Bob's Bad Golf

Trying to get back into the routine of Civilian Life.....

2012-02-14T09:22:00.002-08:00

Several months ago, back in November, I stopped by Veterans Hospital to apply for a Veterans ID. I've never used Veterans Hospital or their services before, but because I am eligible I thought it would be a good idea to get an ID card and be registered with them in case I ever wanted to take advantage of their services. Plus, just having an ID card that identifies me as a veteran I thought may come in handy as my plans are to buried, when the time comes, in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. Well, the procedure has opened up a whole can of worms.

First of all, my discharge papers, known affectionately by all Veterans as a DD-214, does not list several of the medals I'd received. I've always known this but didn't really care. I'm sure this was caused by the fact that my last year in the military, my year in Vietnam, was spent in a Joint Service Outfit, detached from the U. S. Navy. Therefore, the records keeping wasn't done very well. Then, when I was discharged in Memphis, TN, I didn't bother to check my discharge papers to see that everything was in order. I was just happy to get the heck out of there and get home to see my lovely bride I'd been away from for a year. So these problems with my records are now starting to show up. But my Veterans ID I received has me listed as a different 'priority' than I should be as a Purple Heart Recipient. Therein lies the rub. So, I've submitted forms to get my 'DD-214' altered to have my medals listed. How this will turn out, we may never know. I submitted a form back in November and haven't heard anything. I re-submitted a week ago, I think this was a different form, and am waiting to hear about that.

My hopes of getting anything done is not very high. I mean, just two days ago I received a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs thanking me for my service and hoping my transition back into Civilian Life goes smoothly. So, I'm not real sure they are on top of the situation.

The big problem is, the DD-214 (Department of Defense form 214), is my official record of my military career. And, even though I have the medal, the certificate, the letter of presentation, pictures of Colonel McCorkle pinning the medal on me while in Vietnam, and a copy of the message sent to our headquarters in Saigon informing them that my next of kin NOT be notified of my injury as a result of hostile fire, the U. S. Navy doesn't seem to think that I officially have a Purple Heart. So, the Saga continues.....

Artistic Ability passed from Father to Daughter

2012-02-12T05:01:00.000-08:00

We had the family over for dinner yesterday. We hadn't done that since before Christmas and we felt like it was about time. We always enjoy it. Of course, Erin and Jill were all over the house doing their own thing. Pretending to be horses, dogs, cats,daughters; drawing on the computer, cutting up paper and drawing pictures.
They are both very creative and talented. I love that Mark and Kim instill creativity in them teaching them all their crafts and encouraging them to be creative on their own. Erin and Jill both show tremendous talent.

Jillian sat down at the desk and said she was going to draw a bird and Erin said "Jill draws great birds!". And, she was right. Jill drew this bird flying to her nest in the tree. Notice the detail. Worm in mouth, hole in tree, branches with nest, and the grass at bottom of page snipped with scissors to look like blades of grass. I'm not so sure about the "Jade" name, I'm thinking maybe it's a Blue Jay. But the 'bird naming' in parenthesis and the whole scene seems to me to be pretty darn good for a 6 year old Kindergartner! Of course, I'm a little biased.

Thursday, but no golf this week

2012-02-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

I've had to call 'time-out' for a little while on my golf. I know the followers of my blog live to read about all my rounds of golf and can't wait for the next report. But, for several weeks my back has been bothering me and it's gotten worse in the past week. So, yesterday I went to the doctor. I've had this same pain before, and actually, quite often. But it doesn't get this bad or last this long very often. The last time was about 4 years ago. I'm hoping the Rx he gave me will get rid of the pain and I'll be back in action next week.

Like I said, it's been bothering me for several weeks, even playing earlier rounds, so I planned to play golf today. But when I started getting my clubs out of the basement this morning I decided I'd better take a couple of practice swings to see how it was going to feel. Well, instant pain. So I decided I'd better skip the round.
I appreciate all the cards and well wishes I've received and will receive. I've been applying heat and ice, taking my medication, and hope to back out on the course next week. So, to all my faithful readers, hang in there.

Class at the Zoo

2012-02-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

I helped with a class at the Zoo today. This was a much better behaved group of 4th graders than I had a couple of weeks ago. Sure, they were rowdy at times, but they were controllable, and quieted down when instructed to do so, unlike the other class.

I handled a box turtle and a Tegu. The picture at left is one I got off the computer and is not anyone at the Zoo, but I wanted a picture with people in it so that you can see the size of this creature. The one I handled today was a little smaller, but the Tegu is one of the world's largest lizards. It is from South America and 'tegu' is an Argentine word for 'lizard'. He was a hand full at times, but stayed fairly still when I took him around for the kids to touch.

I wanted to show this picture because I think one of the most fascinating things about this lizard is the tongue. He has a very large, long forked pink tongue that he is constantly sticking out to 'smell around'. And, this close-up gives you a good look at how colorful he is and how his scaled skin looks like it's beaded. I haven't researched this, but I would imagine because of his pretty skin he was used for many purses, shoes, and belts.

I can't believe I've already gotten close to 60 hours volunteer time in since I became an official Docent the first of December. And this is the slow time of year. I don't think I'll sign up for much coming up. I'm already signed up for an outreach this month and one in March. With the class I'm attending in a couple of weeks on the Dinosaurs that we'll have again this summer and those two outreaches I'll be close to 70 hours by the end of March.

Line Dancing Lessons

2012-02-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Mary Lynn and I noticed in the Highland Community Ministries Newsletter last week that they offer Line Dancing each Monday at St Paul United Methodist Church. That's located at the corner of Douglas and Bardstown Road. We thought we'd give it a try. So, today was our first day.

