Bonz - one handsome dude!

Yesterday we took Bonz to get groomed. Doesn't he look great! New blue bandanna and all.

We also went and picked up a new deck umbrella for our picnic table. It's the 4th one. Hopefully this one will hold up since it has an aluminum pole and the pulley mechanism is more substantial. It was a quiet day and we didn't do much else. I read on the deck (I'm really enjoying the "What's So Amazing About Grace" book by Philip Yancey) and Dee surfed the internet checking out recipies and ideas for our new "flat-belly" diet. We also picked up more bird seed (cracked peanuts) to feed our woodpeckers, titmice, white-brested nuthatches, starlings, bluejays and northern flickers. We closed out the evening watching two of our favorite TV shows "Monk" and "Psych". We never miss them.

Golfing and Eating

Yesterday we had a nice lunch at Tai Pei, a chinese restaurant. It was delicious and the place even had tablecloths! The we resumed our search for a good deck umbrella. We think we found one at Home Depot and plan to go back and pick it up today. Later I called my mother to see how she was doing and encouraged her to keep taking her meds. She sounded good, and carried on a good conversation. She doesn't care for the heat. I told her that when she stays inside she can work on my shirts. I want to get them when we go back down to see her.

In the afternoon, we met with Russ and Kathy in Butler. Dee went to see Mama Mia with Kathy and Russ and I went golfing with Steffy and Bob. We played the back nine at Saxony golf course. It was a nice day, except for the 20 minute thunderstorm. Then we finished the evening with dinner at the Field House. It's not far from the golf course. Excellent food, and even some to bring home.

Then I took Bonz for a walk around the court so he could get some exercise since he'd been in his crate while we went to Butler.

My sister, Faye, sent Dee a sympathy card after Dee's mom died. The card has a poem on it that I'd like to share. It'c called, "The Rose Beyond the Wall"

Near shady wall a rose once grew, Budded and blossomed in God's free light, Watered and fed by morning dew, Shedding it's sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall, Slowly rising to loftier height, It came to a crevice in the wall Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength With never a thought of fear or pride, It followed the light through the crevice's length And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view Were found the same as they were before, And it lost itself in beauties new, Breathing its fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve And make our courage faint and fall? Nay! Let us faith and hope receive - The rose still grows beryond the wall,

Scattering fragrance far and wide Just as it did in days of yore, Just as it did on the other side, Just as it will forevermore." (from the wirtings of A. L. Frink

A Day of Surprises

Dee surprized me again (twice). First, it was by agreeing to go golfing! She'd gone to Contours in the morning, and I went to the Rotary luncheon (learned all about the Pine-Richland School District's Plans for being a 21st Century School. The speaker was the Superintendent.) Afterward we went to the local "Pitch and Putt" where we played 9 holes with a pitching wedge and putter. I gave her a few tips to get started and we were off. It was in the low 70s and a cool breeze was blowing. Perfect time for a round of golf. There were families with little kids playing too, so the scene was not intimidating. By the end of the round, Dee had driven the ball to two greens and even made a par on one hole. She seemed to enjoy it and even thought it might be nice to try again sometime. And that a few lessons were not out of the picture. That little course is a good starting place.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Russ and Kathy's to celebrate the birth of their new grandson, Conrad Michael in Boston (who happened to be born on my birthday.) There were a dozen people there and we had steaks on the grill with other good stuff. There was even a surprise bithday (ice cream) cake complete with candle for me as well. Caught me off guard on that one. I made a wish and blew out the candle. (picture to follow soon.) They had champagne honoring the baby and lots of laughs. They called Marissa in Boston and sang to her (I video taped the toast to the little guy and Russ is going to email it to Russ and Craig later. Interestingly, The baby was born at 5:58 AM and Russ had pictures on his computer by 7 AM to share with friends at work. They were printed out and handed out later to all of us. A very enjoyable evening as I'm getting to know Dee's friends a little better with each gathering.

It's nice not to have to rush home to get ready for an evening meeting or to get ready for another meeting the next day. Quite a change from the way things used to be for us. Ahhh retirement!

Birthday time

Dee surprised me with a gift on wheels. Love that gal!

Yesterday was my birthday so we thought we'd go to a movie. However, the hot tub maintenance guy was scheduled so we had to wait for him. He came in the early afternoon, so we didn't go to the movie after all. We ate at home. As it turns out, I needed a new circulating pump and heater for the hot tub that = $$$. He said it was a dangerous situation and good that I'd called him. Parts were ordered and the tub drained. During the day I had phone calls from my sister Faye, and talked with my friends Steve, Paul Anselm, and Dr. Vera Farris called. Kerri was in Florida for a day on business and called from there. Nice cards also reminded me of friends from back in NJ. Even Bonz got me a card!

