The Annual Golf Trip

After a one-year hiatus, we were able to work out the details for the golf adventure this year. The three of use were able to arrange our schedules to travel to coastal south Georgia for 3 days of golf. Two of us making the long drive into the night and the third flying and driving to meet us. Due to these travel arrangements, the two simply driving were the last to arrive, but we make it in time for the seafood buffet. Of course, the seafood buffet has become the pot of gold at the end of the day of travel. Our hours of travel were rewarded with fish, shrimp, oysters, prime rib, assorted vegetables and a fine selection of desserts. As usual, we overindulged.

This trip had a new twist with the housing. Instead of making reservations for 3 separate rooms with the resort, I was able to make arrangements to rent a condo at the resort. We got a four bedroom, 3 bath condo at the resort with a wonderful balcony overlooking the marsh to the east. Unlike an infamous trip to the beach a few years ago, there was no sign of the bear breaking into the fridge on this trip.

The first day found us on the north end of the island at a golf club that was nicer than what we usually play. We had played this course several years ago, on a day that turned windy/raw that sapped our energy. This year the weather was beautiful-warm and sunny-with a slight breeze. That breeze became more significant as we reached the back nine that works out into the marsh and even a slight breeze takes a noticeable toll on your shots. One of us had very little memory of playing this course, since he was very sick during that round a few years ago. He almost didn't finish that round and we thought we might have to strap him onto the top of the cart until we got back to the clubhouse. There were no problems like that on this trip and we all enjoyed the round.

Evening found us back in the familiar spot at Chelsea. A small restaurant near the location of our traditional first night seafood buffet. This lovely eatery is quiet and has a nice wine list that we were able to enjoy. Since we only played one round, we were able to get an "early bird" special on the dinner. Next we will have to find out about senior citizen specials. We had a short visit to Murphy's Tavern with all the locals, but they weren't having the Christmas party we had enjoyed in the past.

The next morning started early with a drive down to Jeykll Island to rush and squeeze in two rounds. Since there was a junior tournament that same day, we started on one of the older courses and finished with the most recently renovated course. We were able to grab a bite of lunch in between rounds at the clubhouse grille. Luckily we had no encounters with the grille staff over the items included in the lunch specials, and there were no threats made. In the morning round we encountered a single alligator along the side of the fairway. All three of us grabbed our cameras to record the sighting. Two of us were brave enough to get out of the carts to snap a few photos, but one of our group was quite comfortable using his telephoto zoom feature from the cart. During the afternoon we spotted two more alligators sunning themselves on the grass near one of our tee boxes. We all agreed that one of our young friends here in town would not want to join us to play golf on these trips since he is not comfortable around our local wildlife on the golf course here, and could not handle the alligators in south Georgia.

We had a new dinner location planned for the final night, Bennie's Red Barn. I had eaten at this restaurant in the past, but it had been a decade or more since I'd been there, despite its close proximity to the resort. We were surprised to learn there was no written menu, and our waiter eventually divulged what our options were for dinner. We enjoyed large chunks of beef and rolled back to the car.

Our final morning was spent packing up and then making our way over to the Sea Palms golf course. There was a threat of showers in the forecast, and we actually had to pull the carts up under some large oak trees for about five minutes when there was a brief cloudburst. Once it passed through, the sun came back out and we enjoyed clear weather for the rest of the round. The highlight was either the house that one of us hit, and then had to walk into the owner's back yard to retrieve his ball (and apologize to the owner) or the nearly impossible par three on 17 that none of us even came close to hitting. in hindsight, if we had imagined it was a house instead of a green, then at least one of us had a good chance of hitting it. We finished the final round in less than four hours and complimented ourselves on having the whole course to ourselves. Loading up and heading out, one of us had to make a quick drive to catch a flight to carry him back to the frigid north. Those of us lucky enough not to have to venture north to return home, had a long uneventful drive home.

Overall Assessment: We all had a nice time and returned home with the usual sore muscles and our golf bags lighter thanks to the brush and water hazards. No one was attacked by the alligators and we were lucky to have weather that was warm enough to wear shorts. Next year we will try the same arrangements but hope for better wireless Internet connections and no blizzard in the north.

GREEN LIGHT

After a one-year hiatus, the annual golf trip is back on. Stay tuned for updates to see if we survived the golf adventure.

Cool Southern California

I recently had a chance to visit southern California. My expectations were low, based on my only other visit to San Diego at least 15 years ago for a conference. Looking back now, my memories of my previous visit might have been tainted, since I had just suffered a rib-cage injury that made every step I took a very painful experience. Still, I was not looking forward to making this trip, which was a consolation for a planned trip to Jamaica that fell through at the last minute.

