A Pieced Together 75, A and B, and the Final Post of 2012

Also written on 12-8-12

    I played with Bruce and Reilly today.  I really wanted to play those holes I had missed, so I forced the issue with Bruce to see if he and Reilly would be game.  I told him I wanted to play a weird ten holes starting with #15 and going to #18.  After that, I wanted to go over to #4 since I was one under after playing with C.J. on Wednesday to see if I could finish that nine holes even or possibly under par.  They, of course, were fine with it.  They were...

Blues from the Blues and 2 on 1 Again

Written on 12-8-12.

    C.J. and I have played together a couple of times recently.  He beat me handily in a game I came up with this past Sunday.  Since I have been driving the ball so well lately, and I was originally going to play with Cameron from the blues (he couldn’t make it), I decided to see if I could beat C.J. from the blues with him playing from the whites.
    It was back and forth until the last two holes.  Playing from the blues is...

What the "Halo" is Going On?

Written on 12-6-12.

    The deal was that James would play golf with us (Bruce, Reilly and me) if I would play Halo with James against them later that day.  It didn’t pan out, though, and that’s a good thing.
    That evening, I texted Bruce to let them know we were “ready.”  James and I practiced while we waited. 
    What I was hoping for was a gentle tutorial.  I didn’t get it. James’s teaching style: Throw Dad to the wolves.  Trial by fire.  Live if you can for as long as you can.  The average was less than 30 seconds each time.
      How do I crouch down?  Okay, now may I please practice crouching until I can do it without thinking?  NO!  How do I switch weapons?  May I practice switching until it’s “automatic?”  NO!  That’s what it was like.
    I whined like a spoiled three-year old.  “Which button makes me run?  Stop shooting me!  This is no fun.  Would you at least give me a chance?”
    James would reply, “Reilly’s not going to give you a chance.  How are you going to be ready unless you learn it this way?”
    When James and I just played against each other, that was the worst.  He could finish me in less than 30 seconds every time.  It reminded me of the Office episode when Jim moved to another branch to get away from Pam since she was going to marry Roy.  They played a shooter game (James, I’m sure knows the name of it.), and Jim was a rookie just like me.  His character was stuck jumping helplessly against a wall when he was rudely blasted in the back of the head.  Sigh.  These games are so violent, but I wanted to honor my part of the deal.
    It got a little better when we played online against other players.  I could follow the other members of my team and help finish someone that a teammate had weakened.  They could protect me a little.  I could hide.  This part was not as bad, but Bruce and Reilly never got online.  We still haven’t played against them, but Christmas break is coming.  I am sure to be humbled again soon.

For Maggie

    This is difficult to write.  Maggie did not survive to see Christmas this year.  C.J. called me yesterday morning to let me know, and I knew what he was going to tell me when I took the phone from Belinda; he had never called me before on the morning of a school day.  I had also never heard him so upset, but it made perfect sense...Maggie was like an adopted daughter to C.J. and Lynne. 
    A darkness was already hanging over our family, our community, and our city because of the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and all of the national coverage that went along with it.  Hearing about Maggie's death dropped my spirits even lower and brought my thicker skin to the surface.  I had to go to school and face my students, set an example, be tough.
    I maintained my harsh exterior until I got home.  Danielle was working on her personal narrative.  I sat on the couch above her since she was sitting on the floor.  I rubbed her arm and thought about Bruce.  Guilt overwhelmed me.  Love for my daughter overwhelmed me.  I could not picture a world without my daughter.  Here she was alive, sitting right in front of me.  Bruce (and Diane) no longer have their daughter.  I am filled with sorrow. 
    My only optimistic thought is that I know they would not trade the time that they had together for anything.  They have that, and no one can take that away from them.  I am thankful for Maggie's life and for knowing her.  Maggie's wish was that her family would get together for Christmas.  It may not have turned out the way Maggie had envisioned, but in a unique and inexplicable way they did come together as a family this Christmas. 

    I immediately became a member of Maggie's blog when I heard she had died, and I left a comment for her and her family.  It is linked to this blog, and it will always remain there.  We will miss you, Maggie.    
         

4 Birdies and Reilly's First 44

Written on 11-28-12.

    Before November ends, I want to get these four birdies in here, so here I go...

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #38 of 2012  

    I was playing golf with my son.  He never really wanted to play golf with me when he was younger, and I was fine with that.  He and Danielle joined me a few times when they were little, but it never stuck with either one.  They had other interests, and I wanted them to do what they wanted anyway. 
    He really enjoyed basketball and he had incredible speed and potential, but...

Father and Son Day

I started to write this post on 11-22-12.

    When James and I played golf yesterday, it was dreamlike.  James was the inexperienced one among us, but he had a great time, and so did I, and he really had some excellent shots and putts...for someone who doesn’t play.

11-26-12

    We chose scramble match play to keep it low stress for James.  I thought it would be a blow-out with two golfers vs. one golfer and one non-golfer, but it was close and James helped, especially with his putting. 
    Bruce and Reilly earned a birdie right away on hole #1.  We tied it up with a par on #2.  On those first two holes we had used three of James’s shots already.  His blind pitch on #1 from 50 yards ended up two feet closer than mine.  His putt from around four feet...

Thanksgiving, A Shoulder Injury, and Dad's Scare

11-22-12 (after the big meal)

    We are back home now.  B is asleep, a victim of Tryptophan?  The boys are in our living room playing Halo.  Danielle is with her boyfriend at his family’s get-together.
    I hurt myself playing 500 after the dinner was over.  Or, rather James hurt me.  We both went for some points where the frisbee was thrown low and short.  I was about to snatch it off the ground when I was “helped along” with a shove from James.  I hit the ground hard, right shoulder first and then my head.  I was stunned for a bit, but...

