We're heading to Bears Training Camp - Updates!
See below for earlier plans. 

We have made some very creative signs that we hope will grab the attention of the Bears players...I'll tell you about them after we get back!

Earlier plans. . .
My son and I are huge Chicago Bears fans. My friend Brad and his son are as well, so we are all going to Bears training camp together. Here are the steps we used to plan our trip:

Our next step is to find things to do with our off time. On our first day the practice is at noon. The next day’s practice isn’t until 3:00pm, so there will be some definite time to fill in. We plan to look for movies, mini-golf, or cool parks to take the boys.

Pure Payton – get a little old school. This book is awesome and it comes with a great DVD. I own it and our favorite part is the video at the end called: “Pure Payton”/ “Heart of a Love Song” “Working Out”. It will get you going!

Note: for all you Packer's fans, you may even like this book. Brett Farve wrote the forward to the book. Walter Payton was born in Mississipi just like Brett Farve and Jerry Rice.



Great for home projects, vacations, and taking photos of your valuables.

Got enough golf supplies before you head out of town for vacation?

Emergency/Disaster Preparedness
There are two recent events that have hit
close to home. Last year’s bridge collapse in Minneapolis and this year’s flooding in Wisconsin. Fortunately, the only thing my family had to
deal with in these events was finding a new way to work. However, the fact that disasters can happen
in our own backyard gave me a reason to review a book on my shelf. The book, Disaster Ready People For A Disaster Ready America, was given to me
by a co-worker on our corporate disaster recovery team, and it is full of useful planning tools.

The least you can do to help your family, neighbors, and emergency workers is to educate yourself. Obviously, this education would be best to do
prior to a personal, local, or national emergency. However, people are extremely resourceful and can adapt after events. To me, it just seems to make more sense to read it before anything happens. I have read the book, and now need to motivate myself to make the proper preparations. Hopefully, some others will too!

In the meantime there are things you can do:

1. Donate to the Red Cross. Click the Red Cross link, then click the Donate button.
2. Go to local government meetings that are open to the public. Find out your community’s plan, ask questions, and volunteer if you can
3. Learn how your house works. There are many safety precautions you can take- learn how to protect your investment. When I bought my first home my home inspector gave me a book called How a house works by Family Handyman Magazine editors. It is an excellent resource.
4. Also available at the http://www.redcrossstore.org are various products to get you on the road to preparedness. 

Vacation Planning
Last year’s vacation was great! We went to a
Northern Bay Golf Resort in Wisconsin with my brother and his family. It was on a lake, so there was plenty for my wife
and the kids to do while my brother and I golfed.

This year’s vacation is looking even better. Joining us this year was three of my brothers, with their spouses and children, and my parents. (I have five brothers, so there is never a shortage on families for vacations).

The location was Tomahawk, WI. It was a good middle meeting point between St. Paul and Milwaukee. The site we chose was called the
Muskee River Lodge. It was huge with plenty of bedrooms, a great kitchen, right on a lake, and it had it's own private dock. There was also a swing set, basketball court, and gameroom.

We have made reservations using http://www.vrbo.com. But it appears that our lodge is no longer advertised there. Regardless, this site is great. The rental units listed there are vacation homes. There is a great range of
sizes, locations and amenities. Check it out today. (But don’t book the place we are looking at)!

To quote Nick from Action Sports Company “There are no rules for the putting greens, they are highly versatile and imagination is about the only limitation. Some have used these turfs indoors in place of carpet.” There are some precautions and considerations regarding where to put your green, but the Action Sports Company web site and sales people can help in making the right decision. From what I understand, choosing your location is the most important decision you will make.

Nick goes on to add. . . “A few of the key points- these will allow year round use, In areas of water conservation your turf will not die due to local water restrictions. This allows a golfer time to practice golf as opposed to spending time and money with the daily turf maintenance required for natural grass. Of course these can be used indoors (garage, den, basement, etc.) and can also be used with a golf net for driving or chipping. If you have the ceiling height the golf net could be used indoors (some of the turfs will work better than others for chipping and driving). Realistic fringe material is also available for the turf.”

So if you are huge golf nut and want to take your at-home practice to another level take a look at the links below or contact the Action Sports Company for more information. Don’t forget to tell them that DadSpa.com sent you.

• Main putting green page
• Installation
• Photo gallery
• FAQs

Golf in Iceland Anyone?
Did you ever want to try to play as many rounds of golf as you possibly could in one day? How many rounds do you think you could get in? Two or three maybe.
 
How many could you get in if there were 24 hours of sun light? Four to five, you say. This is possible in June!
Where? Iceland, of course! When I think of an endless day of golf my mind instantly goes to Iceland.

If anyone is interested in attempting this "Golf til you drop" event in Iceland please contact me at travel@dadspa.com. My goal is to get some people to go next year and since this involves travel outside the US, we should start planning now.

Looking for a fun inexpensive project?
It was a brutal, long, Midwest winter with a slow start to summer. If you can’t tell already, I love golf and, during those cold winter months, I often get the urge to do something golf-related. Apparently, I am not the only one who gets that feeling. Take a look at the idea Erik J. Barzeski put together. It is a quick and easy indoor project to build an at-home practice putting green. For those who love to golf, this idea is perfect for any season! Click on the link for theSandTrap.com and go to the article. Cheap putting green project.

• Product Purchases
• Home Improvements
• Financial
• 'Fun Fund' Ideas

• Vacation Planning
• Party Planning
• Road Trips
• Anniversary