Taking Our Golf Game To The Next Level

Spring Lake RV Resort, Crossville, Tennessee     The inexpensive boxed sets of second hand golf clubs we bought in Florida last February served us well, but as expected, the time came to upgrade. Still new to golf, I could have continued to use mine for a while longer but it served no real purpose to do that and we decided we each would get new clubs.

My beginner set of Knight brand golf clubs.
Ready for a new owner. 

Wayne's set is ready for a new home too. 

We are still at Spring Lake RV Resort in Crossville, Tennessee where golf is everywhere but beginner golf clubs might be tough to sell. Mostly retirees come here and they are typically well equipped for golf already. Anyway, I advertised our old clubs on Craigslist and within two days, sold both sets to a young man and his girlfriend, from nearby Cookeville, for $25 less than we paid for the combined sets in February. That worked out well enough.

Now, though, without any golf clubs, we would be forced to get serious about making a decision on brands, models, price and then the final step of making the purchases.  Being hardest to please, we concentrated on Wayne first. We did our homework about golf clubs for seniors and began researching the brands and models that we felt best suited for us.We both settled on the idea of graphite clubs. Ladies for me -- seniors for him.

While golf courses are plentiful in this area, golf equipment retailers aren't. The nearby pro shops had only a few sets, very limited brands and we couldn't get enough personalized attention to get serious about buying from them. We knew we needed to be properly fitted and we wanted plenty of practice swings to make a decision and that would take someone to take an interest.

Looking... at the stores. 

Our golf club search moved on to Knoxville, about 60 miles east of Crossville, where we found an Edwin Watts retail store and a more motivated sales staff. Wayne was measured, fitted and hit hundreds of balls with a variety of clubs. We attended a manufacturers' demo day too where Wayne continued to hit balls with senior graphite clubs by Adams, Mizuno, Taylor Made, Ping, Callaway, Wilson, Cobra, Titleist and Nike to name a few. He was exhausted but formed some important ideas about what felt best . He had also made progress in correcting the terrible hook developed last winter.

Swinging... at Demo Day.
He's at the Adams display in this picture. 

This is probably a good place to insert an important fact. While Wayne grew up playing golf and played for many years, he has never picked out a set of clubs for himself. Because his father was such an avid and good golfer, Wayne always was supplied with quality clubs handed down from his dad. He is especially excited and careful about the experience of actually making the selection of his clubs and accessories this time.

Talking... and listening... to everyone.

...and more swinging.
That's him on the far right on the blue markers

At last Wayne's selection was made with the help of a nice discount from the manufacturers Demo Day. He selected and brought home his new irons and driver. He ordered his bag and fairway wood for shipment directly to the campground. At home that evening, we ordered Auburn head covers, towels, umbrella and golf glove. The next week was like Christmas and he was like a little boy.

Big boy with new toys.
Here's the new fairway wood.

Opening all the boxes - one at a time.

Last but not least... the Auburn golf bag. 

With Wayne's golf club purchase out of the way, I could then concentrate on buying mine. I looked at complete sets online and in stores and didn't care for what I found. I like using irons and dislike hybrids but most sets came with few irons and plenty of hybrids. Other complications, like white bags and too few of the clubs I wanted added to my frustration.

Then during an online search for golf equipment, I came upon U.S. Golf and Tennis on Genesis Road right here in Crossville. I couldn't find a website for the company and they didn't have a presence on Facebook. I did find one customer review and it was unflattering but we became curious nevertheless.  Anyone who knows Wayne and me know that we love shopping. The single negative review concentrated on the store's clutter and unkempt appearance which doesn't bother us. Sounded intriguing. We made a plan to stop in the next day.

U.S. Golf and Tennis
A building with an addition, and another and another and another.
The place is huge and completely full of merchandise.

U.S. Golf and Tennis is about a half mile off I-40 on Genesis Road near Crossville's Outlet Center. Lexie and Ozzie were in the car with us the first time we stopped. Wayne went in to look around while I sat in the car with the dogs. Pets are not allowed inside. Some 30 to 35 minutes later, when Wayne had not emerged from the sprawling building, I went in to look for him. I was warmly greeted by the lady behind the counter and then overwhelmed by the content of this store. Wow. Stuff was everywhere. Displays, boxes, racks, signs, stacks and heaps of merchandise. Golf merchandise mostly, with a little tennis stuff too. Oh, I knew Wayne was somewhere deep within these walls having a shoppers field day.

