Kohl's, Sam's, Giants, Tommy & Rocky

 

 

 

I was out of bed near 730am and promptly downstairs where I started some coffee. I remembered the forecast calling for clouds and heavy rain but at the time it was mostly clear. While the coffee brewed I was overcome with the sleepies again, but rather than return upstairs for bed, I plopped down on the living room floor with one of the recliner pillows. I might’ve stolen another 5-10 minutes of sleep before bouncing to my feet and getting on with my morning.

I enjoyed coffee and internet for the next hour or so. I don’t believe I entertained a run until 10am. By the time I did it had clouded over, just as the weather prognosticators had predicted. It was fairly warm, though, a sultry 75 degrees. As a result, I ran shirtless very much enjoying the air splashing against my bare skin.

After my run I returned to my PC where I searched for the pitching net Rocky said he wanted for his birthday then ordered it from Wal-Mart.com. It wouldn’t arrive until Aug 7 or 8, but it wasn’t available in stores so this was the best option. We ordered a bucket of baseballs too. Mindy agreed that we’d simply capture the picture of the contraption and make it into a card and put it in a gift bag he would open at our house later that afternoon.

We were celebrating Rocky & Tommy’s birthday’s beginning at 4pm. It sounded like two of the girls were coming for sure, we were uncertain about Courtney. She didn’t respond to our invite. Of course Tommy was coming, and later confirmed that Wally would be accompanying him. Dad was coming over also. Before our company arrived we had an active agenda. Mindy wanted to run to Kohl’s, Giant Eagle, and Sam’s Club.

We showered and left the house for Kohl’s around noon. Our main reason for shopping at Kohl’s was to get Mindy a new pair of slippers. She goes through 2 or 3 pair a year. Don’t ask me how, but her big toe always wears through the front. She also wanted to get another wicking shirt or two for Bella. Speaking of Bella, since about Xmas, she’s become increasingly concerned about her wardrobe and insists on wearing items that are non-girly. No glitter, bling, or dresses. I convinced Mindy it’s best to let her ride out the phase rather than push back. It won’t last too long.

While in Kohl’s I picked out a few tops for Mindy that I really liked. It’s the return of the paisley, hippy look with an updated styling. She liked what I picked a lot. I think she ended up buying all three. We found only one wicking shirt for Bella – gray. She’s sensitive to wearing bright colors now too.  We left Kohl’s and headed next door to Sam’s Club where we picked up some pork ribs – hopefully the same variety that David grilled for us in SC. They were the best ever! We also picked up a tray of brownies and a 12-pack of brats for out birthday cookout later that afternoon. We looked for the yellow saffron rice, too, but they didn’t have it. 

Across the street to Giant Eagle next. It started to storm while we were in Giant Eagle – heavy rain and thunder. There we picked up a birthday cake, an OSU ball-cap for Rocky, and a small bag of yellow saffron rice. We headed home in the on again, off again rain storm. I told Mindy that before doing any party prep, I needed to take a nap. I grabbed my Kindle and plopped down in the recliner. It was 225pm. I didn’t have a lot of time to nap, especially since I told Tommy he could come over around 3pm.

I napped for 15-20 minutes, and that was just about perfect. Before anyone arrived I helped Mindy with some prep, though we were keeping this event pretty simple. We laid out limited snacks – fresh fruit. Along with brats we’d be grilling hot dogs and having pastas salad as a side. All of our guests arrived between 3-4pm – Tommy, Wally, Dad, Ash, Steven, Olivia, Lindsey, Rocky, and Landon. Our kids got home around 415pm from their overnight with Jimaken.

Almost immediately, the neighbor girls came over to intercept Bella. I only asked that she be sociable and not run off with her peeps. We boiled the brats ahead of time so all we needed to do was grill them for a brief time along with the hot dogs. Didn’t take long at all. Our propane tank ran dry not a minute or two into the grilling. Good thing I always keep a spare ready for the go! We were eating by 530pm. I ate somewhat light. Wasn’t really that hungry.

Rocky predictably badgered us about opening his gift. He’s all about presents.  Tommy gifted him a bag full of stuff that kids love – sparklers, silly string, etc. We gifted him a ball-cap, some candy bars, and of course the pitch back net and balls, but only in picture form. He said he understood that it would be shipping. We gifted Tommy his CBC shirt, too.

Next up was singing, cake and pie. All afternoon I was snapping photos using my 70D. I love how responsive the shutter is as compared to my S120. I shot only in auto mode to keep it simple. I think I got some pretty decent shots for indoor photography. The small sheet cake we bought was just about the perfect size. Just a few pieces remained, which we planned to send home with Rocky anyway. About half the guests opted for chocolate pie, which was extra yummy. Lindsey agreed to run Olivia home, that way she was able to stay a little longer, She loves hanging out at our house. Tommy, Wally and dad were the last to leave. We talked around the kitchen table for a while after the others left.

I paid Wally a shiny dollar for cleaning up every bit of the silly string the kids sprayed all over the back yard. I’m impressed that he was patient enough to gather it all up. There was quite a bit of it out there. Tommy shared that Wally is very much into organizing and cleaning. Hmm?

Had a nice time. Everybody was gone by 730pm. And after everybody left I snuggled up in the recliner and finished my latest book. We headed for bed around 10pm but I struggled to get to sleep. That might have something to do with me drinking a cup of coffee late afternoon.

Phoenix & CBC

Slept in until almost 8am. I woke to another spectacularly clear morning, and this one more than 10 degrees warmer than Friday. The clear skies weren’t expected to last and there was a significant chance of rain later in the day. Steven and I made plans to golf, however, other than figuring on playing Phoenix, I hadn’t yet reserved a tee-time. I checked online and the earliest they had was 110pm for a twosome.

I headed out for a run around 9am doing my usual three mile weekend run. When I got back to the house Steven and I volleyed a few texts back and forth, me sharing that we’d be playing at Phoenix at 110pm. I waited before committing to that time because I invited neighbor Kenny and brother Tommy. I never did hear back from Kenny and Tommy had too many work related commitments.

When I called Phoenix to book the 110pm they told me 230pm would be the earliest possible tee time for three, which I quoted so to avoid being teamed with strangers, which I abhor. No sweat. I accepted and then sent another text to Steven sharing as much. Agreed to meet there near 2pm.

Between 10am and 130pm, I dilly-dallied around the house. Mindy and the kids were going to Gloria’s fudge party, where she would teach the family how to make her famous peanut butter fudge. The event was slated to begin at 2pm and would go until about 5pm. Mindy made pasta salad and sandwiches too. Everybody was brining something.

I pulled some weeds and trimmed a few dead branches from the sweetgum tree out front but little else. I didn’t feel that great. I wouldn’t say I felt sick. Instead, I felt lethargic and tired. I showered up for golf around 1pm and left the house near 135pm. Made great time arriving no more than 15 minutes later. By then it had turned mostly cloudy but with scattered sunshine and no immediate threat of rain. Steven showed up about 10 minute after me. Once I saw him pull in I headed inside to pay.

I was a little surprised with the back-up. Must’ve been 4 or 5 groups waiting in front of us. They said they were out of working carts and would get us all out as soon as carts started coming in. Aside from the cool links layout of Phoenix, one of the main reasons I like it is because there’s rarely ever a back-up, so I was a little bummed that it looked like we’d be waiting lots.

