As mentioned, we are making the most of our time in Southwest Florida. Given it's tough to float our RV all the way to Scotland for some St Andrews fun, our friends Liz and Bill suggested we have dinner at the next best place...
I had probably the world's best Shepherd's Pie at The Pub in Naples. Yummmmm, laced with mozzarella cheese! It was a delightful evening and the rain cleared just in time for us to enjoy an outdoor venue.
After dinner Bill and Liz were kind enough to invite us to their home where we got a chance to meet two of their three handsome and incredibly charming sons.
It is so cool for us to hang out in a big house with a huge living room and expansive kitchen! Perhaps I'm suffering a little from 5 months in a 40 foot shoebox? Mike regaled us with his clever card tricks and Reece entertained us with 8 year old humor! It was a welcomed visit to "normal life land". Thank you Liz and Bill.
Today we were treated to a fabulous Sunday brunch and a round of golf at Kensington Country Club, one of the few Naples clubs to make our short list. Unlike Ocean Creek, Mike wasn't forced into a collared shirt at the breakfast table.
The chef completely impressed me with his roasted chicken and spinach crepe. Mike of course opted for the all you can eat buffet and omelet station which was a fabulous bargain at $9.95!
Liz wondered how such an old club had made our short list. Funny thing was that when we visited earlier this month it had no appearance of being old. A few years ago the members paid for an extreme makeover which was worth every penny of their capital reserve fund! Everything about the place screamed. "Come sit, relax, and play with us!"
We were paired with a delightful couple, Ray and Jo, who split their time between their Naples and Pittsburgh homes.
We got a kick out of Ray, the first on this trip to immediately suggest a bet between the two boys and another pitting the girls against the boys. This idea hit him on the first tee box after he witnessed Mike put two balls into the water from the tips.
If you hook your drive, join another club. Robert Trent Jones Jr. must have had a thing against hookers, so to speak. Check out these various holes:
Seeing as I am a fader (sorry Mom and Kaye for all of the techy talk), I loved the course! Mike loves a good challenge so this one ranks very high on his list too. He muttered something under his breath about there being three 600 yard par 5's.
Ay, ay, ay!
That's a whole lot to carry!
There were some interesting cart paths for the coffee table book:
It had sort of a wooden roller coaster feel to it.
After nine holes Jo had to leave the group to go home and get ready for a dinner party. Leave it to Ray to stop in at the grill to recruit a buddy to help him take Mike down. He pulled in Bob, another Pittsburgh native, who joined Mike at the tips and became my playing partner, very lucky for me.
Ray and Bob were such a kick and terrific ambassadors for Kensington.
Have I mentioned the greens yet? Slippery like nobody's business. Someone always had to play back stop...
The final hole was the real test...
Since Mr. Trent Jones had my swing in mind when he designed the course combined with having single digit Bob as my teammate, my part of the bet was pretty well sewn up. But Mike and Ray were all square going into 18. Even with a solid straight drive in the middle of the fairway, Mike was still 220 yards from the green into a two club wind. Nothing but trouble in the form of wet and white stuff protected the green. No problem for the big guy...using his not so steady hybrid he stuck the ball about 20 feet from the cup and sunk the putt for birdie. Did I tell you Mike loved the course?
It was a great day and this club couldn't have been more gracious. We'd be proud to call this club home when the time comes to make a decision.
Tomorrow we're off to play The Quarry! It's all good, if I'm golfing!
Weather Man promises that soon 75+ will be here to stay! Woo hoo! I'm so anxious to lose the jacket!
That last picture of you and Mike is fantastic, you look so happy! Please have this blown up and put it on your current coffee table, it captures what this journey is all about.
Love you
Denise
Posted by: Denise | 03/01/2010 at 12:31 AM
Glad Fla is warming up. Great pics.
Posted by: Susan Erway | 03/01/2010 at 07:35 PM