Birdie From the Blues and Glacier Gift

Written on 9-26-15.

    B and I are up at the cabin home again.  We “escaped” up here for one night.  The fire is going.  It’s awesome here.  Not bragging, but definitely happy to be here.  I’ll start with that one birdie, and then I’ll add another that came in an unexpected, spectacular, free round. 

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #2-Birdie #33 of 2015

    Wow!  This birdie took place ten days ago.  I’m a bit behind.  C.J. and I played on a Wednesday.  We discovered that Wednesday mornings are our best times for playing, and we can walk a full eighteen on those mornings; we usually start at 8:30.  He doesn’t swim on those mornings, and Belinda is at work.  I don’t have The First Tee going on on those days either. 
    This was the day that I played from the blues and C.J. from the whites.  I chose my 8-iron from back there, but it was not a great swing.  I’ve been thinning my irons frequently lately, but they’re just barely missing.  I thinned this one out to the right, but it wasn't too bad, and it ended up past the hole and on the hill.  I was in between choosing my A-wedge or my sand wedge.  The sand wedge won out because I wanted to give my ball the best chance of not going too far past the hole.  It was going way too fast, however, after it left my clubface.  It probably would have ended up just off the green if the flagstick had not gotten in the way.  My ball hit the flagstick squarely and fell in, surprising me in the process.  I played the first three holes in one under again, always a great way to start a round.

    I ended up shooting an 85, with a 44 on the front and a 41 on the back.  C.J. and I tied with...

Wedding Day and First Official Day of Fall

Written on 9-19-15.

    I am in the basement of a VRBO in Colorado Springs.  We are here for Daryl and Katie’s wedding, which begins in a little over two hours.  I have so much to write, so I will do a quick summary to help me get it organized in my head. 
    First, I want to recount how St. Francis kept showing up with my family.  It happened three times, once in Albuquerque with Belinda and Danielle, once in Cuba with Belinda and James, and once more in Santa Fe when I went to church alone.  The circumstances for each appearance were serendipitous, in my opinion, and rather amazing, too. 
    Second, I earned three birdies in my last few rounds.  C.J. and I continue to play alone on Wednesdays, but on one Friday morning, we played with and against Mike and Pat for a best ball match play competition.  Anyway, I have two from that round, one on #11 with the sprinklers going full blast and another on #14 that was inches away from an eagle.  The other came more recently when C.J. and I played against each other with stroke play, he from the whites and I from the blues.  I had a pitch-in birdie on #2 in that round to start out even on the first three holes.  That was a close match! 
    Third, I have much to relay about...

The "Great Eight"

Written on 9-5-15.

    I am in “my spot” on the deck up at the cabin home.  “My spot” is around the corner of the deck on the far side of the homestead where the deck is narrow.  Oh, What a Beautiful Morning is playing on my iPod, and it’s so appropriate.  Misty is with me.  She’s whining and wandering back and forth around the corner.  I just asked her to come lie down beside me, and she did. 
    It’s cloudy today, more cloudy than clear, but the blue is peeking out over my left shoulder.  It’s so pleasant, because it’s not too hot or too cool.  I am wearing my oversized, slightly faded, grape purple sweater.  It protects me from the occasional brisk breeze.  So happy with “my spot,” my laptop, and my coffee. 
    Belinda and Amanda are here with me, and Eric is coming up later this afternoon to join us for dinner.  Danielle is here this Labor Day weekend due to a...

The Worst Storm We Have Ever Seen in Aztec

Written on 8-29-15.
   
    Tiger didn’t make it.  His season is over.  I don’t admire some of the things he has done (mostly his infidelity and his cussing), but I am admiring his perseverance right now.  No matter how badly he plays, he keeps going.  He knows how difficult this sport is.  He has a healthy respect for it, and I believe that’s a requirement for the proper demeanor in order to play.  Some people have it; some don’t. 
    Today I spent two hours using a blower on the practice greens at Hidden Valley.  We had the worst storm this area has seen since we’ve lived here.  It was a...