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3rd Texas MeatUp Thoughts and.,.

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    3rd Texas MeatUp Thoughts and.,.

    I have just retuned from my 3rd Texas MeatUp and here are some thoughts and reflections on the event. I hope those who attended will add their thoughts and reflections.
    1. I have come to believe that one of the most important keys to the success of the Texas MeatUp is the central meeting place at the Rainbow Inn. Without going into details it is based on my experience of taking youth to camp years ago. When camp construction changed the central meeting place from easily accessible for all adults to more difficult to access we lost the camaraderie that existed. It went from a short walk to see if anyone was hanging out to far too long of a walk to checkout whether others have gathered. On the other hand Rainbow Inn doesn’t take too much more than a walk out of your room. For anyone seeking to start an ongoing MeatUp I would suggest that they make sure they have an easily accessible central meeting place.
    2. If it is true that laughter makes folks live longer, the people at the MeatUp are going to live a long time. Laughter dominated the weekend.
    3. Regular attendance at the MeatUp makes you feel like the old 1980s sitcom "Cheers." It becomes a place you want to go where everyone knows your name.
    4. The ages of the participants seems to be irrelevant. One attendee was surprised to learn that there were attendees who were twice their age.
    5. Spouses shared they weren’t sure they would enjoy it the first time they attended. Their uncertainty has been alleviated and are now thinking of ways to encourage other spouses to attend.
    6. No MeatUp can be successful without leaders. We have been blessed to have multiple people willing to take responsibility for the MeatUp. Especially am I thankful for Panhead John and Troutman to tirelessly search for other affordable locations that will allow us to sample new BBQ venues.
    7. This year we were anticipating the largest MeatUp we ever had, but life and work kept quite a few from attending. What a bummer! It turned out to be our smallest, but it didn’t stop us from having our usual fun and sampling great BBQ. My advice to anyone seeking to start a MeatUp is begin small and post often both leading up to the event and and following. Pictures go a long way. Make sure you have a camera man.
    8. While BBQ and cooking posts brought us together and were a part of the weekend, there was much more that has brought and keeps us together.
    9. On a final note we forgot we were now in 2022. The old MeatUp banner read 2021, so we didn’t have one. It may have been a little tacky, but I still think we could have changed the 1 to a 2 with a permanent marker. If you are just starting a MeatUp it is probably a good Idea to leave the year off. Your digital camera will tell the year.
    Last edited by LA Pork Butt; April 24, 2022, 06:52 PM.

    #2
    I have been blessed to have had similar "Meat Up" experiences in two different hobbies. Before the wonders of "The Pit" brought us together during this past year I was able to enjoy the same kind of comradery with my hot rod buddies on a focused forum similar to AR. The subject matter may have been different, the locale as well, but the important part was very much the same. The chance to meet folks from disparate locales and life experiences who share a common passion for one segment of life. And what can be more common to life than the enjoyment of good food..............followed closely by good company. The hot rod folks had some of the same concerns. How would we get along? Would the spouses enjoy it and have anything to do? Would it be worth the time and cost? On all counts the answer was always yes. Unless something unexpected got in the way, it was a scheduling must do. Look..................Sunny, or me, or any of the other folks can share what we get out of these Meat Ups with you and you can nod your head in agreement with the idea, but you won't fully appreciate what it REALLY is like until you jump in and participate. Whether it's coming down here to the world's epicentre of genuine bbq,, or somewhere that is more regionally local to you, don't just SAY you want to do it...................................JUST DO IT!!!! Interacting with real people doing real things is still a thing...............

    Comment


    • Panhead John
      Panhead John commented
      Editing a comment
      Well said Sunny and Bob…..excellent points!

    #3
    I would have to have a date before the end of November, or just luck out with vacation time. Glad you almost had a good time with Panhead in attendance.

    I hope to move about 2 hours west in the next year or so.

    Comment


      #4
      Thank you Sunny and Uncle Bob, you’ve both made some excellent points that needed to be brought up. For anyone who hasn’t attended one, please pay special attention to Sunny’s comment #2. And Uncle Bob’s comment about "Just Do It", I wholeheartedly agree. We were all a little disappointed this time that we had several folks who had to drop out, and trust me, we all understand. It’s a little different for folks who have to travel from out of state VS us who live just a few hours away.