Mary Lynn had some Line Dancing a couple of years ago, but I've never done any of it, so it was new to me. The Lane Dancing was from noon to 2 pm. When Mary Lynn and I walked out of that place today at the end of the session you'd of thought we just ran a marathon! 2 hours of line dancing is hard work! It was a lot of fun, and we plan to go back next week. It's set up so that if you're a beginner, you can learn some of the dances, but if you've been doing this awhile, a lot of time isn't spent on teaching. You get to do a lot of dancing. About half the songs the instructor will go over the steps before it starts, but other songs she just plays and the people dance. You can watch and try to catch on to those, or just sit and watch. Every week we go we'll pick up more and more of the moves and, after awhile, be able to keep up. I thought we did pretty good for the first week. It seems like each dance has 4 separate sets of moves that you repeat over and over. I get the first couple of sets, but get confused on the last part. I'm sure it'll get easier. It's amazing how tired I was after 2 hours!

Golf on a warm but muddy Thursday

2012-02-03T04:08:00.000-08:00

It was a good day to play golf. Warm weather, light breeze, sunshine. The course was pretty muddy, but that's to be expected this time of year if it isn't frozen. The only thing that wasn't nice was the way I played.
I usually put some type of golf picture with my post, but I found this 2nd grade school picture of me and couldn't think of any other reason to post it, so I'll put it with my golf entry. I was the same age Erin is now.
I can't count this round because I didn't play my own ball the whole round. We played a 'Shamble' on the back nine. I didn't know we were going to do that and I was a little disappointed. I played terrible on the front nine and my only consolation was that at least it would raise my handicap. Then I found out we were playing the back nine a Shamble, so they don't count the round towards our handicap. I shot a 45 - 40 - 85. Our foursome came in last in the team competition. I played bad and was the lowest score in our group! I think I've said this before, but I just never seem to play well in muddy conditions. Just not a mudder!

A little more Metal Detecting on a Sunday Afternoon

2012-01-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

I metal detected for awhile today at the Zoo. A lot of these coins I found a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't cleaned up. I found a total of $1.92, a watch, and one of the pennies was a 'Wheat Penny", 1953. But, the watch has a 'Genuine Stainless Steel" back!

I've covered the Zoo fields pretty thorough now. I'm sure I could still find a few coins, but I feel like I'm about done there. My total since I started metal detecting is now $146.10. I figure that averages out to about 22 cents an hour! You have to do this because enjoy it.

I need to find another place to detect. Anybody with a house that's been around for 60 or more years I'd love to detect your yard. Or if you know somebody, ask them for me. I promise to make very little, or no, mess, and I'll show them everything I find.

A Blast from the Distant Past!

2012-01-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

I came across these photos and thought I'd share them. I found them very interesting. I hope you do, too.

This is a photo of Preston Hwy looking south at the railroad overpass by Audubon Park. I don't know what the occasion was, but I wonder if anyone in this photo has a copy of this picture?

This old Steiden Store was at the corner of Bardstown Road at Douglas Loop. The building is now the site of Heine Bros Coffee Shop. The Steiden Stores were bought out by A & P around 1960.

Looking South on Bardstown Road at Bonnycastle. This looks to be late 1930's. If you go there and stand in the same spot, you'll see the same buildings, just different names on the storefronts. And, no streetcar tracks. You'll notice behind the Walgreens sign is a 'Piggly-Wiggly' Market!

This is a view of Dixie Hwy looking North at the point of the 7th St intersection. Southland Terrace Shopping Center would be just to the right in about 20 more years. The truck is parked in front of St. Helens Church. Maybe around early 1930's. Notice Dixie Hwy is two lanes and not striped. I know Dixie Hwy was only two lanes when I was growing up and crossed it every day going to and from St. Matthias School.

And, last but not least, the White Castle at 1st and Market Streets. The White Castle is still there, but now boasts to be the largest White Castle in the World! Evidently, they rebuilt.

Oops! This is a late entry. I forgot about it until I was looking through my pictures. This is Plehns Bakery in St Matthews, looking south on Shelbyville Road. The bakery is still there. This photo looks to be in the late 1920's.

Another round of Golf in January

2012-01-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

It was cold and muddy today. A lot of the fairways looked a lot like the picture at left, only we weren't wearing shorts. It was pretty nippy the front nine, but finally warmed up enough to be comfortable on the back nine. We played another "Shamble" today, where we take the best drive and play our own ball from there.

I shot a 39 - 41 = 80. I really don't know how our team did, but we all played pretty bad. But, sometimes when the team plays bad everybody else in the other groups are playing bad. So, you never know. I didn't stay around long enough to find out who won today. I don't mind sticking around a little while, but the last group was 5 holes behind us.
I started hitting the ball better the last 4 or 5 holes. I was making much better contact. It's always nice to be able to get in a round of golf this time of year. It doesn't look like this Thursday will be a golf day. Heavy rain is forecast.

Visit to the Zoo

2012-01-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't been to the Zoo for a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd go over and get a little Docent time in. I'm scheduled to help in classes next week on Monday and Wednesday mornings, but I received an email that they were short people this Saturday for the Girl Scout program. So I thought I'd go over and do an interpretation, check to see if they still needed help tomorrow, and check the board to see if there was anything new to sign up for. They had all the help they needed for tomorrow, but I signed up for 2 Outreach programs, 1 in Feb and 1 in March. One is a Cub Scout Troop and the other a Kindergarten Class.

While I was at the Zoo I thought I might as well get a little interpretation time. That's where we go out to an exhibit with a bio-fact and talk to people who happen to come through about the animals on exhibit and maybe share a few interesting facts. Well, the reason I don't like going over during the week in Winter is because there are very few people visiting the Zoo. I spent almost an hour at the Komodo Dragon/Cuban Crocodile exhibit and had one person come through. She was very nice and I tried not to push myself on her, or any information. I realize how pushy some people can be and I tried not to be one of those people. I think I did fine, and we had a polite conversation and she seemed to be pleased with the couple of facts I talked to her about. Then she was on her way.