C.J. Putts Out of His Mind

    C.J., I must write, putted out of his mind during the fundraiser tournament.  I have been meaning to get this in here for a long time, but I selfishly wrote about all my birdies and prizes first. 
    During the tournament, except for just a few holes, C.J. and I paired up to finish a hole since Bruce and Reilly felt more comfortable together, and it just worked out better that way.  On many of those holes, I would putt first.  C.J. would then get a read from my putt and then make his. 
    The most memorable one came on...

2 on 1

Written on 11-20-12   

    Okay, I have two birdies to enter, both on hole #1.  One happened at the fundraiser tournament at the end of September and the other happened just two days ago on Sunday.  I had forgotten to put the first one in, because it wasn’t until later that I realized I had earned that one on my own.  Here’s what happened...

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #35 of 2012

    It was a lousy drive, a terrible start.  I push-sliced my tee shot all the way over to hole #5 and not on the left side of that fairway, but the right.  C.J. and I chose to play that one, though, because it was farther up, and it still had a clear shot to the green.  C.J. made what looked like...

19th Excerpt From My Original Golf Diary

     I read the excerpt below before pasting it here on my blog and it was as if I was reading about a different life.  I felt I was reading about somebody else; that's how far removed it is.  I say that because I remember those things happening, but I have to convince myself (and my new brain) that those things happened to me.  Yes, I did a volleyball business called Spike Doctor with a great business partner for seven years, a traveling clinic with the slogan, "We do house calls!"  The new irons I mentioned were just sold in a garage sale this past summer.
     And reading about those old clubs made me realize...

My Big Give-Away

    I blew it.  I can’t blame a brain tumor on this one. 
    Yesterday, Bruce called to ask me to play.  I took him up on it immediately.  I wanted to play; I was not sick anymore, and I had worked at my school on Friday to begin to get caught up since practice was reduced to film watching for varsity due to so many sick girls on the team, including my daughter.  Also, my JV team’s season had ended on Thursday with their last regular season match.  We ended up 9-7 on the season.  Not bad!
    It was the usual gang: Bruce, Reilly, C.J. and me.  We chose...

Why October is Spooky

     Golf is one of the farthest things from my mind right now.  It turns out I did have strep.  I just finished a round of antibiotics.  Last night, Danielle was extremely sick with a stomach flu that’s been going around.  She came to volleyball practice after staying home (stubborn girl), but she should have just stayed home all day.  Belinda is sick with something, also.  She insists it’s a cold, but I too insisted I had a cold until I got the positive test for strep.  Who knew you could have strep without a fever?  Who knew you could have it without having a screaming sore throat?  I’ve had strep before as an adult and the throat culture caused me to cry because it hurt so badly.  This was nothing compared to that time. 
    Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East coast, so I have been worried about Guy and his family.  Thankfully, we were able to FaceTime the first big night of the storm.  They had minimal tree damage, nothing compared to the devastation in New York or the Jersey shore.  Guy’s family is fine; they had some tree branches fall down.  Shylah missed a couple days of school.
    This week has been busy with volleyball and Halloween.  Yesterday, we played a match at home.  Today, it’s Halloween, so we had the school party stuff going on, and tomorrow we have our last regular season match.  In other words, golf?  What’s golf?  It’s spooky how October can keep me away from the sport I enjoy so much.

18th Excerpt From My Original Golf Diary

     In this excerpt from January of 2001, I am inspired.  It's good to have a dream, and this one is big.  This is the first time I mention it, but I know I talk about it more later in greater detail in my journal.  How many American men have had this same dream?  Or at least the thought of this happening for them?  This was written so long ago that I said it was the Senior PGA Tour vs. the Champions Tour as it is known today.    

     I haven’t written it yet, but I have a dream.  I want to become a pro on the Senior PGA Tour.  At thirty-three, almost thirty-four years of age right now, I have about fifteen years or so to get really good and qualify!  It will be my second career!  It’s something I dream about and think about almost every day.  I wish all I could do was practice golf, but I am practical and realistic.  I know it takes time, practice, and patience.  I also realize that God, family, and school come first.  I will do what needs to be done, though.  I will work to get better.  I will do what it takes.       
     I am reading two books right now.  One is My Story, by Jack Nicklaus, and the other is Payne Stewart, by his wife Tracey Stewart.  I will share insights from these two books next time I write.

Club Championship Or...

10-21-12

    I am sick again.  I’ve been sick since last Saturday when Belinda and I went to Red Lobster together for a date.  No, it wasn’t the Red Lobster.  Rather, I got the chills while there, and then the cold symptoms started.  I am choosing to blame Amanda, although I have no proof.  She had a cold similar to the one I have now, so that’s my story. 
    I slept ‘til past noon yesterday, a first for me for many years.  I went to sleep around 8:00 last night, and I slept all the way through until 9:00 this morning, too.  My body is craving rest, so I hope it helps.
    The weekend after the golf team’s fundraiser tournament, we made a plan to...

A Bonus of Two Bonuses

    It really was a great weekend of golf for the Aztec golf team, for our team of four, and for me.  More teams showed up than were expected, we took second place, and I had two bonuses to add to all the fun.
    The weekend this tournament landed on was timely.  We did not have a volleyball match on the Thursday before and Anna was headed out of town, so practice was cancelled on Friday.  That allowed us to have our “practice” round, the one where we had earned two birdies on hole #9 I had written about previously.
    I bought the mulligans for

Three Birdies Before the Golf Fundraiser Tournament

10-1-12

    Well, what a great weekend.  Definitely not a great weekend for the United States Ryder Cup Team, but it was a fantastic weekend of golf for our team and me.  Before I get to the fundraiser tournament results, though, I must catch up on the three birdies that came before.  Here they are...

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #32 of 2012

    I played with C.J. on Sunday last weekend.  We played nine holes together, just the two of us.  It was good to have just C.J. play with me; I can’t remember the last time we played alone.  His mellow demeanor and drawling voice put me at ease every time.
    We chose to...

