Feb 27, 2013

Hello again everyone.  Today we headed up towards Charleston SC for a golfing adventure for Tom.  We finally ended up on Kiawah Island after going through 2 security gates just to get to a golf course.  The course runs up and down the coastline separating the seashore from many fine homes in the area.  If you happen to see one of our kids, tell them to sell the house and deposit the change in the checking account.  And also we won't be needing a car any more if Tom has his way.  A view of a couple of homes just across a little lagoon, easily in the low 8 figures.

Once we got started walking, Tom with his best buddie Alice walking the course with him, we got down to business.  Now I really don't expect you to believe that this ball wasn't Tom's...and it wasn't, however the playing partner made the excuse that he didn't want his feet to get wet.

The course was really a nice place to play and Tom's caddy Travis really made the day.  Without him Tom would never have broken 120.  You can see Travis moving away after giving Tom a lesson on the rules about where to drop after taking a stroke penalty out of a hazard.  Tom's score on the hole...5.  The average score for the hole during the 2012 PGA Championship...5.4.

All in all it was a pleasurable day.  Tom's score was quite remarkable and the alligators had nothing to do with it, the umpteen hard traps had nothing to do with it, the hard greens had nothing to do with it, a 12 on the stimpmeter had nothing to do with it, the long holes had nothing to do with it, and the wind had nothing to do with it...Tom just wanted to get in enough swings to get his money's worth out of playing...and Alice wanted a nice long walk with her best friend.

By the time you read this, Doug and Robin will be in their new home city of Cheyenne, WY.  p.s...  If you want to see a good Rodeo, head to Cheyenne the last 10 or so days in July and say hi to them when you are there.

Feb 26, 2013

Hi everyone.  Today is Robin's birthday and she is spending the night in Iowa.  Well after a slow 5 hours on the road and only making 200 miles progress, they decided to call it a day.  I remember a high school classmate asking me what Iowa stood for...I said "no".  He replied  Idiots Out Wandering Around.  I really don't think the joke will cheer them up much.  They still have a long day's drive to make it to their new home.

Today after no success trying to play golf, we ventured off to Sea Pines Resort area which is the southwest end of the island.  There are many areas where there are nice homes but many are well hidden because of the successful attempts of concerned people to leave many areas of the island in their natural state.  There are walking trails and bike trails everywhere.  We stopped to take a walk in the Sea Pines Forest Reserve.

Within the Forest reserve area there was a place for people to hike into and have picnics and gatherings.  For those who know me well, you can understand my liking to the grill that was available to use.  I'm not sure our sons-in-law would use it but they would nevertheless understand.

We did make it to a local well known area of Sea Pines Resort...Harbor Town Golf course...home of the annual RBC Heritage classic.   From atop the well known lighthouse we could look back up the finishing hole where Arnold Palmer won the first year's tournament.

All in all, a wonderful day...and I got to spend it with my best friend.

Feb 25-2 2013

Driving around Hilton Head at night is a little bit of a challenge.  They do not have street lights because the Loggerhead Turtles after they hatch, go towards a source of light (usually the moon) to the ocean and the trip is implanted in their DNA.  Many years later after swimming the Ocean they come back to the very same spot to lay their eggs.  By having street lights around they go towards the lights and away from the ocean becoming lost.  It is that same reason that one should not carry the turtles to the ocean because they would not know where they started from.

Rain all day today so I thought I would add a pic from yesterday.  I guess blue at this point is better than white.

Feb 25 2013

Finally, I choose the right settings to allow comments.
Directions.  At the bottom of the post, you will see  No comments, or 1 comment, or 2 comments, etc.   Click on that.  You will then see a Pop up box. 
Enter your comment, then below, in the Name/URL box, put in your name.  no need for URL.
Then Publish.

The comment will not show up immediately. It may take a minute or 2, or a page refresh.

Feb 24, 2013

Finally a great day on the island. We took a walk on the beach for much needed exercise after spending a good part of several days in the van. But before the walk on the beach, Tom had to take care of a little business...would you believe making a T time at Harbor Town? On the property where we are staying for the week, (Waterside) there is a lagoon where we are told Big Al and his 3 alligator ladies in waiting reside. When we went to look for Big Al, all we saw were several birds sun drying, and a few turtles sun bathing.