      We have not had ONE member who attended these MeatUps, NOT mention how great of a time they had and were so glad they attended! It’s not just about the food and lodging, it’s about the wonderful people we’ve all met and had the pleasure of being around. This weekend was an absolute blast! I don’t think we laughed harder and had a better time than this one…although they were all close. And not to mention the killer BBQ available in the area. And I sincerely hope we have more of these MeatUps put together in other parts of the country and world. I’d love to see the good folks of Louisiana put one together, I’ll be the first one there!

      Sunny brought up a good point that I’d like to expand on. These MeatUps are not just a bunch of guys sitting around talking BBQ all weekend, far from it. Most of our conversations were about other things beside that. In the past I’ve seen a few comments from some male members who didn’t think their wives would wanna go and sit around listening to a bunch of BBQ nerds talking about ‘Q. When we did talk about BBQ, it was mainly when we were just deciding on where to eat. I can assure you that all the women who have attended one of these had just as much fun as the men. And we all had good conversations together. This wasn’t like Junior High, with the girls in one corner talking and the guys in the other. Don’t take my word for it though, if any of the other attendees would like to share their wife’s opinion or comments, please fill in.

      We will be doing a Fall MeatUp without a doubt, in October. Troutman 58limited and Uncle Bob and I will all be conversing in the next few weeks while we work out the details. We would love nothing more to happen than the Texans be out numbered by our friends from other states!

      Last edited by Panhead John; April 24, 2022, 08:27 PM.

      Comment


      • Jerod Broussard
        Jerod Broussard commented
        Editing a comment
        I'm off October 30 through that week
        Last edited by Jerod Broussard; April 24, 2022, 09:11 PM.

      #5
      As one of the "out of stater's" I will say this is a truly wonderful experience. I wholeheartedly agree with with Sunny's and Bob's and John's take on these get togethers and I will be attending the Meatup in Texas for as long as we keep putting them together. It is so much more than about the food. The more we get together, the closer our bonds become and these are some of the finest people I have ever met.

      And I love the Rainbow Court for all the same reasons Sunny pointed out. See y'all in the Fall!!!

      Comment


        #6
        As a parting shot I think enough has been said (and I echo every last sentiment in that regard) about the great camaraderie and lasting friendships that are made at gatherings of this kind. I greatly encourage all those from different regions throughout North America and even other parts of the globe to gather like we do. It's takes effort and commitment but it's oh so rewarding.

        So having said all that, I just want to visually end with a few shots of my beautiful State of Texas and the mouthwatering Central Texas barbecue that we are so proud of and famous for. Hope to see you all down here soon, to some of the prettiest places and friendliest people you'll ever meet....


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        Last edited by Troutman; April 25, 2022, 09:59 AM.

        Comment


        • Soonerpop
          Soonerpop commented
          Editing a comment
          Great pix, Steve.

        • smokin fool
          smokin fool commented
          Editing a comment
          ....yer killin me....

        • DTro
          DTro commented
          Editing a comment
          What he said^ and now I am hungry too

        #7
        Good comments. I echo the sentiment about the Rainbow Courts. Pretty easy to get there, close to great barbecue, and the meetings on the lawn are great.

        Comment


          #8
          One of these days, I will get to a meet up.

          As Uncle Bob mentioned above with other groups, I too have done this with corgi friends I have met online in a private forum similar to this. A few of them knew each other but overall there were several that didn't. It was decided to have a campout at a state park along the Washington coast, so we went. And every year since that first time about 12-13 years ago, we have gone. Some of the people have dropped off going, but we have made lifelong friends that we camp with multiple times a year with now all because of a cute dog in common that brought us all together.

          I traveled to Florida for a corgi picnic to see several friends that I had 'known' online only for many years. It was awesome and I was able to just fit in because I already knew them. My daughter mentioned to me in both of these occasions that I am meeting online friends in person that I have never met... same thing I had warned her about! My husband has been hesitant on both of these things, but in the end has made friendships as well.

          Comment

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