In-Law/Outlaw 2024 – Texas Style

There are special traditions and occasions that all friends and family sincerely look forward to and cherish. Maybe it’s an annual reunion at the shore or a flag football game on Thanksgiving. Whatever it is for you, it brings you great joy. There is one for me that is truly unique.

In 2008, Tim Riegle and I flew up to stay with my father-in-law Jim “Bapa” Ferrier in Scituate, and we were joined by Tim’s father-in-law Jay “Paw Paw” Buffington for a golf outing of several days on the South Shore of Boston. It was epic. Mary “Mimi” Ferrier hosted us for ice cream sundaes on the back porch of Camp Mimi-Bapa one lovely evening that week, and suggested a name for what would continue as a FANTASTIC golf getaway. “In-law/Outlaw” was born, and we took this memorable escape to the great state of Texas this year for our 7th event! ⛳️🏌️‍♂️🇺🇸

Everything is bigger in Texas, and, in true fashion, Tim and I of course planned a bigger experience than usual. We would drive from VB, cuz what self-respecting Texan doesn’t drive over a thousand miles each way in this time of modern flight convenience? Our golf would be played near Tim’s childhood home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but of course we wouldn’t start there. Tim and I drove right past Dallas on our way to Lubbock so we could catch a Texas Tech Football game 🏈. Lubbock is only 350 miles further west, so what the heck right?!

I give Tim a lot of credit – he did essentially ALL the driving, and kept up an aggressive pace through every state. He spared us a stop in Arkansas, and for that I’m always thankful. We made it to Memphis the first day, and then all the way to Lubbock on the second day. A road trip without a brisket breakfast taco from Buc-ee’s is to be avoided if at all possible!

Of course, the Texas Stop Sign (DQ) served as a great lunch break as we made our way across this GINORMOUS state. It was really a nice drive from north of Dallas to Lubbock, taking us through vast farms and open fields. We even passed through the famed 6666 Ranch as we got closer to Tim’s beloved home of the Red Raiders. Upon arrival, we made our obligatory stop at Red Raider Outfitter to see if we could possibly find some sort of TTU gear that Tim didn’t already own. Turns out we could – they must have seen him coming! After shopping, we checked in to our hotel and made our way to Abuelo’s for a DELICIOUS dinner before bed!

To knock the rust off, Tim and I had a round scheduled at The Rawls Course at Texas Tech early on game day. I can tell you quite honestly that this is a beautiful track that I had been fortunate to play twice before. The round was designed also as a practice loop for “In-law/Outlaw” competitive rounds to start just over 48 hours later. Spoiler alert – it didn’t help my game much, but I sure enjoyed the heck out of a round in West Texas in August with a high of 78 degrees! PERFECT! 🌞🏌️‍♂️ We were paired with a friendly father and daughter who were members and helped us with a few of the local quirks. The help proved more beneficial to Tim than me, but who’s counting?

We came for some football, and what a game we would see. It was not quite what we expected from Abilene Christian University, and yes, that is definitely an understatement. Before kickoff, Tim showed me around campus and we pretended we were in our 20s again as we sang along with the band marching to the stadium and tailgaters crooning off key as they tend to do at home games across America on Saturdays during College Football season!

Inside the stadium, life was good, though an uneasy feeling started to fill the air as the fourth quarter approached. Texas Tech just couldn’t put ACU away, as the Wildcats kept scoring to keep it close. The pucker factor was definitely real, as evidenced by the look on this man’s face as we approached the end of regulation.

The game went to Overtime, and I have to admit to saying a little prayer for TTU to somehow pull it off. Morale for everyone was at stake. A loss would dampen more than a few spirits, and I feared that anger might even rear its ugly head. A TTU loss was definitely not what the doctor ordered to kickoff In-law/Outlaw. But remember everyone, God is good – all the time! My prayers and those of about 70,000 of my closest friends around me were answered as Texas Tech prevailed 52-51! Most importantly, the hopes and dreams of this true fan remained intact into September again! Look at the pure relief!

