Time for a little culture, Y'all ...

Well, we have now lived in the beautiful state of North Carolina for a little over two months and are really enjoying it.  So far, I have cut the grass and weeded three times, and with the help of our son, Doug, put in one flower bed.  We have contacted a landscaper regarding our plans for grass, flowers, trees and such and been put on their schedule.  And it goes without saying that I have played golf several times already (a little rough, but it's good to get out and walk and play). Pam has become a member of a line dancing group which is part of the senior citizens center in Wake Forest.  They dance twice a week and she is making new friends and getting a work-out.  So, that's the run-down on our activities in the community.  I should also mention that we have had the grandkids over to spend the night several times and have spent a good bit of time with them at our houses, walking the trails around the parks, and doing various projects.

But that's not all I have to tell you.  We are really getting some cultural educational as well as some local folklore.  I tell you, it is really fun to listen to the people who are local talking about things in their Southern accents.  One of the guys told me the other day that it seems that, more and more, nobody is from here.  Everyone is a move-in.  In fact, I have met more people from Ohio here than I have natives.  Don't think there is anyone left in Cleveland or NE Ohio (can't blame them).

So, let me tell you some of the localisms I have learned.

It seems NC has more than the traditional 4 seasons of weather throughout the year.  Here is what I have found out.  NC actually has 12 seasons: 

                                Winter

                                Fool's Spring

                                Second Winter *

                                Spring of Deception *

                                Third Winter **

                                The Pollening **

                                Actual Spring

                                Summer

                                Hell's Front Porch

                                False Fall 

                                Second Summer

                                Actual Fall                           

*This is about where we are now and will be for the next week or so.
** This is where we will be in March during the Golfing Man Trip.

Some of the terms and sayings we have learned to use here include:

- "Fixen" -- this is what people say when when they are planning to go somewhere or do something. Some of the time it is accompanied with the word "to": "I'm fixen to go to town."  This may not be new to some of you.  We used this quite a bit in the hills of Southeastern Ohio where I grew up.

- "Putn a little paint on this old barn" -- My neighbor told me that this is what older ladies say when they are putting on make-up.  She said her grand dad always said that putting a little paint on the old barn always made it look better.

- "Squirreln" -- This term is applied to someone who starts a conversation on one subject, switches to another, then another and hasn't finished any of them.  The person will then come back to the first one and take up right where he/she left off , and then skip to the third one and repeat this process.  I was told it was kinda like a squirrel running around this way and that, never making up its mind.

- "Y'all" --  This one isn't new to many people.  It is used to refer to someone.  It can be used to address one person or 2 or 3.  But when you get into a group, you have to make this plural, as in "All Y'all."  "Hey, Y'all" or "What are all Y'all doing about dinner tonight."

- "but" -- Northerners often say "I only did this thing one time" or "I didn't do this thing more than one time."  The way this is used here is: "I didn't do it but once." 

- "pushin up aginst" -- This saying is used when making a reference to someone being almost to a point (e.g. "My graanma is pushin up against 95 years old.")  She's almost 95 years old.


 So, that's my report so far.  Still haven't eaten any grits, but I never say never.

More later.  Take care, y'all... all y'all !!

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Hooah 

50 Years ! ... Part 4 (Hoofbeats and Beach bums) ...

Anyone who knows my wife also knows how much she likes  horses.

She loves to feed them, to rub their noses, to talk to them, ride them, look at pictures of them -- you get the idea.  So when we went to Boyne Mountain for our 50th and saw that they had stables and trail riding, well .......... yep.  You got it.  We were in for a morning of riding around the countryside of the Michigan mountains.  What a treat.













We got to ride through woods, up and down the mountain trails, through meadows and along part of one of the golf courses.  We saw lots of birds, deer and other little critters.  And depending on where you were in the "horse train," you got to see the back side of horses quite a bit.

I had a pretty big horse and Pam got a smaller one.  I'm not sure if the handlers just recognized the potential of my obvious horse mastery and skills at riding and gave me this big horse.  But I think it might have been more of them looking at my waistline and taking mercy on the smaller horses.  In any event, I was able to really enjoy the ride from my perch above the low  branches.
                                                                                                         

And then came the afternoon at the beach.

They had a pretty nice lake located in the vicinity of the stables and the golf course pro shop.  There was also a very nice dining area there.   We ate lunch and then decided to relax on the beach before having to head back home.  The sunshine was pretty nice but the water was pretty cold so I took a little nap there while Pam took some walks up and down the sandy shore.

I don't want to sound like a spokesman for the Boyne Mountain bureau of tourism, but what a GREAT time this was and what a GREAT place.  We really had a super time and were well taken care of.  And what a GREAT LADY I had to share this with.  Of course I highly recommend a few days there -- and don't forget your clubs!!