U.S. Golf and Tennis from the other side. 

In a far distant corner of another section of the store Wayne was buried among the golf clubs, accessories, shoes and bags. He introduced me to Arthur, owner of U.S. Golf and Tennis, a pleasant man who welcomed our browsing, offered advise when needed and answered questions when we had them.

Arthur amid the thousands of golf clubs and bags in his store.
He has a serious look but actually has a very good sense of humor.
It was needed to outfit me with golf clubs. 

Wayne and I would return time and time again to U.S. Golf and Tennis before we actually even made a purchase. Hours flew by like minutes.  Ladies Eastland golf shoes were on sale for $20 a pair -- and there were literally hundreds of pairs. Other brands were discounted 50%.  I tried on shoes, I shuffled boxes, I rested when I got tired and washed my hands when they got dirty from box shuffling. What a shopping thrill this turned out to be for us.

My new, soft leather Eastland golf shoes - $20
We had to learn to lace kilties. 

My clubs, bag and all my golf accessories would be purchased from U.S. Golf and Tennis. We met Arthur's wife, Louise, who I came to like so very much. Their story of getting to this point in the business was ever so fascinating. We learned that U.S. Golf and Tennis supplies many of the local pro shops too.

Arthur's wife, Louise behind the counter at U.S. Golf and Tennis in Crossville.
Louise and Arthur know what's in all the boxes and all the bins in all the rooms in every section of this store. 

My golf equipment would, in the end, consist of a full set of name brand ladies graphite clubs, driver, fairway wood, bag, head covers (including iron covers), towels, gloves and more for about half of the cost of Wayne's set even with the manufacturers discount. Wayne found himself a beautiful new pair of Nike golf shoes and we loaded ourselves with miscellaneous other golf merchandise. 

In the center of the picture, hard to see, there's Wayne and Arthur.
New golf bags (in plastic) line the perimeter of this section of the building.

The icing on the cake of my golf club buying experience was the sweet young lady in the photo below. Tiffany manages counter sales and has, quite simply, a wonderful attitude and customer service skills that any business owner would envy. She worked tirelessly in the store and welcomed every customer with a smile while we were there. 

Saved the best for last -- Tiffany.
Simply great at what she does for U.S. Golf & Tennis  

As often and as long as we visited U.S. Golf and Tennis, we occasionally found ourselves famished at lunchtime. When that happened, we enjoyed lunch at the Log Cabin Restaurant just around the corner.

Log Cabin Restaurant.
Around the corner from U.S. Golf and Tennis
Crossville, Tennessee

War Eagle! 

A House? No Way!

Spring Lake RV Resort, Crossville, Tennessee    
We came to Crossville, Tennessee in early May to play golf. Crossville is said to the "the golf capitol of Tennessee" with at least eight courses within a twenty mile radius. Why, there's even one community here with five, yes five, courses!

Excited as we were though, the first few weeks here, we couldn't play because I was still "under the weather" with the head cold. But once I felt better, we began to explore the golf options and found ourselves really caught in the fever. What a great place! Let's just stay here all summer!

The previous winter we had given some thought to buying a lot for the coach... a place of our own where we could park for a couple of months in spring and fall and be near family, doctors and medical facilities. Crossville might be a good location to serve that purpose and so I set about exploring the real estate options.

Lake Tansi, on the south side of Crossville, is a nice development with great golf, and a lot ownership RV community. I checked out the listings and we both got excited. The golf course there is well kept, but the RV community at Holiday Out RV Park at Tansi was a huge disappointment with old junked out trailers, tarped and broken down cars throughout. Bummer.

Another lot ownership community is on the other side of town, nearer to where we are staying and we looked there too. But Deer Run RV Resort was no better, just different, perhaps worse... with a mile of loose gravel road going into the community. Our hopes were fading.

Yet another Crossville location, Fairfield Glade, is a premier retirement golfing community but it doesn't have accommodations for full-time RV'ers so that didn't work for us either. To live there and enjoy membership golf, we would be required to vacate the coach and live in a house. We tossed that idea too.

One other possibility was explored. The Gardens is a community of villa style homes with attached RV garages but it didn't appeal to us and like with the previous location, we would have to park the coach in the garage and live in the house. We want to continue to live in our motorhome and not vacate it. The plan was dashed.

So at this point in time, the property ownership idea has been abandoned and we are loving our spot at Spring Lake. We will remain here as long as possible, practical and desirable, playing the area golf courses as non-members and enjoying the huge mowed grass lot behind us for practice.

