It has been an eventful month since we last touched base. Despite the recent weather, we are seeing signs of summer actually ending. The most obvious thing is that it’s still dark when I get out of the shower, before work. The cicadas are deafening at night. The annual Power of the Past has come and gone – as has the unofficial end of summer – Labor Day weekend. Football is in full swing, so that means I will start seeing my buddies more often at card night. Luke & Abby are in full coach mode now and have embraced it as just another role in their lives – though there have been a few more lows than highs thus far. Still, we’ve encouraged them to stick with it and see it through. It’s been excellent weather for golfing lately, though I would like it more if the temps dropped another 25 degrees. I cringe a little but I’ve begun wearing a wristband to keep the sweat off my throwing hand. I have another one as well as a headband…but I can’t seem to bring myself to wearing it yet. I will say, though, it really has helped my golf game… Matt & Taylor are in their new apartment finally. Abby & Seth see each other about every day and try to spend as much time together as they can with their busy schedules. Luke & Sam are also finding it a challenge but somehow manage to see each other now that she is working more and school has started back up. Ann has enjoyed spending a little time with her friends and family as well as doing a little scrapbooking. We’ve also enjoyed travelling for an hour just to spend two hours sitting on hard bleachers in the heat. It had been a while for us. As for me, I had several obstacles that popped up throughout the month that kept me from exercising the way I intended. Still, I managed to get in just under 38 miles of walking while playing 234 holes of disc golf. We’re very proud of our little coaches and the fact that the kids enjoy giving back to the community. We did have some losses as well, including Pickles and Jimmy Buffet. And Delilah had a rough couple of weeks. She hurt her paw somehow and then she seemed to have trouble with her mouth or throat as she kept coughing, belching and hacking. Not sure if the two are related, but we plan to call the vet when they open again after Labor Day. And we passed another milestone as we passed the 11th anniversary of Mom’s passing over the long holiday weekend at the end of the month. We sure miss ya, Momma. Hello again and welcome to the latest episode of the Scheu Family Blog.
We started out the month with a busy schedule. Abby commuted up to Greenwood every day and had Pirateers practices through the week. She had some friend drama but it only cemented her future with Mr. Seth. Those two enjoyed doing a little furniture shopping in hopes that Seth would soon purchase his first house! Luke helped Bryan by mowing as well as several projects in the pavilion. He had some firsts that week, in regard to coaching football – that being his first game…well, scrimmage anyhow! Matt & Taylor began moving into a new apartment. They’re still in Carmel, but just a little nicer area. However, there have been numerous issues with their new place as the new construction has had several delays and there are a few things that need repaired. Ann & I took the kids to BWR after the girl drama to process some hurt feelings. We also attended our 1st football game of the year: a jamboree @ North Vernon (to face Jennings Co & Milan) then enjoyed a great lunch at Lakeside Pizza – yum! We also enjoyed Angie’s annual Jeep Ride & party back at the Sunken Boat Bar afterward. I was able to get out and play disc golf 8 times that week, including the full 18-hole course in Batesville (the park & woods), followed by a trip to my favorite liquor store! Sadly, Mom & Sandy had sad news as their little dog, Pixie, passed away that week. Here are pictures of Abby & Seth’s trip to Chicago.
During the second week, Matt & Taylor were still moving but were not able to move into the new place yet because there are simply too many things not done yet. Abby & Seth continued burning the candle at both ends. Abs had Pirateers practices on top of the regular work week. They went to The Region for a party with her college girlfriends on Friday then went to a wedding on Saturday before finally coming home for Card Night. Instead of cards, however, we played Wii Sports on the big screen and when Seth came over, we even got Ann to play with us (bowling). Luke & Sam celebrated their 1-year anniversary that week. Luke set up an appointment to go speak with the GFD Chief next week and worked with Bryan a lot, getting Angie’s new office ready for them to move into. He also worked at WTRE and mowed his lawns. He & Sammie enjoyed playing pickleball doubles with Abs & Seth at Rebekah Park. He also had football practice each night & enjoyed coaching his 1st official football game (lost a heartbreaker in the last seconds). Ann & I attended Luke’s football game, leaving work a little early to drive all the way over to Connersville. Luke had me to tape for him and then upload the video to YouTube in order to use it as a teaching tool and share with the parents. After the game, I went out to the Sunken Boat Bar for card night with my friends. We were shocked when we had the largest pot in our history of dime poker – a whopping $200! The game was called In-Between, dealt by Scott and ultimately won by Pat, who showed some big brass cajónes. It was the first time we had gotten together in a couple months and was great to see everyone (it’s rare that we get all 9 of us at the same time), tell stories and hang out in the nearly finished pavilion. That week, I played golf five times, including the amazing Tripton Park in North Vernon. I was dripping wet from sweat afterward, due to the nasty humidity. Yuk! A fat, hairy guy like me hates that damn humidity. Later that afternoon, we had Mom, Sandy & Olive over to visit, let the dogs play and school the ladies in a few games of euchre. We managed to win 3 of 4 from them before they finally said they’d had enough. 😊 Abs, Seth & I went outside, late on Saturday night /early Sunday morning to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower in the front yard. We were out there for about a half hour or so. I saw a couple faint ones before we all saw the biggest/brightest one streak across the sky, bounce off the atmosphere with a bright flash and then careen back into space. I tell you, it was breathtaking. Hands down, one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen… Here are pictures of Luke’s first game as well as a few of my scorecards from the month.
