Danielle is 18 Today, James Returns to College, and Robert T. Lynch

    Our daughter, Danielle Rae, is 18 years old today.  When I think back to the day she was born, I remember the false alarm (B thought it was time, but it wasn't yet) that had Belinda and I staying at a house near the hospital in Durango.  That false alarm caused Jess and Amanda and the rest of the family to stay at home, but in the middle of that sleepless night, Belinda knew it was time to go...so we did, and we barely made it.  It was Belinda's will alone that stopped Danielle from being born in the car and then in the elevator as well.  I remember being insistent with the nurse who was way too casual about it all.  "Go get Dr. Lavengood NOW!"  
    Belinda held off, somehow, until she saw Dr. Lavengood's face.  And then our baby, our daughter was born (much faster than James), a combination of a China doll and a beautiful Navajo with shockingly dark, black hair.  I know she is ours because I followed her to the station down the hall for all the measuring and the cleaning up.  And then Belinda nearly died, but that's another story with a happy ending.  Happy birthday, Danielle! We love you very much.  You and your brother have enriched our lives, and we are so very proud of you and who you are. 

Written on 8-3-13.

    The family and I are driving to...

All About the Boston Trip

Written on 7-29-13.

    I am on my way back to Denver, on a United flight with Joe.  We packed in a fairly large amount of touristy Bostonian activities these past few days.  As I stare out my window in seat 36A, Joe reads silently from The Prisoner of Zenda, a swashbuckling adventure story, one of the thousands of books he has accumulated over the years for his personal library in his downtown loft.
    We did so many things, walked to so many different places, and experienced so many fun and funny experiences that recounting them all would take hours, so I will do my best to hit the highlights. 
    Yesterday, we played golf at Robert T. Lynch, a public golf course that borders the Brookline Country Club.  It was a challenge and an adventure just to...

James is 20 Today, Boston is Coming, and A New Birdie on #10

    James turns 20 today!  Happy birthday, James!  Belinda likes to mention that we are not doing today what we were doing 20 years ago.  I remember crying happy, joyful tears after seeing my son for the first time and for being so proud of Belinda who had pushed for two and a half hours with no pain medication.  Sadly, we do not get to be with him today, though.  We just took him down to NMSU two weeks ago, but Kyle is on his way there today with his family, so we are at least sending along a birthday care package.

Written on 7-22-13.

    I earned yet one more birdie when I played golf with C.J. yesterday.  This was the third time he and I played alone together since Bruce was out of town.  Bruce is back now, and he and C.J. are playing at Riverview today. 
    I chose to come here instead.  I can play golf more easily and more often than I can have a camping spot at Lake Haviland.  And, as an added bonus, I get to have my wife Belinda all to myself before I go out of town to Boston this weekend with my buddy Joe.
    I haven’t written about it yet, but Joe is...

Lake Haviland, Anchor Update, and D.B.

Written on 7-22-13.

    I am sitting across the road from Lake Haviland.  My view is spectacular!  I can see the top of Engineer Mountain above the distant pines to my right, and I see the awesome cliffs across the highway with pines and aspen trees both above and below in the mountains that are just before Needles and then Durango Mountain Resort, also known as Purgatory.  It’s my first time to Lake Haviland.  Eric and Amanda have procured a camping site here for a few nights, and Belinda and I get to use their new camper here tonight. Ah, summer.
    A and B are kayaking together as I type away.  I can see their paddles going up and down in the distance in perfect synchronicity, and then they slowly lose their shared rhythm, and then suddenly they are synchronized again.  Sunlight is flashing off their paddles as they go up and down.
    On to golf...
    So, I do not...

C.J.'s Streak and Four New Birdies

    School starts tomorrow; teachers report to work.  This is the last official day of summer.  C.J., Norm, and I played at Riverview today, so I can say I played one last round on the final day of summer before it all begins again.  Sadly, C.J. broke his streak of rounds in the eighties.  He had 14 before today.  We all played badly, though.  C.J. summed it up well when he said, "You know it's bad when we're saying, 'Nice bogey.'"

Written on 7-19-13. 

    And now my four most recent birdies...

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #19 of 2013

    C.J. chose to play the Points Game this time.  I played well, and this birdie helped, of course.  I used my driver, and my ball headed towards the “bailout” area on the right side of the green.  It ended up rolling off the hill on the right side of the green and stopping on the cart path.  I took my free drop (no closer to the hole, of course), used my new open pitching stance with my sand wedge, and popped my ball right over the hill.  C.J. told me it missed the hole by three inches, but I still had thirteen feet or so to finish.  The putt moved from left to right, so I aimed about three inches left, and it worked.

Hidden Valley Golf Course-Hole #18-Birdie #20 of 2013 

    This birdie included one of my best shots of the summer, my...