Celebrating our 40th...

I can't believe I'm writing this article -- not that I'm actually writing it, but that it's time to write it. Pam and I celebrated our 40th anniversary recently and I can't believe we have been together that long. I can honestly say time has flown. We first met in 1964 on the sand at Northside Beach in Zanesville. This was in high school. She was a hot chick from the big city school and I was a skinny, big-eared kid from the small Catholic school.

I can still remember our wedding, the reception and then leaving town for our honeymoon. We decided to go to a place my parents told us about -- a horse racing track in West "By God" Virginia.

Six hours after we started on what should have been a 2-3 hour trip, we got there. What a great start. Of course the dining room was closed (can't believe they close dining rooms at these places before 11:30 -- this is supposed to be a resort). The next day, we actually played golf there. Well, I played golf and Pam rode in the cart. Bet you can't guess what we did on our 40th ??? Yep, I played golf and Pam rode in the cart. Least this time, she didn't get hit with a ball while sitting in the cart.

In planning this trip, we took the advice of some friends of ours (Dave and Barb) and went to the Petoskey, Michigan area and booked rooms at the Bayview Inn. Online, it kinda looked like Bob Newhart's place, and I always liked that show, so what the heck. Besides, they had a great big lake (Lake Michigan) just outside the front door and Pam really likes water.

This turned out much better than our first trip. This place was supposed to be about 6 hours away, and I made it in 6 hours. See, I told you it was better. The first night there was a bit disappointing as the weather was pretty bad -- temps. in the 50s, big winds, and the front desk seemed to have forgotten the wine and roses I ordered ahead of time. Oh well, maybe they didn't remember what time I said we would be there and didn't want them to be wilted. The next morning, the weather improved, and the gal at the front desk assured me that the flowers and wine would be taken care of today. It was wine from their own winery and flowers from their own gardens, so I figured this was a easy fix...even if it was Saturday.

We spent the first day sightseeing, starting with an hour cruise on the Inn's boat. Actually, it was a small yacht-- a Chris-Craft, I think, that looked like it was built in the 20s and just got in from taking socialites on an outing. We toured Traverse Bay and got a little glimpse of how the very rich of the Chicago area live. They had boats that had more square feet in them than my house. Most of them never leave the pier, according to the yacht driver, who said about all they're used for is cocktail parties. When we finished that, we walked around Harbor Side for a while. One thing I learned while we were there was the difference between a sweatshirt and Beach Attire -- about $90.

It was now about 3:00 P.M. so we headed back to the Inn. You're right -- no wine or flowers. I now gave the desk girl my best angry Colonel scowls and was assured she would deliver tomorrow, even if she had to "sternly remind" the manager. Boy, I could hardly wait to see these results -- perhaps a roomful of flowers. We headed into town and did some window shopping, ate dinner at a really cool bar that had the best pizza and views of the bay (in fact, we ate there twice). Later, we walked along the beach and looked at some of the very nice beachfront houses. Everyone had an American flag flying from the porches and a flag from whatever college they went to or now supported.

The breakfasts were very good. I particularly liked the French toast with syrup and Michigan cherries. The Sunday buffet was very nice, and appeared to be the social event of the weekend. I told Pam that no town should be allowed to have more than 20 Jaguars in one place at one time. Earlier that morning, we went to a church that Pam had looked up on line before we left. She said it was a young church and it would be fun to see how others do their services. This was a good experience. It's neat to see how people can improvise, get the Word out and get the job done when no one cares what the surroundings might be.

I was positively giddy with anticipation after church and brunch because I couldn't wait to see what a whole room full of roses and wine looked like. Aw, you're too good, you're way ahead of me...yep, very underwhelming. The wine was a 12 oz. bottle that looked like a pop bottle, and the tray of sweets came from the buffet line, and the roses -- oh, wait there were no roses!!!!

Oh, well, it was time to head out to the golf course. 40 years ago, that race track course cost $6.00 and was a 9-hole, par-3 course jammed into a space about as big as two football fields. The course we were going to play (Little Traverse Bay) cost $75 and was worth every penny. It was one of the most beautiful courses I have ever played. The fairway-to-green elevation changes could be 200-300 ft. and proved to be a nice, fair challenge. On just about every hole, you had breathtaking views of the lake and the bay. I think I shot 100, but wasn't upset a bit. It was such a nice course and, besides, I had my bride of 40 years with me. Life is good!!

We went back to the Inn each evening and read quite a bit. No televisions in the rooms, and no phones. Pam and I actually got a couple of books finished. We played another course on Monday at Boyne Mountain. This one was very nice and a bit difficult too, but not as nice as Little Travers Bay. I played better the second day, so it was all good.

We hauled our bikes up there, because we thought it would be fun to just ride and explore the neighborhoods. This was one of the highlights of the trip. The houses were a beautiful Victorian- style architecture, and the gardens were beautiful. The bike paths took us to town and the harbor area where we watched people come and go, launching their boats. It seems the salmon were running and the lake fishing was getting hot.

So, all in all, it was an absolutely fantastic trip. Never did get the roses, but everything else at the Inn was beautiful and Dave and Barb's advice was spot on.

There's an old saying that goes something like this: Strike an average between what a couple thinks of each other a month before they're married and what they think of each other 40 or 50 years afterward, and you'll probably be pretty near knowing the truth about their marriage. We still have a few years to go, but I'd say we've had a pretty darn good one.

Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day. (Gene Perret)

Hooah