17th Excerpt From My Original Golf Diary

     In this excerpt from January of 2001, I recall how I played two holes at Pinon Hills, #5 and #8.  They were not birdie holes, but I was writing about anything that was helping me gain confidence in this difficult game back then.  I notice that I was still using more exclamation marks than I do now.  Everything was so exciting back then!
     I remember that trial club 7-iron vividly.  How sad.  I just sold it in our recent summer garage sale with the rest of the set. I remember how that was the club that flew...

Birdie with Family (Just Guy) #2: Part 2

    I used my driver, and my ball faded/sliced all the way down to the fairway.  I was in the perfect position to go for it with two shots with my 6-iron.  I topped that shot, though, and the ball flew low and left like a wounded bird stopping between the ditch and the cart path. 
    I had the big cottonwood on the left side to contend with now.  Guy suggested I go for it by going over the tree, but I was looking at going low.  He convinced me, though, so I pulled my sand wedge that we had just found again.  This was a sweet shot.  It went right over the tree like it was tracing its outline, and it landed right on the green.  It looked like it was on line with the flag, and the distance felt right, too.  It ended up being between fifteen to twenty feet away, though.  The putt looked straight to me, so I played it that way, and it literally rolled over the center of the cup going in.  Guy was as thrilled as I was.  I had started and ended with a birdie for this “family” round on my home course.  Fun!

Birdie with Family (Just Guy) #2: Part 1

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #31 of 2012

    I earned my 31st birdie of this year in this “family” round, but I have to be honest that Guy and I played this hole over when I got it.  Mom and Dad left after nine holes to go rest.
    Before we played this hole the first time, we had a twosome behind us that had hit into us three times in a row: once on #14, again on #15, and yet one more time on hole #17.  I bravely and maybe even foolishly turned our cart around to...

Birdie with the Family #1

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #30 of 2012

    This was the first tee shot of the day with my family watching.  Guy had hit a topped stinker at first, but I lied and told him one of our local rules was to allow one mulligan off the first tee only, so he hit a better one after that.  *Okay, it's not a local rule, but it's what our our usual threesome does when we haven't warmed up at the range... which is every time.  For the rest of the day, Guy drove it really well with Eric’s Taylor Made driver.  It was his putting that didn’t work so well with Eric’s putter; he could not figure out the speed and many of his putts were left well short. 
    My tee shot was long, but it went right.  It ended up in the taller grass, and it was short of the big cottonwood.  I had to go low to get it under some limbs, so I chose my utility club/4-iron.  I topped it.  It did, however, end up on the grass again, and I did hit the green in regulation with my next shot using my 9-iron.  The hole was cut on the top tier on the right side.  My ball was behind it, probably 40 feet away.  I made that putt, and I used Guy’s marker that was short and right of the hole to guide me.  Wow, I had just made a birdie on the first hole with my family watching.  We asked the pro shop for a flag to be placed on Mom and Dad’s cart for them to be able to drive up close to the greens, so they were just off on the right side, and they were close enough to watch my ball roll right into the hole.

A Cold is a Bummer

9-1-12
   
    I’m sick.  I have a cold, a bad one.  I feel so tired that I don’t even feel like writing.  That’s bad. 
    When the family was here, Guy and I got to play eighteen together with Mom and Dad following along in their own cart.  It turned out that Shylah and Annmarie chose not come along.  Shylah changed her mind, so Annmarie stayed with her at home.  That was a bummer, because I was looking forward to showing Shylah some things about golf.  I had also procured a sweet set of lefty clubs for Annmarie from Chris.  Despite their not being able to go, it was still dreamlike.  I have video proof that it happened on my iPod, though.  It made me realize how infrequently Guy has been here, but that makes sense since most of the times they come this way, they go to Lakewood.

9-9-12

    I am feeling better now.  The cold is mostly gone.  I still cough, but it happens infrequently, and I am not coughing anything loose anymore.  Phew!  Having a cold makes things so difficult.  Mostly, it’s the lack of energy that makes it so awful, especially when things must get done.  Nyquil helps me sleep, so that’s not an issue.
    Well, I wasn’t sick when my family was here, and it was a glorious day on the golf course.  I shot an 85 and earned two birdies, but the best part was the time spent with Mom, Dad, and Guy on my home course.  It was surreal at times, but like I said above I made sure to take some video on my iPod to check later and see if it really happened.
    During that round, I scored two birdies, both on par fives, and this is how they played out.

Last Eagle of the Summer

Written on 8-11-12

    I wrote as much as I could last night.  I stayed home to just stretch out and relax while Belinda went over to the Edgerton’s to hang out with Eric and Amanda down by the river.
    As I write this, it’s Saturday morning, and I am watching the bronze medal match for women’s indoor volleyball.  It’s Korea vs. Japan.  Japan has a 5’3” setter who is phenomenal, and I can’t help but think about Becca and Danielle.  Becca will be having ACL surgery this Thursday.  She will be out for her entire junior year season.  She and I hugged each other and cried when she told me at open gym one day last week.
    The ball has literally and figuratively been passed to...

One Leaves and Five Come Over

     Tomorrow I will get to play golf with my family, a rare treat since A. They live so far away and B. They actually all want to go to the golf course.  Guy, Annmarie, Shylah, and Mom and Dad are all going to join up with me at Hidden Valley, my home course.  It's good that they are all here to visit; it's keeping our minds off the fact that James has started college and is no longer here at home.  I am so excited for tomorrow!  I borrowed Eric's clubs for Guy and Chris's clubs for Annmarie (Chris and Annmarie are both lefties).  We will let Shylah chip and putt every once in a while and Mom and Dad will ride along in a cart as our mini-gallery and to enjoy the day and the conversations.  I will write about it later, but until then here are some more descriptions of this past summer's eagle and birdies.