On our way back to Dallas (remember we passed our destination two days ago), we saw literally thousands of huge windmills as far as the eye could see. Once in a while, there would be one that wasn’t spinning. Tim pointed out that some poor sap had to “shimmy” up to the top to fix it – a daunting thought, particularly for someone like Tim that doesn’t love heights. Soon we drove through Sweetwater Texas, and Tim said that it was home to the largest “rattlesnake roundup” in the world. I didn’t believe him, mostly because I thought for sure there was no such thing. So, I Googled it and found that Tim was right! I read some info aloud, including the fact that you could pay to be a part of the hunt. Tim likes snakes far less than heights, but I asked him if he’d rather go on a rattlesnake roundup or shimmy up to the top of a windmill to fix it. He quickly exclaimed that he’d gladly be “a shimmying fool”! I laughed for a solid 6 minutes. When I stopped laughing, we were seemingly no closer to Dallas, where we had almost been two days before.

Jim flew to Dallas from Boston in less time than it took Tim and I to get there from Lubbock, and we picked him up at the airport. His cost for the convenience of flying was a torn bag, but after some negotiations a deal was made to cut him a check and we headed to Tim’s brother-in-law Jason’s house in Forth Worth where Jim and Jay would be lodging.

Our first round included Jason as our gracious host, and we got an early jump so that we could enjoy the tasty treat that is breakfast at Rosa’s Cafe. They make an amazing breakfast taco on the freshest tortilla you’ve ever tasted. This meal was only the beginning of my affirmation that all cardiologists are wise to consider practice in Texas. But, damn do they have some good food!

We went off as a threesome (Jim, Jay & his son Jason) followed by a twosome (Tim & me) on a really nice course called BridleWood near Tim’s Mom’s house in Lewisville. The greens were lightning fast, and I 3-putted the first two holes – ugh! It was like putting on marble. The course was beautiful though, and I adapted to the speed of the greens to some extent. Because we were separated, I wasn’t able to mess with Jay as much as I had hoped, so the speed of the greens didn’t affect him as badly as they did me. Poor strategy on my part! 😉From my vantage point, Tim had the shot of the day as he crushed a 3-wood to near tap-in Eagle range on a Par 5. He confidently made the putt and pumped his fist appropriately!

The close proximity to Mrs. Riegle’s home was a purposeful choice. After a round of golf in which Team Jay & Tim jumped out to a quick lead, Tim and I headed to his home to visit “Mum Mum” and Tim’s sister Sandy. Monday night, the Yankees were in town to play the World Champion Rangers, and Sandy is a huge Yankees fan. Tim and I swallowed our pride, and allowed for blatant rooting of the Pinstripes from Sandy. Sometimes people fall into bad habits they just can’t shake, and Sandy had fallen in love with Derek Jeter like so many other Americans. He is hard to dislike, so I forgave Sandy years ago. It is also impossible not to be happy for her when you witness pure joy in her eyes after a Giancarlo Stanton home run!

The Yankees went on to win 8-4, and we went home happy for her after a really nice evening at the ballpark. I am blessed to share these memories with such special, loving Framily.

On Tuesday, it rained so hard it felt like it was raining up. We took a day of rest that included simultaneous naps for everyone after driving through the stockyards of Fort Worth. Our hope was to stop in to the world’s largest honkytonk, but Billy Bob’s was closed! Turns out, they were filming an episode of Yellowstone that day, and there was enough of a police presence to keep even us Outlaws from trying to break through the perimeter. Jay encouraged us to try, but we were able to talk him out of it – cooler heads prevailed. Instead, we napped at Jason’s to prepare for a return to the home of the MLB World Champions for a boys night. Check out the crew in front of the Nolan Ryan statue outside Globe Life Field!

Again, we found ourselves in the company of an avid Yankees fan in Jim. Long ago, he forgave me for turning Stacey into a Red Sox fan, as I forgave him for making me have to. The truth is that we share a mutual respect for the accomplishments of each of those great franchises, and he clearly has the upper hand. We have been to many Yankees games together. What a treat to get to see another one with him and this group on this memorable trip.

To me, baseball will always be about fathers and sons getting together to talk about life while the game slowly unfolds in front of them. We remember these times well after those fathers are gone, I promise you that. Jason and Jay got to enjoy just such a night together again in Texas.

On this night, the Yankees lost the game. But that did nothing to dampen Jim’s spirits, as he was the good and gracious sport he always has been.

