Mount Majors, The Flume and Maine

Dover, NH: May 20 – June 1, 2006

While visiting Joni’s brother Rich Marone, and his wife, Adele, we did some sightseeing in New Hampshire and Maine. Rich and Adele had to go to work everyday, so we did a little sightseeing on our own, plus we played a bunch of tennis. Delton was also able to get in some golf practice and play a couple of rounds with Rich.

 
The Flume is in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We took a hike up the Flume, about 1 ½ miles along a narrow waterfall.   We hiked across a covered bridge (notice Delton standing on the bridge) and along some fast moving water in a beautiful section of the country. There were some sections where we got quite wet from the mist of the waterfall.

 
Mount Majors, a popular place to hike, is about 40 minutes from Rich’s house. We had been there before and enjoyed the hike up about 1000 feet. The whole family went on this hike, including the dogs.  
As we reached the top, we turned to look at the lake below. What a sight! Pictured are Joni, Adele and Amanda.  
The view at the top is outstanding and is well worth the one hour hike up.   
Pictured is the whole family on the rocks at the top.

   Maine is known for its’ lobster, but the beaches have much to be desired. Our travels have taken us to some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, so the Maine beaches with the cold-cold water and rocky dark sand couldn’t compare. But, they had a beauty of their own with the rocks and New England style homes surrounding them. Shown is Short Beach, a small U-shaped beach on the coast of Maine.

Visiting Rich and Adele - New Hampshire

April 27 – May 4, 2006
May 20 – June 1, 2006


We visited Joni’s brother, Rich Marone, and his wife, Adele, in Dover,New Hampshire, before and after our trip to NYC and Texas. It was a safe place to leave our motor home and we got to see our family – twice! Once before our trip to Dallas and once after our trip.

We parked on the street in front of their house. At first, Rich wanted us to park our motor home on their lawn next to the house, but we thought we might “sink” if it rained a lot. After they got about 12 inches of rain, we were glad we chose the street.


Rich loves to move dirt. It was funny to watch him get on his tractor and work around the house each afternoon. Delton joined him sometimes. Pictured is Rich working in his backyard.


We also spent some time with Justin, Rich and Adele’s oldest son. Rich and Justin love motorcycles. They both own Harley’s and spend as much time riding together as they can. Pictured are Rich and Adele, and Justin and Amanda (his girlfriend).

Rich and Justin work together, renovating homes. They have a very good business going and have recently completely gutted and redid Justin and Amanda’s house. It has been completely redone inside. The next job is to tackle the outside – new paint and roof.


Pictured are Justin and Amanda outside their house.

Rich and Adele just added a new member to their family, Harley, the German shepherd. Guess what he was named after!

 He’s a beautiful, loving, obedient dog and we fell in love with him too. Even Delton liked him. Justin also has a German shepherd. The two dogs are good friends and play together every day. Rich and Justin take their dogs to work with them every day.


Delton was looking forward to having a lobster dinner. Seafood is great in the northeast. Here we are enjoying a great lobster meal.

The best part of our visit to New Hampshire was being able to be with Rich and Adele for such a long time. Joni doesn’t get to see her brother very often. Joni and Rich loved being together for so long and BONDED! Too bad Mom and Dad couldn’t have been with too.

Byron Nelson Golf Tournament

Dallas, Texas
May 11-14, 2006


We have been volunteering at the Byron Nelson Golf Championship held in Irving , Texas, for a long time. Delton has served 32 years and Joni has served 20 years. We started working there together before we got married and have been working there ever since.

Here we are pictured standing on the tee box of Hole 17 looking down the fairway to the green. We work on the green of #17.


This year was a little special and a little different. Since we are traveling around the country, we had to figure out how we would get back to Texas in May. AND this year Delton’s brother, Ron, decided he would also be a volunteer.

We decided that the best and safest place to leave our “home” would be at Joni’s brother’s house in Dover, New Hampshire. We drove our car to New York City from there and spent the weekend with Joni’s son, Jim and then flew to Dallas for the Bryon. (See the previous story about the NY Bike Ride)

Delton’s brother, Ron, had been to the Bryon many times but not as a volunteer. Since he was now ready to retire and had some extra time, he decided this was the year to volunteer. We were thrilled. The Volunteer system is seniority based. Normally, rookie volunteers must work at least one day in concessions and sometimes don’t get the jobs they request. But that didn’t happen to Ron. He had friends (family) in high places. We were able to get Ron to work with us, on the best hole on the course – and no concessions.

