Becoming a citizen: "I love it so much"

     For Gillian Boonzaier -- usually the first person people meet when they enter our residency (Trinity Terrace in Fort Worth) -- the American dream came true. 
      She now is an American citizen.
      On Wednesday morning, September 25, Gillian took the oath of U.S. citizenship -- some 20 years after moving with her family from South Africa to this country.
     She was one of 531 immigrants who took the oath at the Plano Events Center. It was one of three ceremonies that day, with another 1,000 or so also celebrating the achievement.

      Gillian's two daughters and one of her two grandsons witnessed a moving moment in her life. (She also has a son, and another grandson is due in December.)

      "It was so well-organized," Gillian said of the ceremony. "I knew it would be emotional, but it was more emotional than I thought it would be.

     "I cried."

     Because of the large crowd, the citizens-to-be were asked to be present by 8 a.m. -- so the trip from Fort Worth to Plano meant a very early departure -- and there was a wait of more than an hour before the ceremony began.

     There was a brief video about Ellis Island, where for more than 50 years through 1954 millions of immigrants were processed upon entering the U.S. An appeal to become voters and an explanation of the oath of citizenship followed.

     Then came a roll call of the 51 countries represented -- it was 71 countries in the afternoon -- with the applicants rising to stand in preparation for the oath.

      "So many countries," Gillian said, noting that India and Japan had the largest delegation and were met with loud cheers. When South Africa was called, "my three family members applauded (softly).

      One country was Estonia. "I didn't know that it was a real country," Gillian said, smiling. "I thought it was a make-believe land from The Princess Bride."

Gillian with daughters Katrina (left)
 and Lauren (right) and grandson Grayson

     She had been working in the U.S. on
a green card, but it was due to be renewed in 2025, and because the cost was the same as becoming a citizen, she felt it was time to make the move that her younger daughter Katrina previously had made.

      Gillian submitted her citizenship
papers in March, took the required test in July, and passed easily. (She had studied her 100 flashcards diligently and never missed an answer on "pop" tests in the front lobby.

      The Boonzaier family left South Africa in 2004 when job opportunities became scarce as the end of apartheid changed society there. Gillian had accompanied her then-husband on his business trips to the U.S., so moving here appealed to her because "it's the land of milk and honey."

      The family's three school-age kids settled in the Miami area, where jobs in the airline and travel industries were available. Oldest daughter Lauren eventually moved to Fort Worth and when she was pregnant eight years ago, Gillian came to be with her.

     "I told her I would stay if I could find a job," Gillian recalled. She applied for a child-care position that was advertised by First Presbyterian Church, then saw the nearby front entry at Trinity Terrace.

     "I walked across the street," she said, "and went to human resources, applied for the front-desk position ... and I got the job."

      She's been at Trinity Terrace ever since; her title is "lead concierge," meaning her work space is across from the front door. She is the smiling greeter, front-lobby traffic director and organizer -- it is often a busy place -- and she finds answers to questions and requests. She is the doer of good deeds.

      And now, a proud American citizen, with the citizenship paper and photos for proof.

      Trinity Terrace staff and residents honored her the next day with flowers, balloons, and a cake, and -- yes --- she registered to vote.

      "It was all so nice," she said. "I love it so much." 

      

              

       

       

    

The Social Hour at Trinity Terrace: a history

          From humble beginnings, the Social Hour has grown into one of the best-attended, most-anticipated weekly events at Trinity Terrace.

      It began in 2008, and it was Martha Taylor's idea. Also credit Bill Starz for the start. (That's a tease; read below for the details).

      Whether the setting is Thursday-at-4 p.m. in the Longhorn Auditorium or the occasional evening venture outside on the terrace area, there are programs that draw up to 200 or so residents.

Trinity Terrace's ukulele players and singers

      Guests attend, too, especially when the "world-famous Trinity Terrace Ukulele Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus, Marching Society and Drill Team" -- that's director Ken Knight's tongue-in-cheek description -- is featured (four times a year). 

      The uke group, which has grown from a dozen to some 40-plus residents, has been in existence since January 2010 and from its start a part of Social Hour. And it now usually draws a more-than-capacity crowd. So much so that two concerts -- Wednesday and Thursday -- are a new schedule feature.      

