Coffee At Birkdale

Car of the Day:

1964 – 1973 Ford Mustang Convertible

Character of the Day:

Dills – Wrong Way Longfellow

With a beard like that and name like Dills it’s heard to guess the story I was about to hear. Turns out that Dills was born and raised in Ohio. At the age of eight he moved to NC due to his father’s new job with First Union (which eventually was purchased by Wachovia). He attended Hopewell High School and is currently at UNC Charlotte getting a degree in Computer Science. At first glance it’s easy to see that Dills enjoys the outdoors, he’s a certified Eagle Scout. Even though occasionally he’s been known to travel down the wrong path on a hike, hence his nickname Wrong Way Longfellow. What’s less obvious is his ease with numbers, currently he works as an assistant bookkeeper at BI-LO. “It’s mostly data entry but it’s numbers and computers which is OK” he said. Ideally, his dream job consists of coding business to business software. He doesn’t stay glued behind the screen all day… in his spare time he enjoys kayaking. Dills’ laid back personality and quiet persona made for good company at the coffee shop. I look forward to seeing him in the future. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “The atmosphere”.

Car of the Day:

2003 – Current BMW 650i Convertible

Character of the Day:

Babette – Natural Born Saleswoman

I was introduced to Babette and her mother through Clarence (Day 304) at a networking event. When I saw both of them in Starbucks today I decided to take the opportunity to snag Babette as a Character. One thing became crystal clear when I listened to her story, she has sales in her blood. She was born in the mountains of Arizona where ironically the temperature was much cooler than it is here. Her parent’s transient life style allowed her to experience a lot of the US at an early age. It was when she moved to Maine and was preparing for college when she met her husband. They locked eyes as she was up in a tree cutting down a branch. He loves telling everyone that she was sitting on the wrong side of the branch as she was cutting and he had to save her from her mistake. They were married ten weeks later and started their family within the first year. It will be 31 years for them in November. They have seven children and fourteen grandchildren. Her husband works in the IT department at Bank of America and Babette works for PrePaid Legal, which is the same company Clarence (Day 304) works for.  She believes more in having a relationship with Christ than in any specific denominational religion. If anyone comes to live in their house, you would be expected to attend church at least once a week. What you do with what you learn is totally up to the person. She has a great sense of humor and good a heart. Her favorite thing about Birkdale… “Being able to let my grandkids play in the fountain. Watching them is a blast”.

Car of the Day:

2007 – Present BMW M3 Convertible

Character of the Day:

Andrew – Hiking Computer Programmer

Andrew is an oxymoron. His southern accent coupled with his love for the outdoors would never lead one to believe he’s one year away from getting his software engineering degree. He was enjoying the weather today sitting outside of Starbucks with Jordan (Day 295). I’ve learned over the course of this project that Jordan’s friends tend to make great Characters. Andrew is a true Lake Norman local born in Denver and raised in Huntersville. He remembers the days when exit 23 was the big exit and Northcross was only two lanes. He attended NorthMeck High and CPCC where he transferred to UNCC. He’s an interesting Character who apparently has had a love for calculus since he was a child. His brother on the other hand has a love for statistics putting it to good use in the professional gambling arena. Andrew’s aspirations include working for a company such as Adobe and eventually owning his own business. When it comes to his hobbies it’s mostly all outdoors which provide him a break from staring at the monitor hours on end. He started laughing when he recalled a trip to the top of a mountain at night that ended up with 12 sets of eyes staring at him and Seth (Day 128). Ten sets ran off with two sets staying behind. His initial fright turned into relief when they realized it was a herd of cows. I enjoyed our conversation and look forward to seeing him at Starbucks. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “The variety of people”.

Car of the Day:

1996 – 2006 Jaguar XK8

Character of the Day:

Sean – Little Chuck Lidell

Sean is a pretty raw type of guy which at times can be refreshing. He isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and move to Huntersville at the age of 8. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Hopewell High School wasn’t the right fit for him so he decided to get his GED instead. He does know the Army is the right fit and is currently taking classes at CPCC to become eligible. Sean does have some interesting hobby pairings, such as UFC fighting with his friends paired with his ability to cook. Or skateboarding on half pipes paired with a love for the great outdoors. If it were up to him he would be the next Bear Grylls living out in the wild. While talking to Sean I realized that he is looking to live his life as an adventure that hopefully takes him around the world experiencing all it has to offer. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “the beautiful women”.

