First - my thanks to Rich for his humorous, informative and spirited blogs of the past few weeks. While there is nothing like being on the course, second best is living vicariously through the blogs.
Richie referenced that Judi, Cara and I have spent the last few week-ends packing and moving Cara from Gainesville to Baltimore. For those statistics buffs among our readership: We shipped 33 boxes - Fed Ex; logged over 60 hours driving time and could fill this blog with stories - such as Cara being stopped by the police in her Apartment complex parking lot in Gainesville and asked to lift up her shoes so the Detectives could see the soles. The night before - there had been 6 cars broken into and the local CSI was on the case. Or later that night - after making the hundredth trip to the Fed Ex - which is open 24 hrs - I went back to the rental car that I thought was mine, opened the door - only to set off the car alarm - of someone else's car. It's a good thing we got out of Dodge when we did.
Let's fast forward to what the readership has been waiting for -- meeting the 'boyfriend.' For those who know Cara - I'm sure you'd agree that saying she is 'private person' is an understatement, especially when it comes to personal matters - like relationships.
And then the opportunity presented itself -- to meet someone that Cara had mentioned a number of times - and someone we knew was an 'important' part of her life -- Cara was a bridesmaid in a wedding down in Pinehurst, North Carolina. We were invited as well - and another 14 hour car ride wasn't going to stop us -- especially since we were given the 'assignment' of picking up the 'boyfriend' at the airport in Raleigh and driving an additional 2 hours to Pinehurst. We were a bit concerned about finding Josh - despite Cara's description of him as being 6'4". Adding to the challenge was that the President's plane had landed at the airport a few minutes before - causing a one hour delay for all other flights. One would be surprised how many 'tall' young men departing planes there were that night. (I didn't think it would be terribly 'cool' to have a small sign that said 'Cara's Parents' -- figuring that I had already traumatized Cara with another sign - "New Driver" that I put on her car after she got her license -- but that's a story for another blog. And suddenly there appeared a very tall young man, wearing green with a great big smile. (have I drawn you a picture -- big, green, jolly ....)
and we met Josh. I have a stiff neck from looking up -- I think I came up to his shoulders -- and I'm 7 inches taller than Cara -- How would I describe Josh - after spending 2 hours in the car, 4 hours playing golf on the most beautiful course I've experienced, having lunch - just Judi, Josh and me - and then seeing him with Cara at the wedding ... I'd describe Josh as:
1. an excellent golfer -- he shot an 87 -- he is a lefty golfer with a great fade and he was booming his drives consistently 225 + yards. (note that I did out drive him on the first and last hole and shot a respectable 94 ...) I can already hear the groans from Byway ... sorry - remember this is BK Golf and more, so Golf does come first. We went 'first class' - using a cart and played in a record setting 4 hours.
2. has the uncanny ability to feel comfortable in any social setting -- striking up conversations with strangers .... there is a tad of Eddie Haskel -- but there is allot I could teach him. (Who can forget back a century ago, when we were moving Mike C. from his parents house in Pelham Parkway and my lamenting with his mother about how I couldn't understand why Mike would want to leave home and what a pity it was ....)
3. He is a West Coaster - from outside LA and spent a few years between college and grad school
working in a scuba shop and becoming a diving instructor. (Did I mention that he holds Emory's record for the shotput, hammer and discus?)
4. In his spare time - he plays bass in rock n roll band and his motto is: Work Hard, Play Hard, Repeat.
5. He is very serious about his work - pursuing a PhD in micro-biology and doing Cancer research.
On the way back we made a stop at Durham and saw Daniel's program -- which will be detailed in a future blog --- 100 6th and 7th graders, 38 teachers (college students from Duke, UNC, and North Carolina State), 4 Teach for America mentor teachers and 4 senior teachers from the Durham Public Schools and the Universities are all joined in an experience that is changing the face of middle school public education in Durham.