      Another great attraction: Resident Services director Behka Hartmann's program of songs ... be it jazz, classic or popular tunes and -- as in 2022 -- Christmas favorites. 

      Her annual program in late May, outside on a nice evening, has been tied to a meal for residents, sponsored and served in the past two years by home-care companies. 

      Since its very beginning, musical programs have been the core of the Social Hour schedule, and the main focus of those doing the scheduling.

      Bill Starz was the first Social Hour committee chairman, and the longest-serving: six years (2008-13). He was followed by Charles Kelley for a year (2014), Rev. Bill Gould for three years (2015-17), Ken Knight for two (2018-19) and currently Nico Van Thyn for four years (2020-23).

    There were two pandemic-forced interruptions -- four days short of one year, March 2020 to April 1, 2021, and then another eight weeks (last week of 2021, first seven of 2022).

     Lonely times at Trinity Terrace, right?

---

     Many programs feature speakers -- book authors, newspaper people, Fort Worth notables, residents sharing their travel adventures, medical experts, etc.

     Some have attracted full-house audiences, such as then-mayor Betsy Price and most recently Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn. Most memorably, in 2017, there was then-new resident Dr. Bobby Brown -- New York Yankees star-turned-Fort Worth cardiologist who went overtime sharing his wealth of humorous stories. 

      Back to music: There are a dozen "regulars" audiences appreciate -- such as resident classical pianist Patrick Stanford; songs by Lisa Garrett, the aforementioned Ken Knight, Nancy and Gregg Froman, and Bob McClendon;  piano-and-trumpet by Debbie and Ken Cockerham; piano duos (Nancy and Bruce Muskrat, Doris Gameiro and Jose Cubela), piano entertainer Buddy Bray, piano/music historian Beverly Howard (a resident), the "Warmin'  Up team (Morgan Sullivan and Jim Duff), TCU students (with vocals and wind instruments), the Camp Meeting Boys group (with yodeler Devin Dawson); and the always reliable Texas Winds Outreach programs.

      Give a huge assist for at least 10 programs in 2023 to the Trinity Terrace Foundation, which provided $2,500 to pay for music and speakers. That meant -- in many people's opinion -- a boost in program quality.

      It gave the Social Hour a budget, an unprecedented development. Previously, when payment was requested, funds were drawn -- occasionally -- from the Resident Services department.

Paschal High School's mariachi group, 2022

      Resident Services also has tied several events to the Social Hour -- Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo (which in the past two years has featured high school mariachi groups from Paschal and Northside), Octoberfest, Halloween, Christmas, New Year's Eve. Next year, too: Christmas in July.

     Another goal in scheduling is to have residents do the program. They have done at least a dozen almost every year; in some of the early Social Hour years as many as 20.

     And Trinity Terrace staffers have been the performers, too. Once upon a time, the omnipresent Alex Smith -- now the events setup coordinator, but younger then -- sang Al Green tunes ("I wowed them ... I was good," he said, laughing at the recall.) 

      A decade ago, it was Bobby Davis (director of facility services) playing guitar alongside his teacher, our house painter Arjan Golemi (the Greek native). (Bobby since has switched to drums, and plays for his church worship group.)  

      And coming in November, five staffers -- Dining Services workers Kristian Thomas, Jaelon Wingham and Emily Gonzalez, weekend security guard Jacob Montgomery, and package-deliver specialist Emmanual Ogunyomi -- will perform a program of "scenes" and music.

      For a third year in a row, there will be a "Resident Roundtable" -- four residents covering their life stories -- on November 9.

A cooking demonstration: Dr. Loanne
 Chiu and chef Leon  Rivera III, 2022

    One more "in-house" program in the planning: Remember a year ago the cooking demonstration by resident Dr. Loanne Chiu and chef Leon Rivera III (with cookies by Diane Kessler). On the prospective 2024 schedule, February 1: a "cakes-cookies-pies" program featuring Elm Fork pastry chef Carol McFarland, with short segments by residents JoAnn Johnson, Jim Barker, Pat Adams and Diane Kessler (again). Plus, treats for the audience.

