Foxfire, Graduation, & CBC

I was very excited about getting up early Saturday morning for golf. Our tee time was set for 9:30am at Foxfire. And working backwards from wanting to arrive there at 9:10am, I had to be up by 6:30am to complete all I had planned. There was nothing new. I simply wanted to exercise, walk Ykraps, run, shower and eat. I remembered hearing much anticipated heavy rain through the night, but the walks and streets were dry by the time I was up. After my sit-ups, I checked the radar to determine if golf would in fact happen. Happily, judging from the radar, all of the rain was past us. It looked like smooth sailing all the way back into Illinois. However, I proceeded with caution as the air mass was said to be unstable and capable of developing thunderstorms as the day unfolded. Our plans all along were, if we woke and found it pouring we’d scrap it. But, again, it was dry so golfing we would go.

I completed my morning requirements, including my run before 8am. I even had enough time to download some pictures. During my run the sun busted out. And what remained of the thin cloud cover was quickly gone. This pleased me much. I woke Mindy and took her coffee just before my shower. She got up and moving with her day before I left for golf. Because I was taking the BM’er, she moved the Trooper out of my way and onto the street. I left for Foxfire at 8:45am

It was a more than lovely drive east on I-70 and then south on I-71 to Rt 104. The cruise down 104 to Foxfire was awesome! The sky only got clearer during my drive. It was a beautiful morning indeed. And just think, had we relied on the weather forecast, we’d have stayed home. I told Bob last night that I had a gut feeling that it would turn out to be nice. I was correct!

I was the first to arrive. Moreover, the course was sparsely populated, at least judging by the parking lot. I’ll bet there weren’t 30 cars. Cool! I putted for a few, and then gave Bob Imber a call on his cell. He answered on about the 6th ring. He was rocking out to some Nazareth on Q-FM 96. He was close by. He told me that Bob B. was already there. I found him in the clubhouse minutes later. I picked up everyone’s fees since they got mine last Wednesday.

Soon we were teeing off into nothing but clear blue skies and temps in the 70’s. It doesn’t get much better! Like too often, I got off to a poor start. I had an eight on hole one. But I didn’t let that get me down. I recovered on the next few holes with a handful of bogeys and a par sprinkled in. My putting proved to be my Achilles heel. That prevented me from scoring well. Again, though, I didn’t let it get me down at all. I must’ve shot a 47 on the front. I just assumed that I’d fair much better on the back.

After a sausage and Mt. Dew (very unlike me to get either) we started on the back nine. And by the way, there was no one behind us, and no one in front of us that we could see. Nice!

I bogeyed hole number 10 after three putting. Once again, that would prove to be my undoing the rest of the day. I simply couldn’t putt. I had a couple of 7’s sprinkled in there too. But believe it or not, I was striking the ball pretty well. I had no birdies and one par on the back. Later, before we parted ways, Bob told me that I shot a 101. Ugh!

We finished our round in well under four hours. It was just about 1pm. We finished close to an hour earlier than expected, and the weather was still frighteningly beautiful. How could I not be in a great mood? I scurried on home still expecting to get some things done before dashing off to Jacob’s 3pm ballgame. I arrived home by 1:25pm. The house was sparkling clean and the AC running for the first time all season. Mindy, of course, was gone as expected. She was at the Grove City High School graduation ceremony being held at Vets. We’d be heading back there later this evening to see her niece Lindy graduate from Central Crossing, the other Grove City high school.

With the extra time on my hands, I figured I should use it wisely. I quickly changed into lawn cutting attire and headed out to get busy. My plan was to get as much as I could get done prior to 3pm and then head to Jacob’s baseball game. But that never happened. After wacking and edging, I got out the push mower to cut the un-navigable slopes. But just as I started cutting, the handled all but fell apart as I was pushing up a twisting slope. Damn! The knob and bolt holding the handle in place on one side had vibrated loose rendering my mower crippled. But being the determined one I am, I carefully began retracing my steps. I knew it had to be nearby. The trouble, of course, was that the pieces were black, which wouldn’t be very easy to spot. Plus, because of the slope towards the pond, I figured they could have easily rolled into the brush making finding them next to impossible. Even still, I kept looking. Just when I was about to give up, I found the bolt under one of my Blue Spruce trees. Logic told me, that the knob had to have fallen off prior to the bolt, so it had to be back a little further. I looked for another ten minutes but with no joy. Knowing that I was now up against the clock, I decided it best to either stop completely and head to Jacob’s game or find a nut to fit the bolt and continue on with my mowing. I chose the later thinking that it would do Jim and Jacob some good to be together alone at the game. At least that’s the story I’m sticking with.

I found a 5/16” nut that fit the handle bolt perfectly. I tightened it real good, too, and then got back to my mowing. Just as I was about to finish up with the push mower I spotted the knob in the same general vicinity that I was looking. This pleased me much. I slipped it into my pocket to address later, after the lawn was finished.

By the time I finished with the tractor it was after 3pm. I decided to continue on with more yard chores. I felt compelled to drag out my pump and start watering the lawn. Even if it didn’t need it right then, I knew that I needed to get it ready for prime time! It took a good 30 minutes to get everything into place, the electric line, the pump, the hose and sprinkler. Just as I was firing it up Mindy arrived home. She came to my location in the yard. I sheepishly explained why I didn’t make Jacob’s game. She wasn’t upset. She went inside to steal a nap while I continued my toil in the yard. She’d been on her feet all day.

