Taking off.
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Girls Go Parasailing
Jenn and Cait went parasailing for the first time. The owner of the boat stated that there is 1400 foot of rope and that they were over 500 foot in the air. They loved it.
We also saw a number of dolphin while on the parasail boat. One was directly behind the boat, riding the wake. Overall it was a great time. I was also asked to go up, but since I have a terrible fear of heights, it was not a good idea.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Great time in Florida!
We've been in Florida for 2 weeks and have had a great time. I went golfing 6 times thus far. Had some great rounds and some not so great. One thing that has been steady has been the heat. It has not fallen below 92 when golfing and the heat index has been as high as 109.
See the green beside the sand trap.
I had a great shot last week, I was sitting behind a huge group of trees trying to get to the green. You can see it by the picture. Shot the ball under and between the trees and ended up on the fringe of the green. Great shot! Don't ask how I got there, Not such a great shot!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Finally golfing again
In spite of a pretty sore knee form the gout, I have played the past two days. I had 2 pretty polar opposite days. I did well on Friday, hit the ball well and scored ok. Today, not so much in regards to the playing. I teamed with my daughter's BF and we lost 15 of 18 holes in better ball. Not a good showing at all.
One play gives evidence of just how bad things went. My buddy Rick hit a ball around 50 yards left of the green on a short par 3. It hit a tree, rode the limb and then rolled to the middle of the green, about 15 feet from the hole. I hit the right edge of the green, rolled back, hit the cart path and ended up no where near the green.
I will get out there again tomorrow and then maybe take a couple of days off.
One play gives evidence of just how bad things went. My buddy Rick hit a ball around 50 yards left of the green on a short par 3. It hit a tree, rode the limb and then rolled to the middle of the green, about 15 feet from the hole. I hit the right edge of the green, rolled back, hit the cart path and ended up no where near the green.
I will get out there again tomorrow and then maybe take a couple of days off.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The US Open Week
I spent all of last week at the US open in Bethesda Maryland. It was a great week, with lots to watch and I was able to spend time with several of my friends, Pete, Lening and most of all, Jimmy.
The first day we went was Tuesday. I still have the gout in my left knee so it was slow going. We went to Gaithersburg to catch a bus shuttle to the Open. We decided to wait until after the day's matches before trying to check into our hotel. It took about a half hour to get there, which really wasn't bad. We watched for around 6 hours and decided to head back to get situated in the hotel. We weren't sure of what the hotel (The Bolger Conference Center) was going to be like. We were hoping to have 2 double beds in each room. When we arrived, we found to our dismay that the rooms were about just large enough for one person. We started worrying about Pete coming to room with me for a few days, since the bed situation would have meant that we would have very little room if we slept in the same one, and there was no room for a cot. We tried, to no avail, to get a room with 2 beds, but they were gone.
The room situation was an intresting one. We had found a place with 2 double beds in each room in May, but Jimmy wanted to Priceline it and try to get them cheaper. They were $97 at a Wyndham. Jimmy wanted to wait, so when he did finally check again, they were all gone. The only place with any rooms that we could find, you guessed it, the Bolger. I was ticked at first, but it really turned out to work ok. We were able to get a shuttle from the Bolger to the Open and it only took abut 5 minutes. We pain $45 each, for the week, which was well worth it. The Bolger also had a restaurant/grill where we ate several times. We came to be of the opinion that you had to have failed at every other job you ever had before you could get a job at the grill. It was terrible service most of the time. An example, the first night there we all went to the grill, Jimmy, his son Brian and I. While looking for a table, we came accross a man from India, Prinz, who invited us to join him. Prinz was a self-professed computer genius. He had come to the grill a while ago and had not been waited on, so he thought if we all sat there he would get some service. The waitress did finally show up, Jimmy ordered an Amsteel and I ordered Miller Lite draft. Lening then came to visit and we ordered one for him. Lening and I ordered a draft beer and both got bottles, Jimmy was told they didn't have his beer, and so he ordered something else, which never came and they gave him a third type. We then ordered another beer and they said that Lening and I had received the last 2 drafts in the grill. They were free! They were also the worst tasting beers I have ever had. Meantime, Jimmy started seing people all over the grill with Amsteels.
