My First Birdie of the Season

Written on 3-29-26.

        It’s a Sunday afternoon now, and Belinda and I are parked in our front entry with Kody.  He is lying down between us.  

I moved inside to watch the PGA.  It was the Houston Children’s Open, and Gary Woodland won!  He hadn’t won since the U.S. Open in 2019.  Now, he is a five-time champion on the tour.  He had a brain surgery for a lesion.  He then had PTSD off and on.  So glad to see another recovery from a brain surgery, of course.  He is an inspiration to many, and I can include myself.  It’s wonderful to see another golfer come back.  I was thankful to come back and just be able to play again.  Imagine getting back to the winner’s circle after something like that.  Good for him.  So inspiring!

When Guy and I played, I managed a birdie on the first hole on the back nine.  Here’s the description of my first birdie for the year 2026!  How fun that I was with Guy when it happened.  

Riverview Golf Course-Hole #10-Birdie #1 of 2026  

I was hammering my driver, and this hole was no different.  The scorecard says it’s a 340 yard par four, and I hit it to 90 yards.  It’s also slightly uphill.  My ball was in the middle of the fairway, and I could see the red marker for 100 yards plainly, because I was just past it.

I chose my pitching wedge for the approach, and the ball was above my feet a bit, so I choked down on the club.  Two things could have happened to cause my ball to end up a foot away from the hole.  I couldn’t tell, because I was below the hole, and I couldn’t see.  One, my ball could have landed off the green and hit the hill.  Then it may have rolled down and settled just past the hole.  Two, it could have landed and rolled forward.  I feel it was the former, because it felt long when I hit it.

Who cares?  Either way, it was a tap-in birdie for the first one this year.  Hooray!

Until next time…

The Siblings' Visits!

Written on 3-26-25.

        It’s quiet time here at the Swope household.  B is resting next to me in our bed on a Thursday afternoon.  The Lamberts are here!  Daryl is watching a movie in our living room while Adi is being forced to take a nap in Danielle’s old room.  Not sure where Bev chose to have her quiet time.

Our visit with Guy was great…just great!  He got to spend some time with the kids and Rowan in Albuquerque, but we decided to drive back to Aztec on Friday night.  That was wonderful for two reasons.  First, Rowan and Casey still felt awful from the same cold that Belinda had.  Belinda still has it, but it’s only an occasional cough now.  Second, we got to wake up in Aztec, so Guy’s stay felt longer here.  

We had breakfast at Rubia’s, and it worked out so well, because I saw three guys from...

The Siblings are Coming! The Siblings are Coming!

Written on 3-16-26.

        I am sitting next to Belinda at the Bluff Resort.  A gas fire pit is blasting away in front of us, but the sun is going down, so the heat feels really good when it blasts us intermittently.  A cool breeze is blowing in our faces the rest of the time.  The sun is leaving the highest cliffs above us, and it is making the greatest contrast with the rock faces that are already in the shade. 

We survived (and thrived with) our little man, Rowan, this past weekend.  This was the first time (hopefully of many) when he came to spend two nights with us.  That gave us one full day with him.  Becca drove Ben and Rowan to Cuba to be picked up by Eric and Amanda.  We drove them back yesterday to have James and Casey pick them up again.  We have such a team!  Go, Swopertongs!

I just checked the...

Continuing My Star Wars Trading Cards Saga

Written on 3-8-26.

        The next set of red series cards were bought in Denver somewhere near the capitol building.  That is my vague recollection.  It was maybe in the 90’s?  I think Belinda was with me.  Joe, possibly, too?  The guy selling them was very reluctant to part with them, but Joe or I pointed out some flaws, so he sold them to me.  I felt like I got the better end of the deal.  Finally, I had a cleaner set of my favorite series! 

Most of the stickers are from my childhood. Some of them came from my two recent purchases from Comics Warehouse in Albuquerque (#11) and eBay (#5, #9, and #10 from the blue series, a better #20 from the red, and #28 from the yellow).  Because I opened the packs right after buying them all those years ago, they escaped the fate of the gum stains that many new collectors get.  The ones I bought are clean copies, too.

Speaking of clean, I did find a brown lunch bag in my top dresser drawer after I graduated from high school.  Inside were mostly untouched Empire Strikes Back trading cards.  I had forgotten (and lost interest) by that age, but I was chuffed to find them.  Here were spotless cards (no unsightly lines across the backs) that were from my favorite Star Wars movie.  All was forgiven for my Mom (not really, because I don’t really blame her), the keeper of all things, because she was the one who saved these incredible treasures.  What an amazing find!

Until next time…

A Bit of a Diversion From Golf

Written on 3-7-26.

       It’s a Saturday, and Belinda and I have done our “chores,” so it’s quiet time.  She went down to deliver a shirt to the camper, but she hasn’t come back yet.  I bet she took a nap in there.  It’s a cool day (50º for the high), and I bet it’s cozy warm in there.

I have taken a foray into eBay recently.  I have listed my less desirable (to me) Star Wars items and sold some stuff.  Let me check the app.  I have listed 20, and I have sold four.  Not bad.  This is all due to the 2026 Star Wars trading card project.  I have purchased several things (too many) to build up and protect that collection, so I felt a need to sell some stuff to equalize.  I have over $1,000.00 to go, so I had better list and sell more items.  I can do it.  I haven’t really gotten to the good stuff yet, and I am just learning.

Belinda and I talk about this often.  I was scarred a bit by...