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. (Anon.)

Hooah

50 Years !...Part 3 (Zipp-a-dee-do-daa-day) ...

So now that you know what a crumb I am, playing golf on our honeymoon and on our 50th anniversary, let's get to the good stuff that we did together.

OK.  We're 71 years old and haven't tried zip-lining yet.  So, let's give it a shot.  They have a nice small line that comes down from the kiddie hill on the skiing range, over a pond and back to the lodge area.  Seems like a good start.  Of course, we could have opted for the "Big Adventure" -- the one that starts at the top of the mountain and winds down through the woods and meadows, over lakes, through more woods and finally ends up at the lodge area.  We took the smaller one  this time, and said we might try the big adventure on another day if we have the time (LOL).

Our adventure consisted of two trips each.  On the first one, we both went down the same time.  They have two lines next to each other.  Once we got in position to jump off and go, we thought that we should race to the bottom.  Off we went.  The first 15-20 feet were pretty even, then gravity took over and I, being the heavier of the two of us (by a bunch), surged out in front.  I'm not sure if this was one of those races I really wanted to win by that big of a margin. When did I say I was going to start on that diet?  It's amazing how those physics ideas really come back to prove themselves.

So, for our next trick, we thought we would split it up.  Pam would go down and I would stay at the bottom and video the whole thing and she would do the same thing when I came down.  So down she came, nice and easy.  When she got to the bottom, she was barely moving and it was a very nice landing which only required one small person at the bottom to help her get stopped. Good stuff.  Then it was my turn.  When I came down toward the bottom, I saw several bigger guys holding the arresting rope and heard one of them say something about "this guy's coming in hot."  Hmmmm.  More good stuff (I think).  Anyway, as I learned in my pilot days, any landing you can walk away from is a good one.

Check that one off our list.  I suspect that a lot of the people who read this post haven't done this yet and they certainly are missing out on some fun.

Stay tuned for more from Boyne Mountain.  But in the meantime, here are a couple of thoughts for you regarding long marriages and anniversaries...

On his 50th wedding anniversary, Henry Ford was asked his formula for a successful married life. He replied that it was the same formula that made his automobile successful: “Stick to one model.”
 -------------------------------------
Every Wednesday night at St. Rocco’s Catholic Church is a marriage seminar for husbands.

One night Father Gill asked Fabio to share his secrets for staying happily married for almost 50 years.

Fabio explained that he’d tried to treat his wife nice, buy her a few things, and best of all, he took her to Rome for their 25th anniversary.

Father Gill asked, “So what are you going to do for your 50th?”

Fabio proudly answered, “I’m gonna go pick her up!”
---------------------------------------
A marriage anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year.
 
Hooah

50 years! ... Part 2 (Fore!) ...

I guess the old saying, "what goes around, comes around" can be used in a lot of different ways.  Take for instance, what would you say if I told you that I actually got to play golf on our honeymoon.  You are absolutely correct -- why not play golf on your 50th anniversary too!! Thus, what went around came around.  And both times, my loving bride went with me in the cart and we had a good time (well she said she did).

On the honeymoon (we actually went to Wheeling Downs -- yep, we sure were young pups then) the course was a par three that was inside the race track, kinda like the one that is inside the track at the Indianapolis Speedway (although I have never been to that one to say for sure).  The course I played at Boyne Mountain was nothing like that one.  There were two courses on this site and both of them started at the top of the ski mountain and then wound down the slopes, through woods, beautiful meadows, across creeks and eventually down to the flats at the bottom. I only played the one course, but what a beautiful afternoon.  There were deer wandering across the fairways, beautiful flowers surrounding the tee boxes and intermittently along the fairways, various kinds of birds, and things.  The way the course was laid out, we never saw other golfers other than at the starting tee and the last two holes on the flats.  I really love playing these kinds of courses.  Michigan has lots of these kinds of courses to play and I would suggest that some future version of our "man trip" look that way instead of coming south.

Pretty good practice swing, huh ?  (Yes, I know the ball is still on the ground -- it was a practice swing).

(Golf) ... "A passion, an obsession, a romance, a nice acquaintanceship with trees, sand, and water."  (Bob Ryan)

Hooah

WOW -- married 50 years ... Part 1 (What a surprise) ...

This past August, Pam and I celebrated a milestone that few married couples reach -- our 50th wedding anniversary.  Can you imagine that!!  Just goes to show you that love conquers all. Check out the wedding picture.  If you can look at this young pup and the hottie holding my arm without laughing, you are either a very kind person or blind.  Not sure what her mom saw in me, but she gave me her blessing and we began this journey. So let me tell you how the celebration went.

