Playing With a Former Student and First Tee Participant

Written on 10-8-23.

        I am listening to the Broncos game, and they are playing the Jets.  They are down 21 to 13 at the end of the 3rd quarter.  Belinda did some anxiety cleaning this afternoon, and she just sat down to relax.  She is stressed because of the wedding coming up this Saturday.  I am looking forward to getting to the other side of it.  It’s been a lot of work and organization, and I don’t see how it could be unsuccessful.  We are in the home stretch now.  James had his bachelor party up at Vallecito at the Edgerton’s new cabin, so that is done.  Sounds like it went well and nobody died, so that’s a good thing.  I have yet to finish my recipe for them; I just need to copy it again.  I also need to write the letter making my prediction for where they will be in five years and what they will be doing.

We heard that Rachel Banash wrecked herself on her bike during a race.  It was a mountain bike race, and she hit a tree.  She broke her collar bone and her scapular bone on the same side.  Poor Rachel.  We are praying and hoping for a quick recovery.  She will be forced to take off this week.

On to golf…

I got to play with Kyle (last name), a former student and First Tee participant.  It was a struggle to find a time when we could both play, but after some persistence, we ended up playing yesterday.

What a fine young man.  We had a fabulous time together on a beautiful fall evening.  Our tee time was 2:40.  I saw Herman (not his real name), and we almost worked it out to play with him and his son.  This was the first time I got to meet his son, Carl ( not his real name either).  Herman always said it would be a good match between Carl and me.  Because Kyle wanted to go to the range and Herman found a spot for them with a group ahead of us, it didn’t work out.  Kyle and I ended up playing with a Chris and a Kevin, but we separated after the second hole.  I thought that they were really good, or at least Chris was, so I didn’t want them to be slowed down.  I was wrong, and I will explain later.

We talked about driving; I let him drive the cart.  He got his permit last year, and he will get his driver’s license this January when he turns 17.

We talked about Star Wars.  I told him that Ahsoka was a good show, and he said he had watched all of the Rebels shows.  Because of that, I told him he would really like Ahsoka.  

We talked about school.  He is doing really well, of course.  In one class, they joke about him being the most humble student.  So, I said that he brags about how he is the most humble, and we laughed about that.

We talked about golf…a lot.  Because we were playing golf, the topic came up often.  He has played in some JV tournaments, and he has done pretty well.  He said he took 2nd place at one of the tournaments at Civitan.  He said that he laughs (privately) at the players who get so angry when they play.

The Final Three Holes

Written on 9-23-23 later that night, 9:06 PM.

     We just wrapped up sitting around our little fire pit with A, Grant, and Rachel.  Roscoe went to bed early, but Kody stayed with us until we were done.  What a super day!  Golf, writing about golf, and camping with friends.  Just wonderful.

I still have a cold or allergies going on.  After the round, Grant and I went to Walmart, so I could buy some more tissue.  I also bought some more Afrin, because I left the one I have at home.  I just used it, and I hope it will help me breathe easier tonight.

Grant had such a good time today that he wants to come back in late October after James’s wedding.  That most likely won’t happen, but we could go to Hillcrest.  He said that he had not played there before, and I told him it was more wide open like the Meadows course today.  He liked that.  We shall see what happens.

Back to golf…

I said I would write about the last three holes, so here I go.

On #16, My drive made it past...

Guy Turns 58 and the Rest of the Round at Pagosa

        Today is Guy's 58th birthday!  We spoke this morning (close to noon for him), and we joked that he was having such a wonderful day that it would be fine if he would keel over at the end.  He wanted to make it to the end, but then he could die.  Ha!  We joke like that, but the point is that he is very blessed.  It's hard to believe, but Guy is close to 60, and Bev will turn 60 this March.  I was talking with my friend Darrell the other day, and we realized that we had known each other for forty years.  Time is a funny thing.

Continued from 9-23-23.

Pagosa Springs Golf Course-Hole #7 on Meadows-Birdie #5 of 2023

        I am so happy I was able to get another birdie, because my score on the front nine was abysmal: a 49.  This one was pretty straightforward. I hit the fairway.  I hit the green.  I made the putt.  I used my driver and my 7-iron, and I got all the points that were possible on this hole.  Eric managed a par, so I was thrilled to have made my putt to get the points for winning the hole, too.

I want to get some of the lessons from this round in here, too.  Many things were not good, especially on...

Lake Capote and Pagosa Springs

Written on 9-23-23.

        I am sitting outside our Alto, and we are staying at Capote Campground with the Banashes.  Eric and Peter Long came to play at Pagosa Springs earlier this morning, and now we are all relaxing back at the campground.  Eric and Peter are headed back to Aztec,  Grant and Rachel are taking Kody and Roscoe for a walk, and Amanda went to go pay $5.00 for using the lake yesterday.  B just took a shower in the “pristine for the campground” showers, and she is hanging out in the camper.  I am amazed that it is near the end of September.  Soon, James and Casey will be married, and I will be wrapping up this journal after another year.  How many more years will I be able to do this?  Hopefully, many, many more.

On to golf…

While it is fresh in my mind, I want to get the round from this morning in here.  I played at Pinon Hills with C.J. and Patrick Smith recently, but I didn’t do too well.  I broke 100, but I didn’t get a score in the 80’s again.   Darn it!  On the front nine, I had some blow-up holes, and I managed a...

A Long Journey to a Lower Score

Written on 9-8-23.

        It’s a Friday, and I am at home with Kody.  I took our Alto to Durango yesterday, and I was able to play 18 at Hillcrest.  More on that later.

Work has been going well.  I have gotten in three visits already, and we had a super start to the year with our meeting two days ago.  I really enjoy the work that I do and the team that we have, and it suits me.  I looked in my first field notes, and this is the eighth year I am starting with the CORE.  I am one of the few who has worked with them this long.

Mom and Dad are holding steady.  Dad is back at Legend, and Mom is doing well with her rehab. I don’t think I have written about it in here, but Mom fell and broke her hip over a month ago.  I went up to Colorado Springs on the day of her surgery, and I helped her out for a week.  She moved into the same rehab facility, Mount Saint Francis, where Dad was after that.  Dad spent nine days in the hospital after another UTI, because he had...