The starter also shared that they had a large outing earlier but that they were just finishing up. Carts came in one after the other, and soon we were headed up to the 1st tee box. There were still two groups, a foursome and a twosome waiting in front of us. Ugh!

Despite the wait, which we made the best of by chatting and joking with the starter, the groups immediately in front of us teed off and moved quickly. Even by the 2nd hole the foursome in front of the twosome was nowhere in sight. Steven struggled early losing at least a half dozen balls. Me, I had a rough first hole but recovered nicely with a string of pars and bogeys. But for some reason that doggone par three, I believe #6, I hit a nasty sharp fade from the tee box. Do that an awful lot on that hole for some reason. I lost three balls between hole #1 and hole #6 but also found about a half dozen. More often than not, I find more balls than I lose at Phoenix.

Hole #7 is a relatively short par 4 but even still, I was very impressed with Stevens drive which rolled up on the green leaving him pin high and putting for an eagle. I, on the other hand, hit my tee shot into the neighboring heather and then struggled to get out. All of the sudden it felt like my golf swing had gotten away from me, no matter what I did. Steven left his 20’ eagle putt about 8’ short. He quickly regrouped and sunk the birdie putt ,though. 

For some reason that twosome in front of us started playing really slow. We had a considerable wait on the tee box on holes 7 through 9. The heather it seemed, was getting the best of their tee shots. Played 8 and 9 OK and seemed to find my swing, but my accuracy was still a little shaken. By the time we finished 9, the skies were looking a little scary and rain imminent. We noticed, too, that there was a back-up on the #10 tee box. The foursome and twosome in front of us were both waiting for the group in front of them. Oh boy!

Neither one of us were in the mood to wait, and with the sky threating to storm we decided to bag it. I suggested we peak at hole #1 again and play a few more if it was clear. It wasn’t. Still groups teeing off. You drive past the par 3 #17, which is their signature hole – down a steep drop off, maybe 50-60 feet to a narrow green surrounded by moat-like creek. No one was on it or coming towards it off of #16 so we opted to play 17 &18.

The tee box was moved and the pin about 165 yards out. Steven went first and went long and left far off the back of the green, but still safe from the water. I hit pin high with a 6-iron but off the side of the hill, which kindly released until coming to stop about 5 or 6 feet off the green. 

We both bogeyed the hole. Number 18 requires a tee shot over 150-180 yards of water, and preferable with a little right to left bend lest you end up where Steven’s drive landed, which was in the thick brush and trees across the fairway. I hit a superb drive leaving me center of the fairway and perhaps 130 yards out. I was excited for my 2nd shot. 4 shots later I was on the green – 2 in the water – what an epic collapse. We’ll call it the yips. I dunno.

We got in 11 holes and felt good about it. It was about 430pm. With rain imminent, we decided to bag it. At our cars, Steven handed off the camping dining canopy I let them borrow, and I handed off Olivia’s baseball cleats she left at our place the day before. As soon as we pulled out of the lot it began to pour. And by the time I arrived home it was an all-out thunderstorm. Good timing!

Mindy and the kids were apparently still at Gloria’s. I made myself a snack and then enjoyed some reading and a nap. It was nice having the house all to myself. Mindy called around 6pm letting me know that she was on the way home to pick-up the kids things and then taking them to Jimaken’s for an overnight. She asked if I wanted to ride along. I passed on that and instead opted for a 2nd shower in preparation for our dinner date at CBC.

Thinking it was near 730pm by the time Mindy was back from dropping the kids and both of us ready for dinner. We left for CBC shortly thereafter. I at least attempted to find parking in their main lot but it was packed. We ended parking in the adjacent parking lot directly across the street like we do most other times. Mindy brought along a mini-chocolate pie for Vince. She made enough for one large pie as well a few mini pies. Like me, Vince told Mindy some time ago that chocolate pie is his all-time fave.

Seating at the bar was at a premium. After all, it was restaurant week in Columbus, which always packs ‘em in. Soon the couple closest to us at the bar were paged and seated for dinner. We took their stools. Vince was apologetic for being out of Bodhi, but we didn’t mind. Anymore, they carry an excellent array of quality guest beers. I happily went with the Hoof Hearted IIPA, which they called Wangbar. We ordered some risotto balls too, and they were superb.

Aubre’ was back working as a server after having a baby just six weeks prior. Said she was only helping out because of restaurant week, but still officially on leave. Cute and sweet as ever! She and Mindy made plans for her to bring the baby over. We talked at length with Jen, too, who is also expecting a baby with her partner, Keri.

We hung out for quite a while before ordering any more food. And even though I had thoughts of going with the yummy walleye or a steak, I ended up going with their tried and true wings. In the end, I guess I have a very simple palette. The wings came exactly as I ordered them, well done and extra saucy. I appreciate that. By night’s end I consumed three of those Wangbars, and Mindy two of the guest stouts. Before we left, we purchased a new blue CBC t-shirt for Tommy. She opted to drive. Wise choice.

Tucked under our windshield wiper was a small yellow envelope from a parking lot vendor sharing that we owed them $2 for parking as well as a $50 penalty. Having none of that, Mindy walked back into CBC and presented it to Kevin and Vince, who have always shared that we could park in that lot if theirs was full. They immediately agreed to take the envelope and take care of any misunderstandings. Friends, that’s service!

At home we were quickly off to bed, both of us incredibly tired.

Home to a Thick Lush Lawn

I slept great and woke feeling like a champ to blue skies and seasonably cool temps – only 53 degrees at 730am. I started a pot of coffee then played around online for an hour or more before heading out on a run. Opted to skip calisthenics like I’d done all week. I still took the time to meditate and stretch, both of which provide just as much or more benefit as the calisthenics.

Completed my run before any of the overnight guests were up. Mindy was already up by the time I got back home from my three mile run. We both expressed surprise that Olivia wasn’t up, while not at all surprised that the older girls remained asleep. Guessing it was somewhere near 10am when Olivia joined us. She asked for coffee. We obliged her request by making her kiddie coffee (coffee, chocolate milk, whipped cream).

Once the others were awake, Mindy gleefully whipped up a batch of pancakes while I toiled with our vacation photos. The biggest thing on my Friday agenda was getting the lawn in shape. I got started on that around 11am, or shortly after a few pancakes. The plan was for Olivia to stick around until Ashley came to get her after work.

She and the other girls played all day long, occasionally outdoors, and then back inside. The lawn was lush and thick. I decided to change things up a bit by trimming, edging and blowing first. Although I knew I’d have to blow a second time after the mowing. The problem with doing it only once at the end is that the leaves that almost continuously fall from our weeping mulberry trash the freshly groomed lawn. I wanted to get them blown out from the beds before the mowing.

We were blessed with temps in the low 70s, at least while I was mowing. Never once did I break into the soaking sweat that I’m used to. The lawn looked fantastic by the time I finished. Before putting the tractor away, I let Livy drive it around the yard. Problem was, she’s too light to keep the engine running. Against her desires, we had no choice but to ride together. I let her steer.