So until next time -- lesson learned is that if you are 6'4" and an 'ox' -- you're going to hit the ball a long way.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Expectations, Predications and Reality
This is my second week as the substitute blogger and I can really appreciate the difficulty that our fearless lead Blogger, Bernard, experiences each week. It is difficult to come up with stories of Golf and more that will satisfy the discerning readers of the blog. While Bernie and Judi are enjoying quality time with their family at an authentic southern wedding we northerners will carry on with our appointed duties. I am looking forward to Bernie taking back the reins next week.
This week was a week of expectations. We expected the return of our long lost foursome buddy, Dan, who was taking a break from his country house on the lake to join us this Sunday. Unfortunately, Dan had a recurrence of a chronic back problem and had to defer his return to another week. This left us with the returning Max, who previous readers will remember as the son in the father and son duo from last week. As for our final member of the foursome, we decided to take on whatever walk-on joined us on Sunday. On the golf front, expectations were high as Barry had a stellar round with his brother on Saturday and I had a decent practice session at the driving range and Max was also looking forward to hitting a round in the 80’s. These were our expectations, but we were not so bold to consider them predictions of how we would perform, only our hopes. Contrast that with the local meteorological folks on the television and radio. You see, these guys were not offering expectations about Sunday’s weather, they were offering predications. They all but told us to pack it in, because there would be showers everywhere on Sunday and some heavy downpours to boot. So when our collective golf games did not turn out the way we had expected, we could take solace in the fact that the predications were wrong and it turned out to be a sunny morning with no rain until the car ride home from the golf course. Speaking of expectations, it is time to talk about our walk-on 4th Mark. Mark was a rather large burly guy who spoke with a noticeable accent when we introduced ourselves. In honor of Bernie I said we should all introduce ourselves as “Bud,” but I was too late – Barry and Max had already shook hands with Mark. Mark spoke in a deep voice and initially sounded like he hailed from Germany or some country in the middle of Europe. He kind of looked German, so our expectations stemmed from what we saw and heard initially. As we talked more and more with Mark, it was clear that he was not from Germany. He sounded like he was from Jamaica or some Caribbean island. Obvious mismatch between his ethnic appearance and the notion that he hailed from Jamaica, but the accent was definitely from the Caribbean. Now for the reality. Mark turned out to be a really nice guy who enjoyed Barry’s kidding around and who liked talking golf with Max. He was another big hitter in the tradition of all the walk-ons we have had in the last few weeks. He turned out to have something in common with me as he worked in the technology department of J.P. Morgan. It turns out he hails from the island of Grenada.
So much for expectations and predications we will stick with the reality.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Houston We Have a Problem!!
Being entrusted with the Blog is like being asked to pinch hit for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. Who can do justice to the weekly musings of our favorite blogger? But carry on I must, so here is the entry for June 15th – Father’s Day. While we are on the subject, let’s take a moment to recognize the Kimberg moving company which certainly rivals the 7 Santini Brothers. Judi flying to Florida shipping 20 odd boxes to New York. Bernie flying down to Florida a week later packing up the remaining items for 2 destinations, storage in Florida or the Toyota heading to Baltimore. A quick stop in North Carolina for a Father’s day celebration with Bernie and his 2 kids and on to Baltimore where Judi was waiting with the relevant items from the boxes that arrived in New York. Wow!