One afternoon in July, I was talking to some of my golf buddies about this upcoming event and if they had any ideas of where a good place to celebrate might be.After I eliminated all the locations that were out of the country, one of them suggested Gander Mountain Lodge in upper Michigan.  Good idea -- we had been in Petoskey and Bay Harbor before (once for our 40th and again for our 45th) and we really liked the area, so this seemed like a good call.

It wasn't too hard to get the low down on the lodge and the area from the computer and it was quick work to check out packages they might have during the time we were to be there.  Then I called the lodge and talked to the gal at reservations and explained what the requirements might be.  I knew this was going to be a GO when the gal at reservations told me her last name -- same as ours.  That was a sign.  So I got the room for the number of days I wanted it, and then I started in on the particulars.  I wanted a dozen roses in the room when we got there.  Simple request, but she said she didn't handle those things and transferred me to the concierge who she assured me would be able to take care of me.  Guess what -- the concierge was from a town nearby where we lived.  Another sign.  We talked for a while and he said he could get the roses for us.

He got a lot more.  Check this room out.

I expected the roses, but the decoration of rose petals and chocolate covered strawberries on the bed and the balloons and the note on the door were certainly a surprise.

So that is the beginning of our adventure.  And yes, we did hang the "Do not Disturb" sign on the door.  And yes, we were coming out of our room once and a very young couple came down the hall, looked at the balloons and the sign, looked at us, and kept walking down the hall (and yes, they were chuckling).

Stay tuned for other parts of this entry.

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. (Paul Sweeney)

Hooah 

P.S.   When I think back over the past 50 years, I find it simply amazing how much time Pam and I spend together.  And I think, like a lot of couples our age, the longer we are together, the less time we spend with others.  Sure we have lots of acquaintances we hang out with, line dance with, play golf with, etc. But we really do become one. So, with that in mind, I offer this quote to end this entry:



Well, we made it another year without one of us either ending up dead or in jail.  I call that a win.

Outer Banks surprise ...

Pam and I try to get to the Outer Banks each year for a week -- she spends each day on the beach soaking up the sun, walking along the ocean watching birds and sitting under an umbrella reading.  Meanwhile, I prefer to visit local golf courses (boy -- resort area golf courses are expensive) and then lying under an umbrella taking a nap and perhaps reading.  But that's not what this article is all about.

It seems that vacation adventures can take place just about anywhere when you are driving along.  So check this out -- we were on that very long straight-away from the mainland out to the island, Route 64, which looks like you are driving through the Great Dismal Swamp, really minding our own business and pretty much driving the speed limit. We were coming up on a driveway to my left which had several trash cans just off the road.  All of a sudden, a few of the trash cans came tumbling over and a black bear came stumbling out of them, running onto the highway.

I hit the brakes and things started to happen really quickly.  There were very deep water-filled ditches on either side of the highway and I had decided several miles back that I sure wouldn't want to be a driver who happened to wind up in the water.  Who knows what might be living in there.  So as I am standing on the brake pedal, I think, for a second, that I might get stopped in time to avoid hitting the bear.  I thought that for one time I was glad I was not speeding.  But suddenly the bear took a slight turn toward the car as it was running across the road.  Why is it that bears and deer and all kinds of other wild critters don't stop when they see cars or why they think they can outrun cars to a certain point. 

Well, the bear and I met at the same point on the road.  The bear looked to weigh about 300 pounts, and the 2011 Jeep Grand Cheorkee was considerably heavier, and I had already made up my mind that if I couldn't get stopped in time, I was going to hit that bear.  And I did. 

Didn't really hurt the Jeep much -- check out the pictures -- and the bear rolled a couple of times and hightailed off into the woods on the other side of the road.  So I guess maybe it was a "no harm, no foul" situation, although I really didn't see the bear after I hit it (or it hit me ?).  I was busy trying to make sure I had control of the Jeep and wasn't going to put it in the ditch.  Also I wasn't sure what kind of damage, if any, had been done.  So after determining there was no damage and that the bear wasn't really P.O.d and chasing us, we turned around and drove back down the road to see if it was lying off to the side of the road.  Nope.  No sign ot it.  It was long gone. 

When we got to the hotel, we asked the desk clerk where we could find a car wash and told him of our adventure.  He told us that that sort of thing happens all the time on that highway.  Maybe it's like some sort of bear-gang initiation thing.  Hmmmm.

Lots of mud on the car (obviously from the bear coming thru the watery ditch in order to get to the cans) and a few small scratches and one small cracked piece of plastic by the front bumper that had some souvenir bear hair stuck in it and that was about all. It also really messed up the front license plate. From the picture you can see the cracked piece of bumper (?) where the bear's weight pushed the plastic in and the bumper mount that holds the plastic stayed in place while the bumper got pushed inward.