---

      About those humble beginnings, and Martha Taylor. She is now the matriarch of Trinity Terrace. In 2008, she was a spy, energetic 90-year-old with a plan: a weekly gathering of residents for music and -- yes -- drinks, a social gathering.

Martha Taylor

     She took her idea to Bill Starz, who agreed to be the first chairman. And he could play harmonica, which he often did in the first few years of Social Hour.

      Their first meeting drew about eight people and was held in a room that no longer exists -- near the Elm Fork dining room on the Terrace Tower's main floor (the expanded library and mail area are there now).

     Word got around and the weekly attendance grew, and soon it was time to move to the bigger Worth Lounge.

     The name went from Happy Hour to Sundowners -- neither acceptable -- and then Social Hour was a fit.

      More music, more drinks, more people, and Bill Starz went to then-executive director Lee Patterson to ask if the Longhorn Auditorium could be used for Social Hour.

     The answer was yes, and Social Hour had a permanent home. 

     Martha Taylor taught herself to play piano, and she was the Social Hour program on several occasions. And much appreciated.

       "Someone would call sick at the last minute, or unable to come for another reason," recalled Bill Gould of his time as chairman, "and Martha would say, 'I can do the program.'

    "She could tear it up," Bill added. "She played ragtime. Couldn't read music, but she could play by feel, and people loved it. ... She would get after it."

     Also, he said, "She is one of the sweetest, most enjoyable, pleasant people to be with. ... She would play piano in her apartment with the door open, and her neighbors loved it."

      Another hero was resident Judy Norman, who was on the Social Hour committee and, said Bill, "saved my bacon a couple of times" by creating programs -- poetry reading, play acting, the "Goofy Geezers" comedy (?) troupe. She remains a help with program suggestions.

      Originally, the Social Hour plan was to have a program for some 25-30 minutes, then let people visit (drink) ... socialize. Bill Gould, as scheduler, found it increasingly difficult to bring in musical guests and limit them to a half hour. So gradually -- and continuing with Ken Knight as chairman -- the programs grew to 40-45 minutes (or more).

     Ken, who had begun visiting for Social Hour before he and Richard Morehead moved in as residents in August 2017, felt that not having a budget for Social Hour was a "major concern," and scheduling was "a constant, ongoing stressor." 

     But in one of his two years in charge, Ken lined up 40 musical programs (in 51 weeks). His first guest: classical guitarist Dr. Will Douglas, a program regular.

     "I got lots of tremendous feedback [from residents]," Ken said. "People thought I was walking on water. We were fortunate to have some good musical talent come in."

      With his leadership, the ukulele/vocal group has grown to the enthusiastic 40-plus.

      Currently, suggestions for programs are always welcomed, and usually followed up. With the help of Resident Services and the Trinity Terrace Foundation, programming will continue to be impressive.

     Humble beginnings to a weekly attraction. Who knows, we might get another Alex Smith sing-along or a Thai cooking demonstration by Sithichart Phatanapirom (our "Bob"). 

     Come to Social Hour, and check it out.

Turn off the snow, turn on the power

The view from our apartment ... cold!

    We have been powerless for much of Monday and today. We were in the dark for hours, and it's been a test. But we are surviving.

     As I write this, the power has been back on for 20 minutes after the second 12-hour blackout. I have use of my coputer, so I am writing in a hurry because who knows when the power goes out again.

     Spent most of Monday without electrical devices, and again the first part of today.

     So no microwave to heat water for coffee or tea or soup. No television -- which we watched constantly last week and which we depend on for most of our news. For those in our facility who still like to read actual newspapers, no delivery the past two days.

     (It is still a place for the real Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News, New York Times and Wall Street Journal -- the kind you hold in your hands, not the online versions. I am not one of those readers these days.)

     I don't like snow, and I don't like cold weather. Never have, never will. And it is just too darned cold and too snowy here -- as bad as it's been in our part of the country for, I'm reading, three decades.

     Looked at my phone -- once we were back online Monday evening -- and it said 7 degrees with a "real feel" of minus 6. Last I checked we were not in Green Bay. Today we are up to 18 degrees, a heat wave.