When we arrived at the course to report for work, we renewed old friendships and introduced Ron to the job. He also had a friend there who worked with him at Southwestern Medical Center. After talking to our committee chairperson, we went to our spot on the 17th green.


We are Laser Operators. Did you ever wonder how the media knows how far a golfer hits the ball – from his tee shot, to his fairway shots, to his putts on the green and every shot in between? It’s because of what we do.


We are perched on a tower that stands about 10 feet high and overlooks the green. Using survey equipment and a palm pilot, we “shoot” the ball every time a golfer hits it. This equipment registers every shot that is hit on every hole on the golf course. The info is then relayed to the “ShotLink” tent and to the media.

 
Pictured is Sergio Garcia and his group making their way down the fairway onto the green.

Delton and Joni have a combined total of 52 years of service. And since we traveled from so far this year in such a unique fashion, the Nelson media was interested in our little story for a “behind the scenes” article in the Nelson News. We were thrilled at their interest in us. Below, in a separate story, is the article which was published in the “Nelson News”.

Since this was Joni’s 20 year to volunteer, we will have to come back again next year, so she can get her 20 Year Pin. Delton is the most senior volunteer on the laser committee and is in the top 10 people of all the approximately 1200 volunteers. Ron has his first year behind him and is on his way to many years of service.

The weather was beautiful all week and having Ron work with us, made for a great Bryon week.

It's Tough to Keep Up with the Joneses

Article from the Nelson News that was handed out at the Nelson and also placed on the EDS Byron Nelson Web Site.

Following is the text from the article:

Joni and Delton Jones are making the most of retirement. Last year, the couple sold their Trophy Club home and hit the road in a newly purchased RV. Their travels have taken them from Alaska to New Hampshire and many places in between, but when the EDS Byron Nelson Championship rolls around, the Jones are easy to find.

The Jones have a combined 52 years of experience as volunteers at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Each year, they take time from their travels to serve as laser operators on the TPC No. 17 Green.

Delton began volunteering at the 1969 tournament played at Preston Trail Golf Club. He has seen many changes on and off the course over his years at the Nelson. Delton’s first job was to call in scores over a radio. Now, with the help of Joni and his brother Ron, they are charged with using a laser to determine the distance between the ball and the hole.

Joni and Delton were both employed with IBM when they met and fell in love. They share a passion for golf. So much so that Delton proposed to Joni on the golf course in Trophy Club. It was while they were still dating that Delton invited Joni to work with him at the Nelson. That was 1986, and 20 years later they're still going strong.

Ask Delton what one of his fondest memories is from working so many Nelson tournaments, and he recalls watching Tom Landry launch a hole-in-one on a par 3 in a Nelson Pro-Am. Landry’s playing group also included the legendary Bob Hope.

After this year’s tournament, the Jones are hitting the road to Niagara Falls in their RV and then they will spend some relaxing time in Fun Valley, CO. But when the Nelson rolls around next April you can expect the RV to be parked in Irving again.

In the meantime, if you want to keep up with Joni and Delton’s travels, visit their blog site at www.OnTheRoadAgainWithDeltonAndJoni.blogspot.com.

Back Home - Trophy Club, TX

May 8 – 20, 2006

It’s funny how we keep “having” to go back “home” to Texas every once in a while.

The Bryon Nelson is a good reason to have to go back for a visit. We volunteer our services every year and didn’t want to miss this one.

We stayed with friends in Trophy Club. First we stayed with Skip and Kathy McKie, who lived just a few houses away from us when we lived on Inverness. Then we stayed with Mary Jane and Dave Mullaski who lived down the street from us when we lived on Meadowbrook Lane. We were back in our old stomping ground.

Skip recently retired from Southwest Airlines, so we were able to spend a lot of time with both Skip and Kathy. Mary Jane and Dave opened their home to us and we were able to play lots of bridge and tennis together. They also opened their home to Delton’s brother, Ron, during the Bryon Nelson so that he would not have to travel so far every day to do his volunteer work.

We will get to see both the McKie’s and the Mulaski’s later this spring and summer. We will be passing though Michigan where the Mulaski’s have a summer cabin. In July, the McKie’s will join us in Fun Valley, CO where they will rent an RV for a week and enjoy the life of RVing.

Carson Jones, our nephew from Decatur, is playing in his high school baseball playoffs. We got to see him and other members of Delton’s family at a baseball game.

Also we got to see Joni’s son, Chris a few times. Joni was elated to be able to see him, especially since we were in Texas for Mother’s Day. Wish all the kids could be together for special times. Delton had lunch with his son, Chris and we were able to spend a little time with Ken, Shawna and Shawntal.