Written on 8-10-12 (the rest of eagle #2's description)

    The teeing ground was moved well over to the left, so the angle of my tee shot was...

School Transitions

     We returned from Las Cruces, NM last night.  It's official.  James is a college student at NMSU.  We've gone from a family of four here at home to a family of three.  I'll write more about it later, but we have hit a huge milestone in our lives; our firstborn is flying away.  Until then, I have more about the golf from this summer to post.

8-6-12
   
    I played my final round of “free” golf today.  I say free because school starts tomorrow, so the rest of the rounds for this season will have “school stress” attached, but that’s okay.  It’s been a record summer for me as far as golf is concerned, and I have no regrets.  I’ve won a tournament with Chris, scored my lowest score ever, scored three eagles and tons of birdies.  Not bad for a guy who had brain surgery the previous summer.  After scoring my 74, I followed it up a few rounds later by breaking 80 again, just today with an adjusted 78.  And, of course I am looking forward to school and my new second grade class.
    The following are the descriptions of the latest birdies and eagles in chronological order...

Hillcrest Eagle, A Great Summer Moment

    I have a new birdie to write about, and to top that, I have another new eagle, too!  This is how they played out. 

Hidden Valley-Hole #16-Birdie #26 of 2012                   

    This was my first round back after my sweet 74.  I had no expectations; I just wanted to continue doing the things I had been doing.  If I happened to have another spectacular round, so be it.
    I shot a 48 on the front, but I turned it around on the back.  I shot another 39, so I ended with an 87.  The back nine was great again, but...

The Story of the Story of Ruth

7-27-12
   
    I am sitting in the Barnes and Noble in Grand Junction.  We are on our final family vacation before James heads off to college and school begins.  We drove through Colorado National Monument this morning.  Gorgeous. 
    The girls are shopping at the Mesa Mall while James and I are productively procrastinating.  I’ve already exchanged the pair of black shorts from Target that did not fit right for ones that do.  I wanted them to be right for volleyball practices and working out this fall, and since that’s done he and I are waiting around.
    The last time I went to church, I went alone.  I sat towards the back, third row from the entrance and near the middle aisle.  I am a bit ashamed to say that...

My Best Round Ever-The Back Nine

On to the back nine...

Hole #10-The hole was set back in its far left side position again, so it was back to the 9-iron vs. the pitching wedge for me.  My ball landed on the green.  I left my twenty foot birdie putt short about three feet again, but I made that one for my par. 
    Cameron and I were talking about how his coach had told him that 99.9% of all...

My Best Round Ever-Trivial Details Intermission

     For this round, I wore my light blue seersucker shirt (saved from the Goodwill bag after not selling at our garage sale) and blue jean shorts; I forgot to wear a belt, so I was pulling up my shorts constantly.  I was going to walk, but I assumed I would be the only one, so I used the $10.00 we got for our selling our old iMac to one of James’s co-workers and chose to ride.  As it turned out, Ben chose to walk that day instead of riding, so he and I could have walked together.  Given a choice, I still prefer to walk (less expensive and better exercise), but if I were to somehow see the future and know I was going to shoot a 74 every time I rode in a cart, hello cart riding. 
    I ate the other half of my Italian BMT from Subway when we were teeing off on hole #7.  Cameron said it smelled like pizza, but that was because of all the black olives.  I also brought some plain almonds for a snack that I ate near the end of the round.
    Sadly, as well as I was playing, it was the opposite for Chris.  He almost left on hole #5, but he changed his mind.  He later told me he wanted to see how my round was going to turn out, so that was why he stuck around.  I’m glad he did.  He almost left again on hole #17, but I talked him into staying one last time (we were almost done).  Thanks for hanging around, Saxon.  I will gladly suffer through a miserable round for you if you are playing well.  It’s your turn to go low.  He did text me the next day to say he redeemed himself; he shot a 44, 43 for an 87.  That’s more like it. 

On to the back nine...

My Best Round Ever-The Front Nine

7-18-12

    This is big!  I have dreamt about doing this and writing about it since I started playing golf thirteen years ago.  My previous best score was two over after nine holes; I shot a 37 on Hidden Valley’s back nine when Joe and Laura came out to visit years ago.  I just checked the actual scorecard (I’ve kept it in our computer room closet all these years), and it was dated 8-31-02.  A decade is a long time to wait to have another super score. 
    To put it in the most plain terms, I played...

Six Birdies and Six More to Come!

     This is a rather lengthy post, but I must write that I scored my best round/lowest score ever two days ago.  I scored a 74!  I look forward to reminiscing as I write about it tonight.  I earned six additional birdies in that one round, three on the front and three on the back.  Before that, though, I scored six different birdies in two rounds.  Here are those descriptions...

Written on 7-11-12

    Thanks to you, my new Wishon irons, I have six new birdies to write about.  I played on Sunday and Monday this week, eighteen holes both days, and that’s when I earned them, three each day and all on the back nine. 
    I messed up by...

One Birdie, Lie Angles, and a Shank Fixer

Also written on 7-7-12

     When I played with Bruce earlier this week, I did earn a new birdie that I need to get in here.  Here’s how I got it.

Hidden Valley-Hole #7-Birdie #13 of 2012  

   
     I pulled my drive all the way over to the right side of hole #14, the adjacent hole to this one.  It landed on some fluffy yellowish green grass over there.  I used my 8-iron to right the ship and get back on the proper fairway.  I don’t like playing the par fives this way, but hey, it’s safe.  At least I am not over the fence when I do this.  The approach was the best shot, but the putt was pretty good, too.  I used my sand wedge to put my ball in the middle of the green, where it then rolled to the back where the hole was.  I had about ten feet left.  I read the break as left to right, but it was only five or six inches, and it was downhill slightly.  My ball curled in.  Love to get a birdie on this difficult hole.  I’ll take a birdie here as often as I can.

