A Traditional Fourth Southern Style

Birthday Celebration!!!!

    Arriving in Atlanta, we were greeted with exuberance by the cousins Jack and Bailey.  The girls had never met Jack and they got reaquainted with Bailey.  Jan, their mother, welcomed us with open arms and we were excited to be seeing each other again after a long time away.  Our families have not been completely together for at least eight years, too long for all of us.

Look who is ahead!!

    After getting settled, we awaited the return of my brother Mike from a business trip he was on to Memphis.  He arrived in the evening and the festivities began.  We had dinner and began to plan for the next few days.  We had activities set up for both families in preparation for their annual trip to Lake Oconee for the 4th of July celebration.  Finishing preparations, we went to bend with a renewed excitement to spend time together.
    The next morning we got up, had breakfast and promptly headed for our first fun activity for the day.  We then drove to Stone Summit climbing gym to get some exercise and a shot of adrenaline.  We climbed for about two hours and finished the morning off by having races up some of the climbing routes.  I was the disputed champion, but not by much.  Claire gave me a run for my money.

At Top Golf

    Finished with our exercise, we then needed to replenish our bodies with some nourishment, so we went to lunch at a hamburger joint that Mike and Jan wanted to try.  The food was excellent and we were ready for our next family outing.
    We returned to the house to change clothes and for Mike to make a quick call to the office, and then we headed out to Top Golf.
    Top Golf is a driving range, but a driving range unlike any other.  In the range, there are these huge round targets with many square grids for you to hit the ball into.  Each person has their own balls that have a computer chip in them that is designated to each individual.  So, when you hit a ball into a certain grid, you get points based on how far and how close you hit it to the center of the circle.  There is a large scoreboard in each area that shows how many points you accumulate.  It is very much like bowling, but with golf equipment.  Claire was the big winner this time.
    Returning home, we spent the rest of the evening having dinner and watching the US Womens Soccer team defeat Germany.

     The next day, we all got up and went to meet my friend Jeff Donovant at The First Tee of Eastlake.  Jeff and I have been friends for many years.  Jeff is a special guy and has done a great job with Eastlake.  Not only has Jeff done a great job in Atlanta, but he is a top notch PGA Professional.  He is also a National Coach trainer for the home office, like me.  Jeff's dad was a special man in the Atlanta area.  He was the first black PGA professional in the South and played golf along with famous pioneers like Charlie Siefert and others.  These men paved the way for the likes of Tiger Woods and Jim Dent.  Jeff and I have coached together at many camps and been to a lot of trainings together.  It was a special treat for me to be able to take my extended family to meet with him.

At The First Tee of Eastlake

    Arriving at Eastlake, we met Jeff and he surprised us with a tour of the facility along with showing us the Elementary, Middle and High School that are part of The First Tee of Eastlake.  The entire facility is funded through the Eastlake Foundation.  Both schools are charter schools that are privately funded.  While sharing with us the entire facility, I was amazed by the story of transition the community has made over the last few years.  Jeff shared, how the area was known as one of the worst crime communities in the nation.  He said that the police wouldn't even go into the area, unless called.  The fire department wouldn't go into the area without a police escort.  Finally, he shared that one of the main stop lights in the area wasn't even used as a stop light.  Nobody would stop unless they absolutely had to, to avoid another car for fear of robbery and car jacking.  The change was so dramatic that a woman was jogging on the street while we were talking and he said that she wouldn't have been able to do it five years ago.
    So what caused the change?  Well, the founder of Eastlake was flying home from a trip and read that police commissioners always know where their crime comes from in a city.  So, this guy gets off his flight and calls to meet with the commissioner.  The commissioner tells him where in Atlanta the worst crime comes from, so this man takes a million dollars of his own money to start refurbishing the community.  He first buys Eastlake Country Club and then promptly establishes a chapter of The First Tee in the same neighborhood.  He then refurbishes the golf course and builds it to a point that the PGA plays the end of the year championship there.  They raise so much money, that they build the elementary school and then they just finished the high school.  The kids that go to the school come from the immediate neighborhood.  If there is space still available, they do a lottery for kids to get in from the surrounding area.  They limit the class size to 24 and when the kids leave 5th grade at the elementary school, they have already completed 7th grade curriculum.  By the way, golf for PE is required for all students.  Hmm, maybe golf can fix everything!

