April 2013

Diane and I went to see my new State Farm Agent, Steve Douglas. We exchanged a few war stories. Nice guy. I wish him well. He turned us over to Holly Bowman. What a great lady. She married Jim Bowman’s son Steve 30 years ago after Jim introduced them. Jim was the original State Farm Agent in Jupiter. She worked for Jim many years before he retired.

I am being asked by State Farm to change my Medicare Supplement and have decided to switch from Aon Hewitt to State Farm. It turns out that Holly is helping Jim’s widow do the same thing so she was aware of the transition that is taking place among State Farm retired Agents. So anyway I got to visit with Holly and now have a new friend at State Farm in Jupiter.

April 2^nd was the monthly yacht club meeting and also a tennis night. Diane went to the meeting and got our membership renewal stickers and I went to play tennis. One of our regulars couldn’t play so we got Peter Stocker to fill in. Peter is a fellow North Passage resident and a good golfer too. I have been anxious to get to know Peter as we have a lot in common and he is a likeable fellow. The four sets of tennis gave us a chance to get to know each other a little better. I enjoyed the opportunity.

Wednesday April 3^rd was a boat ride day with friend Bonnie Manzi and two of her friends who are considering Jupiter as a retirement option. The area is best when seen from the water. It really is lovely. We had a picnic lunch and toured the Bay. It was a nice day together and we got to know two new friends. We hope Gail and Mary Sue do decide to join us in a few years.

No this is not a new satellite dish. Tinker had a skin tag removed and her teeth cleaned. Since she had some stitches she had to wear the collar for a week. Just when we were not home to watch her. She hated it. Even though she could walk she wouldn’t. When we came home she would be in the same spot we left her. She got her stitches out and everything is back to normal. Poor thing.

April 5-7^th was the annual Art Show. Diane enjoys watercolors. She finds it very therapeutic. She really enjoys it and her pictures are pretty good.

Next year they have been invited to have a show at the Tequesta Country Club.

Sunday we were invited to Tom and Sharon Zeck’s for dinner and bridge. We enjoyed cocktails on their screened porch with a great view of the river. They back up to the river just like we do and so they enjoy good sunsets. Sharon made a really good chicken casserole with rice. It was excellent. The bridge was fun too. Tom and I actually got enough cards to win one rubber. We enjoy the Zecks and look forward to staying with them this summer in Ohio.

April 9^th was the end of the season ladies luncheon for the 18 holers. Diane was the Ringer winner for the A Flight. Having the best score on each hole during the year is a challenge. Diane would like to put that all together some day. J

Weds we were invited to Bernie and Barb McAllister’s home for a end of the season “Must go” party. They had some stuff in their freezer they needed to cook up and get rid of before they left for the season. It was delicious shredded beef with all of the trimmings. We will have a party for any excuse. Towards the end of the season everyone has to clean out the fridge. We look forward to seeing them in Ohio this summer too. CIC is going to be very busy the last of July.

Thursday was the annual pool party at Riverbend. The committee did an excellent job this year. Everything at Riverbend is done by volunteers and it is the wonderful people that make Riverbend wonderful. This year Bill and Jan Raabe along with the Zecks, and the Sharpnacks were on the committee.

We had a table with the Webers, Pinters, Hirbes and the Pattons. The Patton’s daughter Ashley also joined us. Ashley was just home from a year in South Africa on a mission trip. She had some great stories to share. Gordon and Carol are great parents and they have done an excellent job raising Ashley.

One of the activities at the party was a 50/50 raffle. The committee sells tickets to raise money. They keep half the money and they award the other half in prizes. We won 2nd! I forget the exact amount but it almost paid for the evening. The weather held off until the next day.

We were trying to find a date when all of us(Pinters, Sharpnacks, Zecks and Hartongs) could get together for a boat ride back in March and April 12^th was the first date we could agree on. It happens to be Tom Zeck’s birthday but we wanted to go on the boat to the Dive bar for dinner. After waiting 4 weeks for the day to arrive it rained. Rats! We had to go by car, but go we did. The tables are outside but we snuggled up under a canopy. The heavy rain waited until we were done eating. We had to go inside and pay our bill. But the food was excellent.

Their presentation is just awesome. We like the Dive Bar. Tom had a good birthday dinner. I am sorry we had to wait so long and then could not go by boat.

Saturday we went to Weber’s for dinner and bridge. I got the strangest hand. It was so odd I took a picture of it. I couldn’t believe it.

6 points but 8 diamonds! What would you bid? The other players had all of the point count so they did all of the bidding. We didn’t end up in diamonds.

Sunday we played tennis in the morning and then a scramble in the afternoon. Not too memorable as we did not win. I got to play with Lynn Weber but we had one team member who could literally not hit a straight shot. We had to use two of his drives. We ended up asking him to just pitch the ball off of the tee. We didn’t stand a chance. It was fun to play with Lynn though. She is a really good steady gofer. She is this years club champion. Yeah Lynn!

The 19^th we were invited to Steve and Sunny Cole’s for their “must go” party. I love their freezer leftovers. Steve cooked the most wonderful beef tenderloin. It was awesome. I’ll help clean out their refrigerator anytime.

The next day, Saturday we were invited at the last minute to have dinner at the Sharpnacks as her sister, Shirley and her husband Dale were in town visiting on their way home to Orlando. She had purchased too much fresh fish and needed help in using it up. Joe, Dale and I had played golf that afternoon. We played the Riverbend nine, which is really 11 holes. I always enjoy seeing Dale and Shirley. Jan cooked a great dinner. Thanks Jan.

The next day, Sunday, we were able to get out for a boat ride with the Sharpnacks. We packed a lunch and anchored in the lower bay and enjoyed eating and watching the other boats cruise by. We did the same thing Wednesday but with the Webers. It’s good to get out on the Bay.

That night we went with a group(Webers, Patton’s and Ashley, Tim and Peggy Turner) as guests of Mike and Cathy Bell to Trivia night at the country club. They had a great buffet and we played trivia. Our table/team was leading until the last question and then we didn’t bet enough points on the final answer as the consensus of opinions was divided at the table. The question was: What country reports the most deaths by snake bite in a year? Some thought is was the US. Some thought India. The correct answer was India and that was what we decided on but we were shy on the number of points that we were willing to wager. It was great fun and the Bells graciously picked up the tab. Thank you Mike and Cathy! Mike also played tennis with us one night during the week, so it was fun to have him fill in for us. He can sure hit the ball. I hope he joins us more next season.

Our traditional annual swan song with the Sharpnacks is to go to Jettys for our last night together before they leave. Jetty is the best. This year the Raabes joined us. Good food and excellent atmosphere. Its is always fun to get into the scotch with Joe and Jan. This particlar night I had a bottle of 12 year old Glenlivet single malt. It was a gift from Mary Sue and Gail after their enjoyable boat ride/tour of the bay. I sure hope they retire here!

See you next month.