Granville, The Big Fat, & Ghords

My plan was to be up at 630a. That, I figured, would give me enough time to do my typical morning routine and still allow me to leave the house for golf by 9am. To that end, I rolled out of bed closer to 640a. I had a hint of a headache that was quickly remedied with two Advil. I started coffee, exercised, and then walked Frankie. I spent some time online, but just enough to get the weather forecast and read a couple headlines. The forecast was far better than it was the day before. Now they were calling for partly sunny skies with a high of 75. Ideal golf weather. I headed out just after 750a planning to run only 3 miles. There was a nip in the air, but nowhere close to as chilly as it was on Friday. It was 43 degrees. The run went well. I was home near 820a. I chose to make breakfast ahead of a shower. I made an egg, turkey & cheese sandwich on whole wheat toast and topped with Grey Poupon. Tasty! I was showered and ready to go just before 9a. Mindy and Bella were just getting up as I prepared to depart. I gave a rough estimate on my return citing 5pm. It’s about an hour’s drive to Granville and our tee time wasn’t until 1020a. Despite the early morning chill I decided to drive the BM’er. I wore my Vikings pullover atop a thin long-sleeved wicking shirt. It’s a long, straight drive out I-70E. I haven’t been east of Picktown in a while. I exited I-70 onto RT 37 then headed NW for another 8 or 9 miles leading into downtown Granville, which is a beautiful little upscale hillside town. The golf course, Granville, is just around the corner from the main part of town. Bob B. was already there. He spent the entire week in L.A. visiting family. Shared stories of his travels while we waited on Bob I. Said the weather was better here, and barely saw any sunshine. Did spend three days at Disneyland. Bob I. arrived about five-ten minutes later. We headed in to pay our fees, which were discounted for fall at $29 each with a cart. The two Bob’s carted together. The day started sunny and the course seemed or looked rather benign, at least to my eye. I hit a perfect drive off the first tee only a SW out, but then hit my approach shot into the narrow bunker guarding the front of the green. Damn, and I was thinking birdie. I ended up with a bogey. The second hole went about the same. I hit a monster drive leaving myself about 100 out. I hit my second shot short of the green again, accept this time into some extra deep fringe. I ended up with a 6, or a double bogey. I was disappointed that I didn’t score better on both holes. The entire front played out pretty much the same, leaving all sorts of scoring opportunities in my wake. I was missing the greens just short and then 3 putting. The greens were recently aerated, too, which is just a fact of autumn golf in these parts. I wasn’t that worried about the errant putting. The course, by the way is quite lovely, built all the way back in 1924 and nicely maintained. Because of the hilly terrain there were holes where you could see for miles and most were dotted with beautifully vibrant fall color. Lots of very nice homes dot the course, too. When the opportunity presented itself, I snapped a few photos. Bob I., who thinks of everything, brought along a small radio to keep up to date on the Buckeye game. Before it began, I boldly predicted 42-7 Buckeyes. I kept a loose eye on the score via my smart phone. They were up 42-0 at halftime. The back nine went about the same as the front. Bob I. quietly got hot on the back nine, and if it wasn’t for one bad hole he would’ve been in the 30’s. If I recall correctly, he carded a 40 on the back. But then again, he was the one keeping score. :) Hole 18 is probably their signature hole – but only about 360 yards. The tee box sits high atop a steep hill overlooking the fairway and green. You can see for miles around. Sadly, 18 was my only par of the day.  I shot a 99 for the round. Just way too many three putts. The Buckeyes won 49-0. After golf we agreed to meet in town (1/4 mile up the road) at the Beer Café. I’ve heard good things about it but have never been there. Said to have hundreds of beers on tap or bottled. It started to spit rain as we headed that way, and this after the forecasters called for partly sunny. I guess we were getting the partly part.  I put the top up in the BM’er when we parked and headed inside. Nice place. Cool bar, friendly staff, and just as advertised, a monstrous beer selection. Believe it or not, I ended up skipping beer, and opted instead for a Coke and a bowl of their white chicken chili. I’m not a big fan of drinking beer mid afternoon – never have. The Bob’s each enjoyed a beer. While sipping our drink’s of choice, we got caught up on all of the college football results. We didn’t stay too long, maybe 40 minutes. Bob I. picked up the check. Cool – TY! We headed towards home, where I arrived right after 4pm, or a full hour ahead of my earlier estimate. Mindy and the kids were out back, the kids raking leaves. Mindy, I think, was giving instructions. Mindy and the kids spent their day cleaning and shopping. Mindy shared that the kids wanted to carve their pumpkins later. I suggested we go to dinner at the Big Fat and also make a trip to Aspen Ski & Board to get the kids outfitted for snow skis. That was our plan. We left the house for ASBCO at 540p, once again winding our way through Arlington and then up Kenny Rd towards Old Henderson. We arrived at ABSCO at 605p, or right after they closed.  Should’ve checked their hours. Crap! In reality, we weren’t that far out of our way. The Big Fat is only a handful of miles to the south. We headed there next. As expected, the Big Fat was boppin’, yet despite the big crowd, we were still able to get a table without wait. We were greeted by Johnnie, the owner, at the entrance, who’s always a gracious host. Katarina was our server. Mindy asks for her by name on most trips in. She knows our orders fairly well, too. I ordered a tall Jack & Coke – a double. Mindy ordered a cabernet. The kids went with sodas. We ordered a calamari appetizer as well as the complementary pita and olive dip. For dinner, Bella ordered pasta and sauce, and Jacob a gyro. Both Mindy & I ordered their to-die-for scallops. Johnnie visited us half way through dinner to check on our food. Excellent! He shared that they recently switched scallops to an organic variety. They were delicious and almost melted in my mouth. Mindy ordered a slice of their chocolate cake for take-home dessert. They also comp’d us a piece of their strawberry cake. The kids and Mindy shared it before we left. I picked up the check. The kids, especially Bella, were eager to get home and carve pumpkins. She was worried that it was getting too late. In reality, it was only about 740p. We had plenty of time. Mindy carried in the three pumpkins as we entered the house. After everyone got settled, Mindy got the table ready for carving by covering it in Hefty trash bags. Unlike years past, we let the kids do most of their own carving. However, we encouraged both to draw their plan on paper first keeping in mind the shape of their curcurbita. Bella did surprisingly well with little assistance. She seems to have that artistic flair. Jacob, on the other hand, not so much. Even still, we left him to himself only providing pointers when it seemed absolutely necessary or that he might be on the verge of hurting himself. Mindy carved one, too. I was there for assistance only. Jacob quickly became jealous of Bella’s gourd, and like he often does, began self-deprecation. Mindy tried her best to hold his esteem. Actually, though, his work was so rough and ugly that it was fittingly scary.  Like in past years, we held a lighting ceremony afterwards. Good job! Mindy made both kids shower after. I watched part of the late college football game. Can’t remember who was playing. I sipped another Jack & Coke at home. We headed to bed at 1030p. I was tired after a short night of sleep Friday and then a fairly active day.