4th and Final Trip of May: Solo!

Written on 5-25-18.

     Hard to believe it’s near the end of May.  I am sitting in our new truck in the parking lot between Chile’s and the Regal Cinema Theater just off I-25 near Hampden.  We are meeting for dinner before the newest Star Wars movie, Solo.  It’s 4:46, and we have reservations for 5:00.  Belinda is doing word search puzzles in the passenger seat next to me.  

     We’ve just driven here from Colorado Springs after spending one night at Bev’s house, and we got here earlier than anticipated.  Belinda finally got to see and hold Adison, and we got a tour of Daryl and Katie’s home, too.  I set up two business meetings (with Katie’s help) for Time to Teach.  I met with her principal yesterday afternoon and her mom, Ronda, for breakfast this morning.  The goal is to get a training somewhere in Colorado Springs somehow.  It looks like it could be a real possibility, and after these two meetings, I am super optimistic.

     I am very excited to see family tonight and this new movie.  Belinda just messaged James via Facebook Messenger, and he said he saw it yesterday, but it’s just not the same seeing it here without him.  We can talk about it together tomorrow, though, so that’s better than nothing.

Free Round at Riverview: The Back Nine

Hole #10-This hole was a perfect example of it’s not over until it’s over.  Eric’s tee shot landed right in the middle of the fairway.  My tee shot landed even farther ahead of his and also in the fairway.  Bruce’s tee shot went into the desert on the right side, and C.J. ended up in a patch of thick, tall grass over there, too.  

Eric was confident we were going to win this hole, and I was cautiously optimistic.  When we saw Bruce’s ball (we rode in carts, and they walked), we both gained a bit more confidence.  His ball looked dead to me.  He could not go forward.  The bush was between the green and his ball.  We thought he might want to pitch back to the fairway, though.

     C.J. remained trapped in his long grass prison after a couple of swings, so it was down to Bruce vs. us.  Eric, sadly, straight low-pulled his shot into the deep rough left of the green.  I was only a 3/4 swing pitching wedge from the green, but I pulled mine, too, and it bounced left into the bunker on the left side of the green.  We found Eric’s ball, but he could not escape from his prison either, so it was down to Bruce vs. me.  Somehow, I don’t know how, but Bruce escaped and put his second shot just below the green.  The flag was on the back left side.  When I started to climb down into the bunker, I saw his third shot settle within a foot of the hole. It was clear he was going to get his par.  I had to get up and down to tie his score.  I thinned my shot out of the bunker, though, and my ball sailed over the green and sank into a bush past the cart path.  Sigh.  C.J., Eric, and I all ended up with triples.  They won the hole, so we started the back nine by going three down.  A hole is not won or lost until everyone has holed out.  I knew this, but it was made painfully clear again on this hole.  Never underestimate what Bruce can do!

Hole #11-I was the only one to get a par, and it took so long for us to play this hole that a couple chose to pass us and go to the next hole.  When it was finally finished, though, my par got us back to two down.

Hole #12-Eric really stepped up and made a putt from 20 feet for a birdie!  It was amazing!  We were back to one down and gained some momentum.

Hole #13-Our momentum was squashed when Bruce made an incredible birdie from the rough left of the fairway.  His ball was sitting up on a tiny patch of grass, but he still made a smooth swing to get his ball on the green and just ten feet away from the hole.  We were back to two down.

Hole #14-Despite Eric and I both earning pars, Bruce got a second birdie, so all momentum was destroyed now.  We were three down again and running out of holes.  

Hole #15-It was now or never.  We started a charge to begin a rally.  We both got pars on this par three to crawl back to two down.

Hole #16-Gaining a bit of that momentum back, I managed a third par in a row to scratch our way back to one down.  With two holes to go, we had a shot at winning it all still.  On this hole, Bruce and I ended up in nearly the same location on the right side of this green.  He went first and actually chunked his chip.  Before he went, I was thinking that I did not want to follow a chip shot from Bruce.  I managed to not chunk mine, though, and my ball ended up five feet below the hole.  I made that to keep the match going.  Eric cheered.  Phew!

Hole #17-C.J. really stepped up and made a birdie here to end the match two and one.  My ball was on the green, but it was on the front and the hole was cut on the back.  I left another putt short, but it didn’t matter.  Even if I had made my bid for par, C.J. had sealed the deal with his birdie.

