Visits, Golf, and Southern Hospitality

UPDATE - September 2 - September 8

-- Monday Was Labor Day - Good Day for Visiting

Baby Olive with Patti

Labor Day was a special day because we had our first visit from Baby Olive. Only weeks old, she was prepped and ready for travel. In anticipation of her first visit, we had installed the playpen so that changing her and letting her nap would be as comfortable here as at home. Naturally, there was a lot of opportunities to take pictures, which we certainly did.

Nana Patti enjoyed the privilege of feeding Baby Olive and assorted other tasks including diaper changes and the sort. For the most part,
I reduced my role, to taking pictures and entertaining Lucy to some degree so that she wouldn't feel left out from all the attention.

Lucy has been assuming the role of big sister in very enthusiastic ways. She frequently offers to hold the baby and to teach her to crawl. I believe Olive will appreciate the attention from big sister soon enough.


-- Golfing for Tee Up for Tots Charity

New Bike for Lucy

The annual fundraiser on behalf of the newborn intensive care unit at UMass Memorial hospital was held on Tuesday, September 4, this year at the Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson, Mass. This is a private club that has been used over the past few years as the site for this charity event. Patti usually is part of a ladies foursome that is sponsored by the physicians in the unit. I made my donation and helped form a foursome to compete on the men's challenge.

Part of the fun includes buying raffle tickets for a wide array of prizes and this year was no different. Patti selects which prizes to go after and she followed my suggestion that we try for the two-wheel bike that looked to just the right size for Lucy. Much to our surprise, Patti had the winning ticket for the pink bike with training wheels! I can't wait to surprise Lucy with this.

The event used to be hosted by the UMass Foundation, but in recent years, one of the grateful families who had a baby cared for in the NICU has been coordinating the annual event. The Wright family (no relation to us) organizes the event, recruits the volunteers, and runs the whole show. It's well-organized and everyone seems to enjoy the day.

The Tee Up for Tots Tournament was Sold Out Again This Year

-- Southern Hospitality

Had to borrow a pot

We got the rare chance to experience true southern hospitality, not to mention southern cuisine, when Patti's scuba-diving friend from Louisiana visited - towing a cooler filled with shrimp and crawfish from back home. Terry and Patti spent a whole day cooking the food in preparation for the family gathering that took place on the weekend. Needless to say, we all ate too much, and we may have convinced a lot of folks that southern cuisine is delicious.

It became necessary for Patti to borrow another pot from a neighbor as we just didn't have enough of the cookware needed to get the job done.

-- Weekend Family BarBQ and Louisiana Crawfish and Shrimp Boil

Marna with Olive

Lily with Olive

The early guests on Saturday settled for hamburgers and hot dogs, but those with patience also got to try some real southern cuisine. Starting around Noon and running until the evening, the grill and the stove were in constant use. The combination Bar BQ, Fish Boil, and Meet Baby Olive was a big event. Brother Steve, his wife Marna, and the twins, Lily and Paige all visited and as expected Olive was the center of attention for everyone. Other guests included Patti's brothers and sister, traveling in from Maine and Connecticut. Other guests were Nephew Andrew and his wife Irina, also from Maine.

Reading Update: Although it was a busy week, with overnight guests and family events, I had a chance to finish a couple of books I have been reading. The first was Strategy for Defeat by Admiral U.S.G. Sharp. This autographed copy of his book was written in 1978, which gave enough time since the conclusion of the Vietnam war for him to put his perspective on the gross failures in use of air power and the consequent loss of the war. I was in the service at the time he was trying to get our national government to understand that the air resources were being wasted in Vietnam. My blood boiled during the years I was in college after being in the Air Force as I watched our military stumble in its mission to win the war. If you don't want to win; that's fine. But, don't handcuff the fighting soldier, sailor, or airman and pretend you want to win. The book is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.



The other book I just finished was Three Days in January by Bret Baier. This provocative book, written last year, looks at what Baier describes as "Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission." He refers to the challenge Ike felt to prepare his successor, John Kennedy, for the role of President of the United States. Ike gave a speech three days prior to Kennedy being sworn in and Baier reviews the years Ike was in the White House as the proving ground for Ike's concern for what he coined the phrase as "the military-industrial" complex and the plague it represents to peace for humankind. The book adds a dimension of understanding to the Ike story that has not been told so well before.