While sprinkling the front lawn with the pump/pond, I watered the rear flowers with the house water supply. I finished everything that I wanted to get done around 5pm. By the time that I was finishing up Mindy was back outside on the deck. She was chatting on the phone to someone. I heard her comment that something wasn’t good. However, at the same time, one of the neighbor kids, Lillian, was over looking for her sister. She seemed a bit distraught. I offered to push her from the tree swing. I pushed her on the swing all the while I was walking Ykraps in the back yard. I was done after three pushes. Back up on the deck, Mindy alerted me to the earlier call’s details. Apparently Jacob didn’t make his game after Jimaken got the date & time crossed. He showed up at 5pm for a 3pm game. I felt really bad, but even if I had shown up at 3pm, don’t know that I would’ve been able to fix it for him. Just before Mindy & I left for the graduation I suggested she call Coach Rob and explain, especially given that Jacob’s going to miss three games next week while on vacation.

We decided to drive the BM’er to the graduation after verifying a clear radar. Mindy was excited. She hadn’t ridden in it for an awfully long time. As we approached Vets from the west, traffic was backed up a pretty good ways. It took a solid 15 minutes to get into the lot, parked, and then inside. A cop directing traffic gave me a little grief after I refused to try and squeeze around him and into the curb lane he was directing me towards. What he didn’t realize was that he was in the way. He actually mocked me as I drove by still in the center lane. Grow up!

Mindy got a bit riled after we were refused access without tickets. She said she didn’t need them for the graduation earlier in the day. Our tickets were being held by her nephew Joe who was already inside. She celled him as we waited by the entrance. But before he could bring them out to us, Mindy guided us to the staff/faculty entrance where were walked straight in. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her so demanding. Hmm?



















The family had ideal seats already saved for us. We sat in the balcony’s first and second row center. The graduation took about 1.33 hours for about 320 students. Unlike my high school and college graduation, they had a giant screen which prominently displayed each graduates senior picture along with a brief list of folks they wanted to thank, and then a short blurb about their career/life plan. As Mindy mentioned later, it’s one thing to state your grandiose plan while yet another to deliver. But even still, I was impressed with the high number of kids with a real plan for college (probably 80+%).

Before and during, there were several pleas for the crowd to keep it down as many in the audience reveled at their dear one’s accomplishment. The school board members reminded the crowd more than once that this was supposed to be a ’solemn event’. I scoffed to myself at their pleading. Are you kidding me – a solemn event? Well Mr & Mrs scholar, according to American Heritage dictionary, the word solemn means to be gloomy, somber, sober, deeply earnest, and gravely impressive, while invoking the force of religion. PLEASE! Give me a break! How about celebratory? The closest thing to it that comes immediately to mind is reflective. I found the cheering both fun and enjoyable, especially the air horns! J Mindy seemed to side with the academia. But that didn’t really surprise me. She was also the one who was mortified when Glenn and I barked like dogs at the Manheim Steamroller Xmas concert a year and a half ago. Of course, it didn’t help matters when Glenn fell off of his chair while standing on it! J J

Afterwards the family gathered for photos inside and then again outside. I took about 70 photos. Mindy and I made plans to go to Columbus Brewing Company (CBC) for dinner immediately afterwards. I couldn’t wait! Their food is excellent, and they brew and serve some very tasty beers. It was once a Cameron Mitchell restaurant. I need not say more.


























The lot was sparsely populated. We opted to sit at the bar. Sitting next to us was Dennis and Mary Ann, the couple we met the last time we visited CBC. If correct, that was in mid-January, the same weekend we painted the purple wall in the family room. They remembered and mentioned the momentous event. They are older yet youthful. They both sold their homes and now share a condo in the arena district and walk all the way to CBC (Nationwide Blvd to Sycamore). They obviously love it, too. After all, they literally walk by three other micro-brews to get there, and each of those within a block or two of their condo. That, my friends, is loyalty.

They were just leaving when we arrived. There must’ve been just one or two other folks sitting at the bar. Same as last visit, Kevin was working bar tonight. He’s a school
teacher, too. I ordered an IPA. Mindy ordered only water. For dinner, she had their lightly seared tuna and a bowl of their tortilla soup. I ordered a chicken and Andouille sausage quesadilla as well as a bowl of their famous onion soup. It was excellent! I phoned brother Glenn while barside to check on his intentions for coming home and possibly going to Florida with us. He would decide for certain on Sunday, or so he said. Afterwards, I phoned Tom Clark, my buddy who lives close by the Brewery District, to see if he was up for joining us. He was. He showed up about 20 minutes later.

He and I frequented CBC at time or two past. He ordered some of the tuna on Mindy’s prompting. He also ordered some of their calamari. We stayed there for about another hour. Tom invited us to come check out his Merion Village rehab before heading home. I hadn’t seen it in more than 3 years. Last time I saw it, it was stripped to the studs. Everyone, including me, was a little surprised that he went to such extremes after buying a fairly nice property in the first place.

I did a drive by last summer while he was still overseas. At that point, it still pretty much looked the same from the outside. And by the way, his place is only about two miles from CBC on Frebis Ave. The area has changed dramatically over the last ten years, and all for the better. Mindy & I were very impressed with what Tom’s done with the place. He far exceeded what I thought he had in him. And he addressed all the substructure stuff that a lot of rehab’ers don’t. Equally, everything’s been inspected and is up to code. The inside’s now completely up to date with the finest appointments in every room. He has done granite counters & stainless steel appliances. He’s added all new electric service and new heating & cooling. He converted it from a three-bedroom - one bathroom home into a two-bedroom - three bathroom home. In addition, he built a garage and added a paver patio in the backyard. I was very, very impressed. Great job, Tom!

Mindy and I left for home near 11pm. Mindy was melting fast. We went straight to bed once we were home.