As some of you know, I took up the banjo again this Spring after many years of inactivity.nbsp; br /br /In early July, Paul joined us in Todd and he and I got to jam a bit – a first for us together.nbsp; Although Paul had to do the leading, I had a lot of fun and we eventually started getting together on a few songs.br /br /It has been some time since Paul and I had some low key time together and it was his birthday too.
Elizabeth
Saturday the second of July was hot and it was Paul’s birthday so after much deliberation, we decided to set aside the golf game and go on a three-hour tube float down the New River in Todd, North Carolina.
The New River in this area is slow, sedate and the prefect place to let your troubles wash away. Continue reading
Elizabeth by Elk Creek
We hadn’t seen Elizabeth in nearly 2 years so when her mother offered to meet us in Todd, we were overjoyed. Continue reading
Strokin' it!
One of my retirement goals was to break out of my perpetual bad golfing posture and break 100.
I got close last month with a 104 on our 6023 yard Kahiti course here in the village. Then I got in a rut posting 4 116 scores in a row.
My play has been improving for several months with a lot of practice but one day the long game is good, the next time the short is great then putting is good. Finally, all 3 were acceptable and while I am certainly not ready for the tour, my 5th round of the week was a winner.
Today at Kahiti, playing with Mary and Bill and Phyllis Adams, I finally not only hit my sub 100 goal, I shattered it with an unprecedented 92! This included a par on the monster 586 yard 9th hole. I have killed my handicap but it is worth it.
Richard & Trish
While in Aurora, CO for Zack’s graduation, we got to enjoy some quality time with the Rocky Mountain crew. It is always great seeing how much the children have grown and catching up on all their lives. (Not to mention giving and receiving lots of hugs.)
When we last visited, it was as a part of Road Trip 2 last October and all we did was drop off a trailer full of goods and hit the road to get our of their way. Now they have had 6 months to get their lives back together after the move and the whole crew seems to be thriving in the thin Colorado air.
Tristan
Tristan is looking more grown up every time we see him – smart, sensitive, handsome – we’re not prejudiced at all.
Tia
Tia is still in love with everything Ferret and judging from the constant stream of neighborhood girls, she has still never met a stranger.
Hangin' in the kitchen
Will is happy in his job teaching screen writing in the university film school and is planning to teach summer school as well.
The trout stalkers
Finally, after many months and some false starts, Jim Hatchell and I were able to meet at our place in Todd, North Carolina for a day of fishing with Kelly McCoy of the River Girl Fishing Company in Todd. I have known Kelly since she opened her shop about 5 years ago but we had never had the opportunity to go fishing together until now.
Jim arrived on Sunday evening and we had a great dinner of burgers & brats on the deck with some micro-brew he brought from Winston. An evening of good company and conversation.
Nice Brown
Monday morning we net Kelly at her shop and the three of us headed to Howard’s Creek for some small stream fishing. I fished a Tan Caddis with a #20 tungsten head nymph about a foot below. My weapons were a Cortland 7′ 3/4 weight rod, 4 wt line and 5x 7 1/2 ft. leader. Small rainbows were the primary fish of the day with plenty of fish in the 5-8 inch range. I did manage a 10″ rainbow and an 11″ brown from a nice hole.
We fished all morning and then Kelly showed us a couple of access points for future fishing opportunities. We probably scored a combined total of 25-30 fish in about 2 hours of fishing.
A great morning in the mountains around Todd, NC. Thanks Jim and Kelly!
Zackary with diploma
You know you’re getting old when your firstborn grandchild graduates from High School. Zackary took the walk May 27, 2011 and with those steps, placed us firmly in the senior citizen group.
We flew out to Aurora, CO for the festivities and spent the weekend with Trish and her family as we all celebrated this milestone.nbsp; Congratulations Zack!
Proud Mama Trish, Daddy Will and siblings Tristan and Tia were also on hand for the festivities as were Grandmas Mary and Kimi.
