A Day In Columbus With OU Teammates And Their Families

Ohio University Teammates, Wives, Kids, And Photobombers

Walk For The Cure Outside Our Hampton

Well, it's 8:20 and I have been up for an hour, sitting in the breakfast area of the Hampton Inn, with some of my teammates from Ohio University.  My old high school coach, also a Ohio graduate is here as well with his wife. Good times.  And as I finish this, we heard music outside out Hampton window and to our surprise, a parade was marching by, no doubt about breast cancer awareness.

Relaxing At Hampton

Good Friends,  Oxford Joe and Lou

We left for Painesville, to pick up our friend Vi around 10:30 and then we fought our way to Columbus through heavy rains midway.  We are staying in the downtown Hampton Inn, on High Street,  right across the street from the Convention Center, so we are centrally located.  We settled in our room and I ran to a take out store to pick up a 12 pack of beer, some chips, for appetizers in the Hampton Lounge.  There were nine of us, including wives, even daughters who got to Columbus Friday even though  Basketball Hall Of Fame dinner is not until tonight.  The nine of us are kind of the core, missing a couple, who have gotten together over the years and keep in touch, even visiting each other at times.  So we are good friends, perhaps even better friends now, 50 some years later.

Xenia's Paul And His Daughters

Enjoying Dinner At Martinis'

We had reservations at a restaurant called Martini's one block away, a good choice, Northern Italian food and very good.  We had an excellent waitress, everyone enjoyed their meals, mine especially was superb, a lamb dish with a savory sauce and pasta.  We stayed until about 9:00 then went back to the Hampton Inn Lounge to enjoy a glass of wine and continue our stories about what a great players we were, how good our team was.  Of course, we get better each year and after 50, we are 'tremendous,' 'great.'

Vi, Evie, And Joanie

Paul And Vi

We went to bed around 11:00, tired from the drive, our evening but we are looking forward to today as a number of teammates which we have not seen in 50 years will be coming in to celebrate our team's induction into the Ohio Basketball Hall Of Fame.  Well deserved, I might add!