     But, hey, I am not complaining. Please don't take it that way. We are grateful for the dedicated management people and staff in our facility, who made sure that everyone here -- some 450 residents -- had something to eat and drink, twice Monday and again for lunch today.

     They even managed hot soup today.

     Some of those managers and staff spent Sunday night here, and many stayed again last night. And the dining services department also had to deal with a broken water pipe and a partially collapsed ceiling portion in the kitchen.

      Hurray for our management, resident services and dining services departments.

---

     We have residents who voice their gripes, and maybe some are justified. But our feeling is that those in charge of this place, and those who work here, care about us and our well-being.

       It is frustrating not having much to do. I am enjoying typing this message, feels good, feels right.

       We are missing our exercise classes (yes, even at 8 a.m. most weekdays); they were called off. Our Country Store, a convenience for residents that is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, never opened. No power in the exercise room or in the store, obviously.

      Plus, it was cold in our apartment, and it got chillier as the day wore on, although our blankets and afghans were made to good use.

      The good thing was that by raising the blinds in our apartment, the sunshine coming through did help warm it up a bit inside and gave us light. 

       The result was we could read, and I have been able to cover about 175 more pages of this book, which has 589 pages to read in all. It is mostly about politics (I like reading about politics), but thankfully not today's politics.

     (Talk about powerless ... following the impeachment trial last week, watching two completely opposite views, that was definitely beyond our control. But it was great theater.)

      Our power went out -- my guess -- about 2:30 a.m. Monday, came back on at 7:11 a.m. (I know, because I reset a couple of our clocks), just in time for me to go downstairs and bring back two cups of coffee (black), the almost-every-day starter for Ms. Bea.

      That was from the only large container of coffee the dining staff managed to do after the power came on ... until the power went out again.

    That was shortly after 8 a.m. At 8:41 p.m. -- yes, a darned 12-plus hours -- the power came back on. This was after we made several trips down our dark hallway with a flashlight showing us the way. (Early in the day, we made a couple of trips down the stairs, where it was dark enough that we had to be very careful not to stumble.)

      Fortunately, one of the two elevators in our building was operating. Same was true -- one working elevator -- in the two other buildings in our facility. Generators made that possible.

      Today the power went out in the middle of the night, and came back on at 1:41 p.m. One improvement the dining staff was able to make: It had hot coffee in abundant supply downstairs. Beatrice was fine with that, and I was a happy volunteer to bring back two cups.

      Our facility was like the rest of most of our part of Fort Worth, with rolling blackouts imposed to save electricity for most of the past two days.

      Several times I thought about the people who regularly do without electrical power or running water, or so many of our modern conveniences ... or, sadly, without food. That's a significant part of the world, even a significant part of our very city and area. 

      Thought about how blessed, and maybe privileged, we are.

      I know people who grew up in that kind of environment; it hits very close to home. We didn't have a lot in the early 1950s in Amsterdam, but we rarely lacked for what we needed. A little girl growing up in rural North Louisiana didn't have a lot, either.

      "You don't think about it," she'll tell you. "You do with what you have, and you adjust to it. You find a way, and you live the best you can."

      What we did have in Amsterdam in the winter was plenty of snow and cold. For Mom, it likely brought back (bad) memories of a "Death March" she was forced to make in the middle of one of western Europe's most brutal winters a long time ago.

     So when it snows here, in the Deep South's usually mild climate, I always think of my mother, and how she absolutely despised cold weather. When we moved from Amsterdam, she loved the change in weather. Until the rare occasions when it, yes, snowed.

       Mom would have been miserable the past few days. We're not exactly delighted.

        Looking at the weather forcast online, we have a few more days of sub-freezing temperatures, winter storm warnings, more snow possibly late today and likely Wednesday, a slight rise to above-freezing Thursday, a sunny day but still not above 36 degrees Friday, warming up and sunny Saturday and -- gloriously -- temperature highs ranging from 56 to 67 Sunday through next Tuesday. 

     The weekend can't get here fast enough, can it? The abnormally cold weather can't leave fast enough. 

