http://www.kamado.com

Wow. That's simply stunning.

No way I'll get out of the office by 11, seriously, and I don't think the real boss will let me out of town anyway (however it's a fine idea if I do say so myself). I have a serious case of cabin fever. One of these weekends I may be impetuous enough.

I guess nobody is taking my idea of a combined MOCOOL and Tigers-Yankees tailgate party seriously.
However, if nothing does come about, the local theatre is having a "Stoogefest" on Sat. 8/25.

Can anyone imagine not being face to face with the Nolands? [/quote]

Bob,
Thanks for the compliment, you are way too kind. I was out of town this past weekend on a convertible road trip when the blackberry gave me the bad news. I have to say that I am disappointed but this does provide an opportunity to do "something" as we all planned for this weekend anyway. I am in if we can put "something" together "somewhere". I agree with you on the "virtual" route, I much prefer face to face communications. Besides that, half the fun is watching other peoples expressions and hearing their comments when they taste the wine!

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned Toledo and perhaps getting input from Geo. As a charter member and usual attendee of Toledo held every February, here's some food for thought:

The group takes over the Courtyard by Marriot in Rossford, OH every february and essentially camps out in their lobby/common room. The nature of this venue seems to work best if the group size is ~25 or so. Of course, Toledo is held in winter so everyone is pretty much confined to indoor activites at the hotel (interpret this as drinking wine). The hotel staff has accommodated us nicely for 7 or 8 years and think us a rather odd lot. It probably helps that we do a good job of policing ourselves and picking up after ourselves as well.

It also helps that their lobby is equipped with a small fridge and wet bar.

I suspect this venue would work better in the summer and possibly accomodate a slightly larger group since all the activies would not necessarily be of the indoor variety.

The food is essentially prepared/reheated on the grills a few participants bring. It also helps that the group includes some very talented amateur (but not amateurish) chefs as well as a professional caterer. One year the hotel let us use their kitchen, but we botched that up when the smoke/fire alarms summoned the Rossford Fire Department.

Toledo is not the most convenient place to fly into but I would think almost any Courtyard Hotel would be agreeable to hosting a mini-MoCool and the folks in Rossford might even provide a positive reference.



My 2 cents worth.
Redwinger

Hi Bill,

It was me who mentioned the Toledo winter gatherings. I have never attended one of these affairs due in part to it being an invitational type gathering (or so I have imagined). Plus the fact that it is a winter gathering and has the inherent possibility of winter weather driving (for me). I do thank you for telling us how the Toledo gathering works because it is probably the most possible way for some of us to try to have a gathering of some kind. I have not, nor will I just accept quietly that we will not have some kind of a 'Cool this year. Given my druthers it will be in Ann Arbor, but that is just my druthers.

I see this thread has slipped off the front page to the second. It will soon be out of sight and out of mind if it is not brought back from time to time.

I am thinking that if we could get even a dozen folks to agree to meet in Ann Arbor on or about the 25th of August, we might try to arrange something at the hotel. I mean if we talk to them I bet they would let us use their meeting room and the grills. We could bring a couple bottles of killer wine and grill some steaks.

That I would rather have Mo'Cool goes without saying, but that is gone for this year, and I am afraid that once gone it will not return ever. So, if we can do something, ANYTHING, then I will drive from Lexington Kentucky in my Big Ass Truck (BAT) and throw in some wine plus a whole ribeye to cook.

What say the rest of ye?

Bob,
I agree with your take on the situation. A collective sigh was heard, a few ideas tossed around and then silence. Well not being the silent type, I am all for getting together someplace, somehow, somewhere, with some (lets say lots) of wine. I do not have a BAT but will find a way to wherever the party is? I believe my brothers will also want to do something as this is our annual adventure together.

Thanks for keeping this going!

I agree, Bob and Bob. So many people have already marked their calendars for the event, surely we can all congregate somewhere for even a one day event.

Put on your thinking caps, people!

JuliaB

I concur with the Bobs and ever eloquent Julia B. We will get some type of wine event going that weekend, even if we have to do everything in our rooms for the wine tastings.

If in AA, count me in. It would be nice if we can talk a motel into allowing us the use of the meeting room (except, of course, during breakfast) for wine tastings. It gets a bit cramped in the Noland's room, even with 10 of us, and here's hoping for many more than that.
My lodge on the river in northern Michigan is still available if all else fails. Beds for 34.

OW, I am pretty sure that the Hawthorne would allow us to use one of their meeting rooms and provide at least some kind of fold away chairs, plus fold up tables with linens. As to what the cost for that would be, I do not know, but I bet we could take up a collection in the event they wanted to charge us. I would be happy to contact them and ask the question(s). It would be nice to be able to say "we have 12-15 people coming in who will stay it the Hawthorne. (or some such thing) I think I will start a separate thread asking for a show of hands. Plus I might just email Joel G and see if he has any idea where else in a park or someplace where a dozen or more might be able to congregate and sip wines. I am serious when I say that if there is no gathering of some kind this year, then I believe that the phenomenon we know as Mo'Cool will cease to even exist. If we can get a dozen out of towner's to do this, then we can likely entice a half dozen or more in towner's to come to the hotel to sip and perhaps even sup with us.

Super idea, Bob. Maybe they will even let us use that breakfast room, which already has the set up for us. Why wouldn't they?
You can count me in on that one.
And I'll bet you'd get more locals than you think. You may get that many of the MoCOOL organizers showing up. Hope so.
-w

Hi O. W.

I think the breakfast room might not be an option because it is a public area and I think that liquor laws require a restricted area for alcohol consumption. However, we have had wine tastings in the meeting rooms at the Hawthorn before (for Pinot Envy) and I think that we should be able to do it again. We could probably even get them for free if we get enough rooms booked by everyone attending. I have a nice riesling vertical (Gunderloch 'Jean Baptiste' 2000-2003 and 2005) I could offer for one tasting. I only have one bottle per so it would be limited to about 12 people.