Favorite Little Princess

Can I just tell you how miserable it is to drive 10 hours? To anywhere. It doesn't matter where, it's just miserable. Thanks to my MIL, we were fortunate to get tickets to the first day of the Masters practice round and have a place to stay. It was wonderful, but I'm so glad to be home. Time to share our unique experience at Augusta National Golf Course. Once you see it in person, you can appreciate why golf holds the Masters Tournament here. To say it's impressive is an understatement. I thought it was silly that people would stand outside the gate and be willing to pay big bucks for your ticket at the end of the day just to be able to go inside. Now that I have seen it for myself, I completely understand.  Even without the azaleas blooming. It was a cool morning, but the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky - which means it got really hot! Lucky for us there was a nice breeze which made the heat tolerable, but we still got a little sunburned by the end...

We will be driving back to Florida today after a hot, but exciting day in Augusta, Georgia.  If any of you are following the Masters Tournament, you've probably already heard about the lack of azaleas on the course. I think these flowers are one of the most famous in the world, especially during this week. However, with the unusually warm winter this year, the azaleas bloomed early and there are very few left on the course, especially after a heavy rain storm with hail the night before.  I was disappointed, but the course itself is so well maintained that it was only a little sad.  As we were leaving, I did spy this little patch back in the woods.  These two photos pretty much sum up all the azaleas this year. Time to hit the road!  I'll be sharing more of the course - and players - when we get back to Florida.