But enough of that, on onto the subject of the Blog – golf and more. Readers know that we have been struggling finding familiar golfers to play with us at the un-Godly hour of 6:52 A.M. We have been paired with strangers who have helped to provide blog fodder. Today we were joined by 2 familiar faces of our choosing. In the spirit of Father’s day our twosome was a father and son Ken and Max. Their relaxed, low-key manner made the day a pleasant experience and showed a father and son supporting each other through the trials and tribulations of the golf day. We didn’t know what to expect when we started off day, because there were tremendous rain storms the night before and this particular course doesn’t drain well. We approached the tee on the first hole and looked out on a foggy, humid morning. 3 balls in the fairway, and only Ken found the trees on the right – a good start. As Barry reached for his trusty Pitching wedge to knock it on the green, he became instantly concerned when he could not find the club in his bag. The 9 iron was missing too. Barry’s first thought was that the clubs were in his car in the parking lot. From where we were standing it was a short walk back to car, so Barry hit his ball and then ran back to the car. When he returned empty handed we knew this was not good sign. Barry retraced his steps from the last few days to try to determine where the clubs might be. He played golf on Thursday with a friend. Could he have left them on that course? He moved his golf bag from car to car as Sammy and Sara each needed cars for various reasons – could they be in one of the other cars? I told Barry that he could use my clubs should he need them thinking that he could concentrate on his golf game and not worry about his missing clubs. But to paraphrase Harry Chapin’s song, “another man might have been angry and another man might have been hurt, but another man (Barry) never would have let it go” ---- but instead of stashing the bill in his shirt he reached for the cell phone on the next hole. Who could he be calling at 7:05 A.M. on a Sunday morning? His wife Leslie, who as the readers will recall was mentioned in last week’s blog as the understanding wife who allowed Barry to finish his stellar round. Today she was called upon to check the car at home and see if the clubs were there. Upon locating the clubs, Barry then asked if while she was out, would she be able to drop them off at the clubhouse. Amazingly she agreed and a plan was put forth to have Barry back with a full set of Golf clubs in time for the back 9. Wow you got to love the resourcefulness of that couple, but to protect their identity we will continue to use Leslie’s maiden name – Gold.
This wasn’t the only equipment problem today (hence the title of the Blog). The protagonist was once again Barry, and this time it was the wheel on his push cart that holds his golf bag, Last week the wheel wobbled a bit, but this week the wheel had taken a turn for the worse and was shaking so badly that I was checking to see if I had my AAA card with me. Without holding the reader in suspense any longer I will tell you how it all turned out. Barry’s cart made it to the end of the round, but will not be back next week without a new tire. Leslie got the clubs to the course and Barry ran over to get them on the ninth hole. Barry still got to eat his bagel and butter, but not until the 10th hole because of his detour to get the clubs. Barry with his full set of clubs in his bag, managed to once again birdie a hole – this time the difficult par 5 13th. We finished in 4 hours and 35 minutes which was about average for the group. The course was wet and in good shape with the exception of a big oak tree that had fallen down on the 17th hole near the fairway bunker. Last but not least, Max kept up the tradition of the last few weeks of a long hitter showing us how to rocket the ball. He didn’t disappoint, by accepting the challenge of hitting the ball over the marsh on the 11th hole, landing safely on the other side over 200 yards away. A shot that would make his father proud! Happy Father’s day to all.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Stick to your Knitting
Stop the yelling - all those in 'bloggerdome.' I've heard you -- you want, no, you DEMAND more about the golf and less about the 'and more.' And since I'm all about pleasing my readership - and soon to be advertisers (my attorney - who will be featured shortly - is just dotting i's and crossing t's ... ) Hold on to your 'needles' because there is allot of golf to talk about.
Weather conditions were HOT, HOT, HOT ... and remember we tee off before the sun rises. Our fourth is living out his "Therowian" -- (spelling is wrong Jill - I know) dream so it's the three Marble Hill boys and our new best friend Alex. If you remember last week's addition - Jim - who could bend iron, crush balls between his thumb and his forefinger -- Alex is a younger version. Looking to move to NY - playing from the Blues - which we 'sheepishly' followed on the first hole - he proved to be a worthy addition -- more about him later.
Let's pause on the first hole - mistakenly teeing off from the Blues - two out of three of us ended up in the Grove (almost as bad as being caught by the Marble Hill police for playing on the grass... perhaps E. will play with us some Sunday?) yours truly hit his first shot over the trees ... and that will be the last reference to my golf game.
HEADLINE: Barry shoots best round of his career! and that is with taking the 'required' penalty strokes for a lost ball which some of us forget to do - and not counting those 'teetering putts that almost but don't drop.' Also - let's applaud the Birdie Barry hit (and I'm not talking about the Hawks that have yet to be seen) on the 5th hole. Suffice it to say that Barry's final score does not reflect that he went to Science High School.
