A Good weekend in the books

It had been raining for a week solid, starting last Saturday night and it was a welcome, though cold respite on Saturday to see some blue skies.

I was in Modesto on Friday with a vendor who was there to de-install our telephone server and our network server. I brought both of those back to Sacramento with me as well as a computer, some files, a couple of calculators and all of the phones from the office. I had breakfast on the way down with a candidate for an assistant underwriter position in my office. Lee worked for a competitor in Stockton and they cut him loose after they found out he was interviewing with me. I think he learned a lesson about discretion when job hunting. I have my HR department running a background check on him now and hope to have an offer to him by mid week. He will work with Pete in my office who has been in the business for thirty years. Pete is excited to have a guy joining his team with experience and youth. Lee is only 25, but has worked with our companies for three years. He also has a lot of contacts with agents that we don't currently have under contract.

I played in the first of the NCGA qualifiers this weekend, a two day tournament that is two man best ball . Steve and I played well on Saturday, but finished terribly and slipped from a 63 to a 65 on the last hole. I shot 40+43=83 and Steve shot 86. He gets 14 strokes to my 10, so is a good partner to help pick me up when I have a bad hole. He is also great to have on those holes that I don't get a stroke. We hammed and egged it on Saturday and knew that we left some better golf in the tank for Sunday.

Saturday night we went to dinner with Neil and Lilly, our friends form the golf club and the couple that joined us in Nuevo Vallarta. Neil is my brother from another Mother. Bob and Vicki were supposed to join us for dinner, but Vicki had some minor foot surgery on Friday and wasn't feeling up to it Saturday night. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and had a great time with Neil and Lilly. As Dad, Shirley, Darryl and Cheryl know, they are very genuine people and a lot of fun to spend time with. Neil shared with me that he had been invited to go to Scotland by a couple of guys in the golf club. They tried to get Darla and I to go, but the cost is about $9,000 and I need a new roof and some sliders and French doors in the rear of the house, as well as a fresh coat of paint for the house. What Neil shared with me is that he had booked his flights on the promise that a group was going to Scotland and the two guys both backed out after he already paid. Neil was upset, but i think hurt more than anything. He told me several times that he was glad that I'm a man of my word and when we plan a vacation together, he can take it to the bank. We ordered an extra piece of cheesecake at the end of the meal and dropped it off for Vicki at their house on our way home. I think she appreciated it.

Today dawned wet and a bit windy. The coldness in the air was replaced by cold, wet rain. I put on my wet weather gear and stayed dry for about four holes, but eventually your golf glove, grips, towels and clothes get sopping wet and you more endure the round,rather than prosper. Steve and I shot lights out on the front nine paced by my 39 and we shot a 30 net. We even went out on the back nine and birdied 10 and 11, but then the world caved in. Steve hit his next ball in the lake, dead left on 13, popped it up about 100 yards right on 14, over the 17th green on 16 and out of bounds on 17. He finished with a 51 on the back for a 95. I tried to hold it together, but it is a team game for a reason and even shooting 39+42=81, the best we could do as a team was a 37 on the back for a 67 and a two day total of 132. 130 was in a playoff for the second qualifying position. All that we needed to do was par in with our strokes from 12 on, but couldn't get it done. If there was a hole that I didn't get a stroke, I shot a bogey and Steve was meeting the neighbors on the sides of the course looking for his drive. It was brutal. He joked afterward that he owed me a Bowen session from carting him around on my back the entire back nine. We finished in a tie for fourth, which should pay us about $130. We made $64 in skin money on Saturday, but got shut out today. Oh, well.

David got back from Boston. I think I may have said that he was going to New York with his Architecture Professor and ten other students, but it was Boston. He had a blast and really enjoyed the sightseeing and the tours of the historic buildings in Boston. They viewed the buildings from an architectural perspective and it was real hands on experience for him when he ventures into the world of work. He had promised to forward us copies of some of the pictures he took with his new camera, but so far nothing. I think he gets that from Jennifer.

Speaking of the young Miss Lyon, she has moved into an apartment with a friend and has taken up residence with young Samantha. We will be in Vegas over the Super Bowl weekend and look forward to spoiling Sammy. I'd like to see John when we are there, but have no contact with him anymore. It's too bad, because he is a great father to Samantha. Darla and I will be staying at Courtyard Marriott in Vegas around the corner from Jennifer and Samantha. I look forward to seeing my granddaughter and being able to play with her. She is at such a fun age.

I had decided last Wednesday night to drain the pool down as it was back up to the top of the tile and our overflow works sporadically. I turned on the hose from the filter and promptly forgot about it and the pool was down below the top step when I get ready to go to bed. Darla was a doll and stayed up until 1 AM to refill it as I was tired and had to be up at 5:45 AM.

Everyone knows how I like a bargain. Darla and I went to the gym last Sunday and I was going to sign back up. We had a family membership and I wasn't using it regularly, so decided to drop our monthly cost from $79 to $59. When we went in to sign me back up, the guy at the counter, Rocky, told me that David and I were still on the membership and included at $59 a month. He's wrong and I told him that, but he printed out my key card and I've been going to the gym every day at lunch to ride the recumbent bicycle and read my book. I was up over 200 pounds and wanted to slim down and have my pants feel better on me. So far, so good. I have three of my people that belong to the same gym and also work out during the lunch hour.

Well, this is short, but blame the NFC Championship game that went into overtime and got it right. The perfect Super Bowl matchup in Indianapolis vs. New Orleans. The two best teams in the league and the two best quarterbacks will duke it out. A lot of people wanted to see Brett Favre back in the Super Bowl, but I wanted to see the two best teams and will get my wish. We will watch the game with Jennifer. Well, hope all is well with each of you. Keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on Heaven. Ciao.