I did an emergency watering soon after arriving home Thursday evening, but opted to water everything again Friday afternoon, giving all the flowers a premium soaking. Olivia helped and had me douse her with the hose. By then it was approaching 80 degrees. It was really nice! We noticed to sizeable critters floating in the pond back near the treehouse. Wasn’t really sure what they were but suspected them to be raccoons.

Ashley came after Olivia near 5pm. I gave Olivia a few dollars so she could get a Happy Meal from McD’s on the way home. And speaking of dinner, Mindy, the kids and I made plans to go to Barley’s, but not until 7pm or so. In fact, I didn’t get a shower until almost 6pm.

Even though it was only Friday, I had that sinking feeling in my stomach that often accompanies the end of a vacation – that dreaded return to work. Monday, I knew, would come really fast. Both kids were excited about going to Barley’s. We opted to take the Accord, having not driven it since the Wednesday prior ( I drove the BM’er the previous Thursday).

We opted for community table seating, but at the time we were the only ones there. Steve end up being our server even after Chelsea advised seconds prior that she’d be taking care of us. Steve’s very good! I started with a ZIPA – a zesty IPA, and one I really like. And between the four of us, we went through 3 orders of fries with buffalo sauce before ordering dinner. We decided to wait after getting word from neighbor Pat that he, Lisa and daughter Alaena would be joining us. Thinking they got there around 8pm or maybe even a little after.

Good to see them. We don’t get to hang out that much but when we do we always have a good time. We shared vacation stories, ours now completed, theirs coming up the following week. Alaena is headed for Ireland for a couple of weeks while the two of them head off to Chicago for a handful of days. Sounds fun!

We finally got around to ordering dinner, well, at least everybody but me. I was the lone exception. I wasn’t that hungry and figured I would pick at Mindy and the kids plates. I ended up eating half of Mindy’s Lonestar sandwich. I ordered a 2nd beer, too, a Centennial. But after the ZIPA, it didn’t taste that good. At Barley’s until 930pm or so. Invited the neighbors to join us on our deck. They accepted.

It was a lovely evening, the temperature hovering around 70 degrees under mostly clear skies. While enjoying a couple more beers Jacob and I let off 5 of the roman candles we bought in Tennessee. Each of the five in the variety pack had different features, and all were much nicer than those we’ve purchased elsewhere.

The cops pulled up in front of our next door neighbor’s house shortly after letting off the fireworks. We wondered if someone called them. They never did get out of their car and walk back. The cruised by a couple of times. Pat, Lisa, and Alaena hung out for about an hour. Shortly after their departure we headed up to bed. Guessing it was near 11pm.

A Livy Tug

 

I was up near 645am to clear skies and warm temps. Already 75 degrees, I enjoyed a cup of coffee then headed out for a run. I was determined to complete my run before the sun could make too big of an impact on the temps. It was expected to reach into the mid 90s by afternoon. By then we'd be long gone.

I ran the NW route down past Suede Ln. I decided to take one extra hill this go round, and it was a steep one, too. Not much left in the tank when I got back to the house. Instead of heading immediately inside, I headed to the dock for a short meditation. Despite the humid sunshine, there was relatively cool breeze blowing in off the lake that felt heavenly. Once my head was in the right place, I headed inside where among other things I enjoyed a second cup of coffee while chatting it up with David & Anita.

At some point I went to check on Mindy only to find her already up, showered, and packing. While she headed out to be social, I packed my things and took a quick shower. It didn't take more than 10 minutes collectively.

Our stated goal was to be on the road by 1030am but that was never intended to be a hard, fast deadline. David asked if there was anything we wanted to do or squeeze in before leaving. Nope. I mentioned that it would be hard to top Thursday day on the lake. And besides, once I have departure and home on my mind I tend to zero in on that like a laser.

While Mindy woke the kids and organized their stuff, I casually loaded our larger stuff for home, including golf clubs, the large cooler and Jacobs wake board. Mindy strategically packed what remained of my IPAs and then some pop between the two rear bench seats. Turns out, we had lots more space for the trip home. David was gracious enough to whip Jacob up some scrambled eggs even though Anita had just finished cleaning up our breakfast dishes. Thanks David and Anita. You guys are simply the best! At David's request, I scribbled an entry into their guest diary then loaded the rest of our gear in the Pilot. Thinking it was close to 1045am when we were completely packed and ready to pull out. We made loose arrangements for them to come visit sometime in August, preferably before school starts for Mindy.

I made note of the miles traveled so far then reset the trip odometer to zero. Up to that point we'd traveled 725 miles since leaving home. From David's place it's roughly 500 miles to home. This time we didn't miss the jog and turns to get back to state route 200 and then I-77. We stopped for a fill-up at the Shell, just like we did after last month's visit.

We made excellent time heading north out of SC and into and through Charlotte. Before we knew it, we were in Va. By then we'd already driven through a handful of brief showers. Not wanting to stop for food too early, we agreed to stop around 230pm. That put us 280 miles out and somewhere between the 1st and 2nd toll booths on the WV turnpike. We stopped in Beckley WV at the Wendy's, and just like the drive down, we opted to eat inside. Something rang familiar about the venue to Mindy, who said she was certain we'd stopped there before. I didn't think so but soon realized that she was right. We stopped at the very same Wendy's three summers ago on our drive to Myrtle Beach. I waited in the car, thus why it didn't look familiar to me. While stopped for lunch we filled the gas tank again too.

Mindy took over the driving duties from that point home. It was nice to sit and relax. I started to dose off at one point but quickly woke and felt wide awake for the duration. I didn't quite know what to do with myself. Nice to let the mind wander and check out the scenery, though I was a little tense with Mindy driving those winding narrows through the WV mountains. Once we cleared the mountains (just south of Charleston) I was much more relaxed.

Like our trip June, it was much cooler in Ohio than it was in SC. It was only 73 degrees when we crossed over into Ohio near 530-6pm. It rained most of the day but sunny as we entered. Stay that way, too. More than once I commented on how lush everything looked. As we past Lancaster I could smell home. At first Mindy's plan was to drop Bella and I at home while she and Jacob went after Eiknarf. But those plans soon morphed into all of us stopping on our way home. With that change, we opted to take 33 to 270 and exited on Georgesville Rd. It was close to 720pm when we pulled up at Gloria's. Mindy promised we wouldn't stay long. She was as eager to get home as I was.

In and out in record time. I'll be we weren't there but 10 minutes. Pulled in our own driveway at 755pm and promptly switched into unload/unpack mode. I did a quick survey of the home, which was fine and then a check of my flowers. Most looked amazing but there were three pots that dad must've missed. I doused the thirsty ones with water before continuing on with the unpacking.

Forgot to mention that daughter Ashley texted and phoned while we were on the road for home confirming any plans to have Olivia overnight. I'd forgotten that I talked with Olivia the prior Saturday while we were in Ashville and she asked about staying overnight when we got back. home. According to Ashley, she was crushed when we told Ashley that we wouldn't be home until 8pm or so. Not wanting to disappoint my grand baby, we talked it over and decided that we'd have Ashley bring her over after her ballgame which would likely end around 730pm.

