Monday, July 21, 2014

Gee Walleye & a Horrible Lie





I’m guessing that I was up and out of bed somewhere close to 730am. David & Anita were already up. David was up working on breakfast and Anita was out on her morning walk. The sky was soupy and gray. And one step out on the deck revealed just how muggy. According to the David it was already 77 degrees. Believe me, after two chilly mornings in Ashville, the heat & humidity were more than welcome. I would’ve taken some brilliant sunshine too, but that wasn’t in the cards just yet. Just as well, had it been out and shining my run might’ve been unbearable.

Anita was back from her walk before I headed out. She confirmed just how humid it really was. Said it was spitting a little rain too, which was actually a small blessing. I opted to headed towards River Rd, which is a bit hillier, more challenging run than the alternate route. I developed a cramp in my right calf, something that I haven’t contended with in years and years. I suppose I was a little dehydrated. I worked up one hell of a sweat even before the halfway turn around point. Felt good though. And by the time I made it back to the lake house I was soaked with sweat and worn out.

I was a little surprised to find Mindy up and already enjoying coffee. David served breakfast. I think it was eggs bacon and grits. Good eatin! Wasn’t long after breakfast was put away that David and I headed off for a round of golf. David checked the weather radar and aside from a burst around 11am he said it didn’t look like we’d have to contend with any significant rainfall.

Opted to golf at Green Hills, the closest course, and only nine holes. It’s still a significant drive. My guess is about 15 miles and all on back country roads. David picked up our green fees which I think were $13 each with a cart. We bought two small buckets of balls too. The guy working the shop confirmed that we could pay another $2 at the turn and play another 9 holes if we desired. With the skies looking threatening, we weren’t prepared to commit at the outset.

As unusual as it is for me to hit a bucket of balls before a round of golf, I’m glad we did. As a result, my swing felt really good off the first tee. I didn’t play nearly as well as I did my first round of the year a few weeks ago, but not that bad either. Maybe one or two shots I wished I had back. It rained for a couple of holes but it stopped as soon as it started. And shortly thereafter it got partly sunny and as a result extremely humid. In fact, my golf glove was soaked through with sweat.

At the turn I ran a $5 bill into the shop so we could play another nine. There might’ve been one other group on the course but never did we have to wait or for that matter vice-versa. However, we did have to contend with greens keepers weed whacking a ravine along hole #5, I believe. They must’ve had 3 or 4 dozen balls laid up along the bank that they found amongst the deep grasses.

I ragged on David about him being a few strokes behind me on the back. That ragging turned out to be my undoing, falling to pieces once more on hole #7. Dammit! That was really my only bad hole on both the front and back. Still had fund which is what I seek from golf.

Guessing we were back at the lake house by 215-230pm. By then the sun was out and the girls and kids were swimming in the lake hooting and hollering. David suggested since we were grilling walleye for dinner that he grill up some brats for lunch. By the time lunch was over it clouded over and stormed. Like a lot of Wateree rain, it didn’t last too long. Soon the rain stopped and it turned extra humid again.

Sometime late that afternoon we met Eric, David’s neighbor. Nice guy with an extra thick SC accent. It was pure entertainment simply listening to his southern dialect. Half of what he said we couldn’t understand. However, he uttered one particular phrase several times - poor ol’ raggedy dog – a reference to his dog, Stiches. That phrase pretty much became our saying of the week.

I hadn’t showered since Sunday morning in Ashville so I was feeling long overdue. It must’ve been about 630 or 7pm when I finally got a shower. Shortly thereafter David suggested we get to cookin’ the walleye. Nothing worse that two cooks in the kitchen, each of us with our own ideas how it should be prepared. We ended up compromising on the prep, add-ons, and style. We coated with olive oil, rubbed it in mayonnaise, seasoned it with garlic, salt, and pepper, then coated it in Panko bread crumbs. We then baked it for about 20 minutes then broiled it for the last 5 minutes or so.

Baked some taters too along with grillin' some zucchini. Despite needing to put the fish back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes, it turned out really good. In fact, the entire dinner was delicious. We spent the after dinner hours watching TV - Brain Games on NatGeo. Before calling it a night I stepped out on the deck with my phone and recorded the sounds of the lake. Mindy, Mindy, Mindy …

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