Author: Easin' Along

I am not a retiree who plays golf.

In my past, I played enough golf to have a semi-respectable 17 handicap, but long ago gave up the sport for a variety of reasons…money among them. Even though I no longer play golf, I remain a devout fan the PGA Tour and have attended three Masters Tournaments and two PGA Championships. As someone who has played the game, I’m astounded to see professional golfers do things with a golf ball that mere mortals can’t even comprehend.

In July or August of last year, I received an email offering the opportunity to place my name in a drawing for tickets for the 2017 PGA Championship in Charlotte, NC. I had received the same email twice in previous years and had entered, but was never successful. Nevertheless, I’m always on the lookout for another road trip and retirement activities of a different sort so, what the heck, right? I entered my name once again and the third time was the charm. A few months later, I received an email from the PGA that I had been drawn and could purchase tickets.

While reading through the fine print, I came to a paragraph announcing that all active and retired veterans with a valid military ID card could enter for free.  For us old retired folks, it doesn’t get better than free. I knew there had to be a catch, so I called the PGA to verify what I had just read. A lady with a very pleasant voice answered my call and when I explained that I was a retired Army officer and would love to accept the offer of free tickets, but I wanted to make sure that there were no restrictions.

She first thanked me for my service and then went on to say that I could bring one guest and would be granted tickets for the practice rounds and all four days of the tournament even if there was a sellout. That’s a heckuva deal, and I was all in.

I offered the tickets that I was allowed to purchase to our longtime special friends and traveling companions, John and Debbie, both avid golfers. Not only did they accept, but Debbie did a grand job at the thankless task of arranging dinner reservations, shuttles to the golf course and even found lodging at the lovely home of friends who would be out of town on vacation. This trip was getting better by the minute. Our plan was to attend the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday then travel back to Asheville for a day of exploring the city and an evening of good food.

We arrived at Quail Hollow, the site of the tournament, around 9:30 on Thursday morning. Although predicted rain chances faded, humid conditions greeted us. The championship had a crowded field of players, so the first tee times began at 7:20 with threesomes starting on both the first and the tenth tees. Our tournament experience was off to a great start when we walked up to the 18^th green where Ernie Els, Hideki Matsuyama, and Ian Poulter were completing their first nine holes. I have always been a fan of Els, and Matsuyama is ranked number two in the world. Both he and Poulter would later be in contention on the final day.

After the threesome finished at number 18 we hurried to catch up with the featured group of Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, and Brooks Koepka who were about to tee off on the adjacent fairway, number 16. With a win, Spieth could become the youngest golfer to win the four major championships, and he is a class act at the age of 24. I was eager to watch him play. While he wasn’t having his best day, he played steady golf, and we were able to follow his group for several holes on both the front and back side. Sergio was falling apart, and Koepka was hitting drives into the stratosphere. It was a treat to be in the gallery.

For those who have never attended a golf tournament, it is nothing like watching it on television. Because there isn’t the ability to switch from hole to hole as you do when watching television, you only hear the loud roars from far in the distance when someone makes a dramatic shot.  That is a disadvantage compared to TV. On the other hand, television does not provide the viewer with the challenges faced by the players trying to sink putts. Quail Hollow had very challenging greens.

In addition to the view of the greens, television does not give an adequate representation of how far these guys hit a golf ball. At times we would be standing well down the fairway thinking that we were out of the way when a ball would land almost in front of us. I would glance back at the tee box and could barely see the outline of a player bending over to pick up his tee. Drives of well over three hundred yards were common occurrences.

Throughout both days of the tournament, we were witness to a who’s who of golf as we stood along the fairways. Players like Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson,  Rory McElroy and Ricky Fowler all strode by us as they demonstrated their amazing skills. Not being a sports writer, I won’t attempt a total recap of the day, but trust me when I say it was a truly delightful experience for one old golf fan, and something I hope to do again. In the end, Justin Thomas, age 24 and another class act who is good for the game, won the championship. He was tested throughout, but handled the pressure like a seasoned pro, and walked away with the Wannamaker trophy.