Not much wrong with that plan.

Spring In Tennessee

On Sunday, April 19th, less than a week after Macky died, we left Sharon Johnston Campground in New Market, Alabama and headed to middle Tennessee where we will get our annual medical and dental work done, see the children and grandchildren and play a little more golf.

One afternoon we played 9 holes at the City of Smyrna (TN) Municipal Course where Wayne had played many times as a young man. Our game is showing slow improvement and we had a nice day of it.

We got our medical exams. blood work, mammogram, and bone density test done. Wayne's doctor put him on a low dose of cholesterol lowering medicine. Wish we'd been better at managing it with diet. The dental cleanings and x-rays were unremarkable. Wayne had a filling checked but didn't have to have it replaced. It's probably going to result in a root canal at some time in the future. Oh joy.

The first weekend we were at Nashville I-24 Campground, we got to visit with Cam, Amy and their twins, who will turn two years old in a few weeks. I failed to get pictures, but we did manage to get to hold the twins for a few minutes each. They do not hold still for more than just a second or two at this age and do not like being held. The second weekend here, Cam went, with friends, to a comic book show in Chicago.

Over the course of the week, Wayne got a head cold. On days after his fever subsided and he felt well enough, we looked around for new golf clubs. We checked into getting a set of gently used ones, but never found anything. He had a couple of fittings and took swings with several brands.

At Golf Galaxy in Brentwood. 

On April 30th, we took the rig to Burns, Tennessee for a weekend visit at Montgomery Bell State Park Campground with Wayne's brother, Gary, his wife, Shelia, their children and grandchildren. We had a wonderful time except for my cold which had begun by then too.

Wayne on the left.
Little brother, Gary, (9 years younger) on the right. 

Let's see if I can get all the names....
Rear: Joel, Cole, Gary, Wayne, me and Grant.
Middle: Kelley, Caleb, Shelia, Audrey, Ella, Mindy and Kent
Front: Cohen, Chloe and Natalie

On Saturday, May 2, we returned to the Smyrna campground for three more days before shoving off to Crossville, Tennessee. The spring and fall weather on the Cumberland Plateau is to our liking and we like to stop for a week long rest at Spring Lake RV Resort when we come through this area. This year, we were thrilled to learn that Linda and Dale were close enough to swing by for a few days on their way home to Ohio for summer. Both our sites were along the lake in the back of the property.

We all visited the miniature railroad display. 

Linda and Dale stayed for a total of four days. I was still suffering with my head cold but we had some good visiting time anyway, including a steak cook-out, a visit to the miniature railroad display and a barbecue dinner at Lefty's, a very good local eatery. 

Linda and Dale playing around at the railroad museum mall.

A bonus to having Dale and Linda near is that I always get a haircut and Dale fixes whatever we break. Getting my much needed haircut this time was especially appreciated since I felt so bad.  Dale found and fixed the problem with our pull-out kitchen counter extension that had been fouled somehow by the guys who installed the new carpet at Wade RV. Wayne and I are simply not handy repair people and we can never express our appreciation enough to Linda and Dale for all they do to help us.

Farewell until we meet again friends. 

Dale and Linda had another day and a half travel to get to Ohio where they will spend the summer with friends and family and Dale will begin some heavy duty modification projects to the rig. Dales rig draws a lot of curious inquiries everywhere they go. Someone came running out to snap a picture when they pulled into the campground.

The Passing of Macky: Life Is Uncertain. Death Is For Sure.

Sharon Johnston Park Campground, New Market, Alabama       Seven precious months passed in my sweet brother's life after we raced to the southeast from Washington state to north Alabama last summer. After spending several weeks near his home and seeing his slow but steady recovery, we moved on to our winter destination in Florida. Then in mid-march, we began the northward trek back into the area.

 A more healthy Macky and Me - October 2010

A bit of his medical history: The cardiologists had no other options available for Macky and they prepared (over prepared, really) him for death. One of them went so far last September as to say "You could live two days or two months" but Macky defied their well educated guesses and enjoyed another college football season, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. We also were so blessed to enjoy an autumn family reunion while we were at the campground near his home. Over the winter he gained thirty pounds that were muscle, not water retention, and enjoyed being with family, attending more than a few of his granddaughter's high school basketball games. God is good and we are thankful for that extra precious time.