We weren't home but 15 minutes when three of Bella's peeps came over - Makayla, Lillian, and Emily. Soon Evan came over to see Jacob, too. Bam, just like that, we had a house full. Olivia showed up around 830pm. She was psyched to be staying the night and meshed in nicely with all the other girls. We let them play on the island until 10pm or so. By then Mindy and I were completely unpacked and put away. I contemplated having a beer or Jack & Coke but decided to skip it in favor of ice water. Wise choice. Mindy and I headed ot bed around 1030pm because b and put away. I contemplated having a beer or Jack & Coke but decided to skip it in favor of ice water. Wise choice. Mindy and I headed to bed around 1030pm because by then my eyelids felt as though they had fishing weights hanging from them. Crawling into our own bed was heavenly. Couldn't wait to slobber on my pillow! :)

Prop Crop

I was up around 7am surprisingly to an empty family room and kitchen. I started a pot of coffee then was soon joined by David. I guess Anita out on her power walk but that wasn't the case. She was taking the day off. This time the sky was partly sunny, but thankfully it was a little cooler too, only about 70 degrees. After a cup of coffee and some friendly banter I was out the door for my run.

I ran to the SE all the way to River Rd. which is round trip is about 3.2 miles or 5K. Felt good and ran it well. Worked up one heck of a sweat. A large predatory bird swooped down maybe 15-20' in front of my run which caused me to take pause and follow it to its landing perch, which was only 50' beyond my path. I'm pretty sure it was nothing more than a vulture, though it's father coloring was more tan and brown as compared to those in Ohio. It's ugly red head was the giveaway. At first I thought it might've been an eagle.

Enjoyed scrambled eggs for breakfast. Mindy slept much later than usual, not getting up until after 9am. It was a gorgeous morning, nothing but blue skies overhead. David and I were soon in our swimsuits and headed out to ride the jet skis in search of eagles. Given that it was mid week and still well before noon, there were just a few scattered fishing boats on the lake. Felt we had it all to ourselves.

We tore it up, crisscrossing the lake and taking in many of the large coves in search of eagles. Never did find any. I'll be we put 15-20 miles on the jet skis and most of that going near top speed, which is 50+ mph. We were out for more than an hour, I am sure. Our last trek took us to Colonel's Creek, over near where the Retreat resides. However, instead of making that turn we kept going. And for most of the trip I let David lead, me lagging just behind. Only a few times did I let him get no more than a few hundred yards in front of me. And one would think with that close proximity that it would be nearly impossible to get separated, but we did. Near what I thought was the back of the Colonel's Creek cove I took a more leisurely turn than did David. No more than five second later he was nowhere to be found. I scanned the lake, both far and near, and even listened for the tell-tale sounds of a revving jet ski. Nothing!

The gauges on the jet skis are somewhat blurred from age so checking the fuel level was a challenge, but my best estimate was something less than a 1/4 tank. Add to it that I wasn't super sure where we were or exactly how to get back after so many twists and turns. Moreover, I didn't have any money, credit cards, or ID on board. I guess I let that spook me enough to attempt heading back by my lonesome. Before setting out I scanned the horizon for familiar landmarks, this being our 45th trip to Wateree. I was 75% confident that I had a bead on the way home. More than once, and probably at least three times, I turned around briefly to look for David but still, he was nowhere in sight.

Hugging near the shore I spotted a house that left me certain that I was on the right track home. I felt a lot better save for my missing jet ski partner. But with low fuel, my main concern was getting back to the lake house. For all I knew, David was already back. I made it back no problem, but it became clear as I approached the dock that David wasn't back ahead of me. I explained to Anita & Mindy, who were floating in the water, that David and I got separated. Anita figured we'd go look for him with the boat if he didn't show up soon.

I headed inside to pee and get some water. Upon my return to the dock, Mindy & Anita were untying the pontoon, apparently in preparation to go look for David. Just about the same time Mindy thought she heard the unmistakable sound of a revving jet ski motor off in the distance. Yep, sure enough, here came David. We joked that he would light into me for bailing, but he didn't. Instead, he said he went around the corner from where I did my slow turnaround and stopped at a friend's dock to chat. I guess the cover went further back than I thought - another turn or two. Said he began to worry that I might've gotten lost. Too funny.

A short while later both kids were up and outside and in the lake, just as they had the past couple of days. We collaborated on the day's agenda, ultimately agreeing to take the jet skis and boat for refueling and then lunch at the Dockside grill - the best burgers on the lake. On the trip out, David rode one jet ski while Mindy & Jacob tag teamed on the other. Bella and I rode in the pontoon with Anita at the helm. Of course they were long gone and far in front of us shortly after setting out from the dock. Just before exiting the cove and hitting the open waters of the lake, we struck something with the underside of the pontoon - bu-bump! Anita instantly felt that she'd struck a submerged stump. To my ears it sounded more like it bump the pontoon rather than the engine and prop.

Slowly but surely we putzed our way across the lake to the Dockside grill proceeding at a snail's pace. David had the jet skis all but filled by the time we pulled up. Opted to top off the pontoon too, and I agreed to take care of all the fuel. Heck, we'd rode the snot out of those machines. Since I was covering the fuel, David insisted on getting lunch. At the time it was sunny and hot, but there was one large dark cloud just overhead. Looked like it might storm anytime.

Inside, I paid for the gas while Mindy and Anita ordered up our food. I'm pretty sure that all of us opted for their famous burger. I headed back to the boat to wait with David and Scarlett. The girls and Jacob were another ten minutes getting the food. And shortly after we had our food on board it started to rain, but lucky for us the rain was brief - no more than five minutes. After that one burst the sun returned. Unlike the steaks, the burgers didn't disappoint. They were incredibly good. For the trip back to the lake house, I took a jet ski while Mindy & Jacob took the other. Bella, for some reason, wasn't having anything to do with jet skiing, at least not right then. She opted for the pontoon with David and Anita.

Had a blast on the ride home. Rather than a straight beeline, I opted to make the ride a bit more interesting by making lots of curvy turns much like I might navigate a ski slope. And from the looks of it, any apprehension or fear that Mindy & Jacob might've had with the jet skis was a thing of the past. They were going balls to the wall.

Once David caught up with us in the cove he shared that his prop was damaged. Instead of docking it, he beached it into the sand at his properties edge and raised the motor. Yep, sure enough, there was a nickel sized notch taken out of the prop. It was a little bent too. In true David fashion, he wasted little time calling the local boat shop, which is a mere two miles from his home. We pulled the old prop first so we could get the exact size. Yep, had one in stock. We wasted little time heading over to get it. I told David it would be a good deal if it was $80-85. Of course I was thinking of a refurbed mercury prop.

David and the fella behind the counter, whom I presume was also the owner, are on a first name basis. I later learned that he's the one who sold David the new Honda outboard 90 HP engine for his pontoon 3 years ago. He was asking $130 for a brand new Honda prop, but offered a 10% military discount. Said he could send the old prop out for repair but it would be $85 for the repair plus shipping. Hardly worth it considering the boat would have to sit idle for however long. David balked at that, and I don't blame him. Still, it would be a good idea to have a spare prop on hand just in case something similar happens again. You spend that much time on the water and it will.