    The only other news in golf is that Don helped me with all of my lie angles, part of the deal when I bought the new Wishon irons from him.  They all needed to be corrected about two degrees.  I learned why I was shanking some shots.  Many of my good contacts were closer to the heel than the middle or the toe, so Don showed me an article to help me get my swing more upright.  I was hitting some with the hosel lately, but now I know why.  A good drill to help me, according to the article, is to place two tees down on the ground, one just outside the toe, and one just behind the heel.  It’s simple.  I line up my club at the tee farthest away, and then I swing through the tee that is closest.  I made solid contact when I did this, and I used it when I played nine holes alone yesterday and when I played today.  I would line up my club with the ball at the heel and swing through the ball on my downswing.  It worked well enough for me to shoot a 39 yesterday, and it helped me play well enough to win today.  Thank you, Don.  I am really enjoying the new irons, and I can’t go back to my old ones since I sold the entire set at our garage sale for only $75.00.

Patriotic Tournament Winners

7-7-12

    I have great news!  Chris (last name) and I won a golf tournament today.  It was called the Independence or Red, White, and Blue Tournament, and it was very patriotic.  It was red, white, and blue because we played from all three teeing grounds.  The first six holes were a scramble from the blue tees.  The next six were a best ball format from the white tees.  The final six were from the red tees, and those were all alternating shot.  What a great format!  What fun!  Of course, it helped that we won.
    We started on #18 where we...

The Wizard of Oz, Garylee, and Me

    I have another new birdie to write about!  Before I do that, though, I want to mention that I got to see Garylee and his family at church this past Sunday.  I had an epiphany (sort of) about the two of us right there in the pew.  Last year at this time, I had just received my “new brain.”  I was able to come home on the Friday before the 4th of July.  Independence Day was on a Monday last year.  Garylee recently received his new heart, so that made me think of the movie The Wizard of Oz...

Better Brain = Nesting

6-26-12
   
    It’s just two days until my other/new "birthday."  Hard to believe, but last year at this time we were getting ready for my craniotomy.  I signed my will the night before.  I saw my priest, my doctor, and my lawyer all on the same day.  Wow, what a difference a year makes. 
    This year, in contrast, we have been busy getting ready for a huge garage sale this coming Saturday.  I’m proud of myself because...

Happy Father's Day

6-16-12

    We are staying at The Wren in Vail.  Classy place.  I am sitting at the large dining table in the “open” area.  Danielle and Erica just got back from their last assignment of their volleyball tournament, reffing. 
    They did well.  They won one game, they played really well together, and I could tell they were having fun because of all the laughter and the smiles.  I took plenty of video on my iPod, and they had some long rallies.  It will be fun to look at those later. 
    They got to play against last year’s winners during pool play, and they played a respectable match against them, but it really wasn’t close.  One of those girls will be playing at Northern Arizona, and the other at Wingate in North Carolina.  They had experience and size on their side.  The one going to NAU was Cheyenne Mountain’s best player.  Cheyenne Mountain is the team that took state last season beating out Erica’s team Coronado in the championship. 
    Danielle was scrappy, making great passes and playing some super defense.  Erica had her tough floater, smooth sets, and hard hits.  I hope they play together again next year.  They could be formidable!
    Now James, Katie, and Daryl have...

Father's Day Gifts

6-12-12

    We are on our way to Lakewood.  It’s just Belinda and me, and we just left Johnson Village.  James and Danielle are staying behind.  James has work, and Danielle has volleyball.  They are going to meet us in Vail on Friday for the big King of the Mountain volleyball tournament.
    This is the first time they have been left at home alone like this.  They are 18 and 16, though.  Should be fine.  It’ll be good.  We don’t expect any problems.  James will be busy with work mostly.  Danielle will be...well she’ll probably love a break from her nagging parents for a couple of days. 
    Father’s Day is coming up this Sunday.  I already received my gift, and I love it.  I get...

James, Garylee, Storage Sheds, and Vail

6-8-12
   
    We are driving home from Albuquerque.  James is sacked out on the front passenger seat.  He was in the most unsafe position a person could be in a few minutes ago, feet on the dash, calves covering the airbag, neck ready to be strangled by his seat belt because he was lying so horizontally, but now he has turned on his side.  He’s safer now.  B is driving.  I am in the back seat typing away.
    Speaking of James, he is registered for college now.  That was the reason for this trip.  He will have 16 credits worth of classes this fall at NMSU.  He has not...

I Play With Kyle, Birdie #12, and Tiger Wins Again

6-4-12
    

    We are having a lunch break here at the MC2 CCSS Workshop.  It’s a week long session all about implementing the new common core state standards as related to math. 
    I played golf with Kyle yesterday for the first time since...I don’t know when.  It was definitely the first time we played together alone.  We might have played at Civitan years ago.  Back then Kyle was small, but now he is taller than I am.  I can still see in my mind the little Kyle taking swings at San Juan Country Club when he first took lessons. 
    It was a great nine holes together.  He has a powerful swing, but...

Memorial Day Marathon-A New Eagle!

5-30-12
    I am sitting in Eric’s Aztec Car Care and Tire.  Belinda and I have made a new To Do List, and it’s a long one.  I am taking one off the list by having the truck’s oil changed and its brakes checked out; they’ve been squeaking.  Yesterday, James and I washed and waxed the truck.  It looks beautiful again.  Danielle and I will do the same for the van tomorrow.
    Last year, one of my wishes before the surgery was to clean both vehicles as a family.  It wasn’t so much that I wanted them clean (that was part of it), but I really just wanted to spend time with my family before I might have died or been lobotomized.  Now that I have survived and my brain still works (better than before the tumor), I still want to spend time with my family cleaning the vehicles. 
    Chris and I played well on Memorial Day.  We took...

