Jumpin' At The Woodside

Checked out the Wachovia Pro-Am today, held each year prior to the first round of tournament play at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte. With Tiger not in town, I noticed a lot less celebs than participated last year. Most notable this year were NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson and the Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox. Coach Steve Spurrier was also here, but didn't spot him. Don't know the ladies posing with Jimmie in the photo below, but that was my best chance at a snapshot of Jimmie when they asked for his photo. Phil Mickelson Sergio Garcia Vijay Singh Jimmy Joe Pete with his fav golfer Luke Donald (orange shirt) Jimmie Johnson Coach John Fox

A small thunderstorm moved through earlier this evening, but not before I moved some earth away from the house. This project had been a long time coming. Last year I removed some timbers that rotted, but the soil and mulch they enclosed remained - as you can see in the Before photo below. The tools for this project were simple yet effective - one shovel, one wheel barrow and one human, that would be me. Yes, I realize I just referred to myself as simple and a tool in one statement, but if it made you chuckle so be it :~) Before After many trips with the wheel barrow, a couple glasses of water and one tired human later, I relocated the soil, mulch, rocks, bricks and roots elsewhere. After Needless to say it's definitely Miller Time, or rather, this evening it's... Shipyard IPA Time! I had some beer from Maine when I visited The Monkey last weekend, and had a hunkering for more brew from the great state of Maine. It always reminds me of trips to Maine, and especially a road trip...

Good Friday evening to y'all! Got seat confirmations this week for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) & Black Crowes show at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Oh yes, they are pretty darn good - Section A5 Row 17! I adjusted the image below to approximate the seat location. Looking forward to hangin' with Ol' Lazy Acres! Not much doin' this Friday evening at The Woodside. Enjoying a Stella Artois and just enjoyed an ACID C-Note on the back porch, these are the same small cigars The Monkey and I smoked on the most recent New Years Eve. Quite a bit warmer on the back porch this evening than in December. Reached 80 degrees here today, and with many of the leaves out, feels like summer is almost here. Salud!

ACID Cigars Chandon

... at Timmay's Woodside. I was greeted this evening by a rainbow over the familiar Woodside horizon upon my return from my northern travels. I had a great time up north and good to see everyone. Unfortunately, it's back to work tomorrow, but at least it's a short week!

Dad and I at Triple A action, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs vs. Toledo Mudhens. The Pigs lost, but still a good time... bratwurst with sauerkraut & mustard, draft beer and fireworks after every Friday night game... priceless.

Like a plane circling in preparation for landing, I find myself in my hometown anticipating my latest summer yet. Seems like life presents a set of circumstances we can handle, but then life also enjoys its moments of upheaval. We're forced to find another gear, so to speak, to handle the latest situation you never saw coming. You could say that's where Darwin's Law comes in -- only the strong survive. I think you can relate life to many things, but I prefer to relate it to running... you're heading down the road and a hill presents itself. You can keep going, but I feel the need to do more. To not just get over that hill, but to find the next gear and crush that hill into submission. - Salud!