     Got lots that needs to be done: exercise classes, laundry, haircut, grocery shopping.  More Louisiana track and field books to pick up and mail, more to print and have bound.  

     Need electrical power for some of that, need clear and safe roads. 

     The weather is out of our control. What is in our control, the power we do have is mental. It's challenging, but we can deal with it as long as we count our blessings.

Adopt-A-School: reading to the kids

     (This is an article I wrote last month for our in-house monthly publication, the Terrace Talk. Thought you might enjoy it.)     
---
     It is called the Adopt-A-School program, and it is, arguably, the major outreach project of Trinity Terrace residents.
     During the school year, we are connected with Western Hills Primary, our "adopted" school for weekly Tuesday-Wednesday morning sessions -- focused primarily on reading -- with selected first-graders.
     This is the third consecutive year that Trinity Terrace has reached out to those kids, and if you ask the 18 residents involved who spend one-on-one time with students, the consensus belief is: "We get as much benefit from working with those children as they get from us."
     And, as you might gues, the kids consider out residents their "adopted grandparent reader."
     Western Hills Primary (pre-K through first grade) is located in western Fort Worth, in the rough Las Vegas Trail area, which -- frankly -- is a lower-income, mainly minority part of town that has been in the news a lot recently.
     "This is a school with many needs and we are a community with many blessings," says Tricia Baldwin, Trinity Terrace's chaplain. "Reaching out beyond our walls helps both sides."
     In addition to material goods, what the school and its children need most is attention. That is what Trinity Terrace provides.
     "These children are sweet and they are wonderful," says Frankye Armstrong, who as chair of our chapel committee in 2016 was the program's main organizer and recruiter and remains its driving force.
     She is, says Tricia, "a [TT] resident who found a special place in her heart for these children."

Frankye and Joe Armstrong with one of
the Western Hills Primary students.

     Frankye says it is all the Trinity Terrace readers' connections with the kids that counts most.
     "It makes the kids feel important," she says. "They may not always remember your name [in the future], but they will remember how you made them feel." 

   "I feel like it is an important investment of our time," says Ailene Gibson. "Education is one of the most important things we deal with right now. There is not enough money being spent on it. ... "

      "It is something I can do to give back to somebody," says another reader, Diane Kessler. "Everyone benefits so much from it."

---

     It is significant that the past two years, it takes a bus -- a Trinity Terrace bus -- to take the readers to Western Hills Primary (and back) twice a week.

     Because in the first year, all it took was one van carrying four readers.

     Then word got around, people noticed the readers coming back to our place smiling and talking about the program, and by the next year enough volunteered that a bus was needed to transport them to the school.

     After her first visit to the school, Frankye Armstrong decided to enlist residents to go to the school weekly to read to the children.
    "This is something that is the pride of my life," she says. "It was something I knew I could do, and wanted to do. But it is not about me. Please give credit to everyone else involved."

---

     Key elements of the program:

     • Packets provided for the students -- books for reading, alphabet and math practice cards, the journal, a record of the student/reader history.

   • The school's teachers who select the students and organize the packets.

   • The school's teachers who select the students and organize the packets.

   • "Snack sacks" presented weekly to the school. The varying goods include macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and crackers, a box of cereal, instant oatmeal, breakfast bar, juice boxes, and pudding.

     • The school administrators -- principal Mrs. Sonya Kelly and vice-principal Dr. Panzia Pullam-Brown (main contact for this program).

     • Our people willing to give their time.

     Each reader is assigned the same two students per visit -- pending changes, which may be frequent -- and spends about 30 minutes apiece with them.

     On those Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, one of the Trinity Terrace buses leaves here at 8:30, and school officials are notified of which readers are en route. Upon arrival at Western Hills Primary, the school's outside doors are unlocked and readers proceed independently to the room to meet their first students.

     "The minute we buzz into that school," says a reader, "it feels clean and warm and happy. ... The kids are so happy to see us."

     "They just light up," says Bea Van Thyn. "They refer to us as 'my reader,' and you can hear other students in a classroom call out [to the student], 'Your reader is here.' "

     The students have materials they received from their classroom teacher (or a substitute teacher), and goes with the reader to the school cafeteria (or at times the library).