Upon arrival, well into the night, we made our way up the dark highway to the coastal region north of San Diego and LaJolla. Taking a chance on a hotel in a city that I'd never even been through, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise to end up in Carlsbad. I'd never stayed on the Pacific coast, and for the first time was able to experience the very cold, kelp-populated, waters and rocky beaches. To say that it was nothing like the gulf coast or Caribbean beaches would be an understatement, but still, there was something about the feel of the smooth pebbles and those huge waves crashing all around. There were surfers everywhere. You really can't understand the passion the surfers bring until you see one riding a bicycle and carrying his surfboard precariously under one arm.

The sunsets were lovely, and entirely different from those in the warmer climes that I'd experienced before in say Key West. As the sun dips lower and lower, you can feel the temperatures drop correspondingly. You almost have to doubt the sanity of the surfers still out in the water at sunset, not only because of the water and air temperature drop, but the almost terrifying prospect of scrambling back up the cliffside in the dark to get to your car.

After a relaxing visit to the coastal areas, and sampling a few of the local sites, the drive back down into the city brought the urban sprawl into view. Staying in the downtown area, just a block from the harbor, the unexpected stunning view from the hotel room was wonderful. You could sit on the bed and watch the ships coming in and out of the harbour as they maneuvered around Coronado Island and passed under the high-spanning bridge to the island. The sound of the trains and trolleys were constantly ringing down the streets like some long-lost scene from a past century.

You couldn't mention this trip without some reference to the temperature difference between here and southern California. The high temperature on most of the days I was out there was only 72. There was always a breeze. Most of the people out there didn't seem to have to use their air conditioners at all. To leave these moderate temps and return home to eight straight days of 100+ degrees and heat indices in the 114 degree range, makes me wonder if I shouldn't have stayed out there, until Thanksgiving.

Karma?

Its been too long since I was out playing golf.

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=mC-5c38dxBU

UPDATE: GRAND OPENING THIS WEEK

courtesy of the Advertiser:

Common it's not. Controversial? Maybe. Regardless, one thing is certain -- Montgomery will get to experience a meal at a Hooters Restaurant this week.

There have been several attempts to bring the popular eatery with its All-American menu and Hooters Girls here since 2002, when a group of Georgia investors signed a lease to open a location at 2107 East Blvd.

That attempt, along with several others, failed. But Hooters district manager John Wilson says the wait is over. The restaurant will open to the public at 5 p.m. Wednesday, following a Tuesday VIP preview.

How long people have been waiting for the restaurant to open hasn't been lost on him or the restaurant staff.

Wilson said during employee training, about 25 cars an hour visited the new restaurant location in the Twin Oaks Shopping Center at the corner of East Boulevard and Vaughn Road to ask if they've opened yet.

He said he expects that enthusiasm to continue long after the restaurant serves its first basket of buffalo wings.

"We are the cure for the common restaurant," Wilson said. "We will put a smile on your face."

The casual beach-themed restaurants feature "oldies" music, sports and a menu that includes seafood, sandwiches, salads and spicy chicken wings. According to information on the company Web site, Hooters generates 72 percent of its sales from food, 5 percent from merchandise and 23 percent from beer and wine. Most Hooters locations do not serve liquor.

The Montgomery restaurant is in a building that has been home to several establishments over the past 20 years, but customers may not recognize the inside, which has undergone an extreme makeover.

The revamping, plus a new patio and deck, will allow seating of up to 300 people. The bar has been relocated to the center of the restaurant. The deck can seat about 50 people and the patio 25, Wilson said.

Inside, customers can be seated in dining rooms on either floor. A meeting room will be located upstairs, along with pool tables and games. The restaurant also will feature 22 televisions.
The staff will include 31 cooks and eight hostesses.

Still, Wilson knows that it won't be the menu or the revamped interior that will be the big draw, but the image for which the restaurant is best known -- Hooters Girls.

Wilson has been busy training the 64 girls who were chosen from about 350 applicants. He never refers to the Hooter Girls as waitresses, and there is a reason. He said their primary job is to interact with customers and be ready at all times to look like the All-American girl "in the mold of a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader."

In fact, 10 guys will be on staff to do most of the work waitresses would usually do. Hooter Girls will serve food and spend time singing, dancing or hula-hooping, Wilson said.

"We don't allow Hooters Girls to pick up trash cans and clean tables," Wilson said. "She's got to look like she's ready for a photo shoot at all times. I tell everyone this is a movie we are putting on and the stage is Hooters. We have assistants, but the stars are the Hooters Girls."

While Wilson admits the restaurant concept has been successful catering to males between the ages of 18 and 45, the company has generated increasing support from families with offers such as children eat free on Sundays.

Hooters of America Inc. is the Atlanta-based operator and franchiser of more than 435 Hooters locations in 46 states and more than a dozen countries. The privately held corporation owns 120 units.