But late in March, Macky's body started again to build fluid and our telephone visits sometime had to be shortened because I could sense he was running out of breath. In early April, after a troubling visit to the congestive heart failure clinic, he was admitted to the hospital where fluid was drained and he returned home in about three days. That night, he fainted several times, but his defibrillator shocked his heart into some last, slow but steady beats.

A few days later, he enjoyed a final Easter with his wife, children and grandchildren. A week later, he was gone, dying in his sleep on the sofa in the living room. Donna and Shannon were with him. He was 64.

We were still in Gulf Shores, Alabama when I received word of Macky's death. It rained all day that day. Early the next morning, we pulled out and headed north where, once again, I asked my friend, Marilyn, to drive to Sharon Johnston Park Campground and get a spot secured for us. This is the campground that doesn't take credit cards and won't hold reservations without payment. As she had done last fall, Marilyn, drove to the campground, paid the fee and made sure we would be able to get into the park if we arrived after dark. It was raining here too, but allowed a break for us to set up the campsite.

Two rainy days later, following a kind and knowing eulogy by his pastor, Macky was laid to rest at the cemetery by the church where he and Donna were married. At the funeral home, the room was filled with crimson flowers honoring his love of University of Alabama football.  A bright red tie with University of Alabama "A's" was tied neatly at his throat.  Donna and Sherrie selected dozens of wonderful photos to be looped over and over again during family visitation.  Friends and family came and shared our grief.  The local bank president came by as did an old friend of Wayne's who lives in Huntsville and had met Macky once though we did not know it until now.

He was gone. The rain gave way again long enough for the burial. The air was cold though and I was glad I had several layers of clothes. I was reminded, as we made the long drive from the funeral home to the cemetery, of the southern way of stopping one's vehicle anytime a funeral procession is along the road. Not just private automobiles, mind you, but commercial vehicles and school buses too. This tradition gave me some comfort and reminded me why I proud to be from the South.

By some strange coincidence, our cousin on our Father's side and his wife were in town for a visit with their daughter, who lives in Huntsville. I let them know of Macky's death and the funeral services and they came, of course. I was thrilled to get to spend time with Louis, his wife, Rhonda and their daughter, Wesley, who it turned out, is a rocket scientist in Huntsville. Louis had not seen Macky in more than 40 years but his presence was so meaningful to me.

Wayne, Rhonda, me, Louis and Wesley

Following the burial, as is common in the south, a grand meal, prepared by the neighbors, was laid out for the family. Louis, Rhonda and Wesley joined us and were welcomed into Donna's family.  It was a bad day with a good wrinkle.

Donna, Sherrie, Shannon, Donna's Mother and Father. 

Rest in peace, brother.

Williston and Gulf Shores... Along The Way North

A bug creature
 who kept hanging
around our campsite

From Lazydays at Seffner, we took advantage of a end-of-season weekly offer at Williston Crossings RV Resort. We would be joined by Pam and Ernie, who left Seminole a week after us. They had relatives in the area and would get to see them and we would get to play golf.

Our site at Williston Crossings was nice, shady in afternoons and comfortable, but Pam and Ernie's site was extra special with beautiful lush grasses, shrubbery and a lovely view of the campground's covered bridge. I unloaded my bicycle and the dog's stroller and enjoyed riding the nice, smooth paved campground streets.  This is where I would put finishing touches on the room rugs and runners I had cut from our carpet remnants.

Williston Crossings would be a great place to spend the winters if it were a bit farther down Florida's peninsula. The town of Williston is in the west central part of the state and north of the the frost line. The folks here had several nights of below freezing temperatures this winter.

The weather was bordering on hot now but we managed to get in two days of golf. Our first outing was at Williston Highland Golf and Country Club which we imagined would be a real nice experience. No requirement for a T-time should have been the first clue that we might be wrong. We arrived to find the property in a state of terrible disrepair. The clubhouse was dark, musty and void of guests. The single employee who served as bartender, pro-shop operator and cook, prepared hot dogs and ham sandwiches for us and we devoured them with gusto.

After lunch Pam and I made our way through the darkened clubhouse corridors to the ladies room and found ourselves in hysterical laughter remembering how our friend, Sue, loves to have her picture taken in the lounge areas of well appointed, lavish country club bathrooms. She shares them with her sister for fun. We couldn't resist taking these pictures for Sue as we knew she would envy us today.

Pam is in awe at the beautifully appointed state-of-the-art lavatory.

