The Boys Are Back In Town

It was an exciting weekend here in Leland as the 3 Men and A Bond Golf Tournament took place on Sunday.  Tiger and Phil both backed out.  They said they couldn't take the heat...but was it the heat or the competition?  The weather was brutal, but has been all over and everyone seemed used to it.   Prior to the tournament, I analyzed each golfer and their chance at taking the trophy.

First up, Tony Jr., he has youth on his side and is in great shape, except for some occasional back pain.  He is a born competitor and sportsman.  Add on to that, he is hungry for a win.  He hasn't had the trophy for a while and getting his butt kicked by a senior golfer has got to an ego bust.  On the downside, he hasn't played any golf in a while and his personal life is a wild party--that could hurt him.  Watch out for this guy, though, he will start off slow and all of a sudden will be in striking distance before you know what hit you. 

Next, David.  While significantly younger than the senior on the tour,   middle age is on his horizon.  That could slow him down.   His physical condition is good due to regular indoor foot races and gymnastics with his future caddy, Alex. His mental status is geared to win.    This is the guy who wants it bad and that could trump the other two on the tour.  He hasn't played much golf, but when he's on his game, look out.  He's calculating, analytical and can really get distance on the ball.  He could be the wild card in this match. 

Finally, Tony Sr., he is the current keeper of the trophy and is holding on tight.  He likes the look of it in his house and is proud to tell people the history.  He will not go out without a fight.   He is the senior on the tour, but his condition is good.  He works at the golf course, plays once a week and this is his home course, so he has a significant advantage.  His real advantage, however, is his mind game.  He comes across as a nice, unassuming guy just looking to have fun.    Look out, his fun could land you in sand traps and water.   He is a strong competitor and will finish in the top two. 

Take a look at our golfers:

Before taking the first tee, Tony, Tony and David with the 

coveted trophy in front of them

Here's what it's all about

David, Tony, the current Champion with the trophy and Tony at the turn

SO, WHO WON?????

Was it the young,  upcoming golf giant, Tony Jr, hungry no more

OR, WAS IT.....

Was it David, the wild card? 

OR, IS THE WINNER......

Tony, the Senior!!!!

YES!!!, The senior pulled it off again and beat the cubs!  He beat Tony Jr by a small margin  with David just a few strokes behind.  The trophy comes home....the trophy comes home.  People in Leland are dancing in the streets!

This was a tournament.  This one will go into the books as a great one.

Stay tuned to the golf channel for highlights on this exciting match!!!

SISTA, SISTA'S

When Sarah and Steven got married, I was asked to be a reader at the ceremony. 

I was given a passage from Corinthians that started...."Brothers and Sisters....."  I did the reading, I looked down at Sarah and Steven and I saw hope and promise.

At the end of the service, my sister, Lynn said, "how come we were raised in the same house, by the same parents, but you pronounce the word, "sister," as "sista" and I don't.  

Hmmm.   

This week, my "sista," Fritz came down to see us with her son, Joe.  What a good time we had.  We haven't seen Joe in a while, but, we truly enjoyed the time we spent together. 

Fritz and I visited a mansion, had lunch, watched our favorite TV shows, played cards and talked liked we haven't done in years.  

Fritz and I have a fun sister  relationship.  We spent most of our young years sharing a bedroom, that included sharing secrets, sharing parental frustrations, sharing school challenges in learning and sharing "the stuff"  that comes with youth.  

Years later, when Bill died, Fritz stepped up to the plate and told my parents that she was going to live with Jenna and I to help us get through the tough times.   She had a great job and I was struggling with money issues as I waited for the Texas State Board of Insurance to rule on my application for benefits.   Fritz took care of us.  For that period of my life, she was the big "sista."  She was my hero.

I was her maid of honor and Jenna was like a daughter to her.  We share memories of "Elton Jenna," wearing big sun glasses in the front seat of the car and "The Divine Miss M," the 3 year old redhead singing with an attitude.  

