1-2-3-First Down!

And today I didn't have my camera.  After a wonderful church service and getting our animals tended, Mr J and I headed to the Bengal Barn.  Mr J's been there many times, but it was a first for me...

DIL and her mom are die-hard Bengal fans.  DIL's mom and dad hang with friends to watch the Sunday Bengals game in a small barn.  It started long ago when a couple of friends grew too rowdy to remain indoors during the games.  The barn had a gravel floor and a tiny TV set.  They stood on a rubber mat, huddled together in the cold, to root for their beloved Bengals.  The barn's come a long way since then...

It's easy to spot as you drive down the country road.  It's the small barn with lots of cars parked outside, and in the doorway is a Bengals canopy marking the entrance into the world of Who Dey!   If you don't like orange and black tiger stripes, close your eyes before entering.  I don't know whether to liken it to a museum or a shrine.  Bengals paraphernalia lines the walls and hangs from the ceiling.  Everywhere you look.  There's even a Bengals onesie hanging on the wall, waiting for Brady to arrive.  Once he's outgrown it, I'm told it goes back on the wall.  A bright Bengals-orange tablecloth is piled with scrumptious dishes.  Behind the black curtain is a potty chair with Bengal striped handrails and, of course, a Bengal striped TP holder!

Mr J is a Brown's fan, as is his son.  It never bothered Mr J to be a Dawg surrounded by Bengals.  However, I was told today that his son stayed 'in the closet' for two years in this crowd!

Even though the majority of the decor was orange and black, the barn itself was mostly green.  Seems most of the items inside were donated or re-purposed.  The headboard of an old water-bed was painted black and now adorns the front of the bar.  The bar is trimmed in orange.  Shortly after I arrived, I was handed a Sharpie and told to sign.  Tradition has it that the first visit is marked by signing the orange trim on the bar.  Mr J had written "Go Browns" on his first visit.  It appears to have been accidentally washed off.

The cheering crowd brought back warm memories of my armchair quarterback days.  And every time the Bengals made a first down, the crowd erupted with, "One, two, three... FIRST DOWN!"