4th of July fun

    After our tour, we played 9 holes with Jeff on the Par 3 course and then took him out to lunch for BBQ.  No, the BBQ was still not as good as Memphis.  It was a great morning hanging out with Jeff, but it was time to go back to the house and get ready to head for the lake.
    The next morning, we all got up early and finished loading the vehicles.  We headed out to Lake Oconee, just west of Atlanta a couple of hours.  Mike and Jan have a piece of property at Reynolds Landing, so they stayed in one of the hotel rooms at the golf course.  We stayed at a KOA about 15 minutes away.
    As soon as were unpacked and settled in, we didn't waste any time and headed to Mike's boat.  That afternoon, we tubed, waterskied and knee boarded.  It was a wonderfully relaxing time.  All of us then returned to our places that we were staying and changed.  That evening, we BBQ'd steaks at our place.

Taylor Rockin the skis

    The next morning, Mike and I got up to play golf at a course called Great Waters.  It was a great time, despite not playing very well.  One of the exciting things that happened while we played was this amazing thunderstorm came rolling through while we were there.  Mike and I were on the tee box of the 15th hole.  The tee box is on the edge of the lake, so it gave us a great view across the lake.  While standing on the tee box we could see a wall of rain on the far side of the lake.  The wind began to blow and the wall began marching our way.  At first it was a slow moving storm, and then we could see boats on the lake running away from it.  All of a sudden, the boats that we saw running from the storm were engulfed by it.  At that point the horn for the golf course blew and we began running for our golf cart.  Once in the cart, Mike bee lined it for the nearest bathroom or storm shelter.  Just before we arrived at the bathroom, we were side swiped by the storm.  We were soaked in a matter of seconds.  Reaching the safety of the bathroom, we huddle under the covering with two other groups for about 45 minutes while the storm passed.  The weather in the south is truly spectacular at times.

    After finishing golf, Mike and I headed back over to the marina where we met his friends, Jason, Nichole and Jake.  They had just arrived with a new wake surfing boat that they had all purchased together.  Jason and Nichole had driven all the way to Wisconson to get it in time for the 4th of July weekend.  It is a beautiful red and black beauty.
    The boat was loaded into the water and then we all headed to the resort to get the rest of the families.  We all changed into swim gear and then headed out onto the lake to give the new boat a test drive.  Everybody had a great time, tubing and skiing.  I even wake boarded a bit.  This boat made it so easy that I actually looked like I knew what I was doing.
    Returning to the resort, we all changed into some nice cloths and had a semi formal dinner at the club.  It was a great way to end a very active day.

Jack and Gavin celebrating with fire

    The 4th of July dawned with some ominous looking clouds.  Cecelia, the girls and I loaded up our things for a day on the lake and an evening of fireworks.  When arriving to meet Mike and Jason that morning, there was some discussion to whether we should go out on the lake in the morning.  All of us had our phones out and were checking the radar.  With three different weather sites checked, we determined that the storm would pass us to the north.  So, we loaded twelve people into the boat and headed out.  It was a nice morning and there were a number of tumbles off the tube.  Jason and Nicole showed us why they love to ski so much.  They were both very good.  Jan and Mike had a chance to show off as well.
    Returning to the dock after the morning session to get some lunch and drop off the ladies, the guys headed out again for an afternoon session with the older kids.  The afternoon session was dedicated to exploring all of the gadgets on the boat and learning how to wake surf.  This process entails loading up water bladders on the back of the boat to weight the back of the boat down.  This creates a large wake at a slow speed.  Jason was the first to give it a try and was almost successful.  He did a good job, despite only surfing twice.  Jake then gave it a try, but he had trouble trying to ride backside.  He lived in San Diego for a couple of years and had done a lot of surfing.  I was the last to go, and without sounding like I am bragging, became the first to let go of the rope and surfed the wake.  It was an amazing feeling surfing behind a boat without a rope.  I would love to have tried it surfing front side, where I am much better, but I still was the only one to let go.
    After retrieving the kids, which we stranded on the tube in the middle of  the lake, we headed back while letting the kids take turns skiing.
    When we returned to the dock, we covered the boat and went to change for dinner and the fireworks show.
    We finished dinner and headed out to the Great Waters golf course.  On the 9th fairway, the course allowed patrons to set up chairs in the fairway to watch the show.  As well as the fireworks show, there were carnival games, bounce houses, hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches.  Unlike where we live, there were kids running around with sparklers everywhere.  It was a very festive environment.  Finally, the fireworks show commenced to traditional 4th of July music, and with Niel Diamond carooning to us about "Coming To America", I looked around with cigar in hand and thought of how great it is to live in a country of such diversity.  I took a moment to thank the Lord for all that he has provided and for the opportunity to share this expedition with my family.  I went to sleep that night a very happy man.
    The next morning we loaded up the trailer and went to the resort for one last visit.  I gave a couple of golf lessons to Jason and Jack and then it was time for us to say goodbye.
    Taking our leave, we headed further east to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.