Family Gatherings

Showdown at Settlers

By admin  |  2009/06/09 15:34 Posted in Competitions, Family Gatherings  |  Comments (1)

It was a chilly Sunday in Minocqua, Wisconsin, but it wasn’t too cold for a round of miniature golf. Six of us — myself, Jenelle, Andrew, Holly, Ella, & Lily — took on the course at Settlers Mill.

After the front nine, Andrew had a one-shot lead over me. The tough back nine took its toll on everyone, but I somehow managed to stay in the match. I tied things up a few times, Andrew managed to keep his one-shot lead going into the 18th hole.

Andrew and I have always had a lot of friendly competitions. With us now living nearly 400 miles apart, we take advantage of opportunities to challenge each other in a variety of games. Andrew beat me in Cribbage on Saturday night. Could he earn another victory at Settlers Mill, in an event which he arguably holds an advantage?

The 18th hole has a gentle downslope leading up to a tunnel with rocks at various positions. Inside the tunnel, the surface is bare so that balls should easily roll down to the green and not get stuck. If you hit the ball too hard, there’s a chance it will go into a collection area that makes achieving a two very difficult.

Andrew, aware of everything I mentioned above, hit his shot just gently enough to get it down to the green. To everyone’s surprise, his ball struck one of the first rocks and STOPPED just short of the tunnel. This was the golden opportunity I needed to tie things up again.

I also hit my shot very lightly. My ball also struck a rock, and it appeared to stop for just a moment, and then it ever-so-gently rolled down the slope, through the tunnel, and stopped a few feet away from the hole. I made the putt for a 2, and the pressure was on.

Andrew’s second shot ended up in the back of the green, and he had a tricky putt remaining. As I pondered what kind of “playoff” we could set up, I watched as Andrew MISSED the putt. I finished with a 49 (+5), and Andrew carded a 50 (+6). A rare victory for me.

Until next time. 🙂

Also, congratulations are in order for Andrew and Holly. Nine years ago today is when Andrew proposed to Holly by the fountain at the center of town in Galesburg, Illinois. Happy Engagement Anniversary!

Hilton Head: May 16-23

By admin  |  2009/06/05 14:17 Posted in Adventures, Family Gatherings, Kayaking, Vacations  |  Comments Off on Hilton Head: May 16-23

Now available are pictures from our trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina. There were tons of things that made this vacation so great.

Big Family Fun
Eight of us went on this trip. Dad, Mom, Andrew, Holly, Ella, Lily, Benj, Jenelle. I put together a document in advance so that we could track everyone’s flights and keep tabs on everyone en route. We all arrived without difficulty, got two rental vehicles (one car, one van), and made the one-hour drive from the Savannah (Georgia) airport to Hilton Head. Instead of staying at a hotel, we rented a five-bedroom house in Palmetto Dunes. Any fears that we’d be cramped for space quickly disappeared when we first toured the house. Lots of space for everyone. We also enjoyed the movie theater in the basement.

The Beach
There were only two significant beach visits on our trip, but they were both wonderful. The first time out, I rented a boogie board to relive the surfing lessons I took in Hawaii a couple of years ago. Both Jenelle and I tried it out with mixed results. The waves weren’t quite as big as we needed, and the board was obviously smaller than a surfboard. Still, we had fun. It was also fun to hang out and play with Ella and Lily along the shoreline.

Food
Tons of food. Pizza two or three times. Panera. Outback. Chick Fil-A. Top-notch breakfasts made by Dad. I had to run every other day just to maintain my weight. 🙂

Golf
I haven’t played golf in quite a while. Thanks to some rental clubs, I played two rounds of golf. I don’t recall what my exact scores were, but I know I did much better at the Arthur Hills course on Wednesday than I did at the Robert Jones course on Monday. One memorable event was a shot of mine that landed on a pile of sod with a thud — there’s a picture of it in the album. On Friday, I didn’t play, but Andrew shot an amazing 75 at the Fazio course.

Tennis
Jenelle and I played tennis for an hour — I think it was on Thursday. Neither of us had hit a ball in a while. The tennis balls we bought make great souvenirs, as they have the Palmetto Dunes logo on them.

Kayaking
The weather kept us from kayaking as much as we wanted, but Jenelle and I did manage to get out once on Friday. For a change of pace, we each rented our own kayaks instead of paddling in one together. We were out on the water for over an hour, enjoying every moment.

Art
Mom, Jenelle, Holly, and the girls went to a store at a nearby mall that lets you paint/glaze a variety of clay objects. You can check out the finished designs at the end of the photo album. I think all of their projects turned out great!

If I think of more great stuff about our trip, you’ll probably see another post about it. Also, Andrew & Holly took tons of photos as well, so I’ll let you know when their site has been updated.