We ordered food and it came cold, actuall probably colder than my beer! When it was time for the bill, nothing was correct. We tried to explain, but the waitress said it was out bill. We didn't argue since she had left off 2 sandwiches and 2 of the beers. Prinz, meantime, explained he only eats chicken as a meat, and only on three days of the week. He was eating chips and french fries for his dinner. He also did not drink alcohol, so he was a bit out of his league with us. Once Lening arrived, we spent about 15 hilarious minutes explaining to Lening why we were staying where we were. For a genius, Lening sure gets confused very easily.
Two days later at the grill, we each orderd a pizza. Not one of the 4 had the correct toppings, with Jimmy's being completely wrong. He sent it back.
The golf was exceptional. We were able to watch the eventual winner, Rory McIlroy, practice on Wednesday. A young girl, around 8 or 9 held a sign out saying "How about a hug, Rory". Rory signed everyone's autograph that was waiting for one (which was very unusual, many pros didn't) and then went back to the girl and gave a her a big hug. The girl was in shock! AT this point, I decided who I was cheering for. Rory being Irish, of course, didn't hurt.
As nice as Rory was, there were a few less friendly. Matt Kutchar ignored those asking for autographs. Bubba Watson also went past when we saw him at a hole. Davis Love seemed to think others were not even there. But for the most part, the pros were nice. Steve Stricker remains one the nicest guys and a favorite of mine. Padraig Harringtom was also very friendly.
During the week we went swimming a coupleof times and used the fitness room. On the Saturday of the Open, I went to the swimming pool, which was in another building. They were having a wedding reception there, and so here I was, in my trunks, sans shirts and shoes, trying to get into the building. I was turned away.
Caitlin came down for the weekend and we had a great time at the course and shopping. On Saturday Cait wanted to buy me a Father's Day present so we went to the main merchandise tent. While there I suggested that we try to have our picture taken next door at the Lexus exhibit. When we walked over, a young women asked if we would like to have Natalie Gulbis sign a picture for us. For those that don't know, I am a huge Natalie Gulbis fan. So we got in line. I was so nervous I was almost speechless (again, those that know me would have trouble believing this). She was as friendly and pleasant as I had expected.
This is Natalie!
Cait and I then had our pictures taken. We then went to try our hand at winning a Lexus at a contest on a video hole. It was a 178 yd shot over water. Jimmy and I had tried it earlier in the week. I was about 66 ft away from the hole. I was about 109th ranked. Jimmy had teed it up and when he hit it, it went straight up in the air, almost hitting his nose, struck the roof, and came back down, almost hitting his head. He wanted to know where he was ranked, but I explained you had to hit the screen to be ranked! Caitlin hit her ball a bit short and was about 50 foot. I was around 48 foot the second time.
The rest of the week had some great moments and many funny times. If not for the sore knee, it would have been one of the greatest times I've ever had. The eventual winner was, drum roll please, the aforementioned Rory McIlroy! Great young man, and I hope he wins many more.
The first day we went was Tuesday. I still have the gout in my left knee so it was slow going. We went to Gaithersburg to catch a bus shuttle to the Open. We decided to wait until after the day's matches before trying to check into our hotel. It took about a half hour to get there, which really wasn't bad. We watched for around 6 hours and decided to head back to get situated in the hotel. We weren't sure of what the hotel (The Bolger Conference Center) was going to be like. We were hoping to have 2 double beds in each room. When we arrived, we found to our dismay that the rooms were about just large enough for one person. We started worrying about Pete coming to room with me for a few days, since the bed situation would have meant that we would have very little room if we slept in the same one, and there was no room for a cot. We tried, to no avail, to get a room with 2 beds, but they were gone.
