Girls Rule and Boys Drool

Jack and great nephew Dominic Niece Trisha, Ruby and great niece Gianna
Sister Mary Beth and brother-in-law Tom
Matt and RubyMe and the goofballs

Matt brought the kids over from Toledo to stay overnight during my recent visit to Cleveland and while he cheered our Brownies on to victory, I took the kids down to my niece, Erin and her husband Dave's home in Vienna, Oh. Missing in photos, is brother Tom, who visited also. We went to the original Quaker Steak and Lube in Sharon, Oh (don't even bother with the franchises - you have to go to the original and see the motorcycles lined up) for wings. Then on to Erin and Dave's beautiful house that Dave built, to visit. The kids entertained, as usual. Dominic, who is turning 5, is a Steeler's fan much to his parents dismay. Asked why and his answer - "because they win and go to the Super Bowl." Logical? Gianna, who is the ultimate fashionista at the age of six, changed outfits twice and settled on a denim skirt and tank top, and of course, Miss Ruby, who is three, made me dig out hers to wear to match. Thank you Erin for fixing Ruby's hair! Trying to dress the kids Sunday morning was a challenge, since Daddy packed the overnight bag and seemed to have forgotten most everything. Especially since he took them the day before on an adventure in the Metroparks which included lots of water and mud. Erin did a load of wash for me, and of course found the requisite rubber crayfish in the laundry that fell out of Jack's pocket. Almost gave her an MI. Boys and treasures in their pockets! The group left for Dom's first flag football game, and Jack, Ruby and I headed to downtown Cleveland to meet up with their dad who was on a high from the Brown's win (I think that was what he was on a high from). The kids were too silly to get a good photo. Walking to dinner, I told Jack the expression "girls rule and boys drool." He said in a serious voice, "Grammy Care, that isn't nice to say." I looked over at him to apologize and he had spit drooling out of his mouth and down his chin. We cracked up. Soon it was time to say goodbye, and Jack's happy face turned to tears. He is such a tender heart - he always gets sad when I leave and that really brings me down. Ruby is another story. A sweet tender kiss and she is ready to roll. At least this time she didn't lick me goodbye!

Golf

Yes, I do golf. And, if you view the top photo, I almost look like I know what I am doing. But, despite the fact that I have been playing more regularly the past 10 years or so, I am still very average. Regardless, golf is the most wonderful game. You are outside. You are in fresh air. You are generally with like minded people (at least they also like golf). And, you actually have the chance, because of some confluence of a huge number of factors, to create a shot that makes you so happy that you keep trying, over and over, to recreate it.

I played in Cleveland this past weekend in the EWGA Cleveland Chapter's year end outing. I also belong to the Miami Chapter. EWGA is a terrific organization. It stands for Executive Women's Golf Association and is some 20,000+ members strong in the US, Canada and Europe. Besides the local Chapters, and many other events across the country each year, the National organization sponsors a yearly Championship and I was lucky enough one year to make it through the local tournament, the Sectionals and on to the National tournament in Nashville with a scramble team. It was the highlight of my golfing experiences so far - they made us feel like the LPGA!

This past Saturday in Medina, Ohio was beautiful day with just a hint of fall in the air. I played with three friends; Fern, Peggy and Elsa. I have known Fern for over 30 years, since we attended graduate school together at Case Western Reserve. She was one of the first people I met after moving to Cleveland. All the angst over that move was dissipated when I realized what a great place Cleveland is - especially the people. Peggy and Elsa are friends made through EWGA. In fact, we have golfed in Florida and Arizona - and hopefully will play in many more new locations. Ireland is on the horizon.

None of us won any prizes this year, but we had fun. In fact, we probably didn't win any prizes because we had too much fun and not too much focus. Like when Fern's white pedometer fell out of her pants pocket as she teed off and Elsa thought it was her teeth. No, Fern does not have dentures. That started the giggles. And, while waiting around on EVERY HOLE for the very slow group in front of us, I was able to catch up with friends and find out what is happening in their lives. Maybe GOLF stands for great old lady friends. (Old friends who are ladies, not old ladies who are friends)!