And so, my sista and I had fun.  Tony and Joe spent some quality time together at the beach.  Fritz and Joe cooked a meal for Tony and I and we all played "Cards Against Humanity," and laughed so hard at the silly answers we came up with.   We looked at model homes here in Compass Pointe and told the real estate agents that Fritz was thinking of moving down here.  There we were walking through houses worth $600K, like we could afford that!!  What fun. 

We took a river cruise, Fritz, Joe and Tony maneuvered the Lazy River and we just got back to basics.  We ate and ate and ate, not to mention, we drank  It was a nice visit. 

Sharing cooking secrets

Saying hello to her cooking fan base!

The serious chef!!

Tony on the Lazy River

Hot, hot, hot on the river cruise....just look at my hair!

Cruising the Cape Fear River, Joe, Tony, Fritz and Me

"Little Joe" and Fritz

Fritz telling us she is deaf.  Joe telling us she is goofy!

Me, Joe and my drippy hair

Joe, Fritz and Tony, on the river

Heading back to Leland to play cards and goof off

When Sarah And Steven Came To Town

Over the years, I have attended weddings of family and friends and I've wondered if the clergy performing the ceremony has any way of determining if this particular wedding is the one.  The one that lasts and lasts.  The one where the bride and groom are so good together that having them not marry would be a terrible thing.  

Or, as the officiant looks down at the couple before him/her, is there something that passes between the couple that silently shouts to the clergy and God,  "this marriage won't last six months."

When Sarah and Steven came to town, we got to see the first kind of marriage.  This is the one.  This is the one that will last.  They are so happy together.  And for as young as they are, they are truly grounded with a life plan.  They make each other happy, which in turn, makes them happy.  

And, what a fun time we had!  We went to the Cloud 9 bar, on the rooftop of an Embassy Suites in downtown Wilmington.  We went back to the aquarium, saw huge fish and took another group photo.  We went on a river cruise, had lunches and dinners at nice restaurants, had great pizza at a trendy place, went to the Cape Fear Winery and checked out the crazy artwork they have hanging all over.  We even went to a museum of strange stuff.  For $3.00 admission, we didn't expect much, but we saw fingers in jars, two headed stuffed animals and creepy things.  Money well spent?  Well, maybe not!

The "kids" spent some time at the beach and at our pool and lazy river.   The four of us spent some real quality time on our lanai in the morning, talking about all kinds of things over morning coffee.  

The little girl I took shopping, so many years ago, has grown up.  She has grown into a beautiful woman who found her soul mate in the form of a good looking, funny, warm and thoughtful man.  

When Sarah and Steven came to town, we had a great visit.  I can't wait to see them again.  

Mr. and Mrs. White on the river cruise

Sarah and her beautiful smile

On to the winery!

Who hosts painting frogs...

...Crazy artwork...

Pretty Fish 

Smiling Llamas

Tiny horses...

A strutting peacock

And Family

At the aquarium

Yuck, he's ugly

Sharks

Jellyfish

Spotted Jellyfish

Underwater

Nose to nose!

Animals

As you approach Leland, there are signs that indicate that Leland is a "bird sanctuary."  That's why I feel like Tony and I fit right in--our house is a bird sanctuary!  Our 3 baby cardinals have left the nest and are out on their own, but now, we have a mother Wren who made her nest in Tony's plant on the front porch.  We have to put water in the plant holder base so it will absorb upward.  Then, we water from a very small area in front so we don't flood the nest.  

But birds aren't the only thing that find sanctuary in Leland.  A few nights ago, Tony went to one of our neighbor's house to help him get rid of a copperhead snake in his yard.  I wasn't really happy with that decision, because Tony was wearing shorts and flip flops.  I worked in Novant Hospital's Emergency Room for years and have seen dozens of snake bites, most at ankle height and most on men who wanted to relocate snakes.  

Luckily, the snake was not very social and left as it became outnumbered.   

In addition to the animal population, we have the usual summer wasp nests, huge spider webs and this year, we think that Dixie got stung by fire ants.  She licked her paw and limped around for a day or two and had Tony at her beck and call!

