Bruce and Parts of the San Juan Forest are on Fire

Written on 6-10-18.

     Belinda and I are back at the cabin home for the first time since MLK Jr. Day. Tomorrow is Bev and Curt’s 30th anniversary, so congratulations to them.  What a landmark!  Belinda and I will celebrate our 28th this November.  I still need to do something for Mom and Dad’s 55th.  I will text Guy now to see if he has an idea.  

     When Bruce and I played two days ago, we played the game where it’s really difficult to earn points.  We had to hit the fairway, get the green in regulation, and use only two putts for a par to earn one point.  A birdie would give us two points, and an eagle would be worth three.  Of course, on the par three holes, the fairway was not included.  After hole #8, we chose to disregard fairways, because it’s hard to see where the lines are and hitting a fairway isn’t much of an advantage because the course is in terrible shape still.  It’s getting better, but it’s still awful in many places.  Also, on hole #15 (a bit late, I know), we chose to lift, clean, and place our golf balls if we saw mud on them.  It was happening so often.  When the entire round was over, I had earned only three points, and two of those points came from a birdie on hole #11.

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #11-Birdie #8 of 2018             

     Bruce had earned three points on the front nine, and I hadn’t earned any, so earning this birdie got me...

An Anniversary, a Birthday, and a Disadvantage

Written on 6-1-18.

     It’s my parents’ 55th anniversary today.  Five years ago, we had a huge celebration for their 50th, but it feels like it was ten years ago.  I’ve texted them to wish them well, and I hope to FaceTime with them at some point, too.

     Bruce, C.J., and I played our first round together with all three of us having now paid for our memberships.  Bruce and C.J. had played a few times before I had paid for mine.  It was another fun round, and it was wonderful weather, too, sunny and somewhere in the 80’s.  Ah, summer has arrived.

     We agreed to give the new “Battle for the Box” game a shot with all of us since Bruce and I had “perfected” it the last time we tried it.  It was a close match…between Bruce and C.J.  I managed only eight points for the entire round.  
     Bruce had 17 points after the first nine, so C.J. and I had a lot of work to do to try and catch him on the back.  C.J. was slowly creeping closer and closer to Bruce’s score, but when he failed to keep...

New Start, New Yearly Membership

Written on 5-29-18.

     Yesterday, I paid for my yearly membership at Aztec Municipal Golf Course and played eighteen holes.  Bruce called me when I was on my way (I had texted Bruce and C.J. just before I left not expecting to hear from either one), and he asked if I would wait for him.  I needed to pay for the membership and do a few things related to The First Tee, so that was not a problem.

     The front nine was in awful condition, but Bruce reassured me more than a couple of times that it was much better than when he and C.J. had played before.  It must have been really bad before, because this was discouraging and depressing.  I considered getting my money back.  Bare spots took up large pieces of fairway where grass normally grows.  Multiple, large areas were made up of just dirt and weeds, too.  The greens are nearly back to the disastrous form from a few seasons ago when they had to have emergency procedures to regain their smooth rolling status.  They were patchy, clumpy in spots, and loaded with brown dead areas.  Bruce reminded me, however, that if it weren’t for...

Golf in Colorado Springs-Going Solo?

Written on 5-29-18.

On to golf…

     I played with Curt at Cherokee Ridge in Colorado Springs this past Friday, the same day we saw the new Star Wars movie Solo, and that was the first time I had played since our free round at Riverview with Bruce, C.J., and Eric.

     Curt is still on the bubble when it comes to golf.  He can’t decide if he wants to quit the game forever, or if he wants to pick it up again.  I was glad he went, though, because it’s always better to play with a friend than to play alone.  We were joined by a member there named Mike.  He was a retired teacher from Coronado High School, and he was friendly and helpful.  At the end of the round, Curt was struggling mightily, so Mike offered him advice.  Never give another play advice, I told Curt as we drove away.  Curt and I rode, and Mike walked.  After we stopped up by the green, Mike caught up again and gave his advice anyway.  I was too far away to hear what it was, but Curt (to his credit) took it in stride.  

     Without Curt knowing, I decided to play match play against him, but it was an unfair match in two ways.  First, Curt plays illegally on most holes when he jiggles his ball with his clubs into better positions, thereby improving his lie.  Second, I am better than Curt now (sorry, Curt), because I play more often.  Despite that stuff, though, it was close...