Handcuffin' Harry

There is a saying in the Keys - "you come on vacation and go home on probation." Add Labor Day long weekend to the mix, and lookout - trouble is brewing everywhere.

When we arrived at work early this morning, we were greeted by young people in two cars looking for a room to sleep in before heading north to go home. They had been up all night. I only had one room available (and didn't know they were going to sneak 7 in a room for 4) and I began the check-in process with one of the young men. When we got to paying though, the young man realized he didn't have enough money to cover the room plus a security deposit, since he didn't have a credit card. He told me he had spent a lot of money this weekend. He went back to the car to see if he could scrounge up the total needed from his buddies, but instead, they decided to book out. Harry watched the young woman driving one of the cars back up into our car, breaking the light and denting the front, and they all took off. And so did Harry, behind them calling 911. Mind you, there is only one road out of Dodge - US1. When the two cars saw Harry, they turned off a side road probably thinking they could lose him in a neighborhood. Duh, the roads in the Keys end up in the Atlantic or the Gulf and they ended up facing a one lane gravel path. Harry had them cornered all the while on the phone with 911 and reporting their license plate numbers. The group made some menacing remarks, like "there are seven of us", but the police came and took over.

Dumb kids. All they had to do was come in, say "oops" and we would have worked something out. Instead, the police discovered that the young woman was driving on a learner's permit with no adult old enough to supervise her in the car. And, she left the scene of an accident. (If you are going to try and say you didn't do it, make sure you don't have a stripe of our paint on your car). And, she was an underage driver in a rental car. And she made an improper backing up motion. And her uncle rented the car for the young people in his name. So, now she has 12 points on her driving record, no chance of getting a license and has to come to court down here in December on criminal charges.

I felt sorry for her at first. Until the police officer said they were trouble, all lied about what happened and that one of the kids had been in jail. Eventually the truth came out but they apparently gave him a very hard time. Not such a good idea when you are visiting here, because apparently the adage is true - you will end up on probation!

The Other Coast

Tour guide and step-bro Ron Tureck



The other tour guide - Harvey, and his wife Sue and Lady Doris

We just returned from a West Coast trip to visit Harry's stepmom. Doris moved one year ago this week from LA to an assisted living facility in Marin County. Her two sons live nearby and it was a good move for her. Unfortunately we live pretty darn far from her but try to go to see her as often as possible and really are enjoying this new area of the country to explore with her. We also really enjoy Doris's children (stepsibs) so it makes for a fantastic mini-vacation. Since my last blog was about appliances, including my TV recollections, I got a kick out of the irony of seeing a display in the San Francisco airport of the history of television. There were Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob staring back at me from one of the displays. While looking at all of the TV sets, and shapes and sizes of screens and cabinets, I had a jolt of a memory of putting some sort of film over the screen and then you drew what was presented on the TV show. If someone remembers this, please comment. Was it called Winky Dink??

The "Bay Area" is really wonderful, with many micro-climates within an hour's drive. The fog rolls in over San Francisco and the temperature can be 10 degrees or more cooler than Marin county. I loved leaving yesterday morning and driving across the Golden Gate bridge looking up at the suspension wires disappearing into the fog. We took two day-trips during our stay. One into the Sonoma valley, and one to the Coastal National Park called Point Reyes. And, since you have to become a "foodie" when you visit these agricultural areas, we had exceptional meals. And, of course, great wine. I practically drooled all over my tee shirt at the amazing hiking trails with vistas of the Pacific. The highest point in Florida is probably the place in Ft. Lauderdale where they bury garbage! I think it is called Mt. Trash. Unfortunately, Doris is having some difficulty walking so our forays from the car are short distances. Harry is in love with the Redwoods. We bought oysters and artesanal cheeses also to accompany the wonderful dinner we had at Harvey's house near Berkeley. And, we saw the cattle farms that produce the milk that make the cheese. I swear, they did look happy!