On the Road Again: Part 3 - Savannah

On our way back from Florida, Tony took me to Savannah.  He attended several of his NBAA aviation conferences there and really enjoyed the city.  I did too....it reminded me a lot of Charleston.  We had a good time exploring the sites and getting stuck in a terrible rain storm because one of us didn't want to bring the umbrella...gee, I wonder who that was? 

We took a trolley tour around the city and visited a huge park and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church that was built in 1873.  The stained glass windows were fantastic.    We went to a ton of art galleries--I still think Tony could do much better than most of the artists we saw.

The trip reminded me how much fun we have together.  We laughed, zinged each other and enjoyed the sites.  The trip took away some of the "not working" stress.

Here are the highlights:

This fountain is in the middle of the park in downtown Savannah.  It was also featured in at least 15 paintings that we saw in the galleries.

Daddy Bear stopped to smoke his cigar while I shopped and this strange woman tried to flash him!

This is a statue of Raphael.  There are a number of classic pieces of art around the city.

This is an old restored house.   It was beautiful. 

 St. John's church and windows:

DB and me (with a pole sticking out of my head!)

It was REALLY HOT in Savannah....this guy had the right idea!

On The Road Again - Part 2: The Great Cornhole Tournament

Part two of our trip was spending time with David, Joanna, Tony and Marie...and of course, Tyson and Bernie. This was the first time we met Bernie and we just loved him.  He's an enthusiastic baby wrapped up in a furry, squat body with a permanent scowl on his face.  Plus, he's got the wildest eyes...it looks like he went way overboard on eyeliner and mascara!

The house that David and Joanna rented was really nice.  I think the best part was the pool.   It was very hot in Siesta Key so the cool water was a relief. 

It was a relaxing time, but there was definitely an under current of competition as we all anticipated the long awaited  Swegle Cornhole Competiton.  David is currently the reigning champ, but who would take home the trophy and be named the Swegle Cornhole Champions of all time?  Or, at least until the next competition!

The "kids" were absolutely brutal and dead on with their bean bag tosses.  Tony and I went down in defeat very quickly.  After that, it was brother against brother and the ex softball pitcher (Marie) against the secret weapon (Joanna, who had some great throws!)  

Here's the trip highlights.....and the ultimate Cornhole Champs!

The rental house.

The pool.

Like Father, Like Son!!  Relaxing in the pool.

Daddy Bear checking out an airplane.

Puppy Love!

The Competition Begins......

Score:  Swegle's 1,   Swegle's 0

The younger set steps up....

The Fat Lady sings....I mean, throws! (Not you, Marie!!)

The Ladies score!

It was close, but who won????

Bernie enjoyed the air conditioning while the Cornhole battle outside raged on!

She's small, but mighty!   Joanna was the secret weapon--don't let her tell you she's not good at Cornhole!  But did they win????

Bernie shares a victory brew.....

...and says, "Congratulations to the new Cornhole Champions of the World"...for now!

Like Father, like Other Son!  Tony Jr shares his Cornhole tossing secrets!

On The Road Again - Part 1

Tony and I have been travelling this past week and had a great time.  There were three parts to our journey, so I'm going to devote one blog post per part.  The first one is about our dinner with Joyce.

People who have true connections don't have to see each other everyday to stay connected.  A strong bond with another person transcends time and distance and that's how I feel about Joyce.   When I first  met Joyce, I was the "new Swegle wife."  Joyce had "seniority" and more important to me, she contributed Swegle children, something I could never do.  We were the Alpha and Omega--she was a talented and caring person who provided a loving home to her family and took on challenges around the house that I left for Tony to do.  Intimidated?  Oh yeah.  Joyce fit better into the family than I did.  I didn't cook.  I didn't grocery shop.  I didn't do all of the wonderful things that she did.  I worked outside of the home and that's about it. 

But over time, I got to know Joyce and realized that we had more in common than I thought.  We both have a goofy sense of humor and we both tend to tell it like it is (or in my case, how I see it.)  We both love wonderful Swegle men and we both have terrific and talented children.  Joyce taught  me that I didn't have to change who I was to "fit in," I just had to acknowledge the differences and stay true to myself.  Joyce gave me the power to say, "ouch" if something hurt and not keep it inside.  She became my lifeline and sounding board and most important--my sister-in-law.  Marriage didn't do that, we did, just by talking to each other openly and honestly. Joyce and I developed a closer relationship than I have with my own sisters. 

As you are reading this, I'm sure you can tell that I was thrilled to get together with Joyce.  We had a wonderful evening as evidenced by the pictures I've included.  We talked, we laughed and we were goofy--who can ask for anything more?

My sister-in-law and me!

OK, you wanna talk, "goofy???"   Joyce told me that the best way to hide a double chin in pictures was to do this....not only can you see my "other" chin, you can see my fat arm.  Didn't work, Joyce!

Did I mention that we laughed?!!!

Two of my favorite Swegles!!

It was the end of the evening, but we will do this again.