Yesterday, Shannon, Gaston, Kelly, and I attended Lake Bash 19. Gaston being the only one of the group who has attended this event in the past wasn’t quite as nervous/excited as we were. The event hosted by Ronnie Stephens started out as a little get together at his lake house. Over the years it has grown to one of the biggest parties on the lake. There was an estimated 1,500 attendees enjoying the sun, fun, and friends. It is so large that sponsors such as the Dirty Martini & Mac’s Speedshop were providing free BBQ & T-Shirts. There was a DJ playing classic beach music and even a half of dozen porta potties (since only sponsors were allowed in Ronnie’s house).

The Scene:

As we walked down the front yard and claimed our spot near the edge of the water there were already numerous boats tied up to the dock. I’ll admit it’s a pretty cool site to see that many boats tied up to ONE dock.

The dock naturally serving as the gateway between the boats and the shore became a red carpet of sorts. We had the perfect spot for people watching. Needless to say we were entertained the whole time. Once the heat started kicking in it was time for us walk the red carpet and head for some cool water. Each boat was playing their own music which combined into a wall of sound that had a hint of everything. After hopping on to the first boat we jumped into the water to cool off. No need to worry about not having any floats. There were huge rafts all over the place with people inside enjoying the sun and drinks.

The rest of the day was spent making new friends, playing ladder ball, and enjoying the sun. This event by far lived up to it’s reputation as the “biggest party of the year on the lake”.  We’re looking forward to Lake Bash 20.

Car of the Day:

1997 – 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo

Character of the Day:

Wayne  – Head Hunting Porsche Lovn’ Nice Guy

It only took me two years to get Wayne as a Character after I was introduced to him through Cheri (the first and original Character). The first thing you notice about Wayne is that he’s one of those guys you enjoy hanging out with, rather it be over a coffee at Starbucks or a beer at Red Rocks. It might be due to the fact he was born in Jamaica and raised in New Jersey. Or perhaps he’s an executive recruiter that just knows how to talk to people. He attended Kean University where he received his degree in marketing. He had dreams of being  a stock broker which were altered by his brother. Wayne’s first job out of college was working for an insurance firm. The pay wasn’t that good and he wasn’t that happy. One day his brother pulled up in his Porsche and asked him if he was interested in a career change “It was like the movie Trading Places. I looked at what I had and what he had and it didn’t take long for me to decide” he said laughing. That’s when he started to learn the business of executive recruiting. It’s been 20 years since that day and Wayne now has a beautiful family, house, and his Porsche. When he is not club racing his car, he’s either on his bike or playing tennis. He also loves music and movies. “Every Friday night is movie night at our house in the theater room” he said smiling. As always I enjoyed our conversation and look forward to seeing him at Starbucks. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “I have met some of my best friends there and of course you”.

Car of the Day:

2003 – Present A8L

Character of the Day:

Christine – Spreading Her Truth

It wouldn’t be a far cry for me to say that Christine is one of the most interesting Characters I’ve interviewed to date. I was sitting with a few of my past Characters (all guys in their mid 20’s) when she approached us. “You look like some open minded people” she said as she handed us some literature titled “It’s Starting to get Serious Now” which mostly dealt with the prospect of the government rescinding our right to bear arms. This combined with her shirt that said “Work Harder… people on welfare are depending on you” inspired me to ask her to be a Character. She happily obliged and sat down to join the group. It was difficult to get her off topic, which consisted of her Christian Faith and The Campaign 4 Liberty movement, but I was able to get a few tidbits. Christine is originally from NC born and raised, her deep southern accent made this verifiable true. She has been married for the past 30 years and became a born again Christian 28 years ago. She has two children in their late 20’s with her daughter living out of state. Far as her hobbies go they consist of reading the bible, which she has done back to back numerous times, and cooking. As much as I tried, this was all of the personal information I was able to garner from our conversation. I do have to give her credit for her dedication to staying on topic with her message which lasted for at least an hour. Her favorite thing about Birkdale… “This right here! Being able to talk to people”.