A moment for me to relax in the sumptuous lounge.

Finished "freshening up" at the dressing table and ready to hit the links. 

If anything could be worse than Williston Highland's Club House, it would be the golf course. The grasses are similar to that found in poor cow pastures. Great clumps of asphalt, large swaths of dead grass and huge piles of unidentified sandy material dotted the course. It was a hoot but we enjoyed the play.

Ernie prepares to tee off... 

After about 12 holes, we called it a day. I had developed soreness in my chest caused by costachondritis I developed a few years ago. Hoping I could "work out" the soreness in my rib cage, I played with the pain but later regretted my decision. By bedtime, I could barely move my upper body and had to begin an aspirin regime that went on for more many days. I had to change my sleeping position too. No more stomach sleeping for now.

Another day we took a 45 minute ride out to Cedar Key along the coast just to while away the day. Years ago, Wayne and I had been to Cedar Key but I had forgotten most of what we saw there.

Cedar Key is an old fishing village, tourist trap and festival locale, hosting an art festival in spring and a fall seafood festival. There are a few regionally notable restaurants too.

Where we ate lunch. 

Pam on the left. Me on the right.
Pups in the stroller.

The daytime high temperature probably got to near 90 but a bit of sea breeze kept heat exhaustion at bay. A short walk around the island caused an insatiable appetite for ice cream which we finally did locate and devoured.

Handsome Pop takes a turn pushing the pups too. 

Our second day of golf was at at Grand Lake RV Park and Golf Course in Citra, Florida. This outing took us west beyond I-75.

Still suffering with costachondritis, I rode but didn't play. This course was in as good or maybe better condition than any we've played and I really wanted to play but couldn't risk worsening the inflammation in my ribs.

Teeing off at #1. Grand Lake RV Park has several park models, lots of space for transients and lots of trees throughout the property. They have a nice restaurant where we ate lunch before golf.

Located between Gainesville and Ocala, Florida, Grand Lake has a nice campground and golf course. Pam and Ernie had stayed in the campground last year but had not played the course. We found it to be quite nice -- green and well kept.

Pam, Wayne and Ernie, finishing up on #8

There were a few surprises areas of the Grand Lake course which Pam, Ernie and Wayne were surely not prepared. Ernie and Wayne both lost at least one golf ball in this deep, fenced rough.  Another hole sported a great ravine that ate a few more more golf balls. Good thing I wasn't playing this day...

Ernie: "Can't find my ball."
Wayne: "Let's go over the fence for it."

Wayne showing off his excellent "old dude" form. 

Proof that "Old Guys Rule".....

We stayed on at Williston for a few days after Pam and Ernie left. They would make stops at Mexico Beach and then Destin before meeting us at Gulf State Park Campground in Gulf Shores the week after Easter.

Wayne and I arrived in Gulf Shores a few days ahead of Pam and Ernie but couldn't get into Gulf State Park so we checked in at Anchors Aweigh RV Park until the spring break weekend was over. During this time, we enjoyed another nice but short visit with friends Frank and Beverly, who now live full-time in Gulf Shores. One of the best Mexican lunches we ever ate was with them at Cactus Cantina on the Parkway near their home. Shrimp with black beans and Mexican grits. Yum.

Frank and Beverly.  I didn't take this picture.
Actually I'm ashamed to say I failed to get a single picture of them.
 I stole this one from Facebook 

Pam and Ernie arrived after Easter and got to their campsite at Gulf State Park Campground while we were still at Anchors Aweigh. They also have friends who live in Gulf Shores so they got in several visits with them too.  Another good thing about our full-time RV'ing lifestyle is that we can visit with our friends all over the country.

Pam and I had planned, and looked forward to, eating at Lambert's, Home of Throwed Rolls in Foley, but we changed our minds when we learned how dreadfully long the wait would be... along with some poor reviews of the restaurant's service and food.  We did enjoy eating at Baumhowers in Orange Beach and King Neptune Seafood at Gulf Shores.

Another place we visited but didn't have anything to eat or drink was at world famous Flora-Bama, the beachside bar on the Alabama / Florida state line. I won't try to explain or describe this establishment. The photos that follow give a pretty accurate depiction.

This picture was taken in the Flora-Bama gift shop for our friend, Joyce.
Pam is holding is a large swimming pool noodle that holds liquid to be sipped through the straw.

Wayne asked Pam (upper right corner), "So where are all the bra-less women?" 

