Hosting Family and Friends in Hamden

A slew of visitors making the trek south from Berkshire County (and Grafton, NY) hit Hamden last weekend--all excited to see what I’ve been doing this spring and all eager for some fun on the golf course, at the restaurant, and at the Scoble residence.

The Annual Golf Outing

First my family arrived, as well as my grandparents, Mimi and Papa. Among other things, Saturday was our third annual Scoble/Dils Family Golf Outing at New Haven. Two years ago, my dad, grandfather, and I joined Uncle Harry and Uncle Blair for the inaugural outing, and last year we reassembled the crew on the day before I left for Germany for a fun-filled sendoff. This time around, I was psyched to welcome my brother Sam into the group for his first round at the club. While the girls went out shopping, we grabbed lunch and proceeded to the first tee for our afternoon round.

I’ve had the privilege of caddying for some neat people at New Haven this spring, and I especially enjoy touring the course for first-timers. There’s been nothing more pleasurable, however, than showing Sam around as my playing partner for our match. He controlled his draw well, and made plenty of fives-for-threes. He even dropped a twenty-foot putt for par on the thirteenth—one of the hardest holes on the course. Though I struggled on the back nine, it was still one of the most enjoyable rounds I’ve ever had.

Family Time

What's better than a round of golf with family and friends? A round of golf followed by a cookout, with even more family and friends. We arrived home to find the girls back from their afternoon of shopping and a very exited Oscar (the family beagle)--drooling from the smell of chicken kabobs on the grill. It's not often that we have big gatherings in Hamden, but when we do, we always have a ton of fun. I was glad that we weren't shouting our conversations over the noise of the restaurant. Relaxing at home is hard to beat. 

Everyone had to return home on Sunday, but we were able to make a short trip into New Haven first for some breakfast, a bit of browsing at the Yale Bookstore, and a quick stop at one of my favorite places downtown: Elm City Market. It’s one of those awesome co-op grocery stores where everything is just a little nicer than a typical Stop&Shop. We all like New Haven, and we definitely make the most of our visits.

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Sunday evening was the busiest I’ve ever seen Park Central Tavern. Because of the Yale and Quinnipiac graduations, every seat in the restaurant was booked, and of course, everyone arrived in the span of about half-an-hour. Though our head chefs Tom and Nat yelled nonstop for two hours, we successfully catered to the nearly 150 people without any catastrophes. 

A Visit From Hank

I remember what it was like to be a senior at Mt. Greylock--how it seemed that as the spring raced onwards, there were more and more excuses not to be in class. Well, I provided my best friend Hank Barrett with another excuse this past Monday. After his senior class decided to sleep over at the high school on Sunday night, Hank used the skip day to visit me. We met up at the Yale Golf Course with two of my restaurant coworkers. Over the course of the next four hours, there were plenty of good shots and bad shots, a few swear words, lots of laughs, and one memorable round of golf. I experienced the obligatory three-putt from the bottom of the six-foot swale on the ninth green, but I did manage to roll in an eighty-five foot birdie putt on the thirteenth hole. I'm glad I got to show the Yale course to Hank, because it's as unique as you'll see in New England. 

After the round, I showed Hank many other pieces of my life here in Hamden. We toured the New Haven Country Club but didn't get to play because the course was closed. Fortunately, Hank won't be far away while at Wesleyan, so I'm sure we'll be able to get out on New Haven together soon. We stopped by State St. to see the eagles' nest, and even witnessed the mama eagle feeding her baby. And we sat outside on the patio at Park Central Tavern for a well-deserved dinner. 

My favorite moment of the visit, however, was watching the sunset on top of East Rock Park. There isn't much better than looking out over the city of New Haven and the hills and forests of Connecticut as the sun descends out of sight, and sharing this with an incredible friend is something I'll remember for a long time. Seeing Hank made me happy. For one day, I could forget about everything I have to do before the summer arrives and just appreciate the things that have made Hamden my home this spring. 

Lastly, I need to wish Hank a happy eighteenth birthday. Our friendship goes all the way back to Little Red Preschool when I first moved to Williamstown, and it's been only great memories since then. I remember hours of 1-on-1 hoops in my basement, Rookie League baseball on Water Street Grill, birthday parties ranging from skiing at Brodie Mountain to court-side seats at a Celtics game, and shenanigans in Mr. C's sixth grade classroom. In middle and high school we became golf partners--often competing over eighteen or more holes at Waubeeka, where we both ended up working. And I'm so glad I chose to stick with basketball, if only to spend time with Hank. There were countless postgame hottub sessions at the Barrett household, and more often than not I ended up sleeping over. Their guest room is more fondly known as "Tommy's Room." Now we're both heading off to college, at different schools, but both in the NESCAC. I'm playing at Wesleyan on October 26th, and I know Hank will be there to watch. So after all that, enjoy being eighteen and enjoy these last few weeks of being a Mountie. I'll be home to see you graduate.