We also had some business to take of while in Texas. We had to find a place to store some of our “stuff” because Delton’s brother Tim is moving and we had some of our “stuff” stored at his house. Thanks Tim and Kim for allowing us to use your space while you lived in Decatur. Also we took care of some of our doctor check ups.

After being “home” for 2 weeks it was hard for Joni to leave again, but knowing we were going to be seeing more family and friends over the next few months made it a lot easier.

We could go on and on about the people we saw and the things we did while in Texas. It’s funny that what we normally would do while living in Texas has become part of our adventures across the country now.

5 Borough New York City Bike Ride

May 7, 2006


We left our motorhome in New Hamphire and headed to New York City to see Joni’s son Jim and his finance Barbara. Joni’s brother Rich and his wife Adele live in New Hamphire and we felt it was the safest place to leave our “home”. Joni was looking forward to this trip because she was going to ride in the 5 Borough New York City Bike Ride with Jim and Barbara.

The ride was 42 miles long and went through Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx – over bridges, on highways, through Central Park and on the Staten Island Ferry.


Joni, Jim and Barbara started out at 7:00am to get to the start line. It was a beautiful sunny day – about in the mid 60’s – a perfect day for a bike ride. Delton decided it was too long a ride and would rather watch golf on TV, so he wasn’t with them. We had to ride the subway to get to the start line. The ride was to begin at 8:00am. Pictured are Jim and Barbara on the subway.


The start line was staggered to help with congestion. We started at about the middle of the pack. It took about 1 hour to get to the start line because of the crowd and most of that was walking our bikes. Pictured are all the bikers getting ready to begin.


Here we're passing Radio City Music Hall.


Jim’s apartment was close to the route, so Delton decided to say “Hi” as we rode by him. We stopped and he took a picture of us on the FDR Expressway along the river.

Barbara's parents also came to see us ride by when we were in Queens.


Here we are going over the Queensboro Bridge.


The rest stops offered us snacks, friut, energy drinks and energy bars. Here we are at a Queens rest stop where we also had a hamberger. Notice the NYC skyline in the background.


Traffic was blocked so that the bikes could ride. Going over the Veranzanno Bridge to Staten Island was one of the highlights. Pictured are Joni and Barbara heading to the bridge.
Also pictured is the view from the bridge, looking down at the ramp to enter the bridge. The bikers stretched for miles and miles.


After reaching the finish line, we had to take the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan. Pictured are Joni and Barbara on the ferry with the Statue of Liberty in the backgound.

By the time we had gotten back to Jim’s apartment, we had clocked 45 ½ miles on our odometers. It was a great day, great company and great exercise.

David Blaine in the Glass Bubble

May 6, 2006

Magician, David Blaine, performed one his "stunts" while we were visiting Jim in New York City.


After our diner with Barbara, Jim and her parents, we took a walk to Lincoln Square and David Blaine was attempting to survive 7 days in a water bubble and then attempted to hold his breath for over 9 minutes. We were fasinated at seeing him, but thought it was a bit creepy.


Pictured are Joni, Barbara and June (Barbara's Mom) walking past a sleeping David Blaine.

The next morning, Joni took her bike ride back to Lincoln Center to see him in day light. He breathed with dive equiment and greeted the crowd as they walked past him. He did not succeed in his attempt to hold his breath for over 9 minutes.

What can we say!!!! Only in New York City!!!!!

Dinner with Jim, Barbara and her Parents

May 6, 2006

Joni's son Jim and his fiance Barbara treated all of us to a fine dinner at Benihana in NYC. We dined with Jim, Barbara, Barbara's Mom June and Dad Joe.


Jim ordered a round of Saki for everyone. Joni and June weren't too impressed with the taste. Joni preferred her virgin strawberry daiquiri!



We also celebrated Delton’s birthday. The restaurant staff sang to him, gave him ice cream with a cherry and umbrella, and took a picture.


Now that Jim and Barbara are getting married, having dinner with Barbara and her parents had special meaning. They are real fine folks from Ireland. Barbara’s mom and Joni enjoyed talking about the wedding plans. June 1, 2007 will be here before we know it!

On To New Hampshire

May 1, 2006

After leaving Washington, D.C. we headed to New Hampshire, where Joni's brother Rich and his wife Adele live. Our plan is to leave our motorhome in New Hampshire, then drive to NYC, then fly to Dallas, then fly back to NYC and then drive back to New Hampshire.

We visited with Rich and Adele for about a week before heading out. Since we will be back to New Hampshire in 2 weeks, we will post our stories about New Hamsphire after our return.