2023 National Pickleball Championship – Dallas Texas – November 5-12

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As many of you know, I have been playing Pickleball for the past few years. My nephew, Dave, introduced me to the game, and I am completely addicted. Recently, Dave entered the 2023 National Pickleball Championship Tournament in Dallas, Texas. Since that is just a two hour drive from Austin, I decided drive up there and watch him play. I made a video of the activities that week. You can watch it here:

National Championship Tournament

Dan Klepper Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame -September 2023

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In September 2023, my brother-in-law, Dan Klepper, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. I travelled to Lincoln, Nebraska to attend the banquet on Friday, September 23rd. We also attended the Nebraska football game the next day. (Nebraska defeated Louisiana Tech 28-14). Here are some pics of those events.

The first stop was a kind of mini-family reunion in Omaha at Tracks Lounge, a restaurant owned by two of my nephews, Justin and Mark. Here are some pictures:

I stayed at my niece Tammi’s house in Fremont. Another niece, Anna, and her husband Dustin and their almost 2-year-old son Asher Joe also stayed there. Everyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite places growing up in Omaha was Zestos, a fast-food restaurant. My favorite thing to get was a chocolate soda. The Zestos in Omaha has closed, but they have one in Fremont. Of course, we all went there.

The oldest and youngest Zestos fans.

Friday was the Hall of Fame banquet. It was held on the University of Nebraska campus.

Dan Klepper speaking at the Hall of Fame banquet.
Brother Mark addressing the crowd. Actually, the crowd was gone, and he was talking to himself.

On Saturday a lot of us had tickets to the game between Nebraska and Louisiana Tech. Before the game, we had the traditional tailgate party. Here is how it looked:

Kathy and her godsons

After the tailgating, it was time to watch the game. I had not been in that stadium for 57 years, back when Nebraska was a powerhouse, and I was amazed at how much it had changed. Because of all the good years since then, the stadium now holds 90,000 people and all the seats are filled for every home game. In the middle of the 4th Quarter the game was temporarily suspended, but it eventually resumed, and Nebraska won 28-14. Here are some pics:

Before the game the Hall of Fame honorees were introduced. Here is Dan on the Jumbotron.
Nebraska’s Quarterback, Heinrich Haarberg (10) runs the ball to the end zone during the 4th Quarter.