The following week, Abby had a big one: going to work, work, work, spending the night with Seth each night then she & Kuyhlia coached their first Pirateers performance of the year during the grand opening of the new Shriver Field. It is very nice, for sure. It’s not completely done but it’s good enough. They still need to finish the endzones. Seth & Sam joined us in the stands that night. Her girls performed before the game, between quarters and then at halftime. The Pirates football team looked completely out of sorts and went down by several TDs in the first half. In fact, we left after the girls completed their routine because the game was so lopsided. Luke another busy week of working WTRE, for Bryan, and coaching 7th grade football daily. He coached his next game – this time in Brookville. Sam joined us for that game and sat with Ann while I wound up on the opposite sideline with Luke & the boys, taping the game from the at field level, since there was nowhere else to tape from. However, by the end of the week, Luke was sick as a dog, puking and having trouble staying off the toilet – only the beginning of what was to come in our humble little abode… We got to talk with Matt, which was good. Unfortunately, I was half asleep by the time he called and nodded in and out of our conversation. …real Father of the Year stuff, let me tell ya… Ann had a good week at work. She missed dinner with the girls for football but did make it to scrap book weekend in Burney. I played disc golf each day – except when we had Luke’s game – including a trip to Shelbyville on Saturday morning to play their Sunset golf course. Here are random pictures from our recent adventures.
During the fourth week of August, we were all fighting off illnesses. After Luke was sick on Sunday and Monday, Ann & I got to experience the same thing on Tuesday and Wednesday, staying home from work both days. Abby & Seth were lucky enough to join in on the fun as well, laying them up for a couple days. Somehow, Samantha was able to avoid all the good times! Luke finished up work with Bryan and the pavilion so he was able to work at Chad’s flip house and focus on his lawns. He had to stay away from WTRE that week, just to be safe and not get the whole staff sick. We weren’t able to make it to his football game in South Dearborn, due to being sick. It turned out to be just as well since the kids continued to struggle with their team cohesion and they lost again to go 0-3 on the season. He had another game that weekend at Lawrenceburg (note: he has not had a home game yet this season due to the new artificial turf at Shriver Field), where he lost again. The game was never close. They went down early and never recovered, getting shutout, 0-32. We took Sam with us and enjoyed stopping for dinner at Barrel Heads, just a few miles from the high school. Abby made it back to work by the end of the week and also got to coach the Pirateers after missing practice. Since the girls did not perform a routine at halftime (the county band did their routine), Ann & I didn’t even go to the game. The Pirates are really struggling under this new coach and system. She & Seth got together with Megan, Brittney and their hubbies for a night out, up in Indy. We still found time to have a little fun on game night over the weekend, playing the Switch on the big screen, where I dominated the night playing the bowling game on Wii Sports. 😊 Matt & Taylor got all moved into their new apartment that week – finally – and spent the night there for the first time. It sounds really nice and we look forward to getting up there sometime to see it. He and Jamie set up our fantasy football league again for this year, being co-commissioner with him. So, we are looking forward to seeing those two for the first time in a while on Labor Day weekend! Despite the time away, it was still a very busy week at work for me. I had the same amount of work, I just had to cram it into fewer days. I did work from home one of those days and then worked from home on Friday as well. It seems that lately that’s the only time I can get my own work done – when no one can pull me away to go do something else. I played as much disc golf as I could, finding time to play in Columbus – 9 at the Airpark and 18 at Donner, 18 at the park in Greensburg on Saturday after we got back from Lawrenceburg and then another 9 with Abby & Seth on Sunday, here in the ‘Burg. We then drove over to Rebekah Park to play some pickleball on their new courts. I hadn’t been out there since they started giving it a facelift. That park looks great! The kids thought they were going to teach me something, but it was the old man that gave the lessons that day, as Sam & I went 3-0 to dominate the day! We have a lot of social media pictures to share this month.