     After the first session, the reader and student return to the classroom, and the reader then moves on to the second student (most often from another class).

     Because it is a large school -- 240 first-graders divided into 12 classrooms -- and it is in a transient part of the city, perhaps a 50 percent turnover of students within the school year, there often is a lack of continuity in the student/reader connection.

     Also, for many of the students, Spanish is their primary language -- English the second language -- so there are three dual language (but primarily Spanish-speaking) classrooms. Which especially makes one of our readers who speaks and reads Spanish a valuable resource in the  program.

     Reading can be problematic for some of the students, so they are guided -- and encouraged -- by our readers. The school-made cards of letters and numbers are an aid, and the journal each student has is used for them to write or math problems, or for drawing pictures (many related to what was just read or about their family or the TT reader).

     The sessions finished, the bus on the return trip, our readers each day exchange stories. "There is lots of bragging on our kids on the way home," says Frankye, laughing.

     Gaylon Peyton has a good story to tell. Read on.

--- 

     The project began with the "snack sacks," and then expanded.

     In the summer of 2016, Tricia Baldwin suggested to the chapel committee that it needed an outreach effort in the community and the idea she proposed was to adopt a school.

     Caroline Bell, the assistant for pastoral care at Trinity Terrace, had a connection to Western Hills Primary and made the inquiry about our place becoming involved.

     When vice-principal Dr. Brown asked, "Do you have any people that could read to our children?" the plan was put in place. It is of particular interest to Caroline, who is president of the board of Literacy Connexus, a non-profit organization that paves the way for churches to offer reading programs to children, especially needy ones.

      So a perfect match here. Plus, the men in the Trinity Terrace Tinkers' Den built 50 bookcases for Literacy Connexus' use.

      The first Trinity Terrace contribution was to the snack sacks (which cost about $3 apiece). When a sponsoring church dropped its connection, our the chapel fund began providing money to purchase sacks for some students who have inadequate nutrition on weekends.

      "It is hard to believe that one out of four children in Tarrant County have inadequate nutrition and that statistic is even higher at Western Hills Primary," says Tricia Baldwin.

     The Tarrant Area Foodbank provides a limited amount of snack sacks, so Trinity Terrace is part of the supplemental supply. The sacks are made by volunteers at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, then picked up and delivered to the school by Caroline Bell each week.

      Trinity Terrace also helped make available extra winter coats and shoes for children in need.

      The TT chapel fund also helps pay for a luncheon for the school's teachers each spring on "Teacher Appreciation Day."

      In return, Western Hills Primary sent its school choir to Trinity Terrace for a concert, and the third annual visit will be March 28, with some 70 kids participating and our main auditorium expected to be full.

---   

Diane Kessler (right): "Everyone benefits
so much [from the program]."

     Diane Kessler says she was "lucky" to work with the same two children all of her first year as a reader. "We had a real good connection." It is not as strong a bond with her two this year, "but you don't know all that much about these kids' lives."

      She enjoys watching her students work with their flash cards. "They make them like dominoes, like to connect the colored dots, or play games with them," she says. "They'll start to count them, or put things together. Some just like to scatter them."

     "Some kids are just so cute," says Ailene Gibson, "but some are wigglesome." Thus, they are a little more difficult to teach.

Gaylon Peyton (left) received his own reading lesson.

     And Gaylon Peyton can relate. In his first year as a reader, "I got two boys who cannot sit still; you cannot rope them in place," he says. But one of them provided his story.

     The book the boy selected to read from his packet was about dinosaurs (kids do like their dinosaurs).

     When they began reading, "I could not get my tongue around the word 'Tyrannosaurus' [Rex]," Peyton said. After he tried several times, the boy stopped him and said, "This book is too hard for you," and, Peyton added, "He went and got a different book for us."

     That was a story for the bus on the ride home.

     Peyton says that he is "starting to see some advancement" by his first-grade readers. He is "teaching them phonics a little bit so when they see a word, they can sound it out."

       One of his boys is "a hugger," who for example gave a big hug to the school librarian, and when Peyton was pleased with the boy's effort and put up his hand for a high-five, "he instead gave me a big hug."

