We Were Out Fore A Good Time

Saturday morning, I left the house at the crack of dawn to meet Kristi and two of my work team at a golf course in Pixler. It was a chilly morning, with a forecast calling for rain in the lower valleys and snow in the high country, so I armed myself with a pump-pot full of coffee, a bottle of Baileys, and a good attitude.

The tournament we were playing in was part of a co-ed baby shower for one of our volunteer Forensic Interviewers; her dad is a big golfer and he came up with the idea, which was, frankly, brilliant. About fifteen teams were playing in the tournament and we probably came in dead last, but, we had a good time doing it. I mean, I'm guessing; I didn't stay after the tournament to hear the final scores because about a hundred people were crowding the clubhouse for the rest of the festivities and I was peopled out for the day. Plus, my body was already starting to feel sore and I wanted to get home for some ibuprofen and a glass of something warm.

I did have fun, though! And, I can now say that I completed my first-ever round of eighteen holes!

Plus, I did it on a course that is known to be pretty challenging, which, if you judge it by the photos below; you will no doubt agree.

These are cliffs.  We teed off from the top of a mountain and hoped to make it onto the green below, which was a challenge and a half.

The tournament was a scramble format, which meant that we got to drive from the best ball, which was often one of my work team member's shots, although, Kristi and I each managed to lead on at least one hole during the day.

Kristi and I had a blast following the gals around the course; they have played it before and were pretty knowledgeable about how to drive it as well as how to play it.

The course is located in the middle of nowhere, basically, so it shares territory with a herd of local antelope. These animals are incredibly chill and cannot even be bothered to get up when balls drop right in front of them.

The gals have a tradition of doing a shot on the 7th hole, and Kristi and I were initiated into the club. I think I played better after downing the Jameson shot, actually, so their tradition is pretty smart.

On Sunday, Hugh and I organized the garage for the winter; my clubs got stored away for the winter. I'll look forward to getting them out again next summer, and, now, thanks to these gals;  I know that I am capable of playing a full course, even if there are cliffs involved.

All Because Two (Four, Six, Eight...) People Fell In Love

The gallery of wedding photos the kids received from the photographer contains almost 1000 pictures, which was about what we were expecting, but still a lot to process through. While I won't be posting anywhere near the full gallery on the blog, I do want to highlight our favorite moments.

I decided to start with the family pictures because, truly, that's what weddings are all about, and the photographer did a great job of wrangling us all into submission. This was a huge accomplishment when you see just how many of us there were.

You see, kids, Hugh and I...

...and Craig and Janet...

...had a couple of kids who fell in love...

Their union brought together two families...

...and made one, larger family...

...and, when I say larger, I mean larger, because, in addition to the the couple, and their parents and siblings, the families include aunts and uncles and cousins...

...and, grandparents...

...and, all of a sudden, the family resembled a small village, which, let's be honest; is exactly what a young couple needs if they are to thrive.

Sadly, there ae no grandparents on Shanti's side of the village, but;  Oscar, Emily, and Mom have done their very best to fill the gap they left behind.

Ten years ago, this weekend, we were reeling with the sudden loss of my Dad; he left behind a gap in our lives, as well. I wish he had been with us to witness the blending of our two families, and to take his place in the village, but I have to believe that he was at the wedding in spirit, and none of it would have been possible had he not fallen for a skinny cheerleader over sixty years ago.

That's the funny thing about families; they all start with the love of two people...and the love of the four people before them...and the love of the eight people before them...and on and on...

infinity.

And, aren't we lucky to have so many of them in the pictures from this wedding?

Friday Favorites, #3

I am getting so good at posting favorites each week! I guess it's true what they say: six weeks of consistently doing something creates a habit that is likely to last. Let's hope so.

Speaking of habits that last; I still wake up every morning and immediately think "It's time to feed the pets". But, then I remember that it's just one pet, now.

I am also still anxious to get home after work each day, because my subconscious still thinks that I need to feed Boomer and give him his meds. I'm sure the anxiety will fade in time, but until it does; I am acknowledging it, and letting it go.

All of which brings me to the first favorite of today's post: this laser-cut image of Boomer that Hugh and the kids bought for me. It sits on a base that lights up, and Boomer's adorable grin is projected in almost a 3D image. I love it.

Speaking of things I love, Mom and I both had doctor's appointments in Neighboring City this week, and we grabbed a quick fast food lunch in between. The food was tasty, the company was great, and, while the picnic location next to a roll-off dumpster probably left something to be desired, time spent with Mom is always a favorite.

While Mom was at her appointment, I browsed the cookbook section at Barnes & Noble. Now, I need another cookbook about as much as I need another hole in my head, but browsing the food porn on the covers is always a favorite pastime.