Back at the house in no time flat and quickly busy installing the new prop. While in the lake up to our knees I got a call on my cell from an unidentified number. Often when that's the case I don't answer but we've been anxiously awaiting the National Kidney Foundation's call to schedule a pick-up. I thought it might be them. I left the back of the boat and stepped on dry land to take the call. It wasn't the NKF. Instead, it was Zach, Courtney's boyfriend. He was asking to borrow money to put their dog down and/or have it cremated. I patiently listened to the what he had to say but wasn't feeling generous to the cause. I ended the call by sharing that I was sorry to hear about their dog but that we were away from home and on vacation.

We finished the boat prop installation and David allowed me to take it for a spin to check the performance. Smooth as silk. Drove out to the mouth of the cove and back. Still experienced steering issues where the simple task of turning the wheel takes the might of a gorilla. After increasing/decreasing the speed it subsides and returns to near normal. It occurred to me while on the test drive that David mentioned not having power steering, and then I remembered how the outboard motor steering works, on a shaft of sorts. It hit me that more than likely the problem was a lack of grease. Once docked we checked out the steering shaft. Sure enough, a grease fitting right behind the motor. David intimated that he'd pull the boat out and take it in for a lube very soon. Said he believes he may have skipped the last 50 hour maintenance check.

By the time that was done and the tools put away, it was late afternoon or early evening. Around 5pm Bella and I took the kayaks out. Went on a nice little row out near the mouth of the cove and back. On the row back in I recalled Glenn sharing the rowing technique he learned in Oregon, which if you ask me is at least somewhat counter intuitive. Instead of pulling with the oar end that's in the water you push out with the arm and end that's out of the water. I gave it a whirl. Hmm? Seemed to offer less resistance. I'll try it more back home, I figured.

We called it a day near 530pm. After a full day in the sun, some adult beverages, and vigorous exercise, Mindy and I headed to our room for a much needed nap. Thinking we napped until almost 7pm. After a couple showers we emerged to dinner ready and waiting. In fact, David, Anita and the kids had already eaten. David grilled up perhaps the best pork ribs I've ever had. They were more like steak than pork. Absolutely delicious! Made yellow saffron rice too.

Soon my thoughts turned to Thursday morning and our drive back home to Columbus. Bitter sweet, really. On one hand it's always nice to be heading home after some time away, but on the other hand, I wasn't quite ready for our vacation to end, and even more so, return to work. Of course the good news was that I'd have three days at home before returning to work on Monday. We watched TV until 930pm or so. And like I did most nights, I headed out on the deck to star gaze and listen to the lake sounds before bed. This time the skies were completely clear. I made a beeline for the front lawn to get a better view of the many, many stars out in full force. Sadly, my presence tripped their security spot lights which all but canceled out the darkest night sky. The kids and Mindy joined me. Mindy, Bella and I love star gazing. Jacob, not so much. He was more interesting in lighting off smoke bombs. :) We spent about 10 minutes out front and then headed in for bed.

Bed to Water in No Time Flat

 

This stunning sunset pic is from David and Anita's backyard. The hazy effect was accidental, caused by a seriously fogged lens on my 70D  - after a heavy downpour, 80 some degrees and 90% humidity

Tuesday started off much the same as Monday, though I guess it was technically considered fog rather than pedestrian cloud cover that had the morning skies grayed out. It was a tad cooler too, this time only 74 degrees at 730am. Like most mornings, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and some conversation with David and Anita before I headed out on my run. And it was probably more like an hour of leisure before setting off on my run.

This time I ran NW past bird island and around the main lake body and past Suede Ln. which is about 1.6 miles out. That's the same point where the steeper hills begin. I was marginally concerned that Monday' morning's cramped calf my recur but it didn't. In fact, I felt really good. Like most SC runs, I worked up quite the lather by the time I made it back to the house. My beach towel was handy so I wiped myself down with it once inside.

This time David whipped up sausage patties and eggs sandwiches. I had one and it was delicious. There was more rain in the forecast but only the scattered variety. However, they warned that any pop up storms could be strong/severe. We didn't have anything planned beyond hanging out at the lake house, which for Mindy and me, it's just what the doctor ordered. Guessing it was near 11am when David, Anita, Mindy and me headed down to the dock with a cooler full of adult beverages.

And then, sometime around noon, the kids finally were up. They literally went straight from bed to their swimsuits and into the lake. I know for sure it wasn't more than 5 minutes between bed and water. :) Late morning soon turned into middle afternoon. We had a dandy time hanging at the dock and jet skiing a little bit.

The sky looked threatening around 4-430pm, or about the time we were ready to head in for some snacks and a siesta. I'll bet 15 minutes didn't pass before I looked back outside to nothing but blue skies. Not sure what happened to all those clouds that looked ready to dump on us. Not too much time passed before it clouded over again and the skies dumped. It poured big time!

The dinner menu included the Anderson's NY strips we brought from home. Before any of that, however, I sorely needed/wanted a nap. That was about the same time David gave me a handful of kitchen tasks to take care of. Convinced him that a nap was necessary and slipped off to the guest room where I slept hard for maybe an hour. Woke once to the sound of rain pounding against the roof. Actually helped me sleep. A nap was refreshing, after a shower I rejoined the others in the dining room and helped finish dinner prep.

The steaks we brought were a disappointment. Mine was more like a sirloin - tough and thin. Certainly nothing like the angus NY strips we bought from the Anderson's the same day we purchased our kayaks. Everything else was good and I finished my meal full.

After dinner we watched TV - America's Got Talent - Judgment Week. First time I've ever seen the show. Man, Howard Stern looks creepy and old! After AGT, we watched The Notebook, a love story that almost guarantees tears at some point. I've seen it before, back when I was single and stumbled across it on cable. David, Anita and Mindy peeled off for bed somewhere between 930-10pm. Just like that I was alone in the family room with the TV. Not that sleepy, I stayed up reading from my Kindle. I tried going to bed around 1030pm but couldn't sleep so I got back up for more reading. The cats were scrambling around making all sorts of noises prompting me to keep head on a swivel. Headed to bed for good near 1130pm.

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 …

AM in Ashville / PM Wateree Retreat

 

 

Up again around 7am. This time I went to the window first to scope out the weather. More clouds but much thinner than Saturday and no rain. I could see the mountains off in the near distance, too. Like the morning before, I changed into my running gear in the bathroom then woke Mindy to let her know that I was heading out. And once again I enjoyed a cup of coffee in the lobby before taking off on my run.

This time I ran down the hill first towards the highway. I was a little discouraged that there weren’t any sidewalks and running along the berm would’ve been a death wish. I circled through the few hotel and restaurant parking lots then headed back up the hill in the old neighborhood I ran the morning before. And just like then, there was an inordinate amount of traffic flowing through what seemed like a sleepy old neighborhood.

Back to the hotel after approximately 30 of running. Before heading in I walked the grounds taking in the pergola atop the highest point. Unfortunately, the nearby mountains were once again socked in by cloud cover. To say that the Ashville weather was a disappointment was an understatement. We’d simply have to return another time to take in more the stuff to see and do. It was time to look forward to 4 days with David and Anita at the lake house. The forecast for their neck of the woods was about the same rain-wise but much warmer temps (low to mid 80s). But even those temps are chilly for Lake Wateree in July.

