1 March 2006

Back from a few days with my mom and gram in South Florida. Nothing like Palm Beach County in late February. It's my reward for going to Syracuse in December. The highlight of the trip: my first golf outing. On a real golf course. I did okay. Maybe "okay" is overstating it a bit. I was marginal. At best. For every good shot, I had maybe 3 REALLY bad ones. As in hitting a house off the fairway kind of bad. (The people weren't home, thank God AND no damage was done. They MUST have shatterproof windows, being that close to the fairway.) My mom was patient and really helped me through the whole thing, including the "etiquette." It was in the low 70s and beautiful and I had a blast.

All over the course, and most everywhere we went, were remnants of Hurricane Wilma. Lots of uprooted trees and brush. I also saw lots of blown out signs on businesses and the tell-tale blue tarps on the roofs of several houses. My aunt -- and several of her neighbors -- also lost their screened in porches, too. It's NOTHING like the devastation from Katrina, but an interesting reminder.

News on that front: our good friends are officially moving back to New Orleans. Our friend Todd was already there fulfulling a teaching obligation at Tulane, but his wife Andrea has now found a law job in NOLA and can move back from Dallas. They've been there since late summer, figuring out what to do next. We are so thrilled for them, and can't wait to visit later this spring. What a great Mardi Gras present!

P.S. The picture above is from a marina on the intercoastal, just south of Palm Beach. I waited 10 minutes for this pelican to stop grooming himself so I could snap a shot of him!