While at the exhibit, the Komodo Dragon never moved a muscle, and neither did the Cuban Crocodiles. The Komodo Dragon can eat 60 percent of his body weight in one feeding, then sleeps it off. So he may have eaten not long ago, but then again, he sleeps a lot anyway.
The 2 Cuban Crocodiles were over by the little gate that leads to their feeding area. It must have been close to their feeding time, and they didn't move from there.
I'll tell you a little about the Cuban Crocodile. It was once found on most of the Caribbean islands but is now only found in the wild in 2 small swampy areas of Cuba. It is a highly endangered species. The SSP (Species Survival Plan) headquarters for coordinated breeding of the Cuban Crocodile is located at the Louisville Zoo. This program coordinates breeding worldwide, preventing inbreeding to ensure healthy offspring. And, you want to know a quick and easy way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? Look at the picture. See the lower tooth near the end of the snout sticking up outside the jaw? That is a crocodile. Alligators won't have that.

So, not much going on at the Zoo today. Weekdays in the Winter, the crowds just aren't there. I really don't like to go very long without checking in because you have to keep a constant check on the boards to see if there is anything new going on that needs volunteers. And, if I go, I'd like to get credit for a little time. We have a book to record our time. I have my required hours in already, so I don't have to worry about that. Our year ends April 30th. Each year we are required to get in 48 hours, 36 of those educational, to

stay qualified.

Political View? No, taxpayer rant!

2012-01-19T05:03:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog I promised to stay away from political and religious opinions and viewpoints. And, I still plan to keep my promise. But, I don't think this is a political viewpoint, but one of a taxpayer being stiffed!
Our Mayor, in his infinite wisdom, decided to save money by skipping a day of garbage pick up. Yes, I can get by without that pick up. But why should I when I've paid for it? There are other programs provided for people who haven't paid for it that can be cut.
Why do I pay taxes? I pay taxes so that the government can provide me services that I cannot provide for myself. These things? An Army to protect my country, the building and maintaining of roads and bridges, police and fire protection, building, staffing, and maintaining prisons, libraries, schools, etc.,and garbage collection. These are the things that I pay taxes to my government so that they can, in turn, provide for me. I have my own personal responsibility to house, clothe, and feed myself. That's not the governments job.
Let me offer an analogy. I pay a lawn service to cut and trim my grass every two weeks. They do this, but are making pretty good money so they decide to go into the poorer neighborhoods and cut several peoples grass for free. Times get hard, money gets a little tight. One day they come to me and tell me "Mr. Tabler, we'll have to skip your yard a couple of weeks because we can't afford to cut your grass and cut the poor peoples grass, too." What? I paid you to cut my grass! Would you say this is OK? Well, I wouldn't.

As I said, I can be skipped a week without a big problem. But why should I? I paid for this service and it is not provided. Services paid for by taxpayers are the #1 priority when budgeting the money. Providing services and helping non-taxpayers are things that are done with any money that is EXTRA! It is not the Governments responsibility to feed, clothe, and house individuals. That's a Personal responsibility.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I realize others have different opinions. It's just that I don't believe our government should be a charitable organization. Pay your taxes people! And Government, provide the services your people pay you to do. I don't even want to get into the whole BRIDGE thing, but the same principle applies there! What? You don't have the money for it? I paid you!

More collectibles for Viewing

2012-01-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

I have framed and hanging on my basement wall, a picture of Seattle Slew in the Winners Circle after winning the Kentucky Derby. The picture is signed to me by the winning jockey, Jean Cruguet. Also, the 3 $2 win tickets on Seattle Slew are signed on the back by him. Plus, the program from that race.
A good friend of mine, Greg Lynn, is an ex-jockey who lives near Jean Cruguet in Versailles, KY, got these autographs for me.
Seattle Slew was a Triple Crown winner in 1977. The following year, Affirmed won the Triple Crown and is the last one to do so! I also have 3 $2 win tickets on Affirmed, but don't have them framed.
I wish I had tickets on Secretariat, but I didn't think to do this until a few years later. No, I didn't bet these tickets, but worked at the track during this time, and went to the cashier's line and bought the tickets from those standing in line waiting to cash. Thought they'd be good souvenirs. In 1977 I bet on #1, Bob's Dusty, for obvious reasons. I just wish I'd thought of buying these tickets in 1973. And, I really like the tickets the way they used to be, not like they are now.

Golfing on Tuesday at Shawnee, Won't count for the year

2012-01-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

I played my usual Tuesday Golf and Shawnee GC today. But, they changed it up a little this time. We played a 'Shamble'. That is where you go to the best drive, and then play your own ball from there. So, not playing my own ball all the way I can't count this as a round played this year.

I did find out today that I won last Thursday. My team was low team, $5, and I was low man, $11! Money just keeps rolling in!

Today's round we played low team only. I played pretty good with a 33 - 40 = 73. I was one under on the front. I don't care if it was a shamble, that's a pretty good score. I played with two pretty low handicappers, so we won't get many strokes to get our net score down, but we played pretty good. I imagine J. R. will call me in a little while and let me know if I won any money today. He usually stays around til everybody gets in and then calls me to fill me in on the results.

Looks like this might be the last time playing for awhile. The weather looks like it's going to turn cold for the rest of the week, so I'm sure Thursdays out. Maybe next Tuesday.

A little more metal detecting, not much found that's interesting.

2012-01-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

I wish I could post a picture of something really interesting that I've found, but I can only be honest. I haven't been able to find anything interesting for a long time. Just recent coins. This thing today, in the middle of the coins, is something I think girls wear in their hair? It didn't rust or corrode, and it was pretty far under ground, a couple of inches, so it might be silver. Do you think? Either way, it's so thin there's not much weight to it.
Since I've been metal detecting I've found a total of $144.18, plus numerous other objects, rings, earrings, medals, etc. You have to enjoy the hunt, because the rewards are pretty small in comparison to the time and effort put in to it.
This money found today was at the Zoo lot, other than 1 quarter I found detecting with Mark yesterday.

