Practice - hurricane season and tailgating

We returned from NC to 'Jack-and-the Beanstalk' sized plants and a pool deck that needed a good scrubbing. So much rain in Tampa while we were gone!

But it all worked out for the best because a storm/hurricane was supposed to arrive that weekend. For three days we waited for Fay. Hardly a drop of rain or puff of wind! We're qualifying it as 'practice' for hurricane season. Fay (or her outer bands) will have visited all of our places in Florida this week! She needs to head a bit north to SC and NC!

Sunday we had a great turnout for tailgating before the first pre-season home game for the Bucs! And they won so it was a nice way to kickoff off our brief time at home. www.bucstailg8.com

Another week of getting things done and appointments before we head back to NC and then to Tallahassee for FSU football!

Who needs a lawnmower or tree trimmer...

when you've got a family of deer in the yard!

What a treat we had yesterday morning. About 7:30 we looked out the back door and saw a large deer near the top of the hill on the other side of the fence. She started making her way across the back, munching as she went. Suddenly, we saw some small spotted deer following in her footsteps. They too munched as they went. As they started coming down the hill, along the fence, we were able to get a really good look at them!

They made their way toward the front yard, we moved to the big window in the living room. As they rounded the corner of the fence, they found some new flowers I planted. Must not have tasted that good because they only took one bite and moved on down the hill.

The mama deer was quite a bit ahead of them in the front yard and she got pretty close to the street, but stayed in the yard. After plucking a few low-hanging leaves, the fawns headed toward mama and as a family, they moved to the neighbor's yard.

It was fun watching them and I hope they found our yard tasty enough to come back.

Since last post...

I didn't realize what a slacker I've been and haven't posted anything in nearly 2 weeks! Actually, we've had a lot going on!

We started the month playing golf with Alice & Doug at Beech Mountain. What a pretty course, but tough! I think I went through 2 sleeves of golf balls. Nonetheless, it was nice to visit a different course and spend time with them.

We've been doing lots of gardening, planting all sorts of flowering plants that attract butterflies. Not the easiest thing to do when you're digging into the side of a mountain. :) However, things are starting to look good around here!

We've both been playing lots of golf and I played in the 9-Holers Championship last week. It was a lot of fun and I came in second place! Thursday morning, I played in the Queen's Tournament. What a riot! 18 women all tee off together, follow each other to their next shot and so on. 2 people people are eliminated each hole. Fortunately, I wasn't the first one out, but I wasn't the last. It was great fun and everyone had a good time.

We prepared Thursday for the Holley Clan's arrival on Friday. Unfortunately, Christopher wasn't able to come. It's too bad because he would have had lots of fun and laughs. Upon their arrival, the girls went for a hike up to the Hound Ears Rocks. That seemed to be quite an adventure for them and they had a good time.

Saturday morning, most of the family went horse back riding while Lori, Frank and I went to the Farmer's Market. What fun! We got some fresh produce, home made apple bread and some more plants. We are kicking ourselves for not getting the good homemade jams! Guess we'll go back on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Chris and Frank played golf and I joined them for 9 holes. The morning started off on the cooler side but then warmed up. Everyone had some good shots and we all had some not-so-good shots. So that the guys could have a little peace and quiet, all the girls went on a little adventure. We were headed to the outlet mall when we got side tracked and decided to go visit a local flea market. Well, let's just say that one visit is enough and if we were to go back, we'd probably see the same stuff that Bubba and JimBob were selling. From there we headed into town and walked through some of the shops. When we got back, Andrea had arrived from Asheville and we were able to spend some time catching up with her.

Monday morning, Chef Frank prepared a hearty breakfast of pancakes (sweetpotato, blueberry and plain) and bacon because the family was heading out for a day of white water rafting. I'm sure they will have lots of fun! Early this morning, Frank announced there was a mama deer in the back yard and a little fawn. I tried to snap pictures, but they came out blurry. The mama deer was pretty big and she spied us looking at her and probably saw the flash. Soon enough she and the fawn were headed back up the mountain.

A big family dinner is planned for this evening before the Clan hits the road in the morning. Maybe we'll get to play a game too!

It's been a fun visit!