Mancos Musings

Written on 8-20-17.

      Why is it so important for me to describe my setting when I write?  It’s historical.  Time is always in motion, so doing so puts an indelible stamp on a place, a feeling, a memory.  

     I’m sitting in our firetruck red ’01 GMC truck, and I am facing Jackson Reservoir and the dam; I’m looking straight out over our steering wheel.  My laptop’s screen is resting on that steering wheel, and the rest is settled against my belly.  A breeze blows through the passenger window and goes right out my open door on the other side.  My little speaker cube is hanging from the rear view mirror, and the song Rise Above This is pulsing through the Bluetooth from my iPad Mini.  That song reminds me of when we were getting my Masters, but that was a decade ago.  We rose above it.  

     I’m drinking my iced coffee out of the 32 oz. Giant cup I used yesterday for my green tea when we drove here.  Two more mini Mounds bars (I started with three) are nestled next to the keys and my sunglasses on the center console.  They are dressed in red, and they remind me of little demons; constantly tempting me to eat their chocolaty, coconutty goodness inside.  Damn Mounds bars!  The message center on the dash is blinking the word SECURITY over and over again, because the door is open.  Now, only one Mounds bar remains.

     Belinda, the love of my life, is...

Draw a Stripe or Stripe a Draw?

Back to golf…

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #3-Birdie #14 of 2017

     I had no “real” commitments today, so I got to play some stress and guilt free golf.  Thankfully, my back and knees survived.  C.J. chose stroke play today, but it was a little different from how we usually do it.  C.J., on the front nine now, takes pops on holes #1 and #9, and he tees off from the red tees on #3, #5, and #7.  On the back, he takes pops on #13, #14, #15, and #18, but he doesn’t move forward on any of the teeing grounds.  It’s very fair considering he has lost some distance.

     This birdie, in my opinion, was well-deserved.  There really is something to be said about having a lay-off and playing well because of that time away.  I was able to “stay out of my own way” on many holes today, and this was one of them.  My driver helped me get on the fairway, and from there I was just a pitching wedge away.  

     Before we teed off on #1, I told C.J. about a clever play on words I had recently thought of.  I was thinking about what my favorite club might be when I cleaned Eric’s and my clubs the day before.  Eric let Guy borrow his clubs, so I was cleaning them up to get them ready to return.  Since I had all the cleaning stuff out, I cleaned my own as well.  I thought a favorite club would...

Conquistador Birdie, James is 24, and Danielle Will Be 22

Written on 8-18-17.

     I got two birdies today, and I still have one I need to record from our Swope Family Reunion.  So, here I go.

On to golf…

Conquistador Golf Course-Hole #15-Birdie #13 of 2017

     I was fortunate enough to play golf twice with the Virginia Swopes during the reunion.  We walked a full eighteen holes at this course for our first round, and we rode/walked/played nine holes at the South Forty the next day.  Both were fun, and I was once again impressed by ShyShay.  The girl’s got skills.  She had some sweet, smooth, and effortless swings, and her driver put her golf ball consistently past holes that were 150 yards away.  Guy and I talked about getting clubs fitted better to her size and swing; it’s time.

     Getting this birdie helped me begin to catch up to Guy in match play.  I was giving him one stroke per hole, and he was two up after hole #14.  Getting this birdie kickstarted my comeback.

     I chose driver, of course, and my intent was to cut the corner.  I cut it, but...

Vacation Wrap-Up and Nine Busy Days

Written on 7-27-17.

      This little vacation/family reunion is coming to a close.  Tonight is the last night up at the cabin home, and it’s now just the Virginia Swopes and me.  Mom, Dad, Bev, and Curt left yesterday morning.  Danielle left earlier today when the Virginia Swopes were kayaking, and Belinda left soon after we took off to go play golf for our second time this go-around, this time at the South Forty Golf Course.

8-18-17

     I’m sitting in the waiting room at the only Midas place in Farmington, and Belinda is here with me.  It’s a  Friday, and the busses we saw as we drove over here reminded us to pinch ourselves, because it’s the Friday of the first week of school, and instead of spacing out like a zombie after surviving the first week of school while sitting at our desks, Belinda had a relaxing day at home after working just three days at her new job, I played golf today with C.J., and we are getting a new exhaust pipe on our truck.

     I have had the busiest beginning of school year as a rewired teacher and an educational consultant than I have ever had, and...