SECOND HEADLINE: Richie 'owns' the turf - from the flag to 120 yards out. Repeatedly, Rich gave a demonstration worthy of all the golf infomercials he watches on how to master the short game.
My claim is that I should have taken my beach chair on this round.
The 'story behind the story' is the support of an 'understanding wife.' Barry and family (can't use last names to protect the privacy of our players) were hosting a 1PM B-que for the Ardsley Lacrosse team. (and yes I asked the 'tired question' of whether or not there would be strippers.)
The plan was for Barry to leave early to help with the set up. As the hours go by ... and Barry's play continues to stay strong - there is a noticeable change....no different than the baseball team that doesn't acknowledge a pitcher has a perfect game going into the 7th inning - but gives him his space in the dugout --- we did the same. When Barry drove the ball long and straight down the fairway, I made sure to hit my drive either far to the right or to the left -- so he could walk alone and contemplate his next shot. However - we weren't aware of the external pressure of the B-que and his promise to get home early. Let's pause to say that no great golfer succeeds in a vacuum. No surprise to those of us who know Leslie (I'll use her maiden name to ensure her anonymity) Gold ... when Barry checked in with her to say he was having the 'game of his life' and offered to cut it short and come home to help -- she did what many would not -- told him to stay and make her proud. There are lessons to be learned by the commitment this spouse has to her husband's golf success.
Back to Alex -- who continued to hit from the Blues - and we continued to need binoculars to track his ball - who we learned just turned 30 and one of my partners had to inform me that my comment that we were 'almost 2 decades older than him' was mathematically wrong. Only to be outdone by my other colleague who reminded me that we are married longer than Alex is alive. That Alex decided to settle another score on the golf course - his dissatisfaction with the Giant, with the Platinum Standard of the Banking World -- with GOLDMAN SACHS. Don't kid Richie about his family or his employer. (How many others return year after year to discuss the 'good old days at Drexel?) Alex - this 30 y/o has the audacity to complain about the Goldman Network and the money he's lost as an independent trader because of this icon. The conversation grew tense and it was only the fact that Alex always hit his shot into another zip code that prevented this confrontation from growing ugly.
Another story within the story -- a return to an 'old friend.' Richie - we've already determined that he is 'loyal' - returned to his putter of yester year. He determined that his 'new fangled' properly aligned and weighted putter with the diamond studded grip just wasn't cutting it. Lesser people than he would have stayed with this 'expensive toy' - (cognitive dissonance for those budding psychologists that are starting to flock to this blog ... especially you Aurora) but not Rich. And his trustee putter didn't let him down as he sunk putt after putt from distances measured in yards and not inches.
and now ... the difficult news to share ... for the next two weeks I will be turning over this golf blog to my partner - not John Sterling, not Susan Waldman ... but to Richie. I'm off on a different type of quest ... a trip to Florida and a ride back in a 'portable prison' with a stop in Durham and a final destination being the city that Cal made his own. (baseball fans will weigh in on what city this is for the rest of you.) Cara is taking a temporary leave from the Florida state and since I accompanied her on her adventurous ride 4 years ago (we planned on stopping overnight - and decided to drive straight through and 18 hours later landed in Gator Country) - it was destined that once again I would ride "shotgun." The 60 or so hours we will spend together will create their own memories -- but it will be hard to rival the 5 hours of defensive driving course we took, where we were pulling out hair out -- at least Cara was -- and at the end - one of the 'graduates' delayed our leaving by asking the most inane questions and treating this like he was saying goodbye to his college roommates. Or perhaps it was the time we decide to start driving home from Duke the same evening of the day I drove down -- and getting stuck in the worst traffic because the draw bridge somewhere in Virginia was in the up position. (I still didn't see a problem peeing on the divider of the highway -- we hadn't moved in over an hour at that point.)
Cara and I will be making memories -- only to be overshadowed by the following Sunday -- the WEDDING where we get to meet 'the giant' for the first time.