Tim made the correct decision to move our next tee time to the right a few hours to avoid the last of the rain, and it was definitely the correct call. We took advantage of our free time to visit Casilla and Sandy as a group. Jim and Sandy talked Yankees baseball on the couch and spoke of pending October celebrations. We’ll see boys and girls. Thankfully, those playoff games are played out on the diamond!

Bapa had only heard of Buc-ee’s as a mythical place where the O’Briens met for a romantic rendezvous one very early Christmas morning or late Christmas Eve in South Carolina. So, we promised to give him the tour, and we all settled in for another obligatory silly selfie.

A few stray sprinkles greeted us in the golf course parking lot as we unloaded our bags, but the heavy stuff was behind us. On this day, we enjoyed a links style course called The Tribute that modeled each hole after famous British Open ones. I welcomed the open fairways and improved my score marginally. But Tim and Jay continued to dominate, and stretched their overall lead by even more strokes. It proved insurmountable. They were both playing extremely well!

All in all though, we had another wonderful day on the links talking smack and making memories.

As I noted earlier, Texas most definitely has some delicious food, and on this night we were in for a real treat. Tim took us to Marty B’s for some of the tastiest barbecue you will ever find. He recommended the brisket meatloaf to Jim, who wisely took his advice. I had a sampler with possibly the best brisket I’ve tasted in my short 55 years. It was simply mouth watering! The baked potato didn’t suck either!

Our next round was at The Cowboys Golf Club, a spectacular track that gives an incredible discount to Veterans and First Responders. We took advantage and made our way around a beautiful course Tim and I were lucky enough to have played before. After several holes, we stopped at the snack shack for some provisions, where we found a small family of pesky raccoons. Apparently, they had not gotten the word that Paw Paw “Raccoon Killer” Buffington was on the premises! They quickly scattered when Jay gave them his patented angry growl though!

Yet another lovely day!

Esparza’s (or is it Esperanza’s?) is where you go for superb Tex-Mex, and we all put on our feed bags once again. Tim got himself his beloved swirlie, which Jay couldn’t take his eyes off of. The food was delicious, and capped off another excellent day. On the drive back to the hotel, I vowed not to eat until October once we got back to Virginia Beach!

The NFL season kicked off with the Ravens/Chiefs game, and Jim took in every play he could…

Our final round of this trip was to be at a place none of us had ever played, and we chose the Texas Rangers Golf Club. We finally found greens that weren’t like an ice rink, and another incredibly nice course. The yardage markers were shaped like home plate – very cool! This was a day to soak it all in and realize what a very special tradition we are lucky to be a part of. I’ve known Tim for more than 32 years now, and our friendship is stronger than ever. We are so blessed to be able to share these special times with our fathers-in-law, who have formed a friendship of their own during times both on and off the golf course. I look forward to our next round together!

As I stood on the 18th tee and watched Jim and Jay talking and laughing, I again counted my blessings. We have such fine role models as fathers, husbands, and men. They both epitomize the finest characteristics of true GENTLEMEN. I’m glad to call both of them ‘Dad’. 😍

Jason planned a fantastic experience for our final meal in Texas, and we headed out to the Fly By Night Steakhouse for incredible food with an inspiring view. This place is on a working cattle ranch, and was the perfect setting for a final evening of laughs and lies about our golf games and the week behind us. Thanks Jason for sharing this great spot with us – it was SUPERB!

Goodbyes were said and bags were packed for our journeys home. Tim and I had one more stop along the way, and Tuscaloosa seemed like the perfect fit! You only have so many chances to see the Tide Roll in person, and we took advantage of this one! Again, the home team was in a bit of trouble late in the third period, but then ‘Bama flipped a switch and pulled away in a hurry. This was an incredible atmosphere of viciously loyal fans. Though we hadn’t planned it, we were there for the dedication of Saban Field! He sure as heck earned it, and graciously appeared for the honor. What a great place to see some college football played at the highest level!

Tim got us home safely the next day – thank you Brother!

And THANK YOU Jim, Jay, and Tim for another memorable rendition of this OUTSTANDING TRADITION OF IN-LAW/OUTLAW!!! 🏌️‍♂️🇺🇸⛳️🏌️‍♂️