Mr. Popular

Today is Monday July 18th, 2011. I am at the beach in Destin, Florida. It is the height of the summer vacation season and the beach is packed with thousands of people. And today I was Mr. Popular. For me being popular is a unique experience. If you knew me when popularity really mattered, like in high school, you knew that I was not even close to being popular. I was a regular guy that showed up, did my work, passed my classes, and left. Girls did not care about me and guys thought I was just some goofy smart kid. Today, that all changed.

When I say popular, I mean really popular. People by the thousands wanted what I had. What I had was not fame or fortune. It was not model good looks or even the secret to longevity. I had an object. In 1899, Charles Duell, the commissioner of the U. S. Patent Office declared that “Everything that can be invented has been invented”. For the record he was wrong. Really wrong.

I was introduced to this object by my future son in law. His name is Roman Grier. In marketing speak he is what we call an early adopter. Roman has utilized this object for more than 2 years and yet to a person no one on the beach had seen one. I heard comments like, “Where did you get that”? and “I’d pay anything to have one of those”. I had a better mouse trap and the world was beating a path to my door.

Below is a picture of me and my object.




The purpose is evident but I think it is important to point several of the key features.

1. The American Flag is proudly displayed.
2. The holder is insulated in a configuration commonly known as a koozie.
3. The dual strap design, holds the beer can, and frees the hands.
4. The self balancing design keeps the can upright and eliminates spills.
5. These features make if perfect for corn hole games or walking on the beach.
6. Bass Pro Shop is the official retailer of the hands free koozie.
7. The hands free holder is also available in a Bluetooth compatible version.
8. They make a great gift.

I will be using one all week. If you have questions please post them as comments to my blog or facebook page. I am now an expert user.

Corn Hole Mania

Today is Sunday July 17th, 2011. The Squires family is at the beach in Destin FL. In the last 24 hours it has rained a lot. Like 4 inches a lot. Today was very cloudy, with low clouds, and drizzle. It was our first full day at the beach and we were bored. So what does the Squires family do on a rainy day at the beach? We build homemade corn hole tables to keep ourselves entertained!


So why corn hole? The story goes like this. We are staying at the condo of my friend Al and his wife Carol. They were generous enough to let us stay for the week. Their condo is sweet and has a large patio area with plenty of extra space. Corn hole is often called bean bag toss. The name comes from the tossing of small bags filled with corn into a hole in a board. It does not require a tremendous amount of skill and fits with people that drink beer while relaxing at the beach. That game is perfect for us.


Before you think lesser of us please keep in mind that these are no ordinary corn hole tables. They are built to some exacting standards. The standards are those of the American Corn Hole Assoc. If you don’t believe me, and at this point I don’t think you do, do some research at www.playcornhole.org.


After a thorough review of the corn hole table specifications and a search of the available tools, we concluded we could pull this off. Keep in mind that we are on vacation and have access to a limited variety of tools. With the use of Al’s cordless drill and the help from a friendly associate at Home Depot we had the materials needed to start construction.


Construction began around 1:00pm on Sunday afternoon. During the process beers were consumed, power tools were utilized, spray paint was shaken and sprayed, and in the end a finished product was produced. All the while we never left the kitchen of condo. Actually, we utilized the outside areas for painting and the underground parking lot for assembly.


During the process there was a buzz around the complex about what exactly was going on. No one said anything but people wondered. They wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Once the tables were completed everyone was jealous. The weather cleared late in the day and the first bean bag was tossed at around 7:00 pm. People from the floors above looked down from their balconies. Children gathered and watched in quiet amazement. A local news station dispatched a reporter for a firsthand account of the event. A live feed was established and even the term “film at eleven was used”. We knew history was being made. The corn holing went on for hours and slightly before 11:00pm the last bag was tossed. We had a blast.


In hopes that Al and Carol, their family, and the future guests of the condo, will forever use the tables and enjoy a distinct home patio advantage, we painted the tables in the classic Tennessee Volunteer colors of orange and white. See the photo below. In case you were wondering Al and Carol attended the University of Tennessee.





The weather for Monday is expected to be perfect. We know it will be perfect for the beach and later for some evening corn hole. I will participate, watch, and report.