So loyal readership - I leave it up to you ... should I 'stick to my knitting' or do you want to ALSO hear about the 'and more' part of this blog -
Like Barry did today - hitting them long and straight .... and like Richie did today ... chipping them 'softly' and putting them home .... wishing you a good few weeks.
Weather conditions were HOT, HOT, HOT ... and remember we tee off before the sun rises. Our fourth is living out his "Therowian" -- (spelling is wrong Jill - I know) dream so it's the three Marble Hill boys and our new best friend Alex. If you remember last week's addition - Jim - who could bend iron, crush balls between his thumb and his forefinger -- Alex is a younger version. Looking to move to NY - playing from the Blues - which we 'sheepishly' followed on the first hole - he proved to be a worthy addition -- more about him later.
Let's pause on the first hole - mistakenly teeing off from the Blues - two out of three of us ended up in the Grove (almost as bad as being caught by the Marble Hill police for playing on the grass... perhaps E. will play with us some Sunday?) yours truly hit his first shot over the trees ... and that will be the last reference to my golf game.
HEADLINE: Barry shoots best round of his career! and that is with taking the 'required' penalty strokes for a lost ball which some of us forget to do - and not counting those 'teetering putts that almost but don't drop.' Also - let's applaud the Birdie Barry hit (and I'm not talking about the Hawks that have yet to be seen) on the 5th hole. Suffice it to say that Barry's final score does not reflect that he went to Science High School.
SECOND HEADLINE: Richie 'owns' the turf - from the flag to 120 yards out. Repeatedly, Rich gave a demonstration worthy of all the golf infomercials he watches on how to master the short game.
My claim is that I should have taken my beach chair on this round.
The 'story behind the story' is the support of an 'understanding wife.' Barry and family (can't use last names to protect the privacy of our players) were hosting a 1PM B-que for the Ardsley Lacrosse team. (and yes I asked the 'tired question' of whether or not there would be strippers.)
The plan was for Barry to leave early to help with the set up. As the hours go by ... and Barry's play continues to stay strong - there is a noticeable change....no different than the baseball team that doesn't acknowledge a pitcher has a perfect game going into the 7th inning - but gives him his space in the dugout --- we did the same. When Barry drove the ball long and straight down the fairway, I made sure to hit my drive either far to the right or to the left -- so he could walk alone and contemplate his next shot. However - we weren't aware of the external pressure of the B-que and his promise to get home early. Let's pause to say that no great golfer succeeds in a vacuum. No surprise to those of us who know Leslie (I'll use her maiden name to ensure her anonymity) Gold ... when Barry checked in with her to say he was having the 'game of his life' and offered to cut it short and come home to help -- she did what many would not -- told him to stay and make her proud. There are lessons to be learned by the commitment this spouse has to her husband's golf success.
Back to Alex -- who continued to hit from the Blues - and we continued to need binoculars to track his ball - who we learned just turned 30 and one of my partners had to inform me that my comment that we were 'almost 2 decades older than him' was mathematically wrong. Only to be outdone by my other colleague who reminded me that we are married longer than Alex is alive. That Alex decided to settle another score on the golf course - his dissatisfaction with the Giant, with the Platinum Standard of the Banking World -- with GOLDMAN SACHS. Don't kid Richie about his family or his employer. (How many others return year after year to discuss the 'good old days at Drexel?) Alex - this 30 y/o has the audacity to complain about the Goldman Network and the money he's lost as an independent trader because of this icon. The conversation grew tense and it was only the fact that Alex always hit his shot into another zip code that prevented this confrontation from growing ugly.
