Reality Stinks

Another weekend has come and gone and we are another week closer to our trip to Hawaii. The weather was awesome over the weekend, not overly warm, but I embrace Spring and 72-75 degrees is wonderful this time of year. It was closer to 77 degrees yesterday and it got a little warm as I sat out in a reclining chair on the back patio with a glass of iced tea and a book and relaxed in the afternoon.

I did play in the Roseville City Amateur this past weekend and the truth of the matter is that reality bites. Both golf courses were set up with the tees at the far tips and the pins in the toughest positions on the greens. Not on one or two holes, mind you, but on the entire course. The best golfers from the region (myself NOT included) were all there and some came from the Bay Area and Reno to play in the tournament. I shot 45+40=85 on Saturday at Diamond Oaks and came in with a net 73, good for third place in my flight. I was happy to be able to turn around my front side and felt confident going in to Sunday. Well, in spite of a tremendous day, I struggled out of the gate and shot 47+44 for 91 at Woodcreek. The group that I was playing with shot 98, 94, 91 and 89 and the 89 was a 4 handicapper. The course was just brutal. I took fifth in my flight and finished out of the money, but had a great time and would do it again. One of the guys in my group hit a wicked slice on one hole into the hazard. We all went down and were helping him look for his ball and I came across a group of rattlesnakes out sunning themselves on an outcropping of rocks. I walked rather quickly out of the hazard. The guy said, "Hey, I still have three minutes to search." I wished him good luck and walked to my ball. The day started poorly when I skulled a shot out of the hazard on number one and over the green, over the sand trap and into someone's back yard. I had to settle for a triple bogey 8. Ah, well, I play in a three day tournament starting next weekend and the normal set up of the course will feel easy after this weekend.

I played early both days and was able to get home in the early afternoon and spend some time with Darla. Saturday we had lunch downtown and then went over to an art studio that is run for some of her clients. They were having an art sale and we bought a bird house and some trivet style tiles that we will use as coasters. Some of the artwork is a little crude, but some show real talent. I mounted the birdhouse on a pole and set it in the garden in front of the house. We then went over to the park in downtown Roseville with some drinks, chairs, a blanket and our books to read and enjoy the nice Spring day.

Sunday I missed church which is the hardest part for me of a two day weekend tournament. Our church is so large now that the pastor was able to limit the services to two Sunday morning services. We still have about 4400 members, but the church holds over 3000. We used to have a Saturday night service and a Sunday night service, so choices were abundant back then. Darla arranged for a racquetball court at 4:30 and I limped over to the gym after two days of walking the golf course. The racquetball is great exercise and Darla is very competitive at just about any sport. I think my cardiovascular condition is probably better now than any time since I used to play regular Saturday games of basketball when I lived in Fresno back in the mid-eighties.

I did break down and buy a new golf cart. I haven't used a pull cart in 20 years and the new carts are so nice and I get so tired carrying my clubs that I decided to invest. I got a Sun Mountain Speed cart, which is a three-wheeled push cart and a marvel. The tires are pnuematic tube tires and the cart resembles a baby stroller used by runners. I have always preferred to walk the course. As Darla says, golf isn't much exercise to begin with and if I take a riding cart, it's next to no exercise. Walking the course also gives me a chance to relax and think about my next shot and line it up before I reach the ball.

We talked to Dad and Shirley last night. They are doing great and just finished another car show in Abbottsford. They didn't win anything in this show, but learned a valuable lesson about the car show circuit. Like any closely knit group, car show people are very cliquish and this show was judged by the contestants, not by judges. The big car clubs stuffed the ballot boxes and their members won the prizes. Dad and Shirley said it was a good experience, but they will make sure they stick with shows judged by a panel of impartial judges. Dad said the prize for the top Chrysler went to a guy who showed a 2005 Chrysler PT cruiser. Big whoop, you can find three of them at any Wal Mart parking lot. Dad and Shirley do plan to join Darla and I and Jennifer in Puerto Vallarta next year. It should be a fun trip. We may try to bring the boys, but costs may compel us to make it an adult trip.

Work continues to go very well and we just concluded another month that brought in a Net income of over $108,000, which will work out to about $38,000 in profit to the branch. Things are going well and we have a group of agents that are looking to us as their number one choice for surplus lines business. The employees are engaged and we are hitting our stride.

I haven't heard from Jennifer for awhile. Jen...call your Dad. I think they are getting ready to move their base of operations soon if they haven't done so already. Jen will be home for a few weeks in July and we look forward to seeing her. November will be here before long and she will bid adieu to the Army and start to live her new life back here in the U S of A.

David and Destiny have been seeing a lot of each other as they get ready for the Senior Ball later this month. David went to the movies with her this weekend and took her to a dance recital on Saturday night. Destiny seems like a nice young lady and comes from a good home. David and Destiny will double date to the prom with another friend from their church youth group. He is now dating a girl from the group as well, so it is a natural for them. David is doing really well and both David and Daniel are very involved in the youth group at church. They will both be going on another trip to Los Angeles in July. This trip is more fun than work as they'll spend a day at the beach and two days at Disneyland. The cost of the trip is $500 and they are both working at Earl's farm to earn the money for the trip.

Well, that is all the news that's fit to print. Have a great week. Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there and a big thumbs up to my Mom who blessed my life so much in her all too brief time here on Earth. Ciao.