Ok. I just looked at the calendar and realized that summer passed me by. What? Here’s my excuse for not keeping up with the golf course shenanigans. Then, I’ll get on with the show. First up, at the end of April, my dear, sweet, grandma passed away. She was 99 years old and lived […]
Golfing with my Sister
I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of playing golf is the people who make up my foursome. I have been playing golf on Thursdays with my mom, sister, and aunt Nancy for about 20 years. In fact, about fifteen years ago, I played golf (best round of my life), then proceeded to […]
Touring Hill Country Golf Club
A few weeks ago, I made my annual pilgrimage to the NGCOA (National Golf Course Owner’s Association) Conference. It’s a great way to network with fellow golf course owners to get their opinions and trade secrets about what they are doing to help grow the game of golf. In previous years, I was able to […]
Glamorous Jobs
Having grown up on the golf course, I have many stories to tell about all of the many jobs that I have performed over the years. When I was two years old, my dad would take me with him and I would help him change the cups on the course. My job was to set […]
Candy & Old Gorillas
Part of the fun of living in our community is that feels like a small town. Except. It isn’t. Most small towns don’t have amusement parks and Bass Pro shops. My dad grew up in Altoona. His childhood home still stands along with the first pool in the city of Altoona which happened to be […]
Straight Line Winds
A few weeks ago, we had a big storm hit our neck of the woods. My husband and I woke up in the middle of the night to the sirens going off. We could hear the wind hollering and tried to figure out what was going on around us. As we looked out the window, […]
Recovering Chairs Revisited
When we last left off our super hero, Jason, was busily removing staples from the backs of the seat cushions preparing to put on new material. While I was having fun in Florida, Jason and Theresa stayed back home to man the fort. It wasn’t because they didn’t want to attend the golf conference, but […]
Celebrating Audrey Brady
Today is my Grandma’s 98th Birthday. If you like to play golf, then you need to give her a hug. We wouldn’t be here without her! She was born in Des Moines in 1915. The oldest of 8 children. Only 6 of whom lived into adulthood. She always says that all of her siblings were […]
The Perfect Blend
To truly get in on all the inner workings of Toad Valley, you need to make a stop out to the clubhouse any week day at 8:00 a.m. when the Brady girls have their ritual coffee break. It all started back in 1973 when we opened our doors as a means for the ladies of […]
Smokey the Bear
There are two ideal times of the year to deal with trees: the spring and the fall. This is because of how the tree protects itself. In the height of summer, the tree has all of its branches filled with sap and nutrients. As it prepares for the winter, it begins to concentrate its nutrients […]