My first round of golf for 2012!

2012-01-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Here I am teeing off on #1. Well, no, it wasn't quite that bad.
We played Iroquois GC today. It was in the upper 30's when we teed off, but got into the mid 40's by the time we finished. The greens were frozen through about 12-13 holes and your ball bounced off the back if you hit the green with a high shot. A lot of the holes that have elevated greens it was just impossible to hit. Hit it short hoping to run it on, and it would plug, hit the green and you went over the back. It made it a little difficult. My first round for the year was a 39 - 41 = 80. We played the back nine first. Our foursome last week, with Brian, won low team by half a stroke. So, Brian, I have $6 for you. We averaged net 72 and won by half a stroke. This week our team averaged net 72.2, so I'm hoping we can pull another one in.

My 5th Blast from the Past

2012-01-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

April 8th, 1967. It was the Social Highlight of the Year. This is the entire wedding party, taken outside Shawnee GC Clubhouse where the reception was held. You can't tell in the picture, but the river was up and the the golf course flooded. You also can't tell from the photo, but George Pearl, the tallest and 2nd guy from me, had a broken foot and had a black sock over his cast as he hid it behind the Best Man.

Now this was taken 25 years later at our 25th wedding anniversary party. Bride, Groom, Best Man, and Maid of Honor. Hiding in the back, I don't know, but I'd guess their spouses, Jerry and Linda. Wow! 25 years together and THAT was a long time ago! We're now approaching 45 years.
So many years and our Maid of Honor and Best Man are still our best friends!

Had to add this picture. Kevin and Brian posing at the party with their missing brother, Mark.

Dang! It's getting and cold and the snow's getting deep!

2012-01-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not getting that deep. But, I thought I'd post our first accumulating snow of the winter! I could actually go out and make a snowball off the snow on the cars, so this counts as our first snow.
Luckily, we have enough bread and milk on hand to last us for awhile. Otherwise, I'd have to go out and fight those long grocery lines.

End of the Year metal detecting

2011-12-31T10:24:00.000-08:00

A little more metal detecting near the Butterfly Garden at the Louisville Zoo.
I found a baby's pacifier. After I dug it up I looked it over to see what was metal that detected it. The only think metal on it is the spring on the clip.
I found a heart. Dooney loves who? Looks to me like Bour???
I found a total of $2.65. I think the 1967 Kennedy Half Dollar is a Silver clad. I may be wrong, but I think the 1965-69 were silver clad.
Not a bad haul for about and hour of digging. Not quite minimum wage.

No, they're not professional models, just my granddaughters!

2011-12-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

We had Erin and Jill for a sleepover last night. Of course, they didn't change out of their pajamas until 3:00 pm. But, after they changed I thought I'd get a picture. You know Uncle Brian or Uncle Kevin didn't get this shirt for Erin. Erin has gone to see the Lady Cardinals play basketball several times and really likes to watch them. Therefore, UL has become her favorite!
It's not hard to get Erin to pose for a picture. Get the camera out, and she's already in a pose.

Now, with Jillian, that's a different story. Get the camera out and She runs and hides, makes a face, or covers or closes her eyes until the camera is put away. But today, she decided to pose for me. I think it was because she wanted to show off her new outfit. It does look nice, doesn't it?

As always, it was fun having the girls for a sleepover, even though they make Grampy sleep upstairs while they sleep in the basement with Mimi!

Probably The Last Round of the Year, #64

2011-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

We played Iroquois GC today in what will in all probability be my last round for 2011. The weather wasn't bad but the course was really sloppy. Almost every hole you had to slosh up part of the fairway. I played with Brian today, with my usual Thursday group. Our foursome finished with and average net score of 72. I don't know how we did, team wise. But our average score was pretty easy to compute. We ALL shot a 72! Brian, zero handicap, shot a 72. My 83 less 11 was 72. JR had a 87 less 15, 72, and Buddy shot a 78, less his 6 handicap, 72. I'd love to see that be the low score and all of us split the money plus win the team money. I don't think that will happen.
The course played a little tough today, with the wind blowing pretty good and the fairways pretty wet. We do play from the forward tees, but this time of year, with the wind, cold air, and wet fairways, we need to. The greens must have been really tough today because we had a whole lot of 3-putts. I know I had my share. They were a lot faster than we gave them credit for, and those downhill putts really rolled well past the hole. I 3-putted the last 2 holes plus a penalty stroke dropping out from against a tree on 17. 3 strokes wasted on the last 2 holes. My 83 should easily have been below 80. But, this time of year I'm always glad to just get in a round of golf and I have to be happy with whatever score I shoot. So, I'm happy. I did find out that I won $4 from the last round I played at Shawnee GC several weeks ago. We tied low team.

Christmas Breakfast with Beth and Joel

2011-12-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

We met Beth and Joel for Breakfast at Frisch's this morning. Mark, Kim, Erin, Jill, Mary Lynn, Brian, Mark W., Brent, Matt, and Jessica joined them. Because I never get in the picture, I drew myself in, between Mark and Beth. I'm actually a little taller, but I didn't want to cut off Beth!
It was a rainy morning, but it didn't dampen our good time. Beth and Joel were heading to see Uncle George before heading back to Columbus. Getting together with family members is what the Holidays are all about!

A little more metal detecting

2011-12-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

I went back over to the Zoo again today. This time I detected in the field on the other side of the parking lot, just behind the Butterfly Garden.
It was also a very clean field, not much buried trash. So, when you got a hit, you dug it up. I found a couple of different 'spills', one with 7 or 8 quarters in it. I just made one pass about halfway up the middle of the field, then back again. So, there's still a large area that needs to be covered.
I didn't find anything worth talking about, except a larger amount of money than you would normally find, due to the amount of quarters.
You sure can tell the pennies that are 1983 or newer just by looking at what they look like after being in the ground a short while.