The proud family
We decided to stick closer to home this year as our 16 weeks on the road last year was really taxing and we had little time to enjoy East Tennessee. After all, we did move here to retire and enjoy life.
While many people consider “Retirement” to be sitting on the porch in a rocking chair and watching the world go by, we have found it to be something very different for us. I did sit in the red rocker on the porch for a few minutes but that was to recover from laying concrete blocks in our newly tamed area to the left of the driveway.
If you leave out the medical appointments (a more regular part of out lives since we retired), this past week is a fairly typical one.
Mary picking wildflowers
The week began with our special Sunday breakfast of blueberry pancakes and watching Sunday Morning on CBS. We have been fans for many years as we enjoy the upbeat news presented more than the depressing day-to-day world presented by the regular news media.
Then off to Bailey links for a round of golf in the afternoon – Mary has hooked up with a couple of new women friends and they are beginning to play regularly.nbsp; I get to play by myself on these excursions. I don’t mind as it gives me a chance to work on my game without the distractions of playing with a group.
Dinner at Key Largo
Then off to Key Largo Grill so Mary can sample the shrimp & grits and try to steal my flounder sandwich.
Monday found us on the spillway from Tellico Lake and Mary picked wildflowers while we walked along the shore. Then in the afternoon, I played golf on out Toqua course with our neighbor Karl.
Tuesday through Thursday morning, we stayed close to home and worked on the yard, cleaned house, played the banjo, watched movies and did the laundry then Thursday night more golf for Mary & friends and more practice for me. Friday found us grocery shopping and then taking a trip to Madisonville just to check things out. We bought a Keyboard for Mary (she has been hinting for some time) driving by the Kahiti course where we will be playing this coming Monday and just exploring.
Saturday morning – golf, what else? Then lunch at the Tanasi clubhouse, home to watch a bit of golf and then off to the yacht club for a late afternoon sail.
Life is good! Now, if only we had more time……
Thursday morning the storm had passed and the winds abated, an absolutely beautiful day arrived in East Tennessee. Wednesday’s storms had, thankfully, passed overhead leaving lots of rain, wind, a bit of hail and shredded leaves but not much damage here in Tellico Village.
On our morning walk around the neighborhood, Mary carried a trash bag and we began picking up bits of debris along the golf course – pieces of tar paper, a shingle or two, some broken slats and some disturbing pieces of checks and newspapers with Alabama and Georgia addresses on them. Tuscaloosa and Birmingham were most common but we are over 200 miles from Birmingham and nearly 300 from Tuscaloosa. Our storm Wednesday night had dropped tornado debris about 6 hours after having sucked it up 300 miles away.
Imagine the power and the pain and the suffering of those who were hit by the full force of such a storm.
Send your thoughts, prayers and help, please.
The Cox Family
What else does an aspiring banjo picker do on a Saturday but load up the car and head for the nearest music festival. Today, it was the 3rd Annual Tri County Jamboree Family Fun Day Music and Craft Festival in Old Washington, Tennessee.
If you are looking for Old Washington on a map, it probably isn’t there! Just a few folks along highway 30 between Decatur and Dayton where the highway crosses the Tennessee River.
Roane Ramblers
We listened to two very different bluegrass bands, the Cox Family from Dayton a group of 5 family members including a 12-year-old boy on the banjo and an 11-year-old on the mandolin. (I am shamed in my ineptitude) The second group was the Roane Ramblers from Roane State college, they are studying bluegrass music there and had a more formal style than the Cox’s. Both were fun and we couldn’t decide which we preferred.
Looking for turtles.
We strolled around the park and visited the crafts sale and travelled to distant (7 miles) Dayton for an excellent lunch at the Riverside Restaurant. Overall, an excellent day.nbsp; Please excuse the quality of the video of the Ramblers – cell phone,windy, too far away and shaky cameraman but you’ll get the idea.
