The Great Swegle Cornhole Championship--Our Son, the Victor!!

Wow, I think we had more drama than the Masters or March Madness in our backyard today.  In the last blog, Tony was winning the Swegle Championship of the World....and then they started to play again.  David was definitely in the groove, besting Tony's home court advantage...but, Tony got in some great shots.   At the end of six games, it was even....going to the wire, when David surged ahead. I can't wait for Tony, David and Tony (Sr) to play--remember in the movie, "Seabiscuit", where the people wanted a "match race"  well, it will be the same feeling then...which Swegle will win???  And, by how much. 

And so, in the end, the boy continued to be master....keeping his title from his last visit.  It was a game well played and an honor well fought.  Father and son became opponent versus opponent.  It was a great series and I can't wait for the next one. 

Behold:

David feels a "ringer"

Here it is, moments before it drops in. 

Tony battles back....

And continues to best David.

But, in the end, David wins.  More blue than red

Next game, don't mess with Tony.

It was a see-saw game, but red was victorious!

Tony, the winner!!

Tony, enjoying victory......but,

 In the end, it was a gruelling match, with David winning by several shots.....Congratulations....David Swegle,  Swegle Cornhole Champion of the World. But beware,  Dad will fight another day...trust me!!

The Great Cornhole Competition - Part 2

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.....

The Great Cornhole Competition

I love to play cornhole with Tony, but admittedly, I'm no competition for him.  He has bested me in as few as three turns, so it was good to see him get some real competition from David.  I had fun being the photographer.  I was trying to get action shots showing the bean bags in the air, but after I looked at the pictures, I realized I had captured something better, their facial expressions and a father and son having a good time.  Check out the cornhole warriors and my captions.  The match for Swegle Cornhole Champion is scheduled for today.  Right now, they are even.

David: "Seriously, Dad, you think you can take ME?"

Tony:  "Stand back, boy, while I whip your ass!"

Tony:  "This is how the master does it."

David:  "Oh crap, early release."

Tony:  "Ah ha, got him on the ropes."

David:  "Oh, man, I thought I nailed that one."

Tony:  "I make it look SO easy!"

David"  "Damn, it went in."  

David:  "Maybe if I blow on it, I'll get more distance."

Tony:  "OK, old man, concentrate....this could be it."
David:  "Crap, I thought I had this one."

David:  "He plays pretty well for an old guy."

Good Sports!!

 Second Game

Tony:  "Uh, oh, I may be in trouble this time...."

David:   "Take that, old man!"

Tony:  "It's all in the wrist..."

David:  "One more bad throw and I'm going to signal a touchdown, cuz I win!"

Tony:  "That's MY BOY!!"

David:  "Well, here's one place where Dad will always be the master!"

Proud Parents!!

David is in town for a few days and it is good to have him here.  I must admit, when I look at him, I often see that skinny little boy with the stand up hair and big glasses, with little thin, round legs that sunk into these giant "bozo" feet.  He often looked like a good wind would blow him over, but I knew his feet would keep him anchored to the ground. 

To see him now is quite a difference.  He is a full grown man...a business professional and carries himself as such.   He talks about his staff and how well work is going.  He questions wait staff in restaurants for the best menu choice and tips generously at the end of the meal.  He is a good husband.  When he arrived, I suggested that he call Joanna, just to let her know that  he arrived--he already had done that. 

We took David to the City Club for dinner on Friday--our first guest as members of the Club.  They did a wonderful job--we had a private room next to the veranda, where we could see the sun set.   The Restaurant Manager, Greg, welcomed us by name and the owner of the club came by later to see how the  meal was.   After the meal, we finished our wine on the veranda and then headed to a French restaurant on the river for dessert. 

Today, David took us to lunch at Blue Water.  We ate outside and watched the million dollar boats go by.  Then we went to Wrightsville Beach and walked along the water.  It was a nice day. 

Here are some memories to enjoy.

City Slickers

It seems like Tony and I have been on the go for the past week or so.  We attended a few networking events at the City Club in downtown Wilmington and ultimately, joined the club.  It's a beautiful, old restored home and they have lots of events which are of interest to us.  Tonight, we attended a wine tasting and met some new people.  This is really an avenue to meet people and find a job that way instead of just looking on the job boards.  After the event, we sat on the veranda and looked at the stars.  It was a nice evening. 

We went shopping today and found some really nice patio furniture.   I love sitting out there, watching the day go by.  We also went to a local nursery, looking for flowers that will add color to our backyard.  Tomorrow, we are having our new neighbors over for appetizers and then on Friday, David will be in town. 

Our next big event is coming back to Cleveland to have our taxes done.  I can't wait to see everyone.  Ellie is walking now and Zach isn't a tiny baby anymore. 

I have been in Wilmington for two months now.  The time has gone quickly by.  I was hoping to be working by now, but I must admit, I do love hanging out with Tony and doing things on the spur of the moment. 

Here is a snapshot of our day.

This is the City Club.

Look closely and you can see a lizard on the leaves at the nursery.

Here he is after he jumped to another potted plant!

Our new furniture.

Greg, who works at the club with the lady who did the wine event.

No, this isn't a  mistake, look close and you can see stars and planets. 

Grow Old Along With Me....

I have been sick for the past few days.  Not sick enough to be confined to bed, but that "wear you out, hurt your throat, make you tired" kind of sick.   To that end, I've been spending time in front of the computer or sleeping.

Today, I felt a bit better, so Tony suggested we play some cornhole since it was such a beautiful day.  Of course, he beat me in all 4 games, hardly breaking a sweat, but he was right, I needed to be out in the sun.

After cornhole, we had a glass of Riesling and sat in our backyard, listening to the wind chimes, watching the blue sky and being together.  It was quiet--hardly a human sound, just the wind and the chimes and the traffic way in the distance.  Tony pointed out airplanes and buzzards--both interrupting the sky with their wings. 

I asked Tony if this was being retired.  He said no.  I think he won't be retired until I am retired...which, of course, means I need a job to retire from, but I'm working on that. 

It felt retired to me.  We didn't have to be anywhere at any certain time.  We didn't have to do anything but sit and enjoy the sounds.  As we grow older, I hope we have more time to do that.   I enjoyed the sounds of the day.

The view from our backyard.

Our horse, "Hot to Trot" running on his island in the wind.

 Carolina blue skies with a red flowering tree budding.

One of our "going away" glasses from Pat and Bob from NYL in front of Tony's big palm tree. 

My new palm tree that Tony bought me because I was sick.  It will grow to be 10 feet tall.

Showing off Wilmington

What a great time we had with Donna and Bob.  We went to different restaurants, took a historical tour in a covered, horse drawn buggy and shopped all over the place.  Bob and Tony enjoyed cigars while Donna and I looked for bargains. 

There was so much we wanted to do while Donna and Bob were here and we didn't fit it all in...looks like they will have to come down again!

One of the things that Bob and Tony did was a tour of the battleship, USS North Carolina.  Looks like they had a good time!

  

Ah, don't they look like North Carolina homeowners!!!

 We opened some champaigne the last night of their visit. 

Our men smoking their cigars.

Donna and our tour guide, Kim.  The horse drawn buggy is below.

Beautiful, old mansions of Wilmington.

We enjoyed the tour and talked about it over a glass of wine in a really cute place on the river.

What fun we had.