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

As we've done for the past 8 years, Christmas Day was spent out at the East End Tabler's. It's always fun to have the family together, opening gifts, and seeing what Santa brought Erin and Jillian.

Of course, Mimi couldn't stop playing with Skittles and Lego, the two rats Erin is keeping for her School Class while on Christmas Break. I think this one is Lego. He was a little less skittish than Skittles.

Of course, Jillian didn't stay in her pajamas. She changed to her new nightgown she got for Christmas, then changed to other clothes. Here, she's playing with her new Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Changing clothes. That's what Jillian's all about. She's playing with her new Strawberry Shortcake dolls here and stayed busy changing their clothes.

Erin got a stuffed giraffe from Grandpa Len, plus a new hat. I had two pictures, she was smiling in the other one. I like this one better. Of course, Erin wore her pajamas all day.

Relaxing and using Jillian for a footstool. I had a video of Mark, Kevin, and Brian juggling all at the same time, but I can't get it to play on the computer. And, downloading a video on my blog would probably take about 4 hours, so I can't post the video.

The day was fun, another Christmas in the books. Erin and Jill will have another week off school to try out all their new toys and games. They'll have fun doing that. They've got a lot of sit at the table and play games, and a lot of games that require a lot of activity. Plus, another week of playing with the rats.

Blast from the 30 years ago past....

2011-12-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

I like to post something on a regular basis, that way my readers will continue to check out my blog. Unlike some of my fellow bloggers who seem to post every month or so.

It took a long time to break Brian from the "I love UL" habit, but a week in his room with no dinner finally did it.

I taught Mark all I know about fishing.

I know Mark enjoyed the Scouts, but I think Kevin may have only stayed in the Scouts one year. I think this is the only picture of both of them in their scout uniforms.

And I had to include this. Probably the best action shot I ever took. Kevin, with his perfect form, shooting over the other teams star player. I'm sure the basket was good. I'm not sure what age group this is, but you'll notice at the other end of the floor the special baskets that sit a little lower than normal.

Another day of Metal Detecting

2011-12-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

Did some more metal detecting at the Zoo Field today. I found a Zoo souvenir penny, and the two pennies below it are Wheat Pennies, a 1944 and 1953. A total of 82 cents. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's the most money I've made in weeks!
I'm not sure about the medallion. It had a little oval piece on it and I think it used to hold a stone of some kind.
The large hunk of metal on the left, I have no idea what it is. Maybe part of a gate, fireplace grate, or something similar. It's heavy.

Another Blast from the Past

2011-12-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

Mary Lynn with brothers Mark and Ben. Is there any wonder why I fell in love with this bathing beauty?

Working the Santa Safari

2011-12-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Louisville Zoo had their 2nd weekend of the Santa Safari. I worked all three sessions today. The children go to the 2nd floor, see Santa, receive a 'Passport' that needs 10 stamps, one each from each of the 10 stations set up around the Zoo. I helped man one of the stations.

The first session I worked in the Meta Zoo at Station #10. I worked with another Bob, and I handled the Bearded Dragon for an hour. He was pretty calm, but got a little skittish when a bunch of kids came at him at the same time, a little noisy. He also got a little restless after he'd been out for awhile, close to the end of the session. It was fun and the little ones enjoyed touching the Lizard.

The 2nd session I went over to the Herpaquarium to Station #5. I worked by myself for that hour. I handled the Ball Python, and just instructed the people to use the hand sanitizer on the table and stamp their 'Passports' themselves. The people really enjoyed being able to touch a real snake. The Python, Maude, was pretty docile throughout the session, but got a little restless as time came to a close. I had one of the Mother's take this picture for me.

The 3rd and final session I worked the same spot, Station #5, but this time I worked with Marisa. I'm sorry if I spelled your name wrong, she told me she was going to check out my blog. I enjoyed this hour a lot. Marissa was fun to work with. She's a Veterinarian and her animal knowledge goes well beyond the Docent Training we've received. The people really like to touch a real, live, snake. Marissa handled him for most of the session then I took him for the last 20 minutes or so. We had a different Ball Python for this session, Stevie.

This is fun to do. The people really enjoy being able to see an animal up close and being able to touch it and have their kids touch it. I mean, how much fun would it be to call Grandma and Grandpa tonight and tell them they touched a real snake?

Another Blast from the Past

2011-12-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Mary Lynn and I have been married 44 years now, and really haven't taken very many vacations. But, we've seen a lot of the country. Driving out to California just after being married and living in California for 6 months before I left for Vietnam, and driving back to Louisville, allowed us to see many Western sites. Not to mention driving out to Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming when our sons were located out there. But I think my favorite 'vacation' was in 1994 when just Mary Lynn and I drove up in the Northeast to see the sites. It was a vacation where we weren't in any hurry, had no reservations at any point, so no time schedule to keep.
We headed up to Columbus, OH to visit Julie and spent the first night there.

I believe our first stop was Niagara Falls. We went to the Canada Side. There were a lot of pictures taken, but I will only show a few 'representative' pictures from each stop. Here we were on the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride that takes you right up to the bottom of the falls. As you can see, everyone is issued a raincoat. You can also see the rainbow formed at the foot of the falls.

I'm not sure I have the stops in the correct order, but I'll act like I do and continue on. Then on to Philadelphia. We were there on the 4th Of July, which was neat. Here is a picture of me touching the 'Liberty Bell'! Not long after we were there some idiot attacked the Bell with a hammer, damaging it, and making it no longer accessible to the general public. There were a lot of historical sites to visit while there.

After Philadelphia we headed to Washington, D.C. So many things to see there! We went to Ford's Theatre, then across the street to the house were Lincoln was taken after he was shot. This is a photo of the room he died in. Ford's Theatre is a Museum with lots of artifacts from that night, including Lincoln's bloodstained coat, the pistol used in the assassination, and many other items of interest. You could go upstairs to see the box Lincoln was sitting in when shot, along with the hole carved in the door by Booth so he could see Lincoln before entering.