Car of the Day:

2005 – Present BMW M6 Convertible

Character(s) of the Day:

Jenny, Jill & Katie – Teachers, Teachers, & more Teachers

Little did I know this table of ladies would be able to provide a solid elementary education. All three have a background in elementary education with Jenny (left) & Jill (middle) focusing on the private sector and Katie (right) in the public. Jenny is originally a California girl and moved to NC when she was 12. She attended Montreat College receiving her degree in youth ministry. It didn’t take long though for her to realize it was the younger children in which she had the  connection. Unfortunately both her and Jill were laid off from South Lake Christian Academy due to budget cuts. She is currently attending UNCC to get her masters in Masters in teaching (k-6). When she isn’t studying she has plenty of hobbies to keep her occupied such as sailing, pottery, music, and scuba diving. Her favorite Scuba diving trip was at Turks & Cacos where she unknowingly dove to 115ft. Next we have Jill who is originally from Philadelphia and made her way to NC when she was in 2nd grade. She attended Appalachian State where she received her degree in Elementary Education. Keeping true to her motto FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) she has applied to teach overseas. To date she has received offers from Indonesia and South Vietnam. “I’m waiting for something safer to come along” she said with a smile. While Jill is waiting for the right job offer, she keeps herself busy with spontaneous road trips. That coupled with her love for food, running, and art provides for a pretty busy day. Last, but not least, we have Katie who is a Florida girl born and raised. She attended Florida State University receiving her degree in Child development. It has been six years since she graduated and moved to NC to teach. Currently she is at Highland Creek teaching 2nd grade. “It’s the perfect age” she proclaimed. Katie is an outdoor girl who loves to go camping and hiking. As far as sports go, it’s Frisbee golf all the way. She also loves to dance which isn’t precluded to just one style. An active girl to say the least. Their favorite thing about Birkdale….

Jenny – “Hanging out with friends and seeing new people”.

Jill – “The restaurants, especially Brixx and the Corkscrew”.

Katie – “All the events like the spring concerts and the Christmas tree lighting”.

Car of the Day:

2008 – 2009 Honda S2000 CR

Character of the Day:

Joe – West Coast Racer

I was lucky to get Joe as today’s Character after I’ve seen him pull in numerous times and park his green Ninja 600 next to the curb in Starbucks. He and his family are moving to California on Tuesday. He is originally from Florida where he lived until he was 16. He then moved to Orange county, California where he lived for the next 38 years. Joe started his racing career on the streets with his 500 hp Beetle that was stripped down to 1,100 pounds. He then started racing professionally at the drag strip when he was 26. A crash at 30 ended his career behind the wheel and started his career in the pits. He went back to school where he received his technology degree and started working on communication equipment for race cars. It was in 2006 when he and his family moved to Huntersville to break into the NASCAR scene. Joe enjoyed the ride while it lasted. The combination of the recession and a crash that destroyed his equipment has convinced Joe it’s time to head back home. After talking to him you get the feeling he’s seen a lot and can pretty much handle anything that’s tossed his way… as long as he can relieve some stress at 135 mph on his bike. He’s a seasoned gear head that has stories from races around the world. He’s worked in the pits in Le Mans and has seen every track state side. What’s even more impressive is that after 35 years of riding his bikes he hasn’t had a single accident. As mentioned before I’m glad I got him as a Character before he left. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “Is snagging the bench seat under the tree with my wife to people watch while drinking our Starbucks lattes”.

I finally took the plunge to upgrade the website. The functionality has increased as well as the usability. If anyone has any suggestions or comments feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Some cool new features are:

• Live C@B Video Feed – You can see live video recording from my iPhone on the home page. Make a comment or  ask a question in real time by typing below the screen. 1st entry typed will be user name. 2nd entry typed will pop up on my iPhone.
• Ability to embed media in the posts
• Threaded comments that let you login using your Facebook profile!

In case someone is feeling nostalgic I have provided a link to the original website on the right.

Thanks for checking out Coffee @ Birkdale.

-S