My Thank You to Coach Hofman

Coach Hofman is Interviewed Just After the Dedication

Written on 2-14-16.

    I’d rather write about a special night two nights ago.  My former college basketball coach, Bob Hofman, was honored on Friday night for his excellence as a coach mostly at Fort Lewis, but also at Western State and other places.  They dedicated a court in his name, and I am so glad I went.  He is so very deserving.  Similar to my 30th high school reunion this past summer, I went from conversation to conversation to conversation, picking up with where I had left off with “old” friends and teammates from over 25 years ago.  It was fantastic!  I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with each one, and I was thankful Rich Hillyer sat by Belinda to keep her company while I abandoned her to go be my social self.  She sat in the section reserved for former players and quickly discovered she was the only girl in there. 
    We arrived just before 5:30, the time the reception was supposed to end, but it was still going when we walked over there.  The plan was...

Moab Valentine's Day Sarcasm and Whining

Written on 2-14-16.

    Happy Valentine’s Day 2016!  I am in a Mariott Hotel in Moab, Utah.  It’s not our hotel room, but the Edgerton’s.  Belinda and I checked out of our Hampton Inn to come here where they extended their checkout time to 1:00.  Eric is out riding his bike toward Arches National Park, and the girls just left to go for a walk in the brisk, overcast weather.  I would be playing golf today, but the Moab course is closed due to the snow (and maybe Valentine’s Day too) just like our home course. 
    Oh, what a bummer!  Now, I have to sit and write in peace instead.  And to top it off, I have to endure a miserable view out their window with snow frosted mountains and gorgeous red rocks.  Life is hard, but I can take it.   
    Eric, Amanda, Belinda, and I decided to get away this three-day weekend, and what a wonderful treat it has been so far.  Yesterday, we puttered around through Canyonlands, stopping a few times to walk a trail…or go to the bathroom.  Must be getting older.  Later, it was dinner at the Moab Brewery where we enjoyed some draft beers (all except B) and had some delicious food.  I had a patty melt with some onion rings, and I couldn’t even finish the sandwich. 
    I digress.  Who cares what we drank or ate?  I am getting frustrated with people sharing every last detail of their lives, so why am I doing it?  More important things abound, but this is the trend I see right now when I go on Facebook.  I read stuff on there that makes me think, “Well, that’s nice, but who cares?  Is that something really worth sharing?”

My First One Under After Nine Holes!

Civitan Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #1 of 2016

    I just realized these are the first birdies of this new year.  Yahoo!  Let the lifetime birdie count continue.
    This was our second time around the course.  We were playing the greens in regulation game.  A large group was coming out of the pro shop when we were making the turn.  I recognized one of them, but I don’t know his name.  I offered to let them tee off before us, but they knew they would be much slower than we were going to be (they had seven guys!), so they kindly and rightly let us go first. 
    I chose my PW this time because my AW ended up being short the first time around.  It was about halfway through the first nine holes that I figured out I needed to club up one club on most holes.  My ball flew...

New Year, New Golf Milestone!

Written on 1-31-16.

    Belinda and I are up at the cabin home.  Eric and Amanda just left.  Amanda wanted to leave tonight in order to be able to sleep in their own bed and not have to worry about driving on what will more than likely be snow packed roads tomorrow morning.  I think they made the right decision.  She does, after all, have to be at work tomorrow. 
    Belinda is reading a book on her iPad called Gone for Good.  I’m sitting to the left of the fireplace in the glider rocker we had reupholstered where I can plug in the laptop and stay warm, quite the contrast to my arrival at the kids’ places when I dropped them off at college after the break. 
    An INXS song is playing on my iPhone, and it’s thumping out of my new charcoal black Sony Bluetooth cube-shaped speaker.  I noticed Danielle’s adorable speaker over the break (hers is aqua blue), and I thought it was great, so James and Danielle just bought one for my birthday that was just two days ago.  Oh yeah, I’m now 49 instead of 48.
    Eric turned 50 on January 26th, and Dave Golden also just turned 50, but on January 23rd.  Rocky’s birthday is coming up on February 9th, but he is the youngest of the four of us, and I’m actually not sure how old he is.  We all went to a surprise party for Dave last night, and it was a hoot.  He thought the ladies were having a purse party instead.  Julie organized it all, and many of his close friends were there.  Just like Guy, he had no idea what he was in for. 

On to golf…

    Earlier that day, I got to go play golf with C.J.  Riverview was the only “real” golf course open nearby, but we didn’t have time to go that far to play 18 holes, so I recommended Civitan.  It’s much closer, and I hadn’t played there for years, and C.J. agreed that it would be a welcome change, so off we went.  It was a very small weather window, it turns out.  It’s snowing and raining in our area again.  Our home course and Pinon Hills have not been open for a couple of months. 
    Okay, this is big!  This is one the many reasons I play.  I reached a new milestone!  I was one under par for nine holes at Civitan.  That’s right…I was under par for nine holes this time, not just even, but sadly this round has some asterisks.  The asterisks are that Civitan is not considered a “real” or regulation golf course, and we were hitting off mats due to the weather conditions. 
    But, hey, I’m taking it; it was completely legal and legit.  It was some of the best golf I’ve ever played, and it came very close to the best stretch of five holes I’ve ever played before, too.  I have not topped my five under after four holes yet.  Not sure I’ll ever be able to top that, though.  Three under after five holes, however, is nothing to scoff at.  Here’s how it happened…

See next post for the details.