Another story within the story -- a return to an 'old friend.' Richie - we've already determined that he is 'loyal' - returned to his putter of yester year. He determined that his 'new fangled' properly aligned and weighted putter with the diamond studded grip just wasn't cutting it. Lesser people than he would have stayed with this 'expensive toy' - (cognitive dissonance for those budding psychologists that are starting to flock to this blog ... especially you Aurora) but not Rich. And his trustee putter didn't let him down as he sunk putt after putt from distances measured in yards and not inches.
and now ... the difficult news to share ... for the next two weeks I will be turning over this golf blog to my partner - not John Sterling, not Susan Waldman ... but to Richie. I'm off on a different type of quest ... a trip to Florida and a ride back in a 'portable prison' with a stop in Durham and a final destination being the city that Cal made his own. (baseball fans will weigh in on what city this is for the rest of you.) Cara is taking a temporary leave from the Florida state and since I accompanied her on her adventurous ride 4 years ago (we planned on stopping overnight - and decided to drive straight through and 18 hours later landed in Gator Country) - it was destined that once again I would ride "shotgun." The 60 or so hours we will spend together will create their own memories -- but it will be hard to rival the 5 hours of defensive driving course we took, where we were pulling out hair out -- at least Cara was -- and at the end - one of the 'graduates' delayed our leaving by asking the most inane questions and treating this like he was saying goodbye to his college roommates. Or perhaps it was the time we decide to start driving home from Duke the same evening of the day I drove down -- and getting stuck in the worst traffic because the draw bridge somewhere in Virginia was in the up position. (I still didn't see a problem peeing on the divider of the highway -- we hadn't moved in over an hour at that point.)
Cara and I will be making memories -- only to be overshadowed by the following Sunday -- the WEDDING where we get to meet 'the giant' for the first time.
So loyal readership - I leave it up to you ... should I 'stick to my knitting' or do you want to ALSO hear about the 'and more' part of this blog -
Like Barry did today - hitting them long and straight .... and like Richie did today ... chipping them 'softly' and putting them home .... wishing you a good few weeks.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Time --
Hey Blog readership. This week's golf outing featured the 3 caballeros (Dan 'had gone fishin') and our 'newest and bestest' golfer to ever join our foursome -- Jim. It was Teddy Roosevelt that said "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick", (wasn't it?) .... and that was Jim. He has a 3 handicap -- which in regular speak means he hits the ball at least 30 - 35 times LESS than we do. There was some idol worship going on - as we all stood and watched his drives -- 300 yard drives - and thinking to ourselves ... "I want to be like Jim." This 37 y/o construction worker - he lays iron -- living on the East side, plays Saxon Woods and Beth Page when he's not spending week-ends in his house outside Syracuse .... was low key, patient, and humored us by saying that he enjoyed playing with us. Jim -- when you read this blog -- know that all other 'golfers who play a round with us ' will never measure up to your standards. Jim - we raise our putters in salute!
Let's get the particulars of the day out of the way ... weather was ideal ... we played with an idol... and on the first hole I looked like an idiot. Faithful followers of this blog will remember that the first hole is the 'pressure hole.' The starter is watching you as is the foursome going to follow you. All ready to judge 'your game' and thus their Sunday golf experience based on your first drive off the tee. I've had mixed experiences on this first hole -- last time hitting a nice shot over the trees, more often hitting into the grove. I was first up -- addressed the ball -- swung -- and landed on my butt. Yes, the grass was wet, yes I was wearing sneakers -- and yes -- everyone was watching. The only thing that beat my fall - was my shot -- with the golf ball landing 150 yrds - straight out in the fairway. I'm not graceful -- but I got the job done. (perhaps a life lesson here somewhere.)
The balance of the day was booming drives (from Jim and Barry that is) with Richie and I playing 'army golf' --- left, right, left, right .....
But back to the title: I need the music buffs out there (can I get some help Sammy?) to tell me the person who wrote and sung: "Time, Time, Time, .... It's on my side ... Yes it is" For me, it's just the opposite -- Time is my nemisis (SAT word) ... Time is a 'countdown' ... and most of you know my philosophy -- "there is no tomorrow" ... or even more bluntly and to quote another song title ... "Live life like you were Dying."
We measure our golf game by time: On Monday - rich and I played a 6 hour round, today we played in 4 hrs and 25 minutes ... We felt the pressure of time today - because the foursome behind us were right on our backs. Whenever we turned around - like Butch and Sundance did - they would be there - scowling - hands on their hips. During the 6 hour round - the pressure was internal -- would we finish before we ran out of breakfast and lunch food.
