The Lone Guru to the Rescue or Guru Mojo Magic

Knowing how critical the Georgia Tech game was for Virginia football, the Gurus resolved to head east and bring that positive Guru mojo to Charlottesville. When our friend Al Groh needs help, he can count on us. Vini, vidi, vici. Yes, that Latin phrase is in the singular. Our regular posse was unable to adjust schedules to make this trip and one Guru was blocked by an unsympathetic judge (clearly a Yellow Jacket judge) leaving the Lone Guru to come back for the annual Guru game. However, to insure the proper mojo to guarantee victory, we adopted a substitute Guru who stepped up to the plate big time to help bring Al and the team the much-needed victory. Thanks go to bruhoo the Guru! Congrats to the team for taking the Guru mojo and using it for a great victory.


The travels of the Guru mojo began on Thursday morning with a flight on JetBlue airlines from Long Beach airport to Dulles airport. The Lone Guru was undaunted by traveling alone – the task of bringing the mojo to Charlottesville did not admit of hesitation or fear. Renting a Ford Escape XLT allowed the Lone Guru to visit his mother who, in her eightieth year is recovering from a recent back surgery. Go mom! Friday morning arrived and the Lone Guru helped mom out with some errands (Gurus love their mothers) before heading to Richmond. First stop, the Library of Virginia where we met with Therese Fisher of the American History Company for a lesson in genealogical research. Thanks to Therese.


Leaving the Library of Virginia, it was on to the house of bruhoo the Guru and his babealicious wife Wilma. After the official ceremony inducting bruhoo to Guru status, we went to Cary town to purchase some great cheese, chocolate and wine at the River City Cellars where the selections were fabulous and the service superb. Loaded with goodies we returned to the house of bruhoo the Guru where we dined like the royalty we descend from. The lovely Wilma and bruhoo the Guru were great hosts for the Lone Guru. A postprandial outing found us at the Boulevard Deli proved to be a great site. http://www.chopperguy.net/~deli/ The live band was playing exclusively English invasion music, which for some of us with great memories of ancient times, was very nostalgic. The band was rocking and gratefully there was very little smoke in the joint.


Also enjoying the tunes at the Boulevard Deli was Sabre poster Steve Jones aka MottTheHoople. Steve Jones is a real estate finance mogul in Richmond, so he and bruhoo the Guru, who is a real estate broker mogul in Richmond, practically own the city. After a raucous evening (raucous as measured by two old guys) it was time to hit the sack so as to have a full store of energy for the big game on Saturday.


The Lone Guru departed Richmond early Saturday morning heading west on 64. Wilma and bruhoo the Guru were readying for the tailgate party and left shortly thereafter. A glorious return to Charlottesville was marked by the bright rays of sunshine the Lone Guru had brought from California. Many remarked on how unseasonably warm the day was; now you know why. The mighty BoardHost aka Mike Ingalls invited the Lone Guru to BoardHost’s dwelling in order to turn over the game ticket. Yay BoardHost! On to the tailgate party.


bruhoo the Guru arranged for a parking pass which allowed the Lone Guru to drive right up Alderman, like the big shot he imagines he is, directly to the tailgate party near the stadium. Yay bruhoo the Guru! Owing to the noon start time, pre-game tailgating was abbreviated but no less fun. The Lone Guru entered Scott Stadium with his game face on and released a blast of positive Guru mojo at kickoff, which insured victory for the Hoos. The ACC refs apparently recognized that the Hoos enjoyed an unfair advantage of Guru mojo and attempted to combat the advantage with some atrocious calls and spots but they were up against a power greater than theirs. 29-17. ‘Nuff said.


After the game, the Lone Guru mooched at a number of tailgates, starting with Matt Welsh ’s. Hearing that the Lone Guru was at Matt’s tailgate, George Welsh rushed over to meet the Lone Guru. Well, actually, he came over to see Matt, but, hey, the Lone Guru was standing there and did shake George’s hand. On to Mikeysurf’s tailgate where Mikeysurf was holding court with such dignitaries as VBHOO, Hooman2, and Mikeysurf’s hot daughter (can we say that?) who is a mathematics major at the U. Then on to bruhoo the Guru’s tailgate where the food was plentiful and all the women fine. Satisfied with a victory and a full stomach, the Lone Guru headed north on 29.


Darkness was falling on Saturday as the Lone Guru reached Madison, Virginia where many of the Lone Guru’s ancestors resided during their earthly sojourns. A stop at the Eagle House Bed and Breakfast in Madison provided unexpected pleasures of a sublime nature. First, a little history. The Eagle House bed and breakfast right is next to the courthouse. This place is a real jewel for those who may not be aware of it. It was originally the William Carpenter tavern built around 1720 and later acquired by Thomas Carpenter.


The bar downstairs is original and I learned that the term “bar” comes from the grill or bar that was lowered when not in service. The bar (or grill) was opened when ready for business. Now we refer to the flat top area as the bar but originally the bar was the type of gate which was lowered or raised depending on whether open for business or not. Colonial Williamsburg attempted to purchase this particular bar because it is one of the few original such pieces from that time period.


Guests of the Carpenter Tavern included George Washington and JEB Stuart. The residence also witnessed a murder in 1850 when Edmund Clore shot Thomas Carpenter, the headmaster of the school run at the residence, after Mr. Carpenter had whipped Edmund’s son. Edmund Clore’s hanging in Madison was quite a spectacle back in 1850. The Eagle House also served as the Masonic Lodge meeting place for a period of time and the home of the local newspaper, the Madison County Eagle from whence it derived its current name.


The proprietors of the Eagle House, Harlee and Barbara Pate are as delightful as you could want. Harlee also attended the Virginia-Georgia Tech game and as the former owner of a sports store in Richmond he possesses a fabulous collection of sports memorabilia including a great autographed picture of the world’s greatest soccer player, Pele and autographs of Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and other baseball greats. The rooms were spacious and elegantly appointed. With such gracious hosts, a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains including Old Rag Top, and a rich history, the Eagle House is highly recommended by the Lone Guru.


Sunday morning arrived with a fabulous Southern breakfast prior to departure. Barbara’s garlic cheese grits casserole was spectacular. Forget Dr. Atkins, give me seconds. Bidding adieu to the Eagle House we found a tenacious morning fog hugging the ground as we headed out on route 230 towards Orange. The fog gave one the sense of having stepped right into the pages of Wuthering Heights. Next stop was the Mitchell’s Presbyterian Church in Mitchells, Virginia, just a few miles south of Culpeper were we briefly sat in on morning services. The goal was to visit the artwork of the Lone Guru’s great grandfather, which still graces the interior of the church. A small but spirited choir added to the experience.


With our JetBlue flight departing on Sunday afternoon we made another visit with mom and she would be embarrassed for us to advise our readers that suppositories were purchased for her so we won’t go into any detail on that point. Farewells to mom and the family and with the magic of modern jets, in a few hours we were back in California having accomplished our goal of bringing the Hoos a victory (You’re welcome Al!) and enjoyed a few of the great offerings of the state of Virginia.


Postscript: The Gurus have been bombarded with emails about the absence of our columns this season. Many have speculated that the teams’ struggles are unquestionably related to the lack of Guru mojo this season. They are undoubtedly correct and we will be working on correcting this problem. Fortunately, we brought enough Guru mojo this week to carry through the new year insuring a positive close to this season.