It's a small world after all!!

On our way back from Vince and Amy's home, in a van supplied by the hotel, we had time to visit with other guest attending The Vinny.  It is a 30-40 minute drive (depending on who was doing the driving- "the youth of America" or "an oldie but goodie")  One of our fellow riders and his wife was from Charlotte, N.C.  I told them that I had a brother who lived in Gastonia, N.C.   They said that the wife was the golfer in the family.  They were talking about courses that she plays in Charlotte and I asked if she ever played at Gaston Country Club.  She said she was a member there.  I told her that my brother Irv Bonnin belonged to that club and that I had actually played there myself. 
The evening before, during the "event under the tent" when we were being entertained by all the performer on stage, a very nice young couple asked if they could sit at our table.  Of course we said yes and they stayed until it was time to take there little ones home to go to bed for school the next day.  I asked if he had played in the tournament and he said no, he was the manager of the course where the tournament was being held (and where the big tent was set up)  " The Golf Club" in Kingston Sgrings, Tn.  Later that night he came back and had a bottle of wine for each of us, as a thank you, for letting him sit with us.  The bottle had "The Golf Club" logo on it.  That was such a nice thing to do.  I do not drink wine, but I did appreciate his giving it to us.

Well, when trying to decide what to do with my wine, my first thought was to just give it to Janie.  Then when discussing how to get it back home on the plane, I said I would just give it to that nice couple, Jeff Hunt and his wife who we met in the van.  They had said they were driving back to Charlotte.  So, that night I texted him that I had a bottle of wine for them and he said he would pick it up at breakfast the next morning.
Later that night, actually in the wee hours of the morning, while Janie and I played with our Iphones, I had a much better idea for my wine.  I decided to get Jeff and his wife to take my bottle of wine to my brother in Gastonia, and leave it for him at the Gaston Country Club.  Janie had decided to give her bottle to them so they had one to keep.
They were very happy to do that for me and so all I had to do was just wait to hear from Irv and see how it all went down.  He loves riddles and good stories, so this would be a great way to surprise him.  I left a note with his name and phone number and then put that it was from his little sister.
Well, today I got a text from my nephew Paul Bonnin, saying that his dad had gotten his bottle of wine.  He was stumped as to how it got there. 
Just a while ago I got a phone call from Irv.  He said that mysteries sure can mess up a golf game. 
He was getting ready to head out on the course when the golf pro came running out with a bottle of wine and said that his little sister had dropped it off.  He said that the name was right, but there was no way I dropped it off a few days ago, without going to see him at his house, since I lived so far away.  And if I had done such a thing he was going to be really mad at me.
When he got home, he was talking about getting the bottle of wine and Paul was there and started laughing.  He asked Paul if he knew about this and Paul said yes, and told him where I had gone and how I had got it to Gastonia.  He was happy to get the wine, and I was so happy to be able to pull off a great surprise.  So, now I can add this last part of my story to my blog.  I did not want him to read that someone was going to be dropping off some wine for him.  It really is a small world after all.

                                                           
Irv's remarks about his surprise...
"--It is going to be hot today--so I had first tee
at 8:00   I was about to get  on first  tee box when one of the new Pros came
running out carrying a bottle of wine. He said "your sister dropped this  off
for you"
You know golf is hard enough with out trying to figure out riddles.  No way any
of my sisters came this far and not come to the house. Told him to hang on to
the wine and after wards we would figure out  where it came from.
Must not have bothered me too much  2 birdies   5 pars and a very good
round.Then the  mystery deepens--No one in Pro shop saw any one bring in the 
wine.  Been there for 5 days.
I told them that Carol some how met someone  some where who brought the bottle. 


Now you know       Next I must find these people

Thanks again  Carol  "  

Could things get any better??

I will admit that being able to attend this wonderful event made me feel like Cinderella!  How else could a small town girl, get to go to something so fun and exciting and see so many professional golfers and celebrities??   And be so entertained! 

On our last day at The Vinny, I slept in and rested up for the big event that night.  We were to be guest of Vince and Amy at a party held at their home.  Some might say that getting to do that is the icing on the cake.  And it is.  That was the crown on my little small town girl head.  Of course I had gone to the event last year, but still, it was great  just being there and getting to mingle with the stars and tour the beautiful home of Vince and Amy.  This year we got to go inside Vince's music studio and see his collection of guitars.  It was quite remarkable.  I met Nikko Smith while in the studio and told him how I got together with a group of couples every week and watched American Idol.  He seemed to think that was neat. 
                                                    

                              Nikko Smith and me

                                                                    
                                                                   

                                                                           Vince's studio

                                                                                    

You can see the guitar lined up along all the walls

One of the most talked about rooms in the house was the bathroom just across the hall from Vince's studio.  It can be best described as a golf bathroom.  It is filled with pictures and plaques about golf.  Golf pictures signed by some of the greats.  One of my favorites was a famous picture of Ben Hogan hitting a shot down the fairway with a large crowd on both sides of the fairway.   It was funny to see someone's reaction when you walked out of the bathroom after being in there for so very long.  It takes a while to read all the walls.  lol

There was a huge tent set up in their back yard and that is where the meal was being served.  The food was from Carrabba's.  It was delicious.  We sat a large round tables that would hold at least ten people.  We invited Steve Bartkowski and his wife to join us since they were walking around looking for a place to sit.  So we waved him over and he and his wife were a lot of fun.  He was such a nice person, kept getting us drinks and desserts and we got to talk to him and his wife for a good while.
Most of the night was spent just "star" gazing!!