Sunday, September 29, 2013

DIANE'S GOLF CART!!

Diane and Mike are too good to us!!  During our stay at TT Chesapeake Bay, Diane let us use her bright red golf cart!!



We had more fun riding around the campground!!  I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to show you around TT Chesapeake Bay.

  Of course we drove the cart to the Pickleball Courts!!


And we rode to the Store and to the Pavilion!!


Sometimes our trips to the Store was for a big Ice Cream Cone!!  UUMMM!!


But it was not all fun!!  Sometime we had to take the Golf Cart to the Laundry!!  And to the Trash Dumpsters!


Back to the fun!!  We rode down by the lake


Down to Mike and Diane's site to play with their friends!!


One day we went "mudding" out in the woods!!  Sorry, Diane.  Just had to do it!!


We took the Golf Cart down to the dock.  Beautiful!


And along side the river!


And several times to the Ranger Station.


And we would always come back home!!


What fun!!  Thank you so much Diane and Mike!!

EAST COAST BLUEGRASS BAND COMPETITION

Fri and Sat, Sept 20-21 - I enjoyed a surprisingly delightful weekend at the East Coast Bluegrass Band Competition and Festival held at TT Chesapeake Bay --  known as "Bluegrass By The Bay"!!


We were already camping at the Thousand Trails park; otherwise, I might have missed the whole event!  But, since we were right here, I decided to purchase a ticket for the weekend event, even though I'm a Country Western girl -- not really a Bluegrass fan.  But this was not your grandfather's Bluegrass.  This was more like the new Alan Jackson Bluegrass album!  Really fun!!

As a part of Bluegrass By The Bay Festival, the East Coast Bluegrass Band Competition was held on Friday evening.  (So sorry my pictures are of such bad quality.)

A local Bluegrass Band opened the program but did not compete.  The MC introduced the group as "a real legend, Ann West and her Saluda Playboys!!"  FYI, Saluda is a small town about seven miles from TT Chesapeake Bay, and we all know about Playboys!!  Right, girls!!


Seven Bluegrass bands competed.  Each group performed one vocal and one instrumental.  We in the audience were given one ballot on which we were to select only one band that we liked best.  There were also official Bluegrass judges whose votes counted as 50%, and the audience vote counted as the other 50%.

Sassafras Warthog was the first group to compete.  I thought they were very good, but compared to the rest of the competition, I rated them a 3 out of 5 (using my own scoring system).


Next was the Blue River Band.  They same comment goes to them but I thought they were a little better, so I gave them a 3+.


Hard Traveling Bluegrass Band was next.  I liked them very much and gave them a 4.


Hard Knox was very good. The first group with a female member.  They rated a 4+!!


This is the group I liked best and gave them a 5+.  They were the only group that all dressed alike and looked more professional.  They also sounded great and had a lot of interacted with the audience.  I marked Old Dogs New Tricks on my ballot.


The last group in the competition was the Old Virginia Bluegrass Band.  They were very good, too and rated a 4+ from me.


There was one more group that was scheduled to compete but they were delayed in Williamsburg and could not make it in time for the competition -- Amber Waves Band.  While the votes were being tallied, Amber Waves played for our entertainment.  They were amazing!!  The group is made up of Mother, Father, two Daughters, and one Son who played a mean fiddle!!


When the winner of the East Coast Bluegrass Band Competition was announced, it was the group I liked best, Old Dogs New Tricks.  We all laughed when the leader commented:  "The Good Lord must have caused Amber Waves Band to be delayed for a reason."  Here they are with the winners trophy!!


And that ended the Friday night activities!!

All Saturday afternoon, there was entertainment provided by five additional Bluegrass Bands.  This time the groups played for 45 minutes.  All of groups were terrific.

As the winners of the East Coast Bluegrass Band Competition, Old Dogs New Tricks was the only band from Friday night's performers that played on Saturday afternoon.


The second group to perform was the Willis River Band.


Followed by HWY 249.  The leader of this group (center) was the MC for the competition on Friday night.  Everybody in the audience seemed to know him, and the group.  [Sidebar:  The guy playing base with the cowboy hat on was so hot!!]


Following HWY 249 was Code Blue.


The last group to perform in the afternoon was The Bluegrass Brothers, a family group.  The leader of the group is in the center on base.  The banjo player far left is his younger son.  His brother is second from the left, playing mandolin.  The guitar player on the right is the leader's older son.  The only member who was not a family member is at the far right.  Fun group.


And then, as if that were not enough Bluegrass music for one weekend, the same five bands performed again on Saturday night.  By this that, everyone was relaxed and ready to have a rip-roaring time!!  That was so much fun!!

Friday, September 20, 2013

ACTION AROUND TT CHESAPEAKE BAY - AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2013

Aug - Sept - A collection of pictures showing some of the action around TT Chesapeake Bay!  A few of us gathered every morning on the Pickleball courts.

In front:  Joyce and Eve.  Ken, Pete, Ric, Dwayne, Faye.


Over the weekend Wayne and Lynda played!


After the match:  Mike, Dennis, Lynda and Wayne.


We had met Dennis and Judy some years ago and continue to follow them on their Blog.  We were delighted to see that they were here at TT Chesapeake Bay.  Over the weekend, when Mike and Diane were here, we invited the four of them over for Buffalo Wings and Corn-On-The-Cob.


Some of the Pickleball action!

Mike and Ric

Dwayne and Ric

Pete and Ken

Dwayne and Ken

Todd and Rick

 Mike and Mary

Dwayne and Ken

Pete and Ric

Todd and Mike

Oh, what fun!!!!


