PopStroke Fort Myers

 

Don and I came down to Naples on Sunday and had a few days together. Today, Don went back home, and I started my vacation with Nancy, Celeste, and Gretchen. Because Celeste knows all the fun things to do in Naples, she suggested we go to the Tiger Woods PopStroke mini golf course in Fort Myers.

This was the most sophisticated mini golf course I've ever played. We felt like we were playing a pro course. We played 18 holes and then had dinner at the cafe there. We would have played 18 more holes, but it was evening and the weather cooled off too much for us.

Can you believe I got a hole-in-one?

And so did Gretchen!

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The Candy Dish

 

This candy dish filled with Andes Creme De Menthe Thins sits on my desk, not so much because I want to eat the candy, but as a reminder of the special friendship I have with Nancy, Celeste, Gretchen, and Karen. The five of us can laugh and laugh and laugh! After the incident below, Celeste thought it was appropriate for each of us to have a candy dish containing Andes mints.

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our friend Nancy decided to brave the germs and head into the community to deliver groceries. I believe she was employed by Instacart. At the time, this was considered a dangerous job! She was on the front lines of battle. She was in our prayers, for sure. Then one day she sent this text:

Nancy: So I got an order today from a Gretchen G...I thought to myself, wouldn't it be funny if it were my dear sweet friend. And then I got to the end of the shopping list and I had to buy men's Depends, and I thought to myself...oh dear, this could get awkward!

It turned out the Depends were for a different couple, so Nancy didn't have to show up with them at Gretchen's door. I won't share the whole hilarious text exchange, but the part that has to do with the candy dish is below:

Celeste: Nancy, did you get a tip? Probably an Andes mint on that order.

Marianne: I don't get the Andes mint comment. Please explain.

Karen: Just because they're old and think that will suffice.

Marianne: I still don't get it, ha ha.

Karen: LOL! It's like getting an oatmeal cookie at Halloween. Get it?

Marianne: No. You're talking in parables.

Celeste: Old people would have them in a cut-glass bowl by the door and give you one, thinking that was enough of a thank you.

Marianne: Ohhh! Now I get it.

Karen: That was even funnier!!!

Celeste: Are you sure?

Marianne: I'm dying over here

Karen: Marianne looked over at her cut glass bowl filled with Andes mints by the door as she read this...

Karen: "You're talking in parables" is the new classic comment!!! Love it. I'm screen-shotting all of this!!

Maybe you had to be there, but every time I read this text thread (which Karen saved and sends to us once a year), I laugh so hard my belly hurts. Love these ladies so much!

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Jake

 

Sadly on Friday, my friend Becky had to say goodbye to her beloved dog, Jake. He developed some health problems a few months ago which recently worsened. I wanted to do a photo tribute to him here because he was Riley's best friend.

We loved you, Jake!

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Girls Trip 2024 - Part 4

 

Our last morning in Texas began with a hail storm. We were sad we could not sit on the porch one last time. We couldn't stay long anyway because we had to leave the Airbnb by 11:00. We had a reservation for Mother's Day Brunch as Berties on the Rooftop in Waco at 12:30. 

It was raining, actually, it was pouring as we headed to Waco. As you can see from the above video, getting out of the car was dangerous. We had hoped to valet park in front of Hotel 1928 but only hotel guests could use the service. Celeste was the trooper of the day because she dropped us off at the door before parking across the street and walking back through water up to her ankles. 

The hotel was beautifully decorated. We looked around for a few minutes before heading to the rooftop floor for brunch.

The highlight of our meal was the Starter - Crispy Sweet Potatoes. The restaurant manager told us how they make them, but I can't remember!

Here's the full menu.

By the time we finished eating, there was a break in the weather so we walked outside. It would have been nice to sit and relax on the rooftop on a dry day.

It started raining again once we got in the car and headed to the Dallas airport. We had two hours of heavy downpour.

Celeste has nerves of steel! We were so thankful for her excellent driving skills.

What do you do when your flight is delayed three hours? You play cards for three hours and you get home at 2:30 a.m.

Aside from our rainy last day, we had a wonderful trip together. I love these ladies, and I'm so thankful for their friendship!

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Girls Trip 2024 - Part 3

 

There was little in the town of Belton where our Airbnb was located but I found this department store called Cochran, Blair & Potts. This department store was founded in 1869. We made a special trip since it had been open for over 150 years.

The store had some very nice clothes and accessories. Celeste purchased a few items but not this particular dress. She said it made her feel like Madame Blueberry from Veggie Tales.

At the front of the store, a cute couple was selling homemade cookies and giving away mimosas in honor of Mother's Day weekend. We noticed them and therefore took them up on the free drinks. We also purchased some cookies to support the local business.

One benefit of stopping in Cochran's was meeting a very nice young salesman who sold us on Miller's Smokehouse for dinner that night. Their website said they were open until 8:00 or until the food was sold out. You can believe we skedaddled over there by 6:00.

We ordered at the counter and they handed us this card indicating we were to sit at table 29. But we couldn't figure out what the "6" "O" "L" meant. Celeste guessed it meant six old ladies. But there were only four of us. We asked the server who cleared things up. The table seated 6 people, the table was a low top, and it was in the outside section of the restaurant.

After dinner, we sat on our porch playing a new-to-me game called Five Crowns. It was a fun game. It is called Five Crowns because there are five suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, Clubs, and Stars. I didn't even notice there were stars! Those guys made it look like I was eating all the cookies.

...to be continued

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Girls Trip 2024 - Part 2

 After a good night's sleep and a relaxing breakfast, we headed to Fredericksburg for the day. On the way, we stopped at the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park. We thought we could drive through the LBJ Ranch to see his Texas White House but it was closed for construction.

We stopped at the Visitor's Center. Above is a poster showing wildflowers found on the property.

There were wildflowers everywhere. This picture does not do it justice.

The National Park Service maintains a herd of Hereford cattle descended from LBJ's herd and manages the ranch lands as a living demonstration of ranching the LBJ way.

Another stop was at Wildseed Farms. It is the nation's largest working wildflower farm.

After a look around we headed to downtown Fredericksburg in Texas Hill Country. The town was founded by German settlers on May 8, 1846. It is a bustling place with lots of shops and restaurants. This is where we did some shopping.

We were hungry by this time and had to stop and eat. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it had very eclectic decor. 

After dinner and the drive home, we began working on this puzzle. Nancy packed it in her suitcase for us. I was much better at helping with this puzzle than the one we did last year.

...to be continued

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Girls Trip 2024 - Part 1

 

On March 12, 2020, Celeste, Nancy, Gretchen, and I flew to Texas to explore the wonderful world of Waco. Between then and March 15 when we flew home, the stock market crashed, schools closed, grocery stores began to have a run on toilet paper, and international travel was suspended. 

Four years later, the world has mostly recovered from the coronavirus craziness. So it was time for Waco Take Two. We also spent some time in Fredericksburg and Belton.

A Magnolia

On the sidewalk in front of Magnolia Table, our first stop after flying into Dallas.

After exploring the shops in Waco, we drove to our Airbnb in Belton, TX. It was difficult to find the correct house because the address we were looking for was 6820 and the mailbox just said 2.

This entry in the guest book also gave us pause.

Once we walked through the house and went out back, we knew we were in the right place. It had quite a view.

...to be continued

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