Feb 23, 2013

Today we arrived in Hilton Head Sc, where the year round population is 3500, but explodes to over 2 million visitors each year. The island has become a year round resort for many. On the island, there are many golf courses and shops for the masses. Miles of wonderful public beaches make it a wonderful place to visit. A return in the future is a possibility in the future. Because we arrived with no sun, Alice quickly broke open a puzzle to work on. Even though Tom is in the picture with the puzzle, Alice did most of it.

Feb 22, 2013

Today was another day on the road and the planned stop was at Parris Island Marine Corps Training Base. Tom managed to get in a round of golf at the Legends course, one of the best courses in the military collection of courses.

Feb 21, 2013

Today we spent an uneventful day except for trying to find our way around Fort Bragg in Fayetteville NC. The Garmin doesn't have every address in it so it was more like a go up to the next stop, turn around and look for something that looks familiar. Too bad we didn't have John with us like he was a few years ago. We stayed in the same building as when he was with us. Fort Bragg was where I did my Basic Training in 1969.

Feb 20, 2013

Another day of new experiences. We visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina for the first time. It was a great day for driving and it was nice to see the temperature gradually rise. We visited a couple of Mainers in "exile" who will probably only be back to Maine for visits. It is so nice to see a wonderful couple like Bob and Glen enjoying their family and grandchildren in such a great place. It was different from what I thought down here. I thought that I would see single level homes along the beach but instead there are many 3 level homes with Crow's nests at the top to be able to see the ocean and wonderful sunrises above the dunes that protect the homes, and town from large waves and storms that hit the area. We were there at a good time as the seasonal people tend to cause traffic problems. Thanks Glen and Bob for your wonderful hospitality.

Feb 19, 2013

Hi everyone. Getting up in the morning was somewhat of a disappointment knowing that there were 54 holes of golf within 2 miles and the rain certainly made it even worse. Saying goodbye to Andrews Air Force Base and after a relatively short drive that took longer than it needed to, we arrived at the home of a high school friend that I hadn't seen since a reunion probably 20 years ago. We had a wonderful time catching up on the many years that have gone by including a little bit of reminiscing of high school days too. It is so wonderful to have a chance to catch up with people that you spent the early times of your lives with. We realized that Winthrop was a wonderful place to grow up in, and is still a special place. We found out that the things that you remember about someone may be quite different from the way they saw themselves at the time. Memories can be quite selective.

Feb 18, 2013

We set out for a long day's drive, about 460 miles, to get to Andrews Air Force Base. We checked into the Presidential Inn, home of Air Force One, and also 3 golf courses. We saw the last of the snow when we crossed over to New Jersey and bid good riddance hopefully for the remainder of this year. Tom washed off the winter coat of road salt which brought out the fresh scrape marks on the front bumper. Today's low..15 degrees, today's high 45 degrees. Lowest gas sign today: $3.46

Feb 17, 2012

Today we loaded up the van and set out for adventure. After a brief stop to pick up an extra set of golf clubs in Scarborough that belong to a friend who will be joining us in Florida we continued to visit Tom's sister in Danvers MA. A good part of the day was spent in blizzard like conditions and on the way, Tom "bumped" into a someone he had never met before. Sister and husband are doing great. They should be auditioning for the remake of On Golden Pond. What a pair, been married 50 years or so and would do the part justice. Upon request, no pictures were taken. On a sad note, RIP to a fictional character of Downton Abbey.

A family day together.

Hi everyone. Grammie is on the road again. This time she's heading to Florida for a bit to get some needed exercise and sunshine. Before she left, the family gathered to say Happy Birthday to Doug and Robin who both have February birthdays but more importantly, to say goodbye to them before they head to Cheyenne Wyoming. We all gathered at the Newport Entertainment center for a little bowling and fun. Doug and Robin shared a few hugs with the nieces and nephews before they left home.