LIGHTENING STRIKES AT THE HORSESHOE PITS!!

Thursday night we witnessed a mighty thunder storm!!  Major lightening over the River.  The next day there was evidence that it had been quite a storm!!  The biggest pine tree (right in the middle of the Horseshoe Pits) had been struck by lightening!!



There was an argument in the Ewbank camp!!  Diane was glad that the tree had been struck by lightening.  She had always wanted TT to take the tree down!!  It was in the middle of the Horseshoe Pits!!  But, Mike did not want the tree to be taken down.  He liked the tree.  One of the biggest pine trees he had ever seen.  It provided the only shade at that area of the Horseshoe Pits!!  Ken (a tree man himself) said it would not likely die.  We'll have to wait and see!!


FAYE'S TEQUILA-SOAKED WATERMELON WEDGES

Found this simple recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine!


Quarter a seedless watermelon and cut into 1 inch slices.

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cut water
1/2 cup Tequila
1/4 cup Triple Sec
2 limes, halved
Flaked sea salt

Arrange watermelon in a single layer in two 9 by 13 inch baking dishes.

Bring sugar, water, Tequila and Triple Sec to a boil in a small sauce pan.  Cook, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.  Let cool slightly.  Pur syrup over watermelon wedges and refrigerate for an hour.

Remove watermelon from syrup and arrange on a platter.  Squeeze limes over melon and season with salt.

Ken and I bought a seedless watermelon at Walmart to give it a try.  I took this serving over to Mike and Diane and some of their friends on Saturday evening, before they began their Golf card game.  It was so good!!!  I think everyone enjoyed it!!  So refreshing!!

My watermelon wedges look exactly like Martha's!!  HA HA


UUMMMM!  We have been enjoying the other half of the spiked watermelon for breakfast in the mornings!!

GETTING TOGETHER WITH MY SIBLINGS IN MECHANICSVILLE, VA

Sun, Sept. 15 - We arrived at the TT Chesapeake Bay on Thursday, August 22.  We have been "home" for almost a month and I have not seen my family!  I called my sister, Jean to see if she would be at home on Sunday so that I could come to visit.  She and her husband Bob would be around -- come on over!!

The I called my brother, Chip, who lives in Williamsburg and asked if he would be available to pick me up on Sunday and drive me up to see Jean and Bob.  He said he'd do it!!

We arrived and Jean and Bob's temporary apartment at about 12:30 with plans to go out to Sunday lunch.  J & B sold their home a few months ago and moved into an apartment while they wait for their "apartment" in an "advancing care senior housing development" is being completed -- about a year.  They later took us by the construction site to see where they will be living.  A huge complex!!

We had lunch at Calabash Seafood close by.


Calabash has a nice dining room with a regular menu, but we decided to try their new Tiki Bar menu.  Besides, the Redskins game was on TV in the bar!  The new menu was interesting!  On the weekend you can get $5 Steam; $7 Lobster and other reasonably priced entries.  The trick was - the great prices were contingent on your buying a beverage.  Most drinks were about $3.25, even a glass of water if you did not order another beverage.  There were no refills.  But, for each beverage you bought, you could get another super-priced entree.  In fact, they even offered FREE hot dogs with the purchase of a beverage!!  All sides were ala carte, about $2.25 each.

Chip and I ordered the tall beer, the $7 Lobster Tail with one side. Jean had iced team and the $7 Lobster Tail with one side.  Bob had steamed shrimp from the regular menu.  UUUUUMMMMMMM!


Here we are enjoying our Tiki Bar lunch!!  Faye, Chip, Jean, Bob.


We had to laugh at Jean after we had left the restaurant!!  She had ordered a refill on her tea.  But since there were no refills, she essentially bought a second beverage!!  We teased her that she would have to go back to the restaurant and get her second entree!!  Or, she could get the FREE hot dog!!!  It was soooo funny!!

Thanks all you guys for a fun afternoon!!  Everything was GREAT except the Redskins game!!!

OUR "WEEK OUT" IN RICHMOND, VA

Sept 04 - 11 - Under our Thousand Trails membership contract, we can stay for two weeks at a TT park and then must be out for a week before returning to that same park.  We spent this week out in our home town, Richmond.

Ken's son, Mike and his wife Diane live in Richmond and we spent the week in his driveway.  One of Ken's daughters, Stacey, now lives in Richmond.  Two of his daughters, Vickie and Tracy, flew up from Florida for a few days.  So, the entire family was together!  (Except for Richard who is in Chula Vista, CA).

On Thursday evening, the family went to dinner at Mimi's Cafe:  Faye, Stacey, Vickie, Mike, Tracy and Ken.  (Diane could not make it tonight.)


The next day, A Challenging game of Cornhole!  Tracy and Vickie are new at the game.


Their partners at the opposite board:  Mike (Vickie's partner); neighbor Mitchell (Tracy's partner).


In the next game:  Diane and Ken.


At the opposite board:  Faye (Ken's partner) and neighbor Robin (Diane's partner).  The girls Diane and Robin were the winners.


Ken's glamorous daughters going out for the evening!


One reason the girls flew in from Florida was to scatter their mother's ashes at the graves of her parents.  On Sunday afternoon the siblings went to the cemeteries to remember their mother in the scattering of her ashes.


Time to say farewell!  Mike and Stacey drive Vickie and Tracy to the airport for their flights back to Florida.


On our last night in Richmond, we took Mike and Diane to P.F. Chang's for dinner as a "Thank You" token for letting us spend the week in their driveway.


A yummy dinner enjoyed by all!!


Thanks so much Mike and Diane for letting us stay at your place!!!  Love you!!