So we thanked God for watching out for us and hoped that the bear wasn't in too bad of shape. 
Funny thing, though.  We noticed at the island end of the highway there were signs up warning drivers of bears crossing the highway.  There were no signs on the land side of the highway.  Go figure.  Also, when I went to trade in the Jeep for the 2019 I now have, it made for an interesting story on the car dealer's lot.  They did change out the bumper though.  Too bad.  It was a good story and showed the Jeep's toughness.

Just so you don't think this spoiled our trip, here is a selfie we took one evening sitting out by the ocean, watching the waves and the full moon.

Oh, yeah, one other thing ... on the way home, the Jeep turned 200,000 miles.  That was a great vehicle.

Since this is really a mixed message post -- go to the beach and have an adventure on the way, I think I should close it out with these two observations:

Tans will fade, but memories will last forever. and, 

If you did not have a stupid travel story to tell, you did something terribly wrong!

Hooah

Man Trip '19 ...

As I sit here in January 2020 putting together my thoughts for this year's golf trip, I thought I had better go back and tell you about last year's trip to the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina.  We had a wonderful time and it was great to get together, play golf, tell stories and just relax.  So here are some of the highlights...

One of the courses we played, Bermuda Run West, was pretty nice, but a bit wet on the back nine.  Three of the guys in the group I was in hit tee shots that looked like they landed within a foot of each other, right in the center of the fairway.  When we waded out to find the shots, we couldn't find any of them -- just lots of standing water.  But, as you can see, it was sunny and warm and we had a good time playing here and reading texts from the guys back in Ohio. 

In all, we played 4 days, three of them in the Winston-Salem area and one at Pilot Mountain on the way home.  Here are some of the pictures from the various courses and some thoughts.  Looking back at this has put me in the mood to get out the info to our group regarding this year's trip.  This one will be just a bit different because I now live in NC so I will be doing this planning and communicating over the internet.  We'll see how this goes.

 Since the trip was in March, a lot of the guys were a bit rusty on some of their "money" skills.  But these 4 were pretty much dialed in and seemed to win all the holes and the big bucks. 

The biggest problem for many of us was the aeration of the greens, which had been done a week or so prior to us getting there.  I can't tell you how many times a putt would be rolling right toward the hole and then hit an aeration hole and take a hard turn.  I

    guess that's what is known as "rub
    of the green."  Wonder who made
    up that term and if he made
    his putt...probably not.

    I'm not trying to single out these four guys, but they really did putt well.  Al and Scott were good touch putters, while Les and John did well with the "aim and hit" method.  Whatever the condition of the greens, these guys did well.



Given the time of the year and the lack of a lot of playing time back in Ohio, a couple of guys seemed to have some really outstanding tee shots.  Trouble was, it was so "hit or miss" (pardon the pun) that it was hard to develop a consistent swing.  However, these guys happened to be hitting 'em well when I had the camera out.  That's one of the rules on this trip -- if you hit some good ones and I get pictures of them, then all the rest of the bad ones didn't happen.  That's our story and we stick to it.

 Steve was probably the most consistent in his drives, but that has been his trademark ever since I have known him.  He just steps up there and hits it -- generally straight and long.

Dave has really stepped up his game with the driver.  He hits it down the fairway with a nice little right to left movement on it -- not so far -- but almost always ending up in the center of the fairway.  Not too bad for a leftie.

Al is a power hitter.  He gets pretty good turn on his swing and generally makes solid contact. His shot has lots of power to it, but he kinda looks like some of the good old boys I play with here in that it is contained and not wild.  He can hit a few off to the right once in a while, but generally fixes that and gets back to his normal game.

Jerry is another lefty in hitting the ball, although he does everything else as a righty.  On this particular trip, he lit into a few that really sailed. I think he probably had more in the fairway than out over the week.  Regardless, he really whacked 'em when I had the camera out.  He must like the bright lights.  I'll get the camera out more on this trip, Jerry.

But when all was said and done, it came down to a couple of things --
1.  The ball ended up in the bottom of the cup more often than it slid on by...

2.  Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the sunshine ...

Yep, writing this article about last year's trip has certainly fired me up.  Dave and I have been doing this for quite a while.  Chuck is no longer with us, Dave B . says he is getting too old to do this, and others have come and gone.  Many of us take along extra tubes of "Blue Emu" or Aspercream or extra Advil, but we manage to fight through for four days.  It's great being together.  Jim even went last year and wasn't able to play as he was recovering from surgery and was only able to drive a cart and putt.  Looking forward to going again this year. And, oh yeah, playing golf too.

Old friends are like old golf clubs, they're still the best.

Hooah

P.S. If you really want the inside skinny on how these trips play out, check out this quote ...

" I had a wonderful experience on the golf course today. I had a hole in nothing. Missed the ball and sank the divot."  (Don Adams)