What? It's October Already?

September 11, 2011 - St. Joseph, Michigan

The first day of October welcomed us Georgians with a good dose of Fall weather: lows in the 40's, highs in the 60's, and cloudless skies. I'd like to talk about about all the outdoor activities Susan and I did around the house this weekend, but that will have to be a later blog entry.

So where did August and September go? I last blogged in early August and suddenly my calendar flipped into October. I guess I was having too much fun so now please indulge me while I play catch up.

Happy Birthday Virgil!

Susan's dad turned 80 on August 25th so on the previous weekend we helped him celebrate his birthday. That Friday we drove to Jacksonville Beach and spent the night with Gary and Luann, Susan’s brother and sister-in-law, at their beach front condo that has excellent views of the Atlantic Ocean. Fresh air, a stroll on the beach, and a nice dinner topped off the day. On Saturday Gary drove us all to Virgil’s and Donna’s home in Largo, Florida for the celebration. 

Gary, Susan, Virgil and Daven “pull’ the pork from a smoked ham shoulder that Susan and I picked up at the "Creemee" in Unadilla, Georgia. The Creemee was once owned and operated by Virgil’s family and still offers the best BBQ in the Southeast.

Donna and Virgil check out the memory album

Luann organized a memory book for Virgil that included notes and photos from all his children and grandchildren. A very nice gesture, Luann, and greatly received by both Virgil and Donna. Also joining in the celebration was Virgil's youngest son's  family: Daven, Helen, Claudia and Henry; and Donna's daughter's family: Melisa, Dennis, Tyler, Caitlin and Isabella.  

Let's go racing, boys!

The Newton Boys of Bristol: Derek, Dad, Alex, Dana, Dennis and David Zoppa

Christy and Alex catch a few rays at Bristol Motor Speedway

A few days after returning home from Florida I was on my way to Bristol, Tennessee to meet my boys, Dennis, Derek and Dana. Twice a year they pull a travel trailer down from Michigan for the NASCAR races at Bristol's Thunder Valley. This year was special for me because they brought down grandson, Alex, and Christy who spent the first two days with us. Christy’s dad, David, drove over from Knoxville and we all went to the Wednesday’s modified car race.





On Thursday we made our annual trek to the Blue Hole before David, Christy and Alex went back to Knoxville for a few days. Alex was introduced to the cold, mountain fed waterfall but it didn't bother him one bit. What a trouper.

Later the three "big" boys set up their ropes and rappelled down the rocks cliffs facing the Blue Hole. 

Newt's 50th High School Class Reunion

Bruce Smith, a high school buddy, join Susan and I at the reunion

The weekend after Labor Day I drove up to Saint Joseph, Michigan for my 50^th high school class reunion. Susan flew up and back due to work commitments. Since this was a milestone event the reunion committee worked extra hard to get has many classmates to attend as possible. Their efforts were met with success. The three days of fun filled activities was one of the largest reunions to date. There was ample time to visit and renew friendships again. On Friday we had a dinner-dance, Saturday was a bus (in a school bus) tour of the area followed by a bonfire-buffet, and on Sunday a wrap-up brunch on Lake Michigan next to the Saint Joseph River.

Happy 40th Birthday, Derek!

Alex help his dad blow out the candle on his "Jeff Gordon" race car cake

The next BIG event was Derek’s 40^th birthday celebration in late September. Now I have two boys in their 40’s. Unfortunately I missed the big party that Christy organized for him so I’ll have to give him his forty whacks at a later date. It was a huge get-together in a local sports bar so they could watch the NASCAR race. Both his brothers, his Aunt Annie, Uncle Chat, and Aunt Jean, plus many, many friends celebrated with him.

Louie's 70.3 Ironman

Susan, Naomi and I wrapped up the month of September by watching Naomi's hubby, Louie, participate in a huge Ironman competition in Augusta, Georgia. For those not familiar with a "70.3", it is a triathlon on steroids: swim 1.2 miles, bicycle 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles. We had a great view of him swimming away from the competition by looking down from the 5th Street bridge over the Savannah River. We caught a great glimpse of him heading out on the bike segment which took him into South Carolina and out of view for a couple of hours. Ample opportunities to cheer him on were available during the run in downtown Augusta. Louie placed 8th out of the 300+ competitors in his 25-29 age group and 75th out of 3000+ entrants. Way to go Louie.

Louie leads the way out of the swim-bike transition area as Naomi and Susan cheer him on.