Final Masters Post-We See Bubba

5:18 P.M.-I see Phil Mickelson walking down the fairway on #15.  This is the first time I have ever seen him live before, too.  He also has a specific gait.  He saunters. 
    Hanson waits to tee off on #16 while everyone cheers Phil’s arrival.  We then witness Phil make what Guy and I feel is the best shot we’ve seen today, although unnecessarily risky.  Phil flops a shot from behind the green on the right side.  He makes a full swing, and it’s the highest flop I’ve ever seen; it probably went 20 to 30 feet high.  Other players used a low chip shot that worked just fine.  Phil was just showing off.  He makes his putt from about 7 feet for his birdie.

    Earlier, the gallery guy told us all that the par three is playing 166 yards today, which is an 8-iron, and my thought is, “I’m sure they’re not all using an 8-iron.”
    He also told us he is not going to heaven, and that this is as close as he’ll get.  At that, I think to myself...

Let the Better Summer Begin

     After last summer's brain tumor discovery, this summer is already looking up.  School got out last Thursday, so I played 18 holes on Friday, 9 more on Saturday and 9 yesterday with Bruce and C.J.  Today, Memorial Day, Hidden Valley is hosting a special Memorial Day Tournament with 36 holes!  The first nine are a Best Ball, the second a Scramble, and then we break for lunch.  After lunch, it's Alternate Shot for nine holes and the conclusion will be a Combined Score.  I'm playing with Chris.
     Last summer at about this time, I had gotten violently sick once already and people (including myself) were wondering what was wrong with me.  Here's hoping and praying that this summer remains a summer with no major surgeries.  Gotta go!

16th Excerpt From My Original Golf Diary

    James graduated this past weekend from high school.  We are full of pride.  He spoke at the ceremony at the beginning with the welcome and at the closing with the tassel tradition.  It was a fantastic weekend with many friends and family stopping by.  I started the excerpt below by saying I couldn't believe it was 2001.  Now, I can't believe it's 2012 and my son just graduated from high school.  

    Also in this excerpt, I played at Civitan and tried something with two targets.  I got a new driver. too.  That driver is under the bench on our back deck now.  Haven't taken a swing with it in years.   

1-8-01

    I have lots of good stuff to write about, but...

The Masters in the Afternoon

    I've been out of the loop for a little while since it was Screen Free Week last week.  I did really well up until Saturday night when we went to the new movie The Avengers.  Danielle asked what I was doing there, and then she reminded me I wasn't supposed to be watching any screens.  Oops!  I have wanted to post, but I have postponed it until now. So, some big news recently.  In golf, Bruce posted a 66 one day when playing with C.J.  He had two eagles, one on #14 and one on #18!  Holy cow!  Second, James qualified for state in the 110 hurdles!  Wow!  Plenty of other news, but I can fill in all the details later.  Meanwhile, here is some more from my one day at The Masters... 

4-25-12
    I am finished with my jury duty for this month.  I was only asked to appear once, and that was today.  I appeared, and then...

Tiger Time at The Masters

    While I wait for Tiger, I notice that after every group is done teeing off on #12, a guy dressed as a caddy cleans up the teeing ground.  He picks up little tufts and other stuff and places them in a cup.
    Then Tiger arrives.  This is my first live view of him ever.  He has missed the green on #11 right.  He gets up and down with a chip that almost goes in and a par putt.  The crowd goes crazy when his chip just misses the hole.  I can feel...

More at The Masters

    For my first time here, I’ve only had two mistakes.  First, we left "Nathan Jr." (see previous post) at the entrance.  I also had to leave some perfectly good food outside of the golf course.  I had to discard an untouched oatmeal from McDonald’s at the entrance.  What a waste.  I didn’t know. 
    Oh, I forgot my...

James is the "Master" and Early Morning at the Masters

Written on 4-14-12
    

    We are on our way to Albuquerque.  James has done it again.  I am so proud.  He won a $500.00 scholarship last year with his two friends Michael and Connor.  They designed a car of the future, and they each received scholarships towards college.  They took second place.  This year, they might have taken first, and if they do, it will be $1000.00 each.  If they don’t, it will still be another $500.00.  They did this all on their own.  This is one scholarship that Belinda was not involved in. 
    B is in front of me in the passenger seat, and James is driving.  It’s a quick trip.  When we are done, it’s back on the road to Aztec to get James home in time to get ready for Prom.  We are busy, busy people. 
    I am using the time to write about the Masters trip with Guy last weekend. 

*It's 4-15-12 as I am posting this, and they did win the $1,000.00 each, and he was crowned Prom King last night, too.  Yesterday was a great day for James!

Written on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Augusta National

8:17 A.M.-Sitting in a Masters collapsible chair on the side of the green on...

"The" Masters Trip, A Quick Entry Before the Rest Begin

Written on 4-8-12
 
    On the flight back to Durango.  One hour to write, and then it’s back to reality tomorrow.
    So, Bubba Watson is the Masters champ for 2012! This was my first, and hopefully not my last, trip to this tournament.  He won on the second play-off hole with a par to Oosthuizen’s bogey.  It wasn't until I got off the plane in Denver that I could find out who had won, and then I got to see "the" shot that won it for him in the play-off on t.v. at D.I.A. a few times.  Amazing!  I took many notes while I was there, so I will get to those later, but my first impressions were great, just fine.  I’m glad I went, and I’m thankful Guy invited me. 
    I’m tired, though.  We played an extra eighteen holes this morning in a rush.  One of the highlights was my winning two free rounds (one for Guy and one for me) by hitting the green on hole #6 at the Hickory Knob Golf Course.  The free rounds would have expired in March of next year, so we decided to just go out and use them this morning instead.  So, I got to play 36 holes of golf with my brother and spend a day at the Masters on “moving day.”  Not a bad weekend at all.  Still working on my Golf Digest entry.  Spent much of my writing time working on that.  Close to done.

