Monthly Archives: June 2017

Father’s Day at the Beach

I have written before that Peggy and I end up in Destin each year for Father’s Day due to a conference that I attend each year. It is becoming a fun little tradition that we really enjoy. Apparently, we were not the only people who thought Father’s Day at the beach sounded like a good idea. Here is the view from our table at lunch today:

That’s a bunch of umbrellas…

It was a perfect day for hanging out outside. Not too hot. Bright sunshine. There are going to be a lot of sunburned people in Florida tomorrow.

The “tradition” we have started got me to thinking about the men in my family. Now that my son is married I have thought that it would be fun to try to get all of the Skaggs men together and get a picture of the event. It would be challenging since we live in several different places, but I think it would be a great thing to do while my father is still alive.

I wasn’t sure where the idea came from, though. Then I came across this picture:

All the Skaggs men — circa 1990. My brother, my cousin, me, my father and my grandfather.

I did not remember this picture being taken, but that is all of the Skaggs men. I know it was taken before 1992 because that is the summer my grandfather died, but I do not really know when it was taken. The length of the shorts — and the loudness of my shirt — makes me think sometime between 1988 and 1990, back when real men wore short shorts.

When I look at that picture and see my cousin, I realize how fortunate I am. Tommy’s father died before he was a teenager. My father did the best he could to be the “father figure” for his brother’s son, but I know it was tough. Tommy (he’s not called “Tommy” anymore, except by us) has two grown sons of his own, so a current picture would now have seven men in it.

I just think it would be something that one of the young men would look back on in twenty-five years and think, “I wonder what we were doing when they took that picture?”

I hope you still have your father to celebrate with this year. If you do, enjoy every minute — and take pictures of it!

Happy Father’s Day from Destin!

Geaux-maha!

LSU overcame Mother Nature and Mississippi State tonight to qualify for the College World Series in Omaha, or as we say in South Louisiana, Geaux-maha!

It was a long night — five hours due to the rain — but the end result was worth the wait.

When you are a college baseball fan there is nothing more important than qualifying for the College World Series. When you are the fan of a team that has qualified for the College World Series fifteen times — oops, make that sixteen times after tonight — it is possible to become a little bit spoiled. Six National Championships and 17 SEC Championships lead to the expectation that there is really only one way to end a season.

So, our last night hosting for the year was a big success. It’s pretty hard to screw it up when your team makes the World Series.

And maybe the best thing about it is we got to share it with our nephew, a proud LSU graduate who happens to be working as an intern in Baton Rouge this summer as part of his graduate program. He is living with us and putting up with old people who need him to house-and-pet-sit a little too frequently. So the LSU game felt like the least we could do.

I hope they win it all, but they did the most important thing. They got there.

Geaux Tigers!

After the first rain delay
I’m glad Bradley got to go with us, too!

What a Day!

Today was an amazing day. And I am totally beat!

Peggy and I have season tickets for the touring Broadway shows that come to the beautiful Saenger Theater in New Orleans. We like to go down the night before and spend the evening in New Orleans, have dinner, stay at our favorite hotel on Canal Street, and go to the Saturday matinee before driving home.

This time, though, we had an engagement on Friday night. And an engagement on Saturday night. So we just made the run to New Orleans for the play and came back.

We have seen “Mamma Mia” before, and, frankly, it is not a huge favorite of mine. However, it was quite enjoyable and the cast was excellent. And the Saenger is always a treat. We managed to sneak into town early enough to enjoy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, too. So, all in all, a successful artistic foray into the city.

Then we hot-footed it back home to change clothes and make the most important engagement of the day — LSU hosting Mississippi State in the NCAA Super Regional to determine who will play in the College World Series, with Peggy and I hosting clients at the game.

What a night! LSU was behind from the first inning until the eighth inning when the Tigers scored four runs to win 4-3.

Comedy and music in the afternoon. Drama, excitement and great friends in the evening. We’ll be back at Alex Box Stadium tomorrow night to see if LSU can punch their ticket to the College World Series.

But right now, I have to go to bed!

Fun day at the musical
Great night at the Box!