Commodore
It seems as though, when we weren’t really paying close attention, Summer slipped swiftly away. Back in June, a long season of napping in hammocks, reading good books, and lazy days of nothing in particular stretched before us. The Good Life beckoned, what the Italians call, “Dolce far Niente”, the sweetness of doing nothing…
Wait a minute, we’re MIYC Members, we don’t sit around doing nothing – our lives are full of action and purpose. We travel, visit friends, see family, have picnics, head North to measure the growth of grandchildren and admire their latest artwork. Some of us remained on Marco Island this summer to play cards, Canasta, Mexican Train Dominoes, Bridge, go fishing, go boating, dine out in restaurants blessedly free of snowbirds, socialize, and enjoy Happy Hour at the Club in a Covid-free environment at long last. Kelley and I had the pleasure of visiting several energetic Members this year at their summer homes. We started with Roy and Kathy Hershberger in Asheville, North Carolina, who gave us great tips on the wine and shopping scene around Asheville, and joined us for a great lunch in the Biltmore Village, next to Biltmore Estate. From Asheville, we headed up to the Virginia Wine Country, where there are a number of ambitious wineries with lovely tasting rooms, gourmet restaurants, charming B&B’s and live music. Some of them even have pretty good wine; they are working on that aspect… Next, we spent the month of August on Mackinac Island, where there are no cars, only horses and buggies, bikes, and two golf courses. We did lots of biking, got to know several horses by their first names, and played golf every other day. The plan was to meet Dave Randall and Shelly Derrough on the island when they flew in on their airplane, but Dave and Shelly ended up traveling to their new boat instead, aboard which they are as of this writing, bringing her down from Connecticut to Marco Island. Tom Wentworth
After Mackinac, we stopped by Dominic and JoAnn Sergi’s home in southeastern Wisconsin, where we were treated to a lovely afternoon of boating on three interlocking lakes aboard the Sergi’s luxurious pontoon. We then retired to their beautiful lakefront home, in which we were served a sumptuous gourmet dinner. If I hadn’t had that second helping, I would have been up for a game of Pickleball after dinner, on their brand-new home court. Instead, we just relaxed and admired a perfect lakeside sunset.
Next up was in the far north of Wisconsin, at Todd and Michelle Nelson’s wooded retreat on Big St. Germain Lake. It’s a long and winding road into the far north woods, and the Nelsons graciously allowed us to stay with them over Labor Day Weekend. Their house may be far away from the city, but it has every civilized comfort. Todd served a welcome glass of champagne on the lake to the girls aboard their Waverunners. As the weekend progressed, we enjoyed Bloody Marys for brunch, vintage wine for dinner, and cognac and cigars around the firepit after sundown. At this writing, our final stop is Minneapolis, where we await the birth of our second grandchild. As Commodore, I felt it was my duty to sample the hospitality of a few Members this summer, and to report back to you that, judging from this sample, our Members are the most gracious, welcoming, friendly and fun-loving bunch of folks I’ve ever known. Thanks to all of you for making our particular summer fabulous, and we look forward to seeing all our Members back at the Club in October. Great things are coming to our Club this Fall, come on back and let’s have some fun! Tom Wentworth, Commodore
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