Our company parade is starting today, with Sarah and Steven, who arrive late this evening.  And, of course, our dryer took this opportunity to break.  It will be fixed next week, but that meant we had to go to a laundromat to dry our clothes and towels.  OMG!  I haven't been to a laundromat since Jenna was a baby.  And, once we were there, I remembered why.  Only strange people hang out at a laundromat.

I'm pretty sure we were the only two people in there reading current issues of Time Magazine (come to think of it, we must have looked like the strange ones!)  On a positive note, I was wearing more diamonds that any of the women there.  No one was paying attention though because there was a young lady who was wearing jeans that were so tight, you could count the quarters in her back pocket.

We saw women in "dew rags" and "moo-moo's" and men wearing socks and sandals.  Overall, it wasn't one of our black tie and gala gown events or venues.  

All I can say is Thank God for dryer repair people!

Dixie's foot hurts!  Damn Ants!

Daddy took good care of her and she's all better

The Wren's Nest

Excited to see Steven and Sarah

Hilton Head, New Baby Birds and Wings

Donna and Bob were kind enough to invite us to Hilton Head again this year.  They rented a different house, which, as always, was beautiful. There were two living areas, a screened in porch and 3 bedrooms each with a bathroom. The pool was big and deep.  We got some rain, but for the most part, the weather was good.

Emma and Dixie played well together and Donna, Shannon and I kept the South Carolina economy going by making two or three shopping trips.  

Dixie spent a lot of time in the screened in porch, watching for and barking at squirrels.  Outside and above the pool, were two huge owls that hooted during the day and made spooky noises at night.  It was a relaxing time. 

This year, we took a day trip to Savannah, Georgia.  For a variety of reasons, the one hour trip took almost two, but we all had a good time and laughed about the delays.  Savannah is one of our favorite cities. It's well maintained and there is much to see.   We took a historic trolley tour that featured various characters from the 1700 and 1800's, who shared their stories and thoughts about the city and the events that shaped the south.  After that, we had lunch downtown and then went back to Emma's favorite place, the pool at the rental house!

When we got home, we found that the Cardinal eggs in the Jasmine plant by the lanai had hatched and we are now "fostering" 3 babies.  It's fun to watch mom and dad Cardinal feed them and go hunting for food.  They don't seem to mind us sitting in the lanai watching them, but they have chased away a few mocking birds that got too close to the nest. They also don't seem to mind the inside twinkle lights and the flood light outside, as it draws bugs or in their case, baby food.  

As always, we had a great time with Donna and Bob, but this time, our minds were partly in Charlotte where Tyson was getting ready to "get his wings," as Tony Jr said.  Time was not good to Tyson, he was 13 and having more health issues  as time went on.  He couldn't consistently stand and his life was a painful one.  My sister-in-law, Joyce, who raises Goldens said that putting a pet down is both the most kind and one of the hardest things you can do.  You don't want them to be in pain, but you don't want them to leave you either.   

Seeing new life in the birds and losing Tyson is somewhat ironic, but so true of life in general.  My mother used to say when people died, they were making room for new life.  She died in March, 2006.  Ben, who would have been her first great grandchild, was born in August, 2006.  I always thought she was making room for him.  Maybe it's the same with animals.  Maybe Tyson was making room for the baby birds.  On Monday, June 17th at 11:30 a.m., Tyson got his wings.  We will miss him. 

Enjoy our Hilton Head memories:

Dixie helped Tony drive

Emma and Shannon take aim at Chris with a cool water gun

Chris gets ready to fire back

Dixie takes over a chair in the main living room. 

 Why be in the hot sun outside when you can sleep in a comfortable 

chair inside with air conditioning?  I told you she was smart! 

Dinner at Cranes, one of our favorite 

restaurants in Hilton Head

Home to see the Daddy Cardinal feeding his babies

Tyson Memories:  

Our last visit in Charlotte with Tyson

Tyson, in his prime and how I will remember him 

Dixie and Tyson watch "critters" a few years ago

Tyson, resting on "his" couch

Tyson, Bernie and Dixie in our front yard

One of the earliest visits with Dixie...Tyson decides to check out

 her food and she is trying to decide how to take him on!