300th Post! Four Spring Birdies!

    I also played golf, lots of golf during the break.  I am happy to report that the birdie count continues as I earned four birdies, three of them coming in one nine hole round with Brad  (not his real name), the manager of Aztec’s Durango Joe’s Coffee.  This is what happened…

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #13-Birdie #2 of 2015

    I didn’t know what this guy was doing.  He had just played hole #11, so I thought he would continue on to #12.  I warmed up a bit on the practice green, so that’s why I saw what he was doing.  Then he drove his cart up to #10.  I walked up to #10, and he was sitting there in his cart waiting.  He said...

A Lazy Sunday After a Productive Spring Break

    It's Easter Sunday today, but I am posting last Sunday's musings.  Happy Easter!  I am less of a slug this time.  I am working on my lesson plans while watching the Houston Open.  One of my favorite players, J.B. Holmes, is in the clubhouse with the lead.  We'll see if his score of -16 holds.  He scored his lowest closing round ever today with a 64!  Wow!

Written on 3-29-15.

    I am a slug on a Sunday afternoon.  I just finished watching the Texas Valero Open after attending Palm Sunday mass.  Jimmy Walker cruised to a boring victory over Jordan Spieth and Billy Horschel.  It was not exciting to watch, but I am sure it was a thrill for him; this being his 5th PGA Tour victory.  Things are really coming together for him after nine years of grinding and practicing, many of those years on the web.com tour.   
    I did at least write my class’s newsletter Swope Says… for the upcoming week while I watched.  I am slug-like due to the fact that it’s been a very productive, active, yet fun spring break, the final spring break of our careers.  To continue this slovenly behavior, I am going to sit and write some more.
    For spring break, we got...

The Rest of the Match with Bruce's Ace and My First Birdie of the Year

    In golf, I wanted to get the rest of that round that we played at the “new” Aztec Municipal Golf Course at Hidden Valley in here.  That was the round Bruce earned his first ace on hole #2.  I am still thrilled about that.  Still basking in the glow of it all.  So happy for Bruce.  It’s just so cool.  He did it!  And, we were all there to witness it.
    C.J. and I were taking on the father/son team again in match play.  We were getting spanked.  With Bruce’s hole-in-one and a round of even par on the front nine, we were down five holes.  It was brutal.  Great for Bruce and Reilly, but C.J. and I couldn’t get anything going.  I was...

Go, Belinda, Go!

Written on 3-21-15.

    I am alone at the cabin home.  Well, not completely alone.  I have the fireplace going.  I have my cup of coffee with a bit of milk and sugar.  *It’s a free day.  I have our laptop.  Music is playing on my “old” iPod as I type away here.  The TV that Eric bought is showing beautiful scenery on a channel that is more like a screensaver.  I think it’s called EscapeTV?  I will watch for the name (I just saw the name; it’s called escapestv, and it can be found at escapestv.com).  Compared to my view out the windows here, however, it looks so small and insignificant, even though it has gorgeous  moving pictures of incredible scenery.  Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.
    Time to breathe in.  Breathe out again.  Relax, Pat.  You are on spring break in the final year of your teaching career.  Life is good, as usual.  Thank God.
    Belinda is at a training at Mesa Verde, and that is...

"New Course," Pi Day, and Bruce Gets and Ace!

Written on 3-14-15.

    It’s Pi Day, the really rare Pi Day that only comes around every 100 years.  It makes sense then that this day, this Pi Day, Bruce earned his first official hole-in-one ever!  We (our regular foursome) all met today to play 18 holes at the “new” Aztec Municipal Golf Course at Hidden Valley.
    The good news abounds.  First, it’s official that the city of Aztec has taken over our local golf course.  Thank you, Josh Ray and the city for doing this.  I bought my membership right away when I went to the course, and as a teacher I got the government employee discount, more than half of what I paid before when it was owned privately.  Because we walk, I’ll be saving even more money. 
    As C.J. and I were putting and waiting for the Dingwalls, I knew in my heart that it was the same old course, but it felt different and new.  Maybe it was the...