I took Mindy coffee. This time she was still sleeping. I read from my Kindle and played on my phone for a bit waiting for her to get up. She didn’t plan to shower since she took one the night before. She and I headed for breakfast after getting our stuff organized for departure. The kids opted to sleep in again despite Bella sharing that she wanted to join us the night before.

Enjoyed pretty much the same entrees – scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee, juice, mini-muffins. Mindy pocketed a few muffins for Bella. Back to our room by 830-840am. Our stated goal was to leave Ashville by 9am but that was never in stone. By the time the kids were up, showered and organized, it was after 930am. We checked out of the Country Inn & Suites at 945am. Mindy pulled the Pilot around to the door while I checked out. She offered to drive to David & Anita’s.

It was raining again and rained for the next two hours – hard at times. Despite the rain, we made excellent time barreling down I-26 towards Colombia, SC. It’s 70mph most of that stretch, and we were out of the Smokies shortly before entering SC. The rain all but stopped 20 miles west of Winnsboro. We even got a few splashes of sunshine which caused the temps to spike up near 80 degrees, which the four of us cheered for.

David asked that we stop somewhere along the way for mustard, the one thing he forgot to pick-up while in town on Saturday. I suggested we stop at the Wal-Mart in Winnsboro. Having stopped there with David back in June I was pretty sure that I could get us there. Turns out I got a little discombobulated in town. We ended up stopping at the local Bi-Lo instead. It was nice and new. I picked up mustard along with a couple bags of chips.

The store was full of folks in their Sunday’s best, apparently on their way home from church and ahead of Sunday dinner. Happened upon Mindy and Bella on my way out. They were heading in to use the facilities. Couldn’t hold it. I phoned David asking for best route to his place from the Bi-Lo. Turns out, we were super close to the Wal-Mart, which is what I figured. Because his directions were counter to the GPS, I suggested I call back as soon as we were on the road again, which was only minutes later.

As soon as we made our left off of 321 and onto 34 I knew where we were. The drive from Winnsboro to David and Anita’s is about 30 miles but went quick. Making it all the more exciting, the sun came out and the temps headed quickly into the 80s. It was near 1pm when we pulled in their drive. Felt so good to get out of the car and feel the warm sticky air.

Having done this a time or two, we were quick to unload our gear and get to relaxing. Mindy poured a cup of coffee and I was going to have one too but that turned into a beer when David handed me a Hop Nosh still there from our June visit. Enjoyed some yummy snacks too, chips, salsa and guacamole.

We hung out for a few hours before boarding the pontoon for dinner at The Retreat. Jacob captained the boat while the rest of us relaxed. Nice ride under partly cloudy skies with no apparent threat of rain. That was very nice! The Retreat’s Sunday menu is pared back from its usual but good nonetheless. I’m pretty sure that everybody opted for soft drinks since they can’t sell booze on Sunday’s.

We ordered a couple appetizers – spicy shrimp and something else. I ordered beef tips and grits just like I have the previous two visits there. They’re always delicious. Hunter, our server, was cute as ever. Unbeknownst to David, I gave Hunter my credit card early on insisting that the dinner check be on me. Dinner was predictably delicious. I ate all my tips (they were small this time around) but couldn’t finish all the grits. I took what remained in a to-go box mixed with Mindy’s leftovers.

Despite already having my card, David still tried paying the bill but Hunter ultimately decided it should be first come first serve. Jacob drove us back to the lake house just as he’d driven there. David suggested we watch a movie – Despicable Me 2. But once I reclined in their comfy leather sofa I knew that I was in trouble. There wasn’t any way possible I was staying awake for the movie’s entirety. Huh-uh! In fact, I am pretty sure that I fell asleep before the main movie even started. We watched several small clips first. I did manage to stay awake for those.

I woke just as the movie ended suggesting to the group that I saw it all. Uh, they knew better.  Before heading to bed, Mindy and I stepped briefly out onto the deck to drink in the sounds only the lake house can provide – a symphony of critters (frogs, crickets, etc). Very loud and very summery! Mindy, Mindy, Mindy - I love it!

Was in bed and asleep in a hurry.

Black Mountain in the Raw

 

I woke two or three times after 5am but wasn’t up for good until 7am or so. I wisely had my running clothes laid out from the night before so all I had to do was grab them and head to the bathroom without disturbing Mindy or the kids. A few minutes later I headed to the lobby where they serve a free breakfast. There I enjoyed coffee and the newspaper before heading out for a run. Must’ve been near 730am when I headed out the door, first for a stretch of the hammies against the stone pillars, then about a 30 minute run.

It was cool, humid and cloudy, but happily not raining as I headed off still unsure which direction or where my run might take me. Anyone who’s been to Ashville knows that the terrain is extremely hilly, and our hotel was no exception. It was situated on fairly steep hill. I opted to run uphill first, thinking it better to get it out of the way - a test of sorts.  In addition, running uphill took me away from busy traffic and into a remote older residential area that I was certain would offer little if any car traffic to contend with. But I was wrong.  Car after car blew past me even when I turned on to an even more remote residential street further up in the hills.

About two miles into the run (best guess) it started to rain again. It came down at a good clip, too. I toughed it out. and actually it cooled me off. Back to the hotel lobby near 8am, I poured two cups of coffee, one for me and one for Mindy, then headed back to our room. Much to my surprise, Mindy was already up and out of the shower. After another half hour or so she and I headed down to the lobby for breakfast. The kids wanted to sleep in.

Breakfast was good, scrambled eggs, sausage, bagels, fruits, juice, etc. There until 9am or so. Raining fairly hard and non-stop. Very gloomy! Back in the room I did a little reading and then watched some TV for a couple hours – the NatGeo Channel, I think.

With the forecast calling for steady rain and highs only in the low 60s we figured our best touristy option was Black Mountain. Tubing and hiking were definitely out! Thinking we left for Black Mountain near noon. Despite the rain the drive east into the mountains (about 15 miles) was lovely. Like many folks shared, Black Mountain is similar to our Yellow Springs. Parking was again a bit of a challenge but we eventually found a spot. In shorts and a t-shirt, I wasn’t dressed for the conditions. At the time it was 61 degrees with light rain. Ugh! We made our way to the Black Mountain Ale house which is located down a long flight of stairs.

We were originally seated near a rear door which was opened to the chilly wet air. Nice view but I was too cold. We ended up moving to a table more centrally located and more importantly away from the chilly breeze. They had a decent beer selection but they’re not a brewpub. I ordered a local IPA. Can’t recall from what brewery. It was just OK. We ordered lunch there too, and just like the night before I went with wings. Can’t recall what Mindy and the kids ordered. The wings were good enough that we ordered a second batch. And I am pretty sure I went with a 2nd beer. We were there for about an hour. Lots of cool art work on the walls. I took a few pics and sent them to my peeps.

Despite the gloomy wet weather, we left Black Mountain Ale House heading out to the streets to take in several of the shops and galleries. Lots of cool shops to peruse. After stopping in 3 or 4 shops I suggested a stop in the ice cream parlor and fudgery. All agreed, but Bella also insisted on stopping in the cupcake shop. I ordered a butter pecan in a waffle cone right there on prem. It was to-die-for delicious. Meanwhile, Bella became enamored with the fudge making process asking the candy man all sorts of questions. By the time we walked out I’ll be we spent $50.