During the final week of August, Luke had a full week of working as the temps skyrocketed again into the nineties. He did sales at WTRE, he did construction, he did groundskeeping, including mowing and trimming the bushes here at home, and coached football with Alex. He spent as much time as he could with Samantha and enjoyed some time with his buddies, shopping for guns and ammo and even did some hunting! Luke and the Pirates played at Rushville that week. Surely, this would be the night that he gets off the snide and captures the first win of the season. However, it was more of the same. Actually, it might’ve been a little worse. The kids looked confused. They had several penalties and a couple of the “leaders” just quit during the game. It was embarrassing, if I’m being honest. We stopped at a little hole in the wall after the game for dinner and a drink at South 113. I think it was an old church or lodge maybe. He had a great selection of bourbons and ryes. And to top it off, he was pretty cool as well. I’d like to come back next time we’re up in that area… Abby had a good week at work, including getting her own office! She also coached Pirateers but the Pirates had an away football game so they didn’t perform again this week. She & Seth went out to St. Paul tavern and worked on stuff over at his house. She also had fun with Daisy at her bridal shower, wearing a very pretty blue dress. She also enjoyed seeing the Barbi movie with Seth & Sam. Matt did come home that weekend for the fantasy football league draft but Taylor wound up not coming. It was still good to see him and he looks great! He said they love the new apartment and wants us to come up and see it. Ann had a good week at work, including an all-day event at a hotel and then her quarterly late-night meeting at the hospital. That allowed me to play both the AirPark and Donner in the same night. That 27 hole-evening really took a toll on me – especially since it was so hot that evening! I had a great week that included a lot of IT work and my monthly EOC rounds. Because we had a couple COVID cases in the building, I had to wear a damn mask again. I did NOT miss that damn thing. We ran a 2nd shift drill and a generator test as well. On Wednesday night, instead of poker, we got the Band of Merry Men together to attend a Hard Truth bourbon tasting out at High Point Orchard. Big thanks to Alan for getting all those tickets for us! …And Sebo, who got the party bus from work and was kind enough to drive the dozen or so of us out and back. There was a good turnout and we had a lot of fun. After grabbing some hors d’oeuvres and tasting the four whiskeys (2 bourbons and 2 ryes), we moved downstairs to the bar and continued to drink for another couple hours. We drank with and swapped stories with Bryan, the Master Distiller from Hard Truth. He said he signed a bunch of different bottles at the local liquor store, just up the road on 421. We got back to the Sunken Boat Bar and had another drink. I wound up leaving early because I hadn’t eaten that night. Thankfully, Ann had ordered pizza for her and the kids that night, so I enjoyed cold pizza that really hit the spot that night! Due to low census, I wound up taking a couple days off to help control FTEs that week. I took advantage of that by sleeping in on Friday and taking the day off from golf, letting my body rest. The night before, we had a late night with Seth & Abby, playing games and ending up out back, late – smoking cigars and enjoying a Flashlight. After sleeping in a little on Saturday, I picked up a couple of signed bottles of the High Road Ride that Bryan (the master distiller we met at High Point) signed. I met up with Bryan (my friend) and gave him one of the bottles before he drove us over to Batesville to play 18 holes of disc golf. We stopped by the liquor store for a few items afterward, then went over to the new disc golf store where we each found a new disc before we went to lunch at Skyline! Annie & I were supposed to go to Pat & Shawna’s annual Labor Day party later that evening, but we instead napped and then began prepping food for the next morning when we were expecting a dozen or so friends and family. On Sunday, we were up early to get everything prepped. Let’s be honest, this was Ann’s moment to shine. I just helped where I could. She had biscuits & gravy, two bacon quiches, a sausage & egg casserole, a coffee cake and then Jamie brought potatoes while Abby made mimosas. It was perfect to get us ready for the big fantasy football draft. We downsized to 10 players this year, so we were able to make stronger teams, which was nice. But without Justin or Brent coming over this year, we had a ton of leftovers. For a few hours, we had all the kids back under one roof and all was right in the world. We said goodbye to all the kids and took a nap that afternoon. Later that evening, Luke went over to Sam’s for dinner and spent the night with them. Abby & Seth joined Ann & I for Game Night. We played Clue, Sorry, Aggravation and Euchre. I don’t think I won a single game all night. We then moved into the living room where I dominated bowling on the big screen. We then moved to the back patio for another late-night cigar and Flashlight cocktail to sip on. We enjoyed sleeping in on Monday, which was Labor Day. We started to make a dent in the leftovers and then the Abby & Seth went with me to the park to play the short 9 on the disc golf course. While they got cleaned up to go to the Barbi movie with Sam, Ann & I were supposed to go out for a Float & Chill day with Bryan & Angie. Instead, Ann slept for several hours and I worked on the blog and napped on and off, taking it easy before we head back to work in the morning… It was a nice way to wrap up the month and a great way to spend a four-day weekend!
Next up is our Waybac segment. For this week, I have culled pictures from what I assume to be our original digital point-and-shoot pocket camera. Anyhow, these are all from Abby’s 2nd birthday in September of 2001 and a handful of pics from our trip to the Barnum & Bailey circus in Indy a couple months later in November 2001.
And finally, we have our video segment. It features one new home movie of various clips as well as 4 football games I taped for Coach Luke and put them up on YouTube so he could share with his kids and their parents…as well as several from around the internet from different channels that I follow.
And that does it for this month’s episode of the Scheu Family Blog. Thanks for keeping up with us this time out and we’ll catch up with you next time. Until then, be safe out there and have a good one. We miss ya, Mom.
Later, Scheu