Of course a visit to the Smithsonian was required. Here is Dorothy's ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz. I can't remember all the historical items we saw. I think the Smithsonian is comprised of 5 buildings, each for different themes. History, Aeronautical, etc. Each building is huge, so we didn't get to got through each one. One item we did get to gaze upon was the "Hope" Diamond. That was cool.

Of all the places we visited, Arlington Cemetery and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was the most memorable. I can't stress enough that if you ever visit D.C., make sure to go here and stay for the changing of the guard. It was very touching to see the respect and reverence shown by these guards to the memory of all who died in defense of our Country. I guarantee it will give you 'goosebumps'. During the ceremony they demand the crowd remain silent and still, and enforce it!

Then to Gettysburg. This was a site I really wanted to go see. Here is a picture of the tower in the middle of the battlefield. The tower is no longer there because they decided it was an eyesore and should be removed. I think this was the 2nd battle of Gettysburg, fought for many years, but the people who wanted the tower removed finally won. So this is another thing, besides the Liberty Bell, that is no longer available to tourists. From the tower, looking out in each direction, they had the landmarks identified. A very nice way to be able to see the whole battlefield. But, I can definitely see how they would want it removed as an eyesore.

This was one of the views from the top of the tower. Of course, the whole area is a Cemetery. We arrived late in the evening, after dark, and checked in to our Motel. The next morning, when we got up, we realized our Motel was smack dab in the middle of a cemetery. Mary Lynn said she wouldn't have slept as well if she'd have known that. But, just about all of Gettysburg is a Cemetery. Most of the stones are mass graves, just stating which Infantry Group the soldiers buried there were with.

From there we went to the Pennsylvania Amish Country. Stopping in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. We went through all the shops, checked out the crafts, and rode around the Amish Country side watching the farmers plowing their fields with horse drawn plows.
Then we stopped in West Virginia to play the Golf Course "The Meadows" that has the longest hole in the world. I have a scorecard from there, but I didn't dig it out to get the yardage. But it is a par 6.
After that, we headed home. There were a lot of other pictures, but I can only post so many. We had a fun time, but were tired when we got home. A lot of driving and miles covered.

A Blast from the Past!

2011-12-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

Unlike many of my fellow bloggers, I like to post at least 3-4 times a week. Mary Lynn's mentioned on occasion that she didn't have anything to write about. I've always thought a good reporter can find a story anywhere,anytime. So, today, as we approach the Cold Winter months, I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from the past to let you know just what might be ahead.

This was our deck in 1994 after a snowstorm. I think the forecast for this coming winter calls for above normal snowfall and colder than normal temperatures. Not looking forward to that at all.

Same snowfall, Me out front enjoying it. I'm 18 years older now and I think I'd enjoy it even less if I have to do it again.

I just thought you'd enjoy seeing pictures of snow this deep. This was the snowfall that shut the State down for a week. The snowfall that UPS told the State that if they couldn't do better than that, then UPS might have to relocate.

Just something to show what might be ahead this winter.

I'll continue adding "Blasts from the Past" as I need more to blog about. I already have one other in mind.

Shawnee GC on a Tuesday for a Change

2011-12-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

We finally got out on a Tuesday at Shawnee GC again. It's been a few weeks. It seems like it's been bad weather every Tuesday for awhile.

I went out with the first group today. We finished way ahead of the group behind us, and there were 4 groups in all. So, I didn't wait around for everyone to finish, so I don't know how we did. We played our usual Thursday game on Tuesday. That's, Team golf with one low man total score. The team I was on scored well, but were all low handicappers. Our group shot a 72-72-74, and my 82. I shot a 41 - 41 = 82. I'm not sure what my handicap is on Tuesday, and the other guys didn't know theirs either. But we think we did pretty good. My 82 would probably net me around a 67-68, and think that would be the worst score in our group.

This was round 63 for the year.

More animal handling as part of my training

2011-12-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today was the 7th and 8th animals I've handled for Julie, the Animal Keeper in the Meta-Zoo, who is in charge of all the animals. She must see us handle the animals to OK us signing out the animals for classes. Even though we've handled them in class, she must OK us herself.

The first animal we handled today was the Andean Milk Snake. While this is not a picture of us, it's about the same size as the one I handled today. They're given to us in a pillow case tied up, and in a Tupperware Container. We need to open up the pillow case, take the snake out, present him to someone to touch, put him back, and tie up the pillow case.

The other animal was a Chinchilla. They're pretty fast, so you crack open the case just wide enough to put your hand in, make sure you have a good hold on him before you open the case wide enough to bring him out. He was a little skittish today and kinda hard to hold. He would settle down some after being out for a couple of minutes. These little guys are pretty fast and hard to catch if you let them get loose. They're actually a lot smaller than they look because their fur is so thick.

I'm scheduled to work this Saturday at the Santa Safari. The first hour I'll be in the Young Discovery Room in the MetaZoo Holding a Bearded Dragon. The second and third hours I'll be in the Herpaquarium by the Komodo Dragon. I think I'll be holding a Ball Python there. You don't need to be part of the Santa Safari to go to the Zoo and come by Saturday. The hours I work are from 10:45 thru 3:45. See you at the Zoo!

Louisville Zoo Docent Graduation Day

2011-12-12T06:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was finally Graduation Day! I received my Diploma, Shirt, and Badge and am now an Official, Decent Docent.

Here I am getting my 'Diploma' from Doug McCoy , our instructor.

There were 25 of us. A couple of them were not able to make the Christmas Party. This was a fun group to work with, and the Mentors who helped us get through all our projects were all nice and always available for support. I'd never notice until the whole group got together that the men were a very small minority.