All totaled, we probably spent 2-3 hours in Black Mountain. Before heading back to our hotel we stopped a couple miles down the mountain at Pisgah brewing company. Not a pretty venue but one well-suited for live entertainment. The have an in-house stage for local acts and then a large outdoor venue, which the Turtles were set to play later that evening. The kids weren’t too pleased with the additional stop but it’s not like we hadn’t planned it. It was in the cards the entire trip.

Mindy and I enjoyed one beer each, she a porter and me their IPA. Neither made much of an impact on our taste buds. We sought out Stephanie, a bartender that Bob & MaryAnn befriended their last stop in. She smiled big when we mentioned their names. I snapped a picture then texted it off to Bob and M.A.

I noticed some large hops growing just outside the overhead doors. Again, a cool, roomy venue but not too pleasing to the eye. We headed back to our hotel arriving near 6pm. And yes, still raining. I toyed with getting in the covered hot tub but never did. Instead, we holed up in our room watching TV, Mindy and I the main bedroom and the kids in the front bedroom.

We watched episode after episode of Deadliest Catch and then a couple episodes about drug wars. My belly was still full from lunch but the kids were already asking about dinner. I elected to stick back in the room while Mindy ran out with the kids. Around 7 or 8pm I cracked open a White Rajah and then another. She and the kids were gone for no more than 45 minutes. She got Jacob tacos from a food truck at the gas station. Bella, however, wanted no part of that and instead got Subway.

I read from my Kindle until 10pm or until I could no longer keep my eyes opened. We’d be leaving for Lake Wateree come morning – about 170 mile drive. I wanted to wake rested.

Believe it's Time for me to Fly

 

 

 

Our plan was to be on the road for Ashville by 8am. To that end, I was up and out of bed by 6am. I felt good and even had a bit of vacation butterflies in my belly, which is a good thing. Skipped calisthenics but still meditated and stretched ahead of a run. Spent 30 minutes enjoying coffee and internet before any of that. Out the door for a run near 630am but not before waking Mindy with a cup of coffee at her bedside.

It was cool and clear, a lovely start to my summer vacation. After a successful 3 mile run, I organized/packed a few more personal electronics that I charged overnight. I headed up for a shower around 7am. By then Mindy was out of the shower and dressed.

Most of our gear was already downstairs by the front door. We still needed to pack two coolers, one with long-term vacation food and then a smaller car cooler for the trip to Ashville. It was soon clear that we wouldn’t be getting out of the house by our stated goal of 8am. Looked more like 830am at best. However, aside from simply missing a stated goal, which I abhor, it wasn’t a big deal. Just hoped to arrive in Ashville late afternoon/early evening.

Mindy and the kids were slow to get motivated, especially Jacob. Hungry, I took the time to make a sandwich before we left. Jacob’s the only one that didn’t eat anything. He was grumpy and tired. We hit the road near 845am.

Mindy and I were both excited to be taking a different route to the Carolina’s – I-71/75. In fact, we toyed with a stop in Cincy/Newport to tour the Aquarium but nixed it as late as Thursday for another time. Made good time down I-71 thru Cincy and well into Ky. The sunny skies we left behind in Columbus slowly but surely turned to gray, and by the time we made into Tennessee for lunch it started to rain.

Jellico is the first town in Tenn. via I-75, which is in the mountains. We stopped at Wendy’s I’m thinking near 1pm. Decided to dine inside. I had the pretzel bacon burger, which was good but smaller than they make it look in TV. There was a fireworks store right next store. After lunch, Jacob and I meandered over there while Bella and Mindy filled the Pilot with gas.

Mindy wasn’t too pleased with herself after carelessly spilling her Wendy’s soda pop into the snack bag. It did little good, but I insisted she not be so hard on herself.  Back on the rainy road. I’d had a good bead on the 5 day forecast for the last few days, so it was no surprise to me that it was raining. However, it was far cooler than I remembered seeing – only in the mid 60’s through the mountains of Tenn. and western N.C. Little did I know that it would rain from that point through midafternoon Sunday.

Our I-75 travels took us to Knoxville where we picked up 40W. And if memory serves, that left another 90 miles or so to Ashville, which was pretty much through the Smokies and along the Appalachian Trail. We passed the exits for Gatlinburg & Dollywood soon after clearing Knoxville. The traffic was backed up for those exits both directions. Ugh!

The rain continued, and often times really hard, all the way into Ashville. That coupled with the mountainous and curvy terrain left me very focused. My GPS guided right to Country Inn & suites but unfortunately the wrong one. We had to back track about 8 or 9 miles to the one on the west side of town in Ashville’s rainy rush hour traffic.

Of note was how tight the freeway running through town is compared with that of Columbus. Not only are the lanes narrower but the on and exit ramps are smaller too. Quaint but also dangerous. I was very careful. Finally arrived at our two night digs near 530pm. Check-in went smoothly. I carried in all 3 of my bags (clothes duffle, camera pack, and miscellaneous electronics pack). Mindy wisely packed one small suitcase for her and the kids specifically for our brief stay in Ashville. The majority of our haul remained in the Pilot.

I wisely booked us a suite in lieu of a normal hotel room. That way the kids would have their own room. I think it’s fair to say that the rain and chilly temps left all of us a little disappointed and gloomy. We lounged around the hotel until 7pm or so. During that time Mindy and I checked out lots of tourist opportunities, including a tubing trip down the French Broad River through town, a day at Black Mountain, as well as some hiking opportunities. However, with the inclement weather forecast, hiking and/or tubing wasn’t in the cards.

At 7pm we readied and headed out for dinner, our destination being The Ashville Brewing Company, which as best we could there were 3 locations. We picked the one in the arts district downtown. Despite the crappy weather, parking was still a challenge. Within the few block area there must’ve been 4 or 5 brewpubs. Nice!

There was a quoted 245 minutes wait for an indoor table. The outdoor seating was covered but I wasn’t dressed for such, having brought only shorts and t-shirts. Our wait was no more than 5 minutes. I went with their black IPA. Mindy went with a flight, trying five different beers. As for dinner, I ordered dry rubbed chicken wings, which in the end weren’t nearly as good as those at Ohio’s Brew Kettle. Mindy ordered their hummus plate, which was decent. Jacob ordered a large pizza all to himself, and Bella a cheese burger. Mindy picked up the dinner check and even bought she and I t-shirts.

Back to our hotel just after 9pm where I enjoyed a beer and TV from bed before dosing off around 10pm. Yes, it was still raining.

ZIPA

I was up and out of bed near 6am. The sky was clear and the morning air cool. I knew this because we slept with the window opened. In fact, it was chillier in the house than it was outside. Felt good though. Downstairs, I promptly engaged in calisthenics whipping out sit-ups, windmills then 40 curls. Good to be alive and healthy!

Spent the next 40 minutes at my PC with coffee enjoying headlines, email, and the Daily OM. Must've been near 7am when I changed course and moved on to meditation, stretching and then ultimately my run. I planned on working from the office and being there late into the afternoon since my boss scheduled a 4pm meeting to review my mid-year performance. To that end. I wanted to be at the office as close to 9am as possible.

