Lucky Clover Golf Outing

Today was our annual, year-end golf outing at Chestnut Ridge Golf Course near Indiana, PA.  Six or seven of us met at Eat 'N Park on Route 8 for breakfast at 6:30 this morning.  After that, we made the hour-long trek out the Turnpike and beyond to the course.  About 30 of us teed off starting a little after 9 a.m.  We finished up about 3:00 this afternoon with a meal fit for a king and our prizes and awards.  It was a great day on the golf course.

For some reason, there were lots of bugs on the course.  Here Joanne models the mosquito net headwear that made the course so much more enjoyable for her.  (That's Fritzie driving the cart.)

My photography skills are not very good.  This is Coleen and Ruth rounding a curve on the cart path.  (So, use your imagination, for Pete's sake.)

Here are Pat and Jenn, who were part of our foursome!

This is Kathy B., who is a Zonta buddy and the person who invited me to join the Lucky Clover league.  She was my partner today.

This is an example of the beautiful course we played.  Thankfully this water hazard was not this wide in front of the tee box.  It was even prettier when you didn't have to hit over it.

I had not played 18 holes all season, and this was a long course for me.  I had a whopping 150 on the round and 'won' the prize for the most putts.  However, I did win a skill prize for the longest drive in my flight.  I also had the most points for the year in my flight; which means I showed up almost every week and with my handicap I managed to beat my opponent.  I improved a lot this year even though I still have a long way to go to be mediocre.  But . . . the operative word here is PLAY golf.  And playing is something none of us get to do enough.

Thanks, ladies, for a great season!

BLOGGER CATCH-UP: Babes in the 'Burgh

Brian and Emily were here last weekend with Katy and David. We went to the pool on Saturday, and Sunday we made an exciting trip to Costco, went to lunch at Bar Louie, cut the grass, rolled down the hill, and made a scrumptuous chicken dinner. Here are a few excerpts from our weekend.

Here's Katy eating Saturday morning waffles from a Jimmy Buffet plate with a parrot on it and wearing a bib made out of "Red Hat Society" fabric. What could be more classic Opa & Oma?!!

Katy and David really liked the Cranberry Water Park. We found a shady spot under an umbrella.

David and I hung out for a while eating fish crackers while other people were in the pool. Oma did eventually get a turn and tried out the way cool slide - - - several times!

David liked the fish crackers . . . a lot. Below you can see David doing a little dance by the outdoor shower beside the sand area. I don't know who does his choreography, but this is pretty good.

Many of you have heard about the legendary "Cat in the Hat" topper that Greg wears when he cuts our grass . . . with a push mower. He runs up and down our hill to keep the momentum going, and Katy found this part of the job to be a lot of fun. She chased Opa up and down a ba-zillion times skipping and talking as she went.

Later, Brian tried his hand with the blocks. He successfully built a tower using every single piece of material in the canister. Isn't this amazing?

I always really enjoy having visitors, but this was a particularly fun time with the kids and grandkids. I will look forward to seeing them again in a few weeks when we head to Columbus. Until then, it's Skype and blogging to keep in touch. Thank goodness for technology, or I would be so sad.

Cindy's Shower!

On Saturday, I went to Columbus to Emily's house for a bridal shower. Cindy has been a friend to Emily since junior high school. They went through the phases of life together. You know . . . the big bangs with hairspray, Cindy's fish phase, honors classes, AP exams, summer physical education classes, the whole nine yards. Jen was in on all this as well. They have all spent many a night together working on various projects and just plain hanging out.

Cindy is marrying Chan in September. This extravaganza got the friends and family together for some fun and some laughter! It was a marvelous shower.

Saturday was also Melanie's birthday! After the shower, I went to dinner with Melanie and Aaron at Cap City Diner. That was marvelous as well . . . eating out on the patio. Melanie got a GIGANTIC piece of chocolate cake to take home. It took her 3 or 4 days to eat it.

From there, I went to New Carlisle to visit Mom and Dad. Brian and Katy and David were there, too. Katy and I were room-mates Saturday night; she slept in her "tent" (Pack 'N Play) in my room. She is a fun room-mate, but she gets up a little early. :-)

All in all, it was a great weekend.