My official Docent Shirt and Name Tag. I still have to stop by the front office and get my picture taken for my badge.
While I'll learn a little more every time I work, my official training will be over this afternoon when I handle my last 2 animals for the Meta-Zoo Animal Keeper. I have to go over at 2:00 today to handle a Milk Snake and a Chinchilla. This will just involve getting them out of their enclosure, presenting them for someone to touch, then putting them back. I've done this in class but she wants us to handle the animal for her so she can sign us off on her list and then will let us 'Sign Out' animals, for either classes or Outreach programs. This is just the final step for me to be allowed to sign animals out.

So, the whole program has really been fun and interesting. I can't believe how much I've learned about animals, and it's made me aware of how much more I need to learn in order to teach the different classes offered at the Zoo.
This past Saturday I worked at the 'Santa Safari', manning one of the check in stations. For two hours I worked at the Orangutan table, talking to people about the Orangutans. I worked with another Docent who was very knowledgeable about them and learned a lot. Then I worked for an hour at the Herpaquarium, presenting a 'White's Tree Frog' to the people and telling them about it. That little critter was wanting to jump and was hard to handle. After a while I finally just left him in the container and showed him to people that way. He was satisfied just to be left alone in his container, so I left him there. At the Santa Safari, children and their parents get to meet Santa upstairs in the Gheens room, then they leave there and make their way to 10 checkpoints throughout the Zoo getting stamps on their 'passports' at each location. That way, each checkpoint can tell them a little about the animals at that location while stamping their passports. It was pretty interesting, and I got to learn a lot. Santa Safari continues through this next Saturday and Sunday, but I'm not signed up to work that. I may sign up for some of it while I'm at the Zoo today. We'll see.

The year is winding down, but still time for a few more rounds of Golf!

2011-12-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

I got in round 62 for the year today. We played Iroquois GC today. A little chilly, but the sun was shining.

Don't you just love Winter Golf? It was about 32 degrees when we teed off about 10:30. I think it climbed to 40 degrees or so by the time we got done. I was in the last 3-some of 4 groups today. I don't know why it takes these people so long to play. We were over 4 1/2 hours.

I hit the ball well today considering this was my 2nd round in the past 4 weeks. Only one hole did I hit the ball poorly, resulting in a triple bogey. My poor scoring was the result of poor putting. I bet I 3putted 10 greens today. I shot a 40 - 45 = 85. My handicap of 10 netted my down to a 75. We didn't win any money today. I think my lack of play caused my poor putting. I had a lot of long putts that I either ran well past the hole, or left well short. Then, missed my next putt. I will say ,though, that a got a lot of them close! A few lip outs. But, still, berry, berry, poor putting.

Oh well, I don't think I'll be able to get 9 more rounds in to tie last year.

And Speaking of Christmas.......

2011-12-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Weren't we speaking of Christmas? Well, I thought we were. Anyway, I've found something that I can put on my Christmas List. I would like to be able to spend the night at the Zoo on the Night Safari's they have, so I thought an air mattress would be nice to have. Twin Size.

While this is in no way the type I really want, it's a picture of what I'm talking about. Something that goes on the floor and provides me with a little cushion while sleeping. I've seen some at WalMart, w/carrying case for right at $20

And, a handy-dandy rechargeable air pump. They were a little pricey, as far as I'm concerned.

The ones I saw were upwards of $30. You may shop around and find one cheaper. If not, I'd be satisfied with one that plugs into the wall for power. However, not one that plugs into the cigarette lighter, as I couldn't use that in the MetaZoo.

So, right now, that's all I can think of to put on my Christmas List. Unless you'd like to have my name engraved on my Most Improved JV trophy.

Ye Olde Flaget H. S. Trophies

2011-12-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

After talking with Billy Ralston this past weekend, (Billy was 1 year behind be at Flaget), I decided to dig out my old football trophies. He said he didn't Letter as a Freshman in football and had never heard of the "F-Man" Trophy. This was a trophy you received when you Lettered 4 years in a sport. So I took a picture of it and sent it to him via email. This all came about because of the 50th anniversary of our State Championship in 1961, as mentioned with team picture a couple of posts ago.

Lettering as a Freshman I received a Letter, that was it. Then, as a Sophomore I received a Sweater w/letter, then a Junior, a Jacket w/letter. This trophy was given to Seniors, instead of a Letter, who'd Lettered 4 years. That wasn't done very often. In order to receive a Letter you had to play a certain amount of minutes in games. It helped me a lot that my Freshman and Sophomore years we had very good teams. So the 'mop-up' minutes were fairly plentiful.
I also noticed that the trophy I received for Most Improved JV didn't even have my name on it! But, it was presented to me at the end of the year Banquet. Also, the F-Man trophy has the years 1961, 62, 63. It didn't have 1960 on it, which was my first letter year. I don't know why that is, either.
I asked Billy in the email if he thought these might be welcomed at the Flaget Museum. If they don't go there, when I'm gone I don't think anybody else would want them. So I may have to check them out. But, if I do that I just might take that plaque someplace and have my name engraved on it. What the heck. People might as well know who the "Most Improved JV" was in 1961. By the way, even if I keep the plaque, getting my name engraved on it might be a nice Christmas Present from someone.

A little more metal detecting

2011-12-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

I metal detected again today in the same area I detected a couple of days ago. I find it a little strange that I found 3 dimes and 9 pennies a couple of days ago, and today more of the coins were quarters. It was the same field, just a different path up the field. It's a fairly clean field, not a lot of tabs or can-fetti, so it's fun to hunt. I still think there may be something worth finding over there, so I'll be back. I don't know what used to be there before the Zoo was built. If there were some homes there, or just a field. Anyway, I'll probably go back a few more times to see if I can dig up anything.

Metal detecting, first time in a long time!