The room situation was an intresting one. We had found a place with 2 double beds in each room in May, but Jimmy wanted to Priceline it and try to get them cheaper. They were $97 at a Wyndham. Jimmy wanted to wait, so when he did finally check again, they were all gone. The only place with any rooms that we could find, you guessed it, the Bolger. I was ticked at first, but it really turned out to work ok. We were able to get a shuttle from the Bolger to the Open and it only took abut 5 minutes. We pain $45 each, for the week, which was well worth it. The Bolger also had a restaurant/grill where we ate several times. We came to be of the opinion that you had to have failed at every other job you ever had before you could get a job at the grill. It was terrible service most of the time. An example, the first night there we all went to the grill, Jimmy, his son Brian and I. While looking for a table, we came accross a man from India, Prinz, who invited us to join him. Prinz was a self-professed computer genius. He had come to the grill a while ago and had not been waited on, so he thought if we all sat there he would get some service. The waitress did finally show up, Jimmy ordered an Amsteel and I ordered Miller Lite draft. Lening then came to visit and we ordered one for him. Lening and I ordered a draft beer and both got bottles, Jimmy was told they didn't have his beer, and so he ordered something else, which never came and they gave him a third type. We then ordered another beer and they said that Lening and I had received the last 2 drafts in the grill. They were free! They were also the worst tasting beers I have ever had. Meantime, Jimmy started seing people all over the grill with Amsteels.
We ordered food and it came cold, actuall probably colder than my beer! When it was time for the bill, nothing was correct. We tried to explain, but the waitress said it was out bill. We didn't argue since she had left off 2 sandwiches and 2 of the beers. Prinz, meantime, explained he only eats chicken as a meat, and only on three days of the week. He was eating chips and french fries for his dinner. He also did not drink alcohol, so he was a bit out of his league with us. Once Lening arrived, we spent about 15 hilarious minutes explaining to Lening why we were staying where we were. For a genius, Lening sure gets confused very easily.
Two days later at the grill, we each orderd a pizza. Not one of the 4 had the correct toppings, with Jimmy's being completely wrong. He sent it back.
The golf was exceptional. We were able to watch the eventual winner, Rory McIlroy, practice on Wednesday. A young girl, around 8 or 9 held a sign out saying "How about a hug, Rory". Rory signed everyone's autograph that was waiting for one (which was very unusual, many pros didn't) and then went back to the girl and gave a her a big hug. The girl was in shock! AT this point, I decided who I was cheering for. Rory being Irish, of course, didn't hurt.
As nice as Rory was, there were a few less friendly. Matt Kutchar ignored those asking for autographs. Bubba Watson also went past when we saw him at a hole. Davis Love seemed to think others were not even there. But for the most part, the pros were nice. Steve Stricker remains one the nicest guys and a favorite of mine. Padraig Harringtom was also very friendly.
During the week we went swimming a coupleof times and used the fitness room. On the Saturday of the Open, I went to the swimming pool, which was in another building. They were having a wedding reception there, and so here I was, in my trunks, sans shirts and shoes, trying to get into the building. I was turned away.
Caitlin came down for the weekend and we had a great time at the course and shopping. On Saturday Cait wanted to buy me a Father's Day present so we went to the main merchandise tent. While there I suggested that we try to have our picture taken next door at the Lexus exhibit. When we walked over, a young women asked if we would like to have Natalie Gulbis sign a picture for us. For those that don't know, I am a huge Natalie Gulbis fan. So we got in line. I was so nervous I was almost speechless (again, those that know me would have trouble believing this). She was as friendly and pleasant as I had expected.
This is Natalie!Cait and I then had our pictures taken. We then went to try our hand at winning a Lexus at a contest on a video hole. It was a 178 yd shot over water. Jimmy and I had tried it earlier in the week. I was about 66 ft away from the hole. I was about 109th ranked. Jimmy had teed it up and when he hit it, it went straight up in the air, almost hitting his nose, struck the roof, and came back down, almost hitting his head. He wanted to know where he was ranked, but I explained you had to hit the screen to be ranked! Caitlin hit her ball a bit short and was about 50 foot. I was around 48 foot the second time.
