February 2013

Hello again and greetings from Camp Riverbend. Today is April 5, 2013 and I still haven’t had time to write my February blog. It is raining for the first time in a long time, so I have the time to write today. We need the rain too.

February is a blur and I have to write about March too.

We celebrated Super Bowl Sunday with good friends at the McAllister’s. Bernie and I were the ones guilty of coercing Steve and Sunny Cole into having New Years. We are terrible. The game was quite historic as it pitted two brothers against each other. We were cheering for Jim as he has a history with the Chicago Bears. That didn’t work! Bernie and Barbie had a great party. Thanks again.

The first couple of weeks were spent planning. We were the committee chairpersons for the annual Sweetheart Tournament this year, which was held on February 15^th. We won this couples tournament last year so we had to do it this year. We had a great committee and everyone pitched in and did their part. The centerpiece on each table was a beautifully created S’Mores take home gift for each couple. Diane got the idea from a magazine and we adapted it for our use. It was a cute idea and was warmly received by all. We even printed some microwave instructions. In just 15 seconds you have a real treat

The people who run the tournament rarely ever win. They are usually too distracted to concentrate on good golf. We’ve won in the past and have personal experience. We were comforted by this the day of the tournament and did not expect to win. However, sister fate has ways of surprising you. The weather was questionable all day long and we were not sure if we would get the golf in before the rain. It even sprinkled a few times. We were so relaxed we played good golf and we won again. Oops! Now we have to run it again next year.

One of the enjoyable aspects of living here is the abundant wild life.

The last couple of years we have been visited by a couple of Egyptian geese. This year they had 7 babies. They are really cute.

We have enjoyed the good weather. Outside dining only serves to accentuate it. We went with our good friends Joe and Jan Sharpnack to Jetty’s Restaurant one warm evening. The company and the food were excellent. Waterfront dining is the best.

You will probably get tired of pictures of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse but I haven’t.

We were invited to Carol Patton’s Birthday party. They had a golf tournament and then a Hippie 1970’s costume party at the clubhouse. It was a fun evening with good friends. You probably won’t recognize us. 1970 was the year I graduated from college, started with State Farm, married Diane and then got drafted into the US Army. There was very little “Hippie” in my life.

Tom Buoye has a committee of volunteers who put on “Ice Cream” socials. We play 9 holes of golf and have a light supper. February was a Las Vegas scramble. You all hit your drive and then you roll a die to see which drive you get to use. The socials are fun and a great chance to meet people that you wouldn’t ordinarily have a chance to meet. I had a fun team of wonderful ladies who could putt and chip like you wouldn’t believe. I have three new friends.

I have started to play Men’s Tennis on Tuesday and Thursday nights. We play three sets from 6-8:30 and then have a beer on the clubhouse porch. We take turns bringing and cooking something on the grill for a snack. My good friend Kurt Weber is nice to include me. I had forgotten how exhilarating it feels to run around, sometimes in circles, and really sweat. It has proven to be really lots of fun. The evening out gives Diane extra time to work on her watercolors.

We ended the month having dinner on the clubhouse porch with John and Joann Pinter and the Sharpnacks. We bring our own meat to grill and a dish to pass and we enjoy the beautiful view of the river and the sunset. John is VP of Riverbend Condos which we don’t really have anything to do with since we live in North Passsage. They are part of the Vermilion Ohio group. John went home for Christmas, was hospitalized for an infection and didn’t get back until the first of February. We missed John and Joann. He and I usually play in the Member-Member together but not this year. It is nice to have him back in one piece.