More to come about the Masters experience...

On My Way to the Masters and More on Long Beach

    I am sitting in the Denver International Airport at Gate B60 waiting for my flight to Atlanta.  Tonight I will meet Guy, and on Saturday we will be at the Augusta National Golf Course for The Masters.  Whoa!  Surreal!  Of course, I will write about it all, so check here again to get my perspective on what could be one of my best golf experiences ever.  Until then, I am posting the rest of my writing about James's and my trip to Long Beach.

Written on 3-31-12...

    Is it really April tomorrow?  Wow, where did March go?  It’s not an April Fool’s joke, though; March ends tonight.  The Vanilla Moose was supposed to open tomorrow, but it opened one day early instead.  I like that kind of trick!  Yummy! 
    April, to me, however, especially this year, means The Masters!  One week from today and I will be at Augusta National watching the best golfer/s in the world.  Tiger just won his first tournament since his fall from grace, so I am charged up to go watch arguably the best player in the world “live!”  I mentioned at dinner tonight that I will probably be...

Happy Birthday Mom, a 38, and QT With James

3-29-12   

    Yesterday was my Mom’s birthday.  We were able to chat face to face on FaceTime last night for a good thirty or forty minutes.  Bev was there with Erica (they left early on a trip to Washington for volleyball today), so we got to visit with them, too.  Dad made mom breakfast, took her to lunch, and then they watched the movie The Vow.  She got to speak with all three of her children, so she said it was a great day.  Happy birthday, Mom!
    I played golf yesterday with Bruce and C.J. They played a full eighteen, but I met them on #5.  I shot a 38 on the back nine!  I missed a 37, my best score ever on nine holes, by an inch on the right side for a birdie on #18. More on that later.
    Next on my to do list, though, is my trip with James to Long Beach.  He originally wanted to...

Not Two Birdies... Five!

3-23-12
    

    We are on our second leg of our flights out to Long Beach.  The first stop was in Salt Lake City.  It’s nice how things work out.  We are going to Long Beach for James, but we will get to see Garylee and Darrell.  What a bonus!  As soon as we land, we’ll get my golf clubs, our rental car, and then head out to our hotel.  After that, James will register for his event and then we’ll head to the hospital.  Can’t wait to see Garylee.
    Next on my writing to do list were the two recent birdies I had earned, but in my last round before this trip I added three more!  Here they are in chronological order...

For Garylee

Written on 3-18-12
    

    It’s snowing outside.  I called C.J. to see how they had done yesterday in their best ball tournament.  I played the back nine while they played the front.  I only played nine holes in order to see James compete in the finals of the 110 hurdles.  According to C.J., they took third.  Bruce birdied #11 and #12 and then he eagled #18 again.  Gee whiz!  That's amazing!  C.J. said he had 15 good holes and only 3 bad ones.
    In other recent news, Garylee is closer to getting his new heart today according to his site at Caring Bridge.  Here is the link: www.caringbridge.org/visit/garyleezuniga.  The doctors have...

My Writing To Do List

3-17-12
    

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day.  Happy spring break to us.  I have so many things to write about again, and now I have more time to let them tumble out of my brain, my new and improved brain that is.  Hope the words tumble out well.  I will make a list of ideas, and then just get going.  So, here is my writing to do list...

A New Way to Lower My Scores

    Bruce forwarded an e-mail from C.J. to me with my scores.  It was the day C.J. had beaten me in match play.  I am writing about this because it kept on getting better and better.  Right after the match he had told me I had shot a 48.  Then he called me as I was driving home from the course and he said it was a 46.  He apologized for giving me the wrong score the first time.  Later, when Bruce and I were corresponding he sent this forwarded message from C.J.:

Bruce, would you forward Pat's golf scores from the other day...i know he likes to keep a record of all his scores.

front nine: 5,4,4,3,6,3,7,5,7

    Now when I add those up, it comes to a 44. In summary, I had gone from a 48 to a 46 to a final 44.  Nice.  I wish lowering scores could always be this easy.

15th Excerpt from My Original 2000 Golf Diary

    In this excerpt, I expound on what Mike wanted me to do that was so drastic during one of my full swing lessons.  It worked, but looking back now I know it was only a temporary thing.  It was sure fun for that day, though.  I found a secret to some power.  

    I also recall a sand save I made on hole #7 at Pinon Hills, a sand save where I applied everything Mike had taught me about playing from a bunker/trap.  Not much has changed there.  This advice for playing out of a bunker still applies today. 

    He told me to flip my wrists over at impact violently.  He also said longer clubs will help me tremendously, and a lie angle suited more for my type of swing, but he wanted me to flip my wrists hard right now!  I thought I was supposed to use big muscles in my golf swing, but I tried it.  I ripped one off right at the target.  Then I ripped off another one.  Same result.  This one lands twenty yards right behind the one hundred-fifty yard marker, my target for that day, and I am using a teed 7-iron.  I rip off yet another one, and I am smiling the whole time.  This “wrist flip” is pretty cool and accurate. 
    That was my last lesson on the full swing for a while.  I told Mike I wanted to take a break from the full swing, and go back to...

A Scrambling 39 and a New Birdie

Written on Valentine's Day...

    I did not score a hole-in-one, but I did make some scrambling moves to earn some decent scores.  I tried to get Chris to come play with us, but he had promised to watch some wrestlers.  I tried Eric, too, knowing he wouldn’t, but turns out that he couldn’t either because he was flying for C.A.P. (Civil Air Patrol).  He said he would fly over and call me on my cell, which he did twice.  The first time we were on hole #12.  I waved my long putter in the air for him to see us.  I guess I was doing it when Pat, my partner, was putting.  Hope I did not distract him, but he did comment earlier that he wasn’t good enough to be distracted.  That's funny---that's a good one.  I need to remember that one.  Then Eric flew over again when we were on hole #1 (we played the back nine first since it was so crowded).  We talked on the phone as I waved at him.
    So, we almost won.  Bruce came on so strongly at the end; he really had a chance to win it all for his team on holes #8 and #9 almost going...