     Just as Trinity Terrace's volunteers readers have given a big hug to Western Hills Primary's first graders.

     "There is nothing like the joy that is evident on the faces of both the students and readers each time they come," says principal Sonya Kelly. "We are truly blessed to have them as a part of our school family." 

     The connectiont is not all about reading or math.

     Some days, our readers will say, kids are shy or withdrawn, or not focused, and maybe just want to play games. Some days, family/home issues -- a lack of meals, sharing a bed or a mattress on the floor with siblings, or sleeping on the floor -- are a topic of discussion.

     It is not intended to be a counseling session, but being a willing ear is part of the task.

     "Some kids may not need the reading help as much as others," Frankye Armstrong says. "But the real need is for attention. ... We are really engaged with those kids [during the sessions. You have to know how much it means to those kids."

      And to their grandparent readers.    

Welcome to the neighborhood: It's Colonial week

      Each May, our neighborhood turns into a fortress. Fences are put up, tents are pitched, roads are closed, and we are practically in lockdown mode.
      It's not as bad as you might think. In fact, it's quite good.
      The PGA Tour is back at Colonial Country Club, which is just across the Trinity River from where we live. Fort Worth has much going for it, and the tournament at Colonial -- note how I am avoiding the corporate name -- is one of the city's biggest assets.
      It is one of the PGA Tour's biggest assets, in my opinion. Other than the Masters at Augusta National, no tournament on tour has been played on the same course annually as long as Colonial. When you see it describes as "historic" Colonial, it's true.
       It is a beautiful old course, a beautiful setting, built into the TCU-area neighborhood, next to the river, a course designed with lots of dogleg fairways and challenging carries over water, and shorter by today's standards (only two par-5s). So the long-drive bombers have to compromise and don't always prevail.
      And we are right here. The fourth green at Colonial -- the dastardly tough 247-yard par-3 hole which has never been aced in tournament history -- is about 100 yards (if that much) from the apartments where we live.
      Only a river, and a bridge, is between us and the golf tournament. Oh, and a ticket to get in the place. I usually manage to find one.
      We have lived in the Colonial neighborhood for nine years, and tournament week is exciting ... and it can be a traffic mess. But starting last year, the PGA Tour and Colonial officials -- with security in mind -- rearranged access to the course.
      The main entrance to the course, which used to be at either the front of Colonial or on Colonial Drive near the second-hole tee box and first green, now is just down the street from us.
      The open field across the street from the fourth fairway/green now is the site of Frost Park, and a huge stage-like base on which is built the "entry" pavilion. I knew tournament time was nearing when they began construction about five weeks ago.
      This week, they close off the street here at the bridge. Fans cross the street from the pavilion to enter the course midway down the No. 4 fairway.
      So, from there, it is quite a walk to either the No. 1 or No. 10 tee boxes, where players begin their Thursday-Friday rounds. But for me, it's a shortcut for walking all the around the fence to the previous entry spot.
      Besides, I don't mind the walk. I walk for exercise just about every day and go past No. 4 several times a week, and I have walked the Colonial course regularly during most of the nine tournaments since we've lived here. (Had to miss a year or two because of conflicts, family matters.)
      Love walking the course. Watching golf isn't easy, but it is easier if you prefer to sit at one hole -- or two, if it's within range of vision -- and watch all the groups come through.     

David Toms' children celebrate with him after his
2011 victory at Colonial (Getty Images photo)