     Eric and I didn’t feel too bad about losing.  Don’t get me wrong; we hate to lose, but Bruce shot a phenomenal 77, and we only lost 2 & 1.  C.J. made a tough birdie to get rid of us, so we played respectably, especially since we both had not played in a long time.  I ended with an 87, C.J. shot an 88, and Eric earned a rough 97.  He wants to practice before our big summer vacation to Cancun, and so do I.

Until next time…

Free Round at Riverview: The Front Nine

Continued from my last post...

Hole #1-I got a triple.  Ugh.  Eric’s double lost to Bruce’s bogey, so they started out with the lead at one up.

Hole #2-With my 5-iron, my ball ended up not only on the green, but six feet from the hole.  My birdie attempt rolled above the hole, but my par, the only one on this hole, got us back to even.

Hole #3-Bruce and C.J. both got pars, and Eric and I didn’t.  Back to one down.

Hole #4-My par kept us at one down, but I should have birdied after my second shot put my ball in a great position just to the right of the green and even with the hole.  Short game malfunction.

Hole #5-I was the only one to earn a par after a long drive that got me in a good position.  We were back to even again.

Hole #6-Eric’s par matched Bruce’s and C.J.’s pars to keep us even for another hole.

Hole #7-I should have gotten a par after getting another green in regulation, but Bruce won this hole with his par, so we were back to one down again.

Hole #8-Bruce and I both got birdies, so we stubbornly remained one down.

Riverview Golf Course-Hole #8-Birdie #5 of 2018             

My first drive went out to the dirt and a large collection of bushes on the right side, so I hit a provisional.  That one, however, went outside of that line and ended up farther out in the dirt.  I hoped I would find one of them.  

I did.  The first one was on the dirt (not in the bushes), and I could play it, so I picked up the provisional.  I chose my “turf buster” for my next shot, and it caught my ball cleanly, so cleanly that my ball bounced up on to the green on the front left side.  Eric talked to me about how I was leaving putts short, so he wanted me to make sure this one got to the hole.  I thought I had put too much speed on it, but it did stop just a couple of feet short still.  I made that to keep us at one down.  

Hole #9-Eric’s ball went out of bounds left, so it was up to me.  My bogey lost out to Bruce’s par, though, so we ended the front nine two down, better than we thought we would be at this point in the round, however, because they had been playing for a couple of weeks before this match, and Eric and I had not been playing at all.

So Proud of My Sister's Kids

Written on 5-8-18.

     It’s a Tuesday evening, and the sun has just disappeared below the horizon.  Belinda and I are sitting out on Haven on her new chairs from Lowe’s, the cushiony, blended blue and black colored chairs she got for her birthday and Christmas.  Chopper just made a special visit to say hello with neighbor John.  We don’t have a favorite little dog, but Chopper is our favorite little dog.

     We just got back from Prescott two days ago after a fun-filled, celebratory, family weekend for Emily’s graduation from Embry-Riddle where she received her degree in Aerospace Engineering.  She already has a job in Colorado Springs at a tiny company called ADS, Applied Defense Solutions.  She actually turned down a position at Lockheed Martin to take this one, and that was after she requested and was given a bonus to start there.  This Friday, it’s her older brother Daryl’s turn.  He will graduate from UCCS with a degree in Communication and Leadership.  Super proud of my nieces (Erica graduated from ACU last spring) and nephew!

On to golf…

     We brought my clubs along thinking some of us might play after Emily’s party on Saturday, but it didn’t work out, which is fine.  The party continued without a pause for naps, so we stayed and celebrated and visited the entire time.  Before we came back home, though, it was decided that Bruce, Eric, and I would play together at Riverview on Monday (yesterday) using C.J.’s free round for four that he had won at the Mosaic Academy’s fundraiser.  

     I have been so busy with work, traveling, getting ready for The First Tee, and household stuff that I have not played since Red Hawk in Las Cruces.  Because of that long gap, it was fabulous to get to play once more, and it was even better to get a free round with this foursome at Riverview on a gorgeous spring day.  

     The game was best ball match play, of course.  Since it was a close match, I will do the quick hole by hole breakdown in the next post.