The rest of the week had some great moments and many funny times. If not for the sore knee, it would have been one of the greatest times I've ever had. The eventual winner was, drum roll please, the aforementioned Rory McIlroy! Great young man, and I hope he wins many more.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Summer's ups and downs
Well, summer is well on its way. We were out of school in mid-May, and although I teach 2 online courses, this is really a chance to take it easy a little bit.
Some highlights so far:
1. Caitlin graduated with her MBA! (It was nice at the graduation because Thomasene, my sister, and her husband Dallas were able to attend.) Caitlin did very well and is looking for a full time job. It is nice having her her in the meantime, however.
2. Jennifer visited Dominican. She wants to ge her MSW in an international program. She wants to visit Monmouth as well.
3. Played Bedford Springs Country Club. WHat a difficult course, but a great experience. Even though I started pretty lousy, I came in strong and ended my round at this tough course with a 92. Being with Kevin and Jimmy made the day really great and it was fun finally playing with Larry Taylor.
4. Fixed the yard up with Deb. It looks really nice.
Some Lowlights:
1. Most of April and May have been very wet and miserable, leaving limited golf time.
2. This past week, I developed gout in my left knee. The pain has been pretty dfficult.
What to look forward to:
1. I'm going to the U.S. Open this week with Jimmy and his boy. During the week Lening will join us for a while and Pete is coming down for 2 days. On the weekend Caitlin is going to be there.
2. I will spend at least 2 weeks in Florida. We have the beach condo and then may go to a smaller place up the coast for a few days.
So the summer should be pretty good. I will post again soon with updates about the Open.
Some highlights so far:
1. Caitlin graduated with her MBA! (It was nice at the graduation because Thomasene, my sister, and her husband Dallas were able to attend.) Caitlin did very well and is looking for a full time job. It is nice having her her in the meantime, however.
2. Jennifer visited Dominican. She wants to ge her MSW in an international program. She wants to visit Monmouth as well.
3. Played Bedford Springs Country Club. WHat a difficult course, but a great experience. Even though I started pretty lousy, I came in strong and ended my round at this tough course with a 92. Being with Kevin and Jimmy made the day really great and it was fun finally playing with Larry Taylor.
4. Fixed the yard up with Deb. It looks really nice.
Some Lowlights:
1. Most of April and May have been very wet and miserable, leaving limited golf time.
2. This past week, I developed gout in my left knee. The pain has been pretty dfficult.
What to look forward to:
1. I'm going to the U.S. Open this week with Jimmy and his boy. During the week Lening will join us for a while and Pete is coming down for 2 days. On the weekend Caitlin is going to be there.
2. I will spend at least 2 weeks in Florida. We have the beach condo and then may go to a smaller place up the coast for a few days.
So the summer should be pretty good. I will post again soon with updates about the Open.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Hi
I just wanted to say hello to those of you reading the blog from South Korea, China, Australia and many other places. i'm not qite sure of the interest, but if you ever want to interact, leave a comment.
Posting is getting a bit tougher
I would like to get on here more often, but have been very busy. Here's a little info about y last several weeks.
Golf season is trying to come back. I have gone out 3 times, even though only one time was during good weather in regards to temperature. I have become aware of some new kinks in my golf game. Whereas I formerly had difficulty with a slice, I have somehow developed a snap hook at times. That is a miserable problem that I hope to fix very quickly.
My wife has been ill for several weeks and we continue to look for answers and solutions. We have several appointments. On the other hand, besides the TMJ issue, I have been very healthy.
I'll try to get to the blog more often. I continue to hope to return to Europe, possibly teaching for a month in Ireland which will enable me to visit France, and Ambialet, I hope.
Golf season is trying to come back. I have gone out 3 times, even though only one time was during good weather in regards to temperature. I have become aware of some new kinks in my golf game. Whereas I formerly had difficulty with a slice, I have somehow developed a snap hook at times. That is a miserable problem that I hope to fix very quickly.
My wife has been ill for several weeks and we continue to look for answers and solutions. We have several appointments. On the other hand, besides the TMJ issue, I have been very healthy.
I'll try to get to the blog more often. I continue to hope to return to Europe, possibly teaching for a month in Ireland which will enable me to visit France, and Ambialet, I hope.
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