      I'd rather follow a group all the way around, and enjoy all the course. It gets harder as we get older, but I can find the shortcuts, such as not walking the length of the 611-yard, par 5 No. 11 ... unless my guy is in contention and I need to take a closer look.
      The people who know me know that my guy -- years ago -- was Hal Sutton. Followed him in many a round here, in Memphis, in Shreveport (obviously not as part of the PGA Tour), even in Honolulu, and at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
       My guy now is David Toms, like Hal a resident of Shreveport. I don't know David personally, although we've met and I've written about him. I do have long-ago connections with his father and stepmother, and I know several of his friends.  
       I have followed David's rounds here every year I've been, and my favorite Colonial was four years ago when he finally (finally) won this tournament.
       He had been close several times, and he often has said it is one of his favorite courses and tournaments. One reason is the course suits his game; he's not among the long drivers on Tour but one of the best iron players.
       Another reason: He always has a strong following here, LSU fans and people from North Louisiana who make the drive over or the Metroplex residents with Louisiana/LSU ties who like to see him play.
       I'm in that group, and one of the reasons I so enjoy the Colonial crowds is there are always longtime friends I see there.
       We can only hope it will be as much fun as it was in 2011 when David posted his 13th career PGA Tour victory -- and a thrilling one, considering his wife and children were there and that he had met with disaster the week before, losing The Players Championship in playoff with K.J. Choi after leading most of the day. That had been his sixth runner-up finish since his previous victory (in 2006).
       In the first two rounds in 2011, David was on target -- 8-under 62 both days. I had to miss Saturday's round (out-of-town trip) and David faltered to a 4-over 74.
       On Sunday, as we were all nervous all day, he came through beautifully with a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory. So he was 19 under for the three days I was there. Dang right, I was his good-luck charm (don't tell me otherwise).
       It was almost as much fun last year. After a 72 on Thursday, he shot 66-65 and we had that nervous feeling again Sunday. He had the lead at 9 under when he went to No. 10, but faltered and finished two shots behind Adam Scott (playoff winner) and Jason Dufner.
        Undaunted, I plan to follow David to another victory this week.
        I am not a golfer, never have been, never covered a golf tournament until I was in college, rarely had been to a golf course. But I always liked watching the big tournaments on TV, watching Arnie and Jack and the other greats and non-greats.
        My appreciation for the game -- and its difficulty -- has grown over the years. This observation will be no surprise to the millions who have played (or tried to play). I've seen some of my friends hack their way around the course. I've seen some who can really play.
        Still, what I know about the game -- technically -- would not fill the cup on the No. 4 green at Colonial. I do know some tournament history and know some of the players, and I have been on coverage teams for the Colonial and The Players Championship.
        Because we lived in the Jacksonville area and I worked for The Florida Times-Union for a half decade, I got to see some great golf on what I think is an outstanding and challenging course, the Stadium Course at PGA Tour headquarters. 
        Loved seeing the players up close, interviewing some of them and writing what little I could contribute. Even Greg Norman -- Bea and I were such fans, and he let us down quite a few times -- dominated The Players one year.

Three symbols of victory at Colonial: The Marvin Leonard
trophy, the plaid jacket ... and David Toms. (PGA.com photo)

        I usually try to watch The Players on TV, and it was great theater two weeks ago when the "overrated" Rickie Fowler won in a playoff (and birdied No. 17 three times on Sunday ... wow).
        Love that course, although I don't especially love the island hole, No. 17.
        If you made me choose between the Stadium Course and Colonial as my favorite, I'd have to split the vote. How's that for being decisive? I do think that getting around Colonial might be a bit easier than the hills and contours of TPC; both are easier than walking Augusta National.
        What I love most, though, is being near the golfers, and the caddies, and the media ... and the crowds. It's a fine place for people watching, and seeing old friends. 
         At Colonial, I particularly enjoy watching players take on the "Horrible Horseshoe," Nos. 3-4-5, as tough a three-hole stretch as any on Tour (similar to Nos. 16-17-18 at the TPC Stadium Course). I also enjoy all the par-3s here -- the long No. 4, then 8, 13 and 16 (the last two with carries over water, just as on Nos. 9 and 18). 
         I also know to stay away from No. 13 -- The Party Hole -- on Saturday and Sunday when crowds are large and especially rowdy there (it's bad enough on Thursday and Friday).
         That was the scene of the "caddy races," when bets were placed on which caddy will step on the green first. It was silly and wild, and the PGA Tour finally put a ban on them.
         Still, I want no part of No. 13. I'll watch from a distance, thank you. But if David Toms is playing well, and in contention, I might pay closer attention. Let's hope that's the case.
         The neighborhood is rocking, and I'm starting my walk toward to Colonial. I expect it will be a fun week.