For the past couple of years, Mel and I keep talking about going to the driving range and just hitting a bucket of balls for fun. Since neither of us has a set of clubs, we were going to rely on using whatever the course had laying around. Finally, we stopped in to a local 9-hole course, borrowed a few "well-used" clubs, and headed for the driving range.
I took golf lessons when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I don't remember being particularly good at it, or enjoying it too terribly much. I think there were a few times I went out golfing with my dad, and the very last time I golf, it was pouring rain and I was wearing jeans. Not a pleasant experience.
Other than a few things we overlooked, we had a really good time, and only took out a few divots from the turf. Our first mistake was not buying tees. Solution to this problem - we scoured the turf for usable tees leftover by previous golfers - score! Second mistake was going out there without gloves. Blisters on your hands are not fun, my friends!
We ended up going back a few more times in the Fall, and then hitting Goodwill to scoop up a rag-tag set of clubs so we no longer have to borrow and beg the course to use theirs. Up next will be an actual round of golf! First things first though - we need more practice to make sure we can actually hit the ball every time we swing. We'll get there ;)
Crown Hill cemetery has been around since the days of the Civil War. There are a ton of famous people buried on the grounds - from General Jefferson Davis, to outlaw John Dillinger, to President Benjamin Harrison. Aside from the famous folks interred there, we'd heard that the grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the cemetery offers tours during the warm months, so last July we set off to see what this place was all about.
The rumors were true - the cemetery was a truly gorgeous place! Aside from being surrounded by mosquitoes, we had a fabulous time walking through some of the best parts of Crown Hill. It's so large, they offer several different tours - we didn't even see a quarter of the property. We also got to see a few deer who must live in the woods on the grounds.
The cemetery also boasts the highest hill in Marion County, where poet James Whitcomb Riley's tomb stands. The tour leads up the moderately steep climb to the top just about as the sun is setting for the evening. And it really does offer a beautiful view of Indianapolis' downtown skyline. Being that it was just a week after the 4th of July when we took our tour, we also got to see a bit of a fireworks show from the top of the hill.
