Mark and Family during visit

Atlanta

Since our last post we have driven from Augusta to the Atlanta area. We were scheduled to stay at Stone Mountain but the sites were to small, the sites were very uneven, and the trees were to tall for satellite reception, which was required for this Master’s weekend. We looked on the Internet and found another park, about 40 miles south of Stone Mountain. We went to the office and were given a refund after some fast-talking. We returned to the sites and got ready to head for the new park.

Patty decided to drive their car rather than hook-up but we decided to hook-up. When we got about two miles from Stone Mountain I noticed that something was wrong with the way the Jeep was being pulled. I stopped along side of the road and inspected the tow bar and discovered that one of the arms would not lock into position, which allowed the car to swing rather than be towed straight. I disconnected the Jeep and Tippy drove it the rest of the way to the new park.

After we got settled I called Blue Ox and they were very helpful in assisting me in repairing the tow bar. In the process I lost a small allen set screw that held the release handle in position but was able to fix the tow bar so that both arms would lock properly. The next morning, Saturday, Mike and I went to Home Depot and got another set screw and the tow bar is now as good as new.

Our new park is pretty nice. We are in a new area that doesn’t have any trees, good for satellite reception, but is otherwise very nice. We thought we were out in the country but later discovered that the next exit south from us had a large shopping area with a Sam’s club, Super Target, and numerous restaurants. We went to the Red Lobster on Friday evening and had a good meal, except for me. My steak wasn’t rare. My dinner, steak and lobster, came with a small rock lobster rather than a larger lobster tail. My replacement lobster tail wasn’t cooked enough and was almost rare. The manager was nice enough to remove the entire price of my meal from the bill so we left happy.

Today, Saturday, my brother Mark and his wife Sandy, and kids Charles and Emily drove from their home in Cornelia, about an hour and 45-minute trip each way, to spend some time with us. We had a great hamburger cookout and had several hours to catch up on our activities. We all enjoyed the visit as you can tell from the smiling faces posted above. We don’t get to see each very often so that made the time together more valuable.

Tomorrow I will take Tippy to mass and then we will go to a swap meet with Mike and Patty. We will certainly be back to the coaches in time to see the Masters telecast. This could be a very exciting finish! Monday we head for Langston, Alabama as we begin the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. We will visit the Trail site in Huntsville and possibly one more during the six days we stay at the Little Mountain RV Resort and Marina. More next week from Langston. Be safe.

Stu & Tippy among flowers

RV's in Augusta

Stu at Clubhouse

The Guys at 18 Tee Area

Augusta National

Well our day at Augusta National finally arrived and it was tremendous!! We left the RV park at 7:00 and drove to Jackie and Jerry's hotel where they had arranged a shuttle to the course. We were dropped off right outside of the gate and were given a number to call when we wanted to be picked up. We found a spectator guide once inside and the map in it helped us to get our bearings. We looked around a bit walking by the clubhouse, the first tee, the practice putting green, and the 18th green. I decided to walk the course backwards from 18 and we all set out.

I was immediately impressed with the beauty everywhere you looked. Each hole was landscaped with different types of flowers and trees and we just kept ooooing and ahhhhing and we moved about the back nine. We saw several players, most notably Tiger, Mark O'meara, Charles Howell, Kirk Triplett, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, VJ, Zach Johnson, and Paul Casey. I tried to get some pictures of each hole as we walked about and I contined to be impressed with the general tidiness of the property and the awesome beauty of many areas of the course. We were especially impressed with the look of Amen Corner. The color, openess, and beauty of this area was unsurpassed.

Tippy and I stopped for lunch after we finished the back nine and I did a little shopping before setting out on the front nine. Tippy decided to rest so I took off and walked up between 1 & 9 fairways. I looked around the front nine for a while and then headed back to collect Tippy and head back to the RV park. Tippy ventured to the golf shop and bought a couple items, we used the facilities, and then I called for our shuttle. Alex had been in the coach alone for over 6 hours and we felt we needed to get back and spend some time with her.

We will hang out here in Augusta tomorrow, probably do some sight seeing, and then on Friday we head for Stone Mountain, near Atlanta. I will publish a couple of pictures from Augusta National and one from our RV park here in Augusta. It has worked out pretty well at the park as we have been able to park close so that our doors face each other. More later, be safe.

Alex playing at david's

"The Club"

We arrived safely in Birmingham, Alabama yesterday afternoon after a 240 mile drive with both hands on the wheel all of the way. The winds were really kicking up and you just couldn’t relax while driving. We got settled at the Birmingham South RV Park, the gals went to the store, and I cleaned the coach a bit.

That evening we drove to my friend Rick Arnold’s home for a drink, conversation, and a couple of games of pool. Mike won all of the games, I choked my only chance, and so we stopped the game and went back upstairs. Rick had arranged a dinner for us at “The Club” which is a membership only dining and entertainment club. When he said we would go to the club for dinner I thought he was speaking of his golf club. Well how wrong I was! This place was terrific! They had a formal dining room with a beautiful lounge outside with multiple sitting areas, a piano player, and a large cage, which was home to two lovely white birds. There was also a patio area that could hold a cocktail party for two hundred people. There was also an area called the “State Rooms” which were rooms that members could reserve for dinners,cocktail parties etc. They were various sizes and some even had fireplaces.

The room we dined in was called “The View.” I don’t know why they chose that name but we did have a great look at the city of Birmingham from the floor to ceiling windows. :-) The view was truly spectacular and the meal was awesome. The menu was somewhat limited but what they did they do very well. I had a spicy tomato soup that was delicious, a baby spinach salad with fried oysters that was to die for, and a small filet that you could cut with a fork and it melted in your mouth. All of the presentations were excellent and everyone enjoyed their meal. Rick was the epitome of a southern gentleman and a wonderful host. Our evening was way beyond our expectations and something we will always remember.

We will try some golf this afternoon with Rick and then we are off to Augusta tomorrow. Be safe.