Here's a short clip from the Barbershop Open House. We had a guest quartet from North Hills - the Steel City Singers.

We'd gotten a catalogue from the SAMS club and decided to check it out. We took Dee's old Sams card wit us and it turns out to be valid for another 8 months. Also, the deck umbrella we'd purchased was showing signs of wear due to faulty construction and we'd only had it 10 days, so we took it back. While there we had a "birthday sundae" to celebrate the day. We walked the dog and enjoyed the deck and birds at the feeder in the cool of the evening. Dee made a great dinner for us and so we ate at our picnic table on the deck. Despite the news about the tub, it was a good day.

Camera Experimenting

Yesterday we decided to have lunch at Red Robin - their bunless protein burgers are the best! Afterward we returned a livingroon picture we'd purchased. The colors didn't quite match what we have in our home. Then we spent a lazy day on the deck.

I've been experimenting with the camcorder Kerri loaned me. He's a short video of a red-bellied woodpecker having lunch. (I noticed that the picture gets fuzzier as I zoom in. That's because the camera only has "digital" zoon. Optical zoom is much better. This camera is fine if you don't zoom it much.)

In the evening I went to the Bogmeister Open House. There was a guest quartet there from the North Hills Chapter. I think they were called the "Steel City Singers". They did a nice job. I was asked to speak about my experience as a new member. The Open House events are nice as it gives potential members an overview of what Barbershopping is all about.

Sunday Lunch with Kerri

Sunday we finally got to go to church and sit in the congregation. It was a nice service. The special music for the day was a young man playing the tenor saxophone accompanied by an audio tape. And then later another boy playing the piano for the offering. (Both boys were about 12 years old.) They did well. The morning sermon was titled "What about the weeds? They were to have lemonade out on the lawn for the fellowship time after church, but we had to leave to meet Kerri at the Allegheny Valley exit of the turnpike.

We met at Bob Evans and had a nice lunch. It was great to see Kerri again and she showed us all the features of her new car, a Hyundai Santa Fe. We had a good visit with her and she brought back her camcorder for me to play with. She still had the various videos she'd taken still on the disk, and wanted me to put them on a CD for her. Here's the one of the ushers trying to light the candles at First Baptist Church just prior to the bride's processional. As you can see they had trouble lighting one set of candles. When they finally got them lighted, everyone applauded.(Click play button to view.)

Then we walked through Target nearby and Kerri looked for stuff. I called my mother and had a nice chat. I encouraged her to keep taking her meds. And told her to refill her pill boxes for the coming week. She seemed to know that the list of pills for each box was on the refrigerator door. We just have to keep reminding her that's it's important to take them each day. Kerri got to talk with her some, and told her she's started sewing. She plans to send mom pictures of her sewing projects. (Note: she made us a leash for walking Bonz, too.)

Just as we were leaving Target, the winds stirred up, and it started sprinkling. We reached our cars, just as the pouring rains came. Kerri headed off to Bethesda and we turned toward Mars. The rains lasted about 20 minutes.

At home, we walked Bonz, and he got to play some with his girlfriends, Lucy and Lana. We relaxed on the deck reading and birdwatching until dark. I commented how different our Sundays are now. So much more relaxed. Whereas, before it was up at 5:30Am and then pretty much non-stop until about 8:30PM. Yep, things are different now. PTL !

A Nice Day

Saturday I worked for 8 hours at Treesdale. It was the Club Championship - 2 days of 27 holes each. So we were busy the whole time. The people are pleasant and so it went very well. It was hot, but we had water and I was in the shade of my cart all day. Not bad.

After I got home, I rested a bit and watched a movie called "The Long Kiss Goodnight." It was an adventure mystery. I liked it. I thought it had a good plot with lots of twists. Then Dee made dinner on her new kitchen grill. Then, we took Bonz for a nice walk around the neighborhood and met a nice woman (also Dee) and her daughter (Kelsey). She was a wealth of information about the neighborhood and the daughter (about 12) helps people with their dogs when they go away for vacation. We know some of the people she helps and will check with them about how well they do. (They take the dog to their place to stay while you are away.) You can see their house from our deck. Then we went to Barnes and Noble to hang out and have a nice cold Frappicino. I scanned a couple of books on birds and Dee did the same with diet and cook books. We finished the evening adding water to our hot tub. The water level had gone down due to a small leak that only leaks when the motor is running (must be in a pipe join or something like that.) I'll have to have it looked at by the repairman we had come to service it back when we first filled it and turned it on. A busy day - slept well.

Kerri is coming by briefly on Sunday to celebrate my birthday which is on Tuesday. We plan to meet her after church this morning.