While in Charlotte we treated ourselves to two great food experiences. On our first night, we dined at Reid’s, a small supermarket and restaurant that served a delicious hamburger. The second night we went all out and chose Stagioni, an Italian eatery that offered fish and pasta dishes that were incredible. While waiting for our table, one of the most charming and professional bartenders I’ve ever encountered, welcomed and entertained us. He went into the menu in great detail while preparing a variety of complex libations.

In addition to the above, we had a scrumptious breakfast at Little Spoon, a breakfast café near where we were staying. On Thursday afternoon when play paused due to a small storm, we did what anyone would do and headed for a pub to watch the tournament when play resumed. While there, we ran into Monica, the energetic young server from our breakfast spot.  Seated next to her was the Little Spoon chef. My guess is that something is cooking between these two besides food. Just sayin’…

Before closing, I want to encourage our readers from Military Living Publications to take advantage of the offer for veterans to attend other PGA tournaments throughout the season. In addition to this tournament, the US Open extends free tickets to Veterans for the practice rounds, but not the tournament. Nevertheless, that is still a bargain for the golf fan.

Next week, we’re off on Bertha’s first extended road trip to the coast of North and South Carolina and Georgia. Please come back, and we’ll fill you in on the first few days.

Thanks for joining us on our golf adventure…we’ll be Easin’ Along for now…I’m gonna work on my short game.

I confess…I collect stuff. I can’t help it. A peek into the Man Cave reveals much about my obsessions.

Visitors will see an assortment of glass paperweights, a souvenir mug or two, my collection of stamped pennies—the kind that has been deposited into a machine at someplace like Niagara Falls or Panda Park. You would also find my collection of miniature automobiles, mostly 55 Chevy and FJ Cruisers.

There’s one collection in the Man Cave that you can’t miss…my collection of souvenir sewing thimbles. Yep, I said sewing thimbles. This all started thirty-five years ago when I bought one as a souvenir of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville. A few months after that purchase, Helen (adorable wife) and I were in Disney World and I spotted a thimble with Mickey Mouse on it. Two thimbles make a collection I suppose and thus it began. It seemed harmless.  Thimbles are smaller than shot glasses, certainly smaller than beer mugs, and less obtrusive than tacky refrigerator magnets. I know about all of these because I have a collection of them too; although to a lesser degree than thimbles.

My thimble collection now totals 213 and growing. Most of my thimbles represent a town or state that I have visited while traveling. I’m not through traveling and I’m not through collecting thimbles either but they’re becoming hard to find since most souvenir stands and gift shops don’t stock them anymore. Therefore, I search for them during my favorite activity on road trips…browsing through flea markets.

Flea markets are dangerous territory for an incurable collector, but we’ve been through a bunch of them. I thought it might be fun to show Easin’ Along readers a few of the discoveries we’ve made while visiting some great ones. Listed below is our top ten, ranked in no certain order.

Stars Antiques – 526 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

This place is huge and it is loaded with stuff on two floors. We visit it every time we go to Hermosa Beach for a visit with our family and I have yet to find a thimble there. I did, however, make two purchases there that are treasures. The first was made about six years ago when our daughter-in-law was expecting our only grandson and I happened to notice a somewhat worn framed drawing of a little blonde boy kneeled in prayer. I couldn’t resist picking this up for the expectant Mom. It hangs in our grandson’s room to this day and the image bears a remarkable likeness to him.

I also purchased a framed print of two cartoons drawn by World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin of his famous dogface soldiers, Willie and Joe. I loved Mauldin’s book Up Front, about the life of soldiers in the war and have read it more than once.

 

 

 

 

Main Street Antiques – 46 Main Street, Plymouth, MA 02360

Not only did I find thimbles in this large antique shop, I found a display case as well.  In it were a dozen thimbles representing places we visited while Easin’ up the East Coast and I took the plunge.  It now hangs on my wall (pictured, top of the page– lower right).  You can also see that it is now completely filled.