2011-11-30T12:23:00.000-08:00

I got out to metal detect today for the first time in a long time. I didn't find much, it was cold, but it was nice to get out. I found 39 cents, a top of a silver plated spoon, and some pieces of a broken up metal figurine. I don't know what kind of metal it is, but a magnet won't stick to it. I think it's either pot metal or lead. It's very heavy, so I think it might be lead. The larger piece, you can see an ear and flowing hair. At least, that's what it looks like to me. No idea what it used to be when it was whole. Could have been part of a lamp, door stop, fireplace cover. Who knows. I think there were more pieces in the area, but once I found the large one and several small pieces I figured that was enough to tell me it wasn't worth digging more.
I detected in the field in front of the Zoo. Actually, beside the Zoo parking lot between Illinois Ave. I saw some older kids throwing a football around there the other day and figured that it was an open area used by people, and might have something worth finding in the ground. I figured if the Zoo didn't want me to detect there they'd come out and tell me. Nobody bothered me. The biggest problem is that there is no place to park. There's no parking along the Zoo side, so I parked on the street in front of some one's house. The lanes aren't very wide, so to get around my car you would have to drive in the other lane. But, it wasn't a very busy street. I think I'll try there again.

Flaget H. S. Football State Champs 1961

2011-11-30T04:52:00.000-08:00

50 YEARS! It's hard to believe it's been that long. I just got a phone call that they're honoring the 1961 Flaget H. S. State Champs at the State Championship football game in Bowling Green, Ky., this Saturday. I declined to attend, but it would have been nice. I wish it was being held at Papa John's Stadium in Louisville.
I was only a sophomore at the time and not a starter, but it was my second 'Letter' year. I lettered as a Freshman and was a 4 year Letterman in Football. I did contribute to the season. I kept one of our Shutouts alive. While I only played 'mop-up' minutes', I intercepted a pass in the Trinity game on the 10 yard line late in the game when they were driving for a score. So I feel I had a major part in the number of 'shut-outs' that team had. That year I won the "Most Improved" JV player trophy.
My Flaget football career had a major setback the following year. When our starting Fullback was still recovering from a broken ankle, I stepped in to the starting roll pre-season. While playing a pre-season game at Seneca Park I broke my ribs on a play up the middle. Several plays after I left the game, the Sophomore Fullback who took my place broke loose for a 60 yard touchdown!. By the time I recovered from my injury, the starting Senior Fullback had returned and the Sophomore 'Phenom" had jumped ahead of me to be the back-up. That left me out in the cold. I talked with Coach Miller and we decided it would be best that I move to the End position. That's how my Junior and Senior year resulted with me being an end, and why I was wearing #46 in the picture, but as a Junior and Senior I was #83. Offensive End was a tough position for a guy playing without glasses and was as blind as a bat. I played much better at Defensive End than I did on Offense.
So, knowing my number now, can you find me? OK, 2nd row from the bottom, 2nd from the right.

Practicing with our new Camera

2011-11-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

I took our new camera to the Zoo today to both
practice using the camera and to get better acquainted with all the exhibits. I tried a few close ups and zoomed pictures to see if they were sharp or blurred. I think this snake came out pretty good. I don't remember for sure what he was, but was some type of Tree Boa. I put the lens against the glass and snapped this one.

This was brought up a little closer than he really was. Looks pretty good, doesn't it? This is Walker, the male Giraffe who is the father of the new baby, Amani. The older baby was just shipped off to another Zoo a couple of weeks ago.

I took about 30 pictures. A lot of them were of the placards in front of the exhibits. This is the type of stuff I need to know. So I figured I could just brows through my pictures and read the placards to study up. This one is the Mhorr Gazelle. There are no more of these in the wild. And, they're not breeding well in captivity. These beautiful animals are expected to be extinct in our lifetime. I think the plaque is sharp enough to read.

The new camera has 14.1 megapixels. Our old one had 3.2 megapixels. I guess this has a lot to do with the clarity of the pictures, because it takes about 10 times longer to download these to my blog. I would have put up a few more of them, but it just takes too long. So, in the future blogs, they may have fewer pictures, but the quality will be there!

Playing my last round at Long Run GC

2011-11-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

My experiences at Long Run GC has been much like my experiences at Steak and Shake. I've never had a good experience at either place. So, I'll state right now, I'll never play Long Run GC again, no matter what comes up.

I played with Brian, Kevin, and J. R. Even playing bad and hating this course that's always in terrible shape, I still had a nice time playing golf with them. I shot a 48 -47 = 95 for my 61st round of the year. I had 71 rounds last year, so I have 10 more this year to catch up. Don't think I'll make it. It has been 2 weeks since I've played. That may have had something to do with how bad I played. But mostly, I believe the fact that I hate this course played on my mind more than anything, and the whole time I'm playing thinking " Why the hell did I agree to play here?" The fairways were bad, the greens were shaggy and rutted. And to top that off, our cart barely made it in to the clubhouse. The battery was almost played out.

Oh well, enough complaining. By playing terrible, that made me hate the course just that much more. So, I'll let it be. But, I'll never play there again!

Thanksgiving for Grampy!

2011-11-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

The family came over, to visit and eat.

Everyone came, it was quite a treat!

Nana was late, but it was not her fault,

The East End Tabler's arrived before they thought.

Oops! Go and get Nana, it just slipped my mind.
Mark made the trip, and put them behind.

The big dinner was eaten, with gusto and zest!

Erin and Jillian got their pie before all the rest.

When the big feast was over, all sat back and moaned,
but poor old Grampy in the kitchen to scrub all alone.

The dishes were piled to the ceiling with care,
for they knew that Grampy was scrubbing out there.

So I washed and I cleaned, til the dishes again shone,

Then they all said goodbye, and headed for home.

So that's how it is, Mimi fixes the meal,
I get stuck with the dishes, that's the whole deal!

Naw, that's not exactly how it went. We all had fun, great to be with the family. Erin and Jillian got their piece of pie first because I promised them they could have as big a piece of pumpkin pie as they wanted, and could put their own whipped cream on it. So we had to get it first just in case the wanted a really big piece.
Other than Derby Day, I have to believe this is my favorite day of the year. Only having fun with the family and eating. Doesn't get much better