Creative Advertising

Sometimes you just have to stop and say "I wish I had thought of that!" If you have to do divorce work, then something like this might be the best way to get them to your office.

Notwithstanding the First Amendment, the city of Chicago has since removed this billboard, saying that the proper permit was not obtained by the firm before the ad was placed. Still, it had to be the talk of the town.

It's beginning to look alot like . . . . HOOTERS!

Yes, this is it. Here after years of rumors and false starts. Well, not quite yet, but soon. The signage is in place and the staff is being hired. No word yet on the Grand Opening date. Let's hope it goes better than the first Hooters in Maine, where the local government forced them not to open the location.

Updates to be provided.......

Visiting the Mouse

It had been at least five years since the last trip to Orlando and Disney and since 1987 when it was by car. It takes a really long time to drive almost 500 miles. After an exciting day-long drive south, which included a break-down, being towed 80 miles, and getting a rental car, we were finally at the doorsteps of Disney.

Not staying on Disney property, but close by, we were able to enjoy complimentary drop off service at the different Disney parks. You just have to remember where and when the charter bus will meet you later that day. If you miss the last bus, its a long dark walk back to the hotel. Luckily that wasn't an adventure we had to endure and we never missed that last bus.

In case you haven't visited Disney recently, you might be surprised at the cost of admission tickets. The tickets were much higher-priced than when we last were there. This leads to an inevitable question: Is there any way you can get those tickets cheaper? After a little research, I wouldn't recommend trying to buy any unused tickets from someone not associated with Disney. Although eBay lists lots of sellers for these tickets, don't get trapped into buying a ticket that has already been partially used -- a five day admission ticket with four days left on it -- for example. The reason? Biometrics. That means when you first use the ticket upon entering the park, you scan a fingerprint into the turnstile. The next time that ticket is used, if your fingerprint doesn't match, then you don't get in. Thats right.... CSI at Disney! Even if the DA's say those things aren't real on TV, it really works on those tickets. My best advice on tickets is to check with your hotel and see if you can get a break on tickets from them, you might get lucky, otherwise expect to pay $100+ each.

There were a few changes in the parks that I noticed, but its basically the same, with a few new rides/exhibits to see. I got to see Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM over a two-day period. The lines weren't too bad, but it wasn't a weekend or a holiday, so there weren't unusually large crowds in the parks. I did notice that the area around the park has grown substantially. I may have just noticed it more, since I drove into town on this trip for the first time in almost 20 years. All the retail shopping stores and eateries can be found in the area. Yes, there's even a Hooters nearby, but we didn't have time to visit.

The usual advice would apply for anyone going to visit. Take comfortable shoes for all the walking. Avoid the family-congested areas in Magic Kingdom near the castle, unless you have little ones that want to see "Its a Small World." Beware the concession prices for food and drinks in the park. Always get one of the park maps when you enter any of the parks--if nothing else, it will show you the location of the restrooms and water fountains. Remember there is more in the parks than you can see in two or three days. Don't try and see everything - pace yourself! The "Park-Hopper" is a pricey option on the tickets, but it allows you to visit more than one park in a single day. If you get this option, you could hit one park in the morning, then go back to the hotel at mid-day for a break, and return to a different park in the late afternoon and stay for the fireworks display.

I think for the next visit, I'll check into renting a nearby house and see if I can include a parking pass with a multiple visit option to allow returning later in the day. After even a couple of days, a hotel room gets a little crowded.

Hail hurts!

All day the weather service had been warning that severe weather was heading our way. The rains that came through this morning were not significant, especially after hearing about the tornadoes in New Orleans. By early afternoon the sun was shining brightly and it looked like we just had to wait for the temperatures to drop.

This evening I had to get out and make a trip to the post office along with another meeting to attend on the east side of town. The lightening out in the west was spectacular, but still distant. After arriving at the meeting location, soon the tornado sirens started up and we were shepherded out into the hallway. The storm was headed toward downtown so I decided to rush home and beat the worst weather to the house. It started out well, but then the hail started coming down. Little chunks at first, and then they got bigger and bigger. We could see quarter-size chunks on the ground when we pulled up to a stop light.

Within blocks of the house, these were no longer small pieces of hail hitting the car. These were golf ball-size rocks coming down. The sound was totally unexpected-very loud and sinister sounds that made me wonder if the windshield was going to break. The streets were white and for a moment I wondered if I hadn't made a wrong turn and ended up with Steve in Maine. As I turned at an intersection a block away, I felt the tires slide on the ice. Thats an experience we don't encounter very often here.

At the house, we had to use an umbrella to make it inside the house without being hit by the chunks of ice. The view on the patio looks as though I had dumped several large ice chests out during one of the parties.

After about 20 minutes, it was over. Heavy rain fell in its place and melted the ice away. Then I knew that unlike Steve's snowy weather, we were still in the south enjoying our two weeks of winter weather.