Back to the blog. I'm a day late, but I did it for the kids. Our golf club sponsors an annual junior golf tournament and being one of the leaders of the association, I had to take the day and help run the tournament. We had about 85 golfers from age 7 -17 and there was some pretty stellar golf to watch and enjoy from these kids. The winning score for the boys was 71, shot by both a 17 year-old and a 15 year-old. The playoff only lasted one hole with the 15 year-old scoring birdie to the 17 year-old's bogey. The girl's winner shot a 76, which included a one-under 36 on the front side. I really enjoyed myself, which is good given the fact that I'll have to run the tournament next year. We provided each of the players a bucket of balls, a divot tool and ball marker combo with the tournament logo on it and a lunch of two hot dogs, chips and soda. We also had plenty of snacks, water and volunteers. I was impressed with the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by the kids. They were respectful of each other and especially respectful and appreciative of the volunteers that helped put on the tournament. I helped to hand out the trophies and had at least twenty-five kids approach me, shake my hand and thank me for putting on the tournament.

For all of the bad in society and the disrespect and the unhappiness displayed by the younger generation, the athletes and participants in sports tend to be a more positive and well disciplined group of kids. It is encouraging to see that the best of our future can often be found on the ballfields and basketball courts, gyms and golf courses in this country.

David and Daniel leave Sunday for their Summer football camp in Oregon. They will return on Thursday and David will turn around and leave for his quarterback camp at Stanford in Palo Alto. The boys are excited to get on with their football lives this Summer.

The windows were put in last week and we are thrilled with the results. Darla took the opportunity to paint David's room while we had his bed apart and furniture moved. David was a little hesitant to have us paint...I'm sure it was a privacy thing...but he greeted his Mom with a big hug yesterday and thanked us both for fixing up his room. We put in a new stereo stand and got rid of some extra junk he had laying around. Darla wants to tackle Daniel's room next. He said he only wants white paint and we are trying to talk him into some sort of pigment in the paint.

Darla and I went out to the beach on Sunday. We've discovered a small beach at the rear of Folsom lake, called Oak Beach. It is not a large beach and the only way to get to it is driving down onto the sand and parking just yards away from the shore. We drove down and had some bozo in front of us who decided to stop in heavy sand and back up. He had 4-wheel drive and we didn't. I had a few choice words for him as we sunk into the sand and our wheels spun without traction. I was able to rock us back to moving by going from reverse to drive and back again. The next SUV I buy will have 4-wheel drive. We were able to watch one yahoo from the beach who backed his truck up and over an outcropping of rock and then watched as his truck dug the left rear into the sand and he sunk like a stone. His car ended up canted to the left and he was hopelessly stuck in the sand. The park ranger came and completely ignored his pleas for help. Finally, about eight big bruisers helped him jack up the truck, fill the hole in the sand with rocks and dirt and help him back out and around his predicament. He drove past the park ranger and told him he was a %#*%^$$#.

Dad and Shirley are off for a few days to the Okanogan in Canada for some sun and relaxation. Dad sent us an e-mail to let us know that he'd be gone for a few days and said that they can't be gone long, because he needs to mow his lawn every three days. I just wonder where I got this obsessive-compulsive streak? Does anyone have any ideas? I'm open to discussion on this item.

My golf game this weekend was a mosh pit of inaccuracy, inconsistency and ineptitude. I shot 43-42=85 and went from poor start-good finish to vanilla pudding. I had two double bogeys, two triple-bogeys and two birdies amongst a host of pars and bogeys. I lost both bets that I had with the gamblers in the club, but I won $28 in skin money for the two birdies. I played the four par-threes in 2 under par. If I'd been playing a pitch and putt, I would have won the tournament.

Well, work has piled up in my absence. Funny, how nobody seems to step up and do your work when you are in absentia. I need to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Tough duty as I'm wearing a short sleeve polo shirt, but I'll do my best. Ciao.