How to Score a Hole-in-One?

Happy Presidents' Day!  

    The following post was written earlier this month, but Bruce and I played just two days ago with Steph, my good friend and co-teacher from the Bisti Writing Project, for the first time.  She told us that she recently scored her second hole-in-one at hole #12 at Pinon Hills.  Good for her!  Bummer for us, though.  Some day.     

    Bruce e-mailed me later in the week to remind me of a celebration at Rubio’s of a dear teacher and friend who had died recently after...

The Masters and the Super Bowl

    In some other golf news, Guy found tickets for my flight to Atlanta, GA.  He got a great price, $260.00 round trip.  I have not written about this yet, but it is probably the biggest golf news of this year so far.  He and I are going to the Masters in April!  I wish I was going tomorrow.  Of course, I will be writing all about it.  The reason he can get tickets is because of Annmarie and her business connections.  Thank you, Annmarie.  Guy has gone before with his father-in-law.  It will be the golf trip of a lifetime.
    Okay, I feel pretty caught up now.  I hope I win tomorrow.  I need a victory.

Until next time...

2-11-12
    Finally, a victory.  I won last weekend, Super Bowl weekend.  I chose the game this time, a football style game and this is how it worked...

How C.J. Won, Durango Guys, and Seeing Troy Again

Also written on 2-3-12

    This also came down to the last hole.  He suggested Match Play.  That sounded fine to me; the course is not conducive to low scores right now.  It was softer and more forgiving after all of the melted snow from this morning. The other rounds we’ve played have been tougher with all the slick greens and the frozen teeing grounds.  The weather was fine today, except for the snow everywhere this morning.  On just about every other hole, we were commenting on how nice it was.
    We were all square with only hole #9 left to play. We did use our handicaps for all of these games, giving pops accordingly.  That helped C.J. on the tougher holes.  I blew it again on #9, though.  My tee shot went...

A Four Time Loser Will Eventually Win

Written on 2-3-12

    After playing today, my recent record is now 0 and 4.  Bruce has beaten me twice, and now C.J. has beaten me twice too.  I had it within my grasp in three of those losses (the one when C.J. beat Bruce and me with only one club was a blow-out because C.J. is awesome with one club and I/we gave him too many strokes), but I let the other three slip away.  Oh, and of course Bruce and C.J. earned their victories, too. 
    When Bruce beat me the first time, it was the Escalating Skins Game, one of my favorites.  It all came down to...

The Last "First"

2-3-12
    I played nine holes today.  It was after parent-teacher conferences, and the weather was decent.  I woke to snow all over our backyard. It was on our fence, the trees, the sagebrush, everything except the sidewalk and the roads.  Those were just wet.  I wanted to play golf, but I thought no way.  Then after going to Farmington and returning the belt that did not work in my scooter from ATV World, I noticed how...

My Birthday Weekend and They Were Surprised

    Happy birthday to me... yesterday.  Had a great weekend. Went to dinner in Durango at Gazpacho's Restaurant and Cantina on Saturday night.  Then got in 18 holes on Sunday, 9 with Bruce and C.J. and then 9 more with just Bruce.  Weather was fine, just fine.  More on that round later.

    On another topic, Trish and Jordan were shocked to see us in Delta to join their “Shine the Light” Walk.  We arrived right before 4:00, the time it was scheduled to start.  Trish was behind the table where donations were accepted, freebies were available, and brochures about domestic violence were abundant.  We sneaked around behind that table, and...

The Rest of the Firsts

1-27-12
    I will start right away with another first.  This was my first birdie of the year 2012.


Hidden Valley-Hole #14-Birdie #1 of 2012 

    I don’t know how my drive ended up on the fairway.  With my new Mach Speed driver, I definitely smacked a straight pull that looked like it would end up on the hill past the trees, possibly on #7’s fairway.  When I looked around for it up there, though, I glanced down at the fairway and saw a ball.  It was mine.  I still had a ways to go, so I used my 6-iron to attempt the green in two shots.  That shot pulled slightly, and when I found my ball again it was...

14th Excerpt From My Original Golf Diary from 2000

    In this excerpt, I give the details about how volunteering for the first time for the Aztec High School Golf Team in the fall took too much of my time.  I recall nearly  making one of the longest putts I had attempted at one practice session.  I also practice out in the frigid cold with Mike, and it's there that he sees something that needs a "drastic" change.

12-14-00
   I tried for a while at the beginning of this school year to volunteer as a coach for the Aztec High School Golf Team.  I went only two times, once to a practice session, and once to play along on a day of cuts for the few remaining spots on the team.  After that, I...

Lizard Head and Mach Speed

1-17-12

    Well, I did not write on the way home.  Getting home was incredibly difficult.  We stopped to see my Aunt Sylvia and to check on the weather conditions on her computer there.  It said chains required for Red Mountain, Coal Bank, and Molas, but no requirements for Lizard Head.  We drove about eight miles outside of Montrose before...

Surprise Trip and the First of Some Firsts

1-7-12

    Well, we are on the road again.  I just read last year’s diary and we were headed to Lakewood to surprise Dad for a belated 75th birthday party.  This year, though, it’s something different.  We are headed to Delta, CO to surprise some friends.  We learned last night on Facebook that Jordan and Trish (last name) are holding a walk titled “Shine the Light” to spread awareness about domestic violence.  Domestic violence?  We knew this family.  Jordan is a senior just like James.  Trish and Belinda were close friends when they lived in Aztec.  We’ve had dinners together, camped together, and we even visited with them in their new home outside of Delta on the way home from a Grand Lake trip two years ago.  To find out that he...