Off on my run near 720am. I wore the same bright yellow wicking shirt that I've worn the past two chilly mornings and was quite comfortable, though still prefer going shirtless. Meh! Good run and back at home by 8am.Not wanting to waste time, I moved immediately to breakfast and lunch prep. Record time. Had my lunch packed, breakfast (fried eggs, grits, toast) prepared and consumed by 815am. I am efficient - good looking too! :)

Off to the shower with Mindy's first cup of coffee in hand. Predictably, she asked if I had time to snuggle - something she's asked the past couple mornings when I did not. I didn't really have a lot of time on this occasion either but didn't want to leave her hanging. I had 15 minutes I could spare. I leaped back into bed and into action. :)

Two minutes later I was back on my feet and in the shower. OK, just kidding. It was more like 20 minutes later. Dressed and ready to go by 910am. It was going to be a banner day weatherwise so I planned to drive the BM'er. Mindy agreed to move the Accord to the curb so I could back out and depart. Vrrrrrroom! Arrived at the office near 930am. The lot was as full as I've seen it in the last 15 years. Moving more and more folks to our facility with each passing week.

Easy day. Spent most of the morning taking yet another online training class. I've now completed 10 of 14. Once the last four are completed I'll need to study/cram then prep for the exam. Yuck! My boss wasn't in. Apparently working remote or visiting an customer. I checked our calendared meeting. He now had it set for me to call him at 4pm. Wanting to manage my time efficiently, I decided to head for home, that way I could mow the lawn at lunch.

More to come ...

Mow

Work

Pack

Fertilize front flowers

Water

Mindy takes pug to mawmaws

Barleys- two beers (ZIPA) and a Texas pile it on burger - yum!

Visting Ken

I was up near 605am after a decent night of sleep. No more burglary attempts. And this time I remembered to disable the in-home security mode before doing anything else. Slowly but surely I completed Wednesday calisthenics which included push-ups. At my PC with coffee by 620am. There I played for the next 30 minutes.

At the time it was 53 and clear, and the day's first sun splashed the backyard's greenery. It looked really nice. Was only expected to reach the low 70s again. Completed a thorough meditation and stretch and still got out the door for my run before 715am.

Ran the full 4.1 miles. Very, very nice. I wore a short sleeved running shirt which seemed ideal with the relatively cool temps. Back home near 755am. Before making my breakfast, I checked work and personal email. I also checked my phone. Mindy sent me a text from our bedroom asking if I had time to snuggle. I didn't. I needed to be across town no later than 930am, earlier if at all possible.

I made my breakfast and packed a lunch in record time. Woofed it down in a hurry too. Headed upstairs for a shower while also taking Mindy some coffee. Out of the shower and dressed by 845am. Mindy asked if I had a few minutes to spend with her enjoying coffee before leaving. I had 10 minutes to spare. We sat and talked from the deck. What a gorgeous morning. She and the kids were supposed to head to Tara's and Lake Choctaw, but with the cool temps, she wasn't so sure boating would be in the plans.

I left the house near 900am and made excellent time heading east on 670 then north on 270. Arrived at the office well ahead of 930am as planned. Handled a few things before preparing for my monthly presentation. I sought out a projector. I was expecting a good turn-up from the customer as well as from my org. My boss, a peer and her boss was supposed to be in town to participate too.

Took a few to the get the projector up and operational. The power cord was missing and then once I procured one, it wouldn't reach the closet power outlet. Oh boy! Needed an extension cord. Finally got all the technical issues resolved and soon eight of us reviewed the presentation. Went really well.

Rather than take a lunch break. I opted to plow straight through my work day. There were no errands needing run and I had food in the fridge. I stayed busy through the early afternoon which quickly melded into mid-afternoon. Texted with Mindy mid afternoon. She and Bella went to Tara's but Jacob remained home sleeping after a couple late nights with friends. They didn't go boating. Just visited and did lunch. We made tentative plans to visit Ken See. Mindy made all the arrangements with his wife, Lori. Sounded like it was on and Mindy confirmed that he was home from the hospital.

I left work for home around 415p. It was a lovely afternoon, about 72 and sunny. I made excellent time barreling around 270 with little to no traffic snarls in Dublin or Hilliard. God's gift. :) I called David on my drive home. Among other things, we discussed the logistics of our trip and perhaps more importantly our expected ETA. Earlier Mindy shared that despite it being a Wednesday, Jimaken wouldn't be taking the kids. He was out of town investigating a crime. As I understood it, he'd be taking them for dinner Thursday evening instead. No problem. We'd let the kids stay home by themselves while we visited with Ken and Lori.

I got home around 445pm. Mindy and Bella weren't yet home from Tara's I didn't know it at the time but Jacob and Evan were in the guest room playing video games. Mindy & Bella were home near 5pm. It was more than an hour later that she and left to visit Ken. We took a few minutes to walk the pug together before leaving the house.

On our drive to Grove City, Mindy called Joseppi's Pizza in G.C. to order an extra-large Topper. We planned to pick it up in route to Ken's. It's pretty much on the way. At Joeseppi's in no time flat. Our pizza was just coming out of the oven. I observed one of the original Joseppi guy drawings, which I was certain was Glenn's work. Mindy snapped a photo and texted it to Glenn.

We had a $4-off coupon for a $20+ order. The pizza was $18.99. We picked up a 2 liter bottle of Sprite which put us over the top. We essentially got $2 off for buying the pop. On to Ken's. We weren't 100% sure how to get to Ken's place but winged it and outside of one incorrect turn in his subdivision, we made it there without needing to reference GPS. Mindy had better recollection than I. Lori asked that we come to the main level entrance, not the lower level like the last time. Thinking it was near 7pm when we showed up. Ken's looking good and for my money even better than the last time despite his recent set back with seizures. Definitely hasn't lost his sense of humor. But one can quickly notice how the ordeal has aged both Ken and Lori. Speaking of Lori, she's a saint - a very strong, strong willed woman. Tiny but mighty! She and Mindy hit it off well, and seem comfortable around one another, which makes me happy. Ken and I joked around for a while before we dug into the pizza.

Ken's youngest son, Logan was there. He's being heavily recruited by several division 1 colleges to play center or long snapper. He apparently has something going on with his feet to which Mindy promptly offered diaper cream. He tried some and liked it. Mindy gave him the travel jar she carries in her purse.

We all had our fill of pizza and there was plenty left. We visited for about an hour and a half. Looking forward to seeing Ken again soon. Had Mindy snap a photo of Ken and I together. Before leaving for home both kids called requesting we bring home food - Canes chicken. We stopped at the Canes on Stringtown Rd. Not out of our way much if any. Took I-71N to 70W home. Arrived home around 850pm. While the kids enjoyed their Canes chicken, I went to the living room to read from my Kindle.

I read until it started putting me to sleep. Around 10pm I declared it my bedtime. Earlier, I'd already put down the blinds and made sure all the windows and door were locked. Turned on the rear spots too. I headed to bed a few minutes ahead of Mindy and the kids, who were watching Big Bang from the family room. Even though it was just a few minutes later, I was darn near out by the time Mindy came to bed. If I recall correctly, there wasn't any TV watching from bed, and I know there was none for me. Sound asleep before 1015pm.