Friday Night Tennis in Sugar Hill Georgia with An Old Pal

My friend Harry has made a wonderful life for himself in Sugar Hill Georgia. He’s at the top of his profession in sales, and he’s surrounded by a loving family in a comfortable home.

Harry and I went to prep school together in the ’70s, and it’s been four years since I last saw him in downtown Atlanta, for a too-brief breakfast visit.

On Friday, I got a chance to spend more time with my old pal. We toured some of the nicest towns in his part of Georgia, one of them was Suwanee, a town that is built on the anti-suburb mentality.

A town center, clustered homes close together with sidewalks, and an attractive town center with shops and restaurants pointed to the future of life outside of Atlanta. It’s the kind of place where people congregate and socialize, because of the physical layout, encouraging walking and not individual silos of homes. The only thing missing is light rail to make a commute to Atlanta traffic-jam free.

We went to Suwanee to a Mexican joint called Cheeky’s, and we sat at a table with its own personal beer tap. Each time you poured yourself a draft it was monitored on a TV screen, showing how many ounces the table had consumed. Great gimmick!

After some tacos and Dos Equis, Harry said it was time to play tennis. Ok, I thought, I’ve just had three beers and tacos, but let’s see what happens. We met Vickie and some other friends at park with lighted tennis courts. It was time to play mixed doubles!

First it was Vickie and I against Harry and Meri. No warm-ups, just begin serving. Wow, just like old times. We battled back and forth and despite the brews, the balls went in and the play was tremendous. What a great way to spend a Friday night!  Harry told me that they play tennis two or three nights a week. They can come out here all year long–it just doesn’t get cold enough to keep them away.  After the mixed doubles, it was time to play two of Harry’s friends. One of them had a killer serve that took me a while to return. But I got the hang of it, and after a  hard fought battle, we came out winners.

The next time I visit Atlanta I hope I can pick up a tennis racquet again. It’s a great way to spend a Friday night!