And now for you TV viewers -- you know how on Cold Case -- they juxtapose (another good SAT word that I can't spell) the current person with the person who committed the crime decades ago - we had a very special few hours this afternoon. My parents haven't been to our house for over 15 years -- because of my mother's physical disability. We recently got a portable ramp - and at Judi's suggestion - told them we were going to take them out -- but wouldn't tell them where. I picked them up - their new wheelchair accessible van - makes going places so much easier -- and took them back to the house. The look on my parent's faces - when they were in our backyard -- reliving 'happy times -- was poignant. The bigger surprise for them was when Barry, Richie and Jill came over. My parents know them for 40 years -- and to see them - not in a hospital - but in our home - a very special time.
Perhaps I can get an assist from our English consultant in Jersey. Who said "These were the best of times, these were the worst of times?" Today was definitely the "BEST OF TIMES."
Lesson learned today --- wish I would have taken Jim's e-mail address in case I ever am invited with a partner to play in a scramble. Secondary lesson - glad my parents got to see my childhood friends, hear about their children, and be so happy being together with us - in a relaxed (everyone but me) environment. For all of us today - There was NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT.
Hit em long and straight.
Let's get the particulars of the day out of the way ... weather was ideal ... we played with an idol... and on the first hole I looked like an idiot. Faithful followers of this blog will remember that the first hole is the 'pressure hole.' The starter is watching you as is the foursome going to follow you. All ready to judge 'your game' and thus their Sunday golf experience based on your first drive off the tee. I've had mixed experiences on this first hole -- last time hitting a nice shot over the trees, more often hitting into the grove. I was first up -- addressed the ball -- swung -- and landed on my butt. Yes, the grass was wet, yes I was wearing sneakers -- and yes -- everyone was watching. The only thing that beat my fall - was my shot -- with the golf ball landing 150 yrds - straight out in the fairway. I'm not graceful -- but I got the job done. (perhaps a life lesson here somewhere.)
The balance of the day was booming drives (from Jim and Barry that is) with Richie and I playing 'army golf' --- left, right, left, right .....
But back to the title: I need the music buffs out there (can I get some help Sammy?) to tell me the person who wrote and sung: "Time, Time, Time, .... It's on my side ... Yes it is" For me, it's just the opposite -- Time is my nemisis (SAT word) ... Time is a 'countdown' ... and most of you know my philosophy -- "there is no tomorrow" ... or even more bluntly and to quote another song title ... "Live life like you were Dying."
We measure our golf game by time: On Monday - rich and I played a 6 hour round, today we played in 4 hrs and 25 minutes ... We felt the pressure of time today - because the foursome behind us were right on our backs. Whenever we turned around - like Butch and Sundance did - they would be there - scowling - hands on their hips. During the 6 hour round - the pressure was internal -- would we finish before we ran out of breakfast and lunch food.
And now for you TV viewers -- you know how on Cold Case -- they juxtapose (another good SAT word that I can't spell) the current person with the person who committed the crime decades ago - we had a very special few hours this afternoon. My parents haven't been to our house for over 15 years -- because of my mother's physical disability. We recently got a portable ramp - and at Judi's suggestion - told them we were going to take them out -- but wouldn't tell them where. I picked them up - their new wheelchair accessible van - makes going places so much easier -- and took them back to the house. The look on my parent's faces - when they were in our backyard -- reliving 'happy times -- was poignant. The bigger surprise for them was when Barry, Richie and Jill came over. My parents know them for 40 years -- and to see them - not in a hospital - but in our home - a very special time.
Perhaps I can get an assist from our English consultant in Jersey. Who said "These were the best of times, these were the worst of times?" Today was definitely the "BEST OF TIMES."
Lesson learned today --- wish I would have taken Jim's e-mail address in case I ever am invited with a partner to play in a scramble. Secondary lesson - glad my parents got to see my childhood friends, hear about their children, and be so happy being together with us - in a relaxed (everyone but me) environment. For all of us today - There was NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT.
Hit em long and straight.
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