Ernie, Wayne and Pam turned their best sides to the camera. 

Our plan was to stay on at Gulf State Campground in Gulf Shores for a few days, but we got word that Pam and Ernie might have a buyer for their home and they will want to get back to tend to that business. They also want to stop in at Red Bay for service on their coach.

Wayne and I went for a rainy day of shopping when I got a call that my brother passed away. I was not surprised but I was not prepared either. I would never be. We left Gulf Shores the following morning, headed to north Alabama.

Winter's End. New Carpet and Entry Mats for Endie

On Sunday, March 22, with another winter season behind us, we left Seminole Campground and North Fort Myers. Leaving this year was especially difficult as our tentative plan for next winter will take us elsewhere. Wayne and I said our goodbyes with hopes of seeing this group again but the fall plan to meet in the D.C. area isn't really likely for us. We promised ourselves we'd never again risk a stink bug infestation like the one we got in that area during the late summer of 2012.  We will see how it goes.

Our drive today is just up I-75 to Lazydays at Seffner, Florida, just outside Tampa off I-4. At the RV Show in January, we scheduled new carpet installation through Wade RV, a vendor located on the Lazydays property. Carpet covers just the floor of the slides in our coach. The main floor is tile. We learned slowly, and a bit too late, that Lexie's separation anxiety causes her to ruin the carpet. After several intense scratching sessions, the carpet frays and she eats the fibers.  It's not all carpet that Lexie destroys... just the kind with a bit of nap. Low nap rugs and carpet are safe from the intense scratching.  There are three places that are damaged but could be repaired.  But the carpet has packed terribly so we opted to just rip it out and get something we like.

Holger Jensen of Wade RV estimated a total less than $1,200 to have the carpet on the slides replaced and have a custom entry mat and five step covers made.  Seemed reasonable so we're here to get 'er done.

Before leaving Tampa in January, we selected carpet. It wasn't exactly what we wanted but would do. In February though, we were notified the carpet had been discontinued and a second choice would have to be made. Photos sent to us didn't work out so we planned to select a carpet from a local carpet wholesaler when we arrived in Tampa.

We were instructed to check-in at Lazydays Campground and Holger would secure a discounted rate for us during the five days we would be there. The desk clerk laughed when we told her that. We paid the regular rate.

Our week long stay at Lazydays Campground was pleasant enough, due in large part to the good location of our site which was on directly in front of the meeting center that made for good dog walking. We got to see all the arrivals and departures and that in itself can be quite a show. We also enjoyed complimentary breakfast and lunch during our stay.

The Acro-Cats rig and the Acro-Cat lady. 

Upon seeing this rig pull in to Lazydays Campground, I learned all about the Acro-Cats a group of trained house cats. There's a whole array of You Tube videos featuring this group of rescued cats. In one of the videos the AcroCats woman was raising money for some engine repairs on the rig. Hopefully, she was able to get those repairs done during this stay. I did not get a chance to meet or talk to her.

Bright and early on Monday morning Wayne and I were off to the carpet wholesaler where we had a harder decision selecting carpet than we ever expected. We leaned toward a commercial type carpet instead of the traditional residential deep pile rug we were replacing. I was secretly glad the original carpet order was interrupted. Finally we settled on something that, while not in this location, was available from another warehouse.  Next day, when Holger went to get the carpet, however, it was not there which was devastating news to me. I wouldn't settle for anything else so by the end of the day, the mysteriously lost carpet reappeared and is scheduled for installation by Friday.

The new entry mat

Meanwhile, Holger's entry mat guy measured the cockpit of the coach and the steps. To our surprise, the mats would be made and installed the next day. In fact, the whole job was completed within the five-day work week.

After all was said and done, the original $1,200 estimate had swelled to $1,700 which displeased us but Holger's January estimate had been verbal so we didn't have anything to dispute. I learned too late that far too much carpet had been ordered and paid for by us.  A huge amount of our carpet was left over. So much in fact, that I had most of it be loaded into our car when the job was complete.

A piece of the new carpet, complete with my new binding applied.

The new carpet is just what we wanted, so in the end, I'm glad the original carpet was discontinued and that we went through the pain to get one we liked. The next week, that roll of leftover carpet was successfully made into one large living area carpet, three runners and a small bathroom rug. I ordered a product named InstaBind, watched a video and did the whole job myself. 

 That's one of the runners I made. The one going down the hall.
I am pretty proud of my work.