Black Canyon Golf Course

Written on 6-30-23.

        I am sitting outside our Alto, and Kody is asleep under the table right next to me.  I have my headphones in, and I am listening to music and catching up on some writing.  Belinda and I just drove back from Jemez Springs where we had brunch and caught up with our iPhone messages.  We are off the grid here at the Jemez Falls Campground in spot #25.  James and Casey travel here tonight with Ekko, and then we will take Ekko back with us for a week.  Heaven help Belinda, Kody, and me.  

I am enjoying some iced coffee in my new Black Canyon Golf Course “Ecovessel” thermos (triple insulated) I chose for myself for Father’s Day.  Danielle bought it for me, but I picked it out after our round in Montrose.  I wanted a new one that would keep my coffee colder than the old red one I’ve had for years.  It does do that, and it holds 24 oz., so it’s bit bigger, too.  Thanks, Danielle!  I am wearing my new shirt from James, also.  He found an Under Armor polo for me for his gift.  Thanks, James!  I am waiting on another polo shirt from Amazon, and I will say that is from Casey.  She gave me a hat that said something about golf and retirement, but I have plenty of hats, so I got a refund.  I spent it on a purple polo instead.  Thanks, Casey!  Hope it fits.

On to golf…

I haven’t written about Black Canyon Golf Course yet.  It was unique, and Eric and I really liked it.  It was a par 34 on the front, and a par 36 on the back.  The front had more established trees, and a few elevation changes.  Two of the tee shots were intimidating, because we were right next to the road, and a pull could have easily gone...

The Denver Nuggets-Finally!

Written on 6-15-23.

        I am sitting in back of our Alto.  I just had a snack of Dot’s pretzels and Fairlife milk.  Don’t tell anyone, but I drank out of the container and I licked the spices off of my fingers.  Boy, do I go crazy when I’m on vacation.  Those pretzels are addictive.  *Belinda did give me permission to drink from the bottle.  

I just watched a YouTube video of the Denver Nuggets and scads of their fans celebrating their recently won NBA championship.  The number of fans there was the most impressive part.  Even I am still glowing a bit from their winning their first championship, too.  I remember the 80’s when they had Alex, Dan, and Kiki.  They sure could score, but they could’t defend, and that was how other teams exploited them.  Then I remember the Dikembe Mutumbo years and the time they upset the #1 seed (I believe it was the Seattle Supersonics) when they were the #8 seed.  I don’t know how long they lasted after that, but they didn’t...

My First Birdie of the Season!

Continued from last post... 

        When we were done, we saw Shawn in the Grill on the Hill.  He was hiding, he said, from his mother-in-law and work.  He bought the beer I said I would buy for Herman (not his real name) and the iced tea for me, too.  He said he owed Herman anyway.  After a mix-up when I said I would play on Friday with Herman, I ended up playing with Shawn instead on Thursday.

He shot a 44 on the front, and I had another 46.  I thought I had a chance to catch him on the back, and I got a birdie on #12 to help.

Pinon Hills Golf Course-Hole #12-Birdie #1 of 2023

This is fun!  I was hitting my driver well.  I had just hit three fairways in a row, 9, 10, and 11.  This is a par three, and I had hoped to keep hitting it straight.  Boy, did I.  The flag was on the back, so it was 208 yards, even from the whites.  I chose my 21º utility club, and I hit one...

King of ACG-Antler Creek Golf Course with Guy and Carter

Written on 6-3-23.

Back to golf one more time…

    Carter took Guy and me out to Antler Creek Golf Course to play nine holes on our last full day together.  He said it was a “dog track,” but it wouldn’t be crowded.  He was right.  We hoped to go play with Em’s volleyball team afterwards, but the golf took a bit longer than Carter expected.

Because we were only playing nine holes, I recommended the game where each player plays with one of the other players for three holes vs. the odd man out.  It’s similar to the “King of the Beach” competition the AVP used to do.

I had Guy for the first three holes, and because this was Carter’s first outing, we ended up getting three points each right away.  Carter hit a bomb on #1, and I hit a...

My 12th Birthday!

        I celebrated my 12th birthday today!  Mostly, it was met with incredulity.  Twelve years seems like a lot, and once again, the biggest feeling is of thankfulness.  I am thankful I can even compose these sentences.

What did I do today?  First, I forgot it was my birthday again until I remembered that the tee time I set was for June 28th.  I didn’t mean to do that, but there it was.  I chose to postpone it one extra day, because it has been so blistering hot here.  Not as hot as Phoenix, but very uncomfortable and possible unsafe as well.  I put it off until today, because I couldn’t get an early tee time for yesterday, and my goal was to play in the AM before it reached the higher temperatures.  I honestly didn’t know it would land on my second birthday, but it seems appropriate to play golf again on my special day.

I played with two new friends and one old friend, and I am reminded of the song I learned at Notre Dame Elementary: Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.  I am so thankful to have made two new friends in the past few years, and happy to keep the gold one, too.

Belinda and I are still camping with our Alto…a lot.  We went to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on our most recent trip with the Edgertons, and we head to Jemez Falls Campground to spend some time with James and his fiancé Casey tomorrow.

Once again, life is good.  Mom and Dad are together again in their new place after Dad was in the hospital (27 looooonnnnng days of which seven were in ICU) and two more excruciating months in rehab facilities.  He made it through all of that to get back to Mom to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary together.  Just WOW!  I did some extra bonding this past year with my sister and brother, Bev and Guy, while getting our childhood home ready for sale.    

It went on the market yesterday, and it had eight showings and five offers immediately.  We met as a family on FaceTime tonight to choose the best option (they were all great offers), and we chose one with the least amount of strings attached.  All of this just added to my little celebration.

I got to hear of Danielle’s job upgrade of a permanent position on her fire crew.  This is her sixth season, and we have recently learned that our little Becca (my niece) is pregnant, too.  Finally, I can share that news with the general public.  Congratulations to Matt and Becca and the rest of the Swopertons.  Hooray! 

Here’s to the next twelve years.  Imagine the incredulous and grateful feelings after that happens.