Finally, today I have a new favorite album of photos on my phone. The photographer finally got the full wedding gallery to Shanti and the Man-Cub and Shanti shared it with me. I am in love with the photos, and will be posting a ton of them to the blog in the next few days.

Whatcha Doing, Weather?

Our fall season has been anything but typical this year. Ordinarily, I would be posting pictures of the fall colors, but, this year, the colors in the lower valleys have been slow to develop; the weather has just been too warm.

There is good color in the high country, but I haven't had a chance to take a leaf-peeping drive, so I haven't really been able to enjoy them.

The weather is supposed to take a turn toward more normal temperatures this weekend, but it is also supposed to rain in the valleys and snow in the mountains, so the trees may be too shocked to put on much more of a show this year, which is disappointing.

On the bright side, the flowers in my flowerbed have continued to bloom like crazy. The zinnias are still putting out buds, and the flowerheads have been in full bloom for a lot longer than I would have expected. I do plan to rip them out of the ground this weekend (I need to make room to plant more tulip bulbs), so I took a few final photos, popped off the seed heads that were ready, and made peace with their demise.

 

My roses are also in a late full bloom, which will make pruning them a sad chore, but I want them to be healthy next year, so I will suck it up and bust out the shears.

This Saturday, I am playing in a baby shower golf tournament, which is a first for me. Up until now, I have played a single hole during the golf clinic that my staff and I participate in over the summer, so, playing a full eighteen holes will be interesting. Combining the tournament with the baby shower is a fun idea, though, and I'm looking forward to it, even if the weather is supposed to be crappy.

Again, whatcha doing, weather?

Come Sale Away

This morning, I woke up bright and early. I didn't mean to wake up bright and early; I meant to sleep in, it is the weekend, after all.

But, since I was already up, I decided to hit some local yard sales. Everyone knows that the good stuff goes early at yard sales, so, if you want to find treasure, you best roll at dawn. So, roll at dawn, I did.

I scored at the first sale I stopped at, which was fortuitous, considering that I didn't find a single thing at any of the other sales I visited.

I got an antique phone, for a really good deal. The man who sold it to me said that it came out of an office at one of the silver mines in Ouray, which I thought was pretty cool. I like knowing the history of the items I purchase.

This is the phone, all cleaned up and ready to hang...

...and this is what it looked like when I first spied it.

There was a train set at the sale that reminded me of the set that was my Dad's; Mom gifted it to me a number of Christmases ago and, someday, I hope to be able to display it, somehow.

I spotted this dancing gopher on a table nearby and seriously considered getting it as a gag gift for Hugh (he loves Caddyshack), but ultimately passed.

Since the rest of the yard sales were a bust, I decided to stop by the Flea Market in Petticoat Junction. Sadly, it was also a bust, but I did see some interesting things there (just not anything that I wanted or needed).

Ok, I kind of wanted this guy, but I showed an uncharacteristic degree of self-control, and passed on it.

Someone must have cleaned out their grandmother's house, because there was an entire set of Gone With the Wind collector's plates from the Danbury Mint. This would become a theme later that morning, when I went to the local Habitat for Humanity Restore and saw a full set of Norman Rockwell plates, also from the Danbury Mint.

If I still had a functioning cassette player, I might have been tempted to buy a few cassettes from the 80's, but, alas, I do not, so I did not.

One of the sales that I stopped at took place at one of Hooterville's most historic homes, and I was hoping to find some serious treasure there. Sadly, I was mistaken. The house, itself, is pretty awesome, though, and, if the vintage truck parked outside to advertise the sale had actually been available; I might have considered buying it. Sadly, it was not for sale, and Hugh is out of town and would probably have had a stroke if he came home to a vintage farm truck parked in the driveway, anyway.

Can't have that.

By the time I'd hit all the sales, and the Restore, I was famished. I had been craving oatmeal, so I ran through the Starbucks drive-through. Fun fact: the oatmeal is not listed on the menu at the drive-through; it's available, just not listed.

Another fun fact: while at the Restore, I saw this full-sized wine fridge and I may have peed myself a little. Could you imagine having a full-sized wine fridge that you just casually donated to Habitat for Humanity? 

Rich people are not like you and me (unless you're reading this and are rich, in which case you probably think it is perfectly natural to donate last season's wine fridge model to make room for this season's model. You do you, boo).

Anyhoodle, other than my new, awesome phone, I also picked up a clock at The Salvation Army Thrift store; it's just creepy enough to fit in with my Halloween decor (photos coming soon)...

...and I found this awesome vintage Sunkist orange juicer at one of the antique stores in Hooterville. I love vintage jadeite and am always on the lookout for new pieces.

And, that's how I spent my Saturday morning. Instead of sleeping in, which would have also been nice.

Just saying.