Bill Pierce spent a good portion of his birthday going up and down a ladder. He was painting the lanai that day (Oct. 24) and, of course, his six kids and many grandkids called him throughout the day and evening with birthday wishes.

He also climbed down the ladder to take my call, and although I did bid him well, I was calling to follow up on chance meetings he and his wife, Lue, had encountered on their summer trip to Michigan this year. More on that later.

Incidentally, when I asked Bill about his "special day" - and a milestone at that - his reply was probably typical for men: He said, "Oh, it's just another day."

Except for the paint job, the only other thing on his agenda was a meeting with the shuffle board folks, supposedly at 6 p.m. ...

Best man, bridesmaid, ring boy, flower girl and photographer. That's the roundup of the usual suspects at a wedding. But at the recent betrothal of Maureen Cesaitis and Craig Mourton, their friend Bob Coffey was all of the above.

Maureen and Craig's plans were to get married on Tybee Island, Ga., with only their good friends Caren and Bob Coffey in attendance. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Caren could not make the trip. However, Bob accompanied the happy couple.
The wedding, by the way, was smokeless. Seems that it was sort of a condition of Maureen's that Craig stop smoking before she would do the deed. As a sign of solidarity, and as a real gesture of friendship, the Coffeys also successfully quit smoking at the same time, which was about three months ago.

But the Coffeys weren ...

Karen Geisler had concerns about the Old Testament and today's generations. Her concern was so great she wrote a book. Karen says the Old Testament is a "hard read" and so most people do not bother reading it - and some think it does not apply to today's world.

She felt it was a story that people were forgetting. Her goal was to tell the ancient account in storybook form. To prepare herself for her passion, Karen enrolled in a Bible study program that allowed her to complete lessons while continuing her telecommunications career, which involved extensive travel. She laughed when she said she actually earned her degree in airports, on airplanes and at hotels.
While on a cross-country flight, she was seated between two gentlemen who observed her doing her studies.

& ...

At the annual "SLGA invites Nifty Niners" golf outing last month, most of us ended up at the beach. No, I don't mean in the sand traps - nor do I rule them out completely. But that's not what I mean.

The event was billed as the 18-Hole Ladies Beach Party, to which members of the Nifty Niners were invited. Since I'm a "Niner," I was thrilled to participate - especially since my foursome came in seven strokes under par.

(Darn it. I just can't do it! I was really going to go with that - but it's a lie.)
We came in seven over par, which isn't bad - but did not take us to the winner's circle. However, I do call to your attention to the fact that, since this is my column, I don't always have to tell the truth - but the honest truth, ...

When Lorna Ehlke was teaching in Wisconsin, she often told her students not to be afraid of trying new things or testing uncharted waters. She practiced what she taught. The demure patron of the fine arts is a master of several of them. Inheriting a valuable violin, she was determined to learn to play the intricate instrument rather than use it as a conversation piece. This challenge brought her an appreciation of the difficulty of mastering the playing of stringed instruments.

One day while at an outdoors arts fair in a peaceful wooded setting in Milwaukee, she was browsing the displays of the works that the various artists had to offer when she heard sounds coming from a clearing. Glancing toward the sound, she saw five people - each plucking on a type of harp she had never seen. She walked over and listened and watc ...