As I was leaving this store, I spotted a Mickey Mouse watch that I had to have (did I mention my watch collection?). At $35 I considered it a bargain.

Albertsons Antiques – International Falls, MN 56649

Helen collects Vaseline glass and has some nice pieces including candlesticks, small candy dishes, and plates among other items.  She spotted a pitcher in this quaint shop run by an eccentric old fellow in International Falls who drove a hard bargain.  In the end, this probably wasn’t genuine Vaseline glass, but we had fun browsing and, I found four thimbles that he let me have for the ridiculously low price (Mr. Albertson’s words) of $12.50.

Merchant’s Antiques – 320 N. Beaton St, Corsicana, TX 75110

We were flea market shopping with a purpose in mind.  While on our trip to Los Angeles in Sherman, our Cruise America RV, we discovered that the coffee pot we purchased at the Goodwill Store had fallen apart and we needed a replacement. We found one in this well-stocked store.  It was priced at eight bucks! We got it for seven…

Calby’s Collectibles – 45 Everett Street, Bryson City, NC 28713

We had just purchased Bertha, our travel trailer and decided it would be fun to decorate and furnish her from flea markets as much as possible.  We found just what we wanted for silverware with an eight piece place setting of Lady Doris that dated to 1929 at Calby’s Collectibles for an investment of $55. It polished up well and now rests in Bertha’s kitchen.

Door County Traders – 147 N. 3^rd Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

 

 

 

 

After we toured Lambeau Field and the home of the Green Bay Packers, I wanted a Packers sweat shirt (my usual winter attire) badly.  The problem was that at over $75, they were a bit too pricey for me. Soon thereafter we were in Sturgeon Bay, WI and I was snooping through this consignment shop for anything collectible and found my sweat shirt hanging on the wall. It was my size (XXL) and in excellent condition.  At $15.00, I couldn’t resist.

Sporting Treasures – 305 Market Street, Clinton, TN 37716

Definitely no thimbles here but if hunting, fishing, sports memorabilia, and decorations are your thing, this is the place. A link to this rich treasure trove is here and in the sidebar of Easin’ Along.

Alan’s Pawn – 510 Paint Town Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719

Pawn shops located across the street from a casino can make for some very worthwhile shopping. Alan’s Pawn bears more of a resemblance to an upscale jewelry store than a traditional pawn shop, but I suppose that jewelry has come in handy more than a few times after a string of bad luck at the craps table.  I wasn’t looking for jewelry, but I did find a generation 4 Apple TV for Bertha at a bargain price of $70.  A new one would run around $120. After I uploaded an update for this little dandy it operated great and is eagerly awaiting football on the ESPN app while on the road this fall.

 

 

Tribal Pawn & Gun – 44 Frontier Dr, Cherokee, NC 28719

 This is more in keeping with a traditional pawn shop. Inside there were rows of power tools and similar items.  I was just snooping around when I found a brand new Yeti style cooler that I bargained the manager down to $70 from $85. After a little “Googling” I found it to retail for around $116. I love it when that happens.

Key City Antiques – 105 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain, NC 28711

I’ve never bought anything there, but I visit this charming shop every other year when we attend a church retreat at the nearby Montreat Conference Center.

Honorable mention:

Art Fair – Brewster, MA

 

 

 

 

Not exactly a shop, but this experience was a wonderful way to spend the day on Cape Cod when the Labor Day traffic prevented us from going any further up the coast to the Cape Cod National Seashore. We didn’t buy anything here either, but we had a great time.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure as the old saying goes and, looking at another man’s junk is a great way for an old retired guy like me to go broke saving money. Nevertheless, it’s great retirement activity and it sure it makes Easin’ Along the road less traveled a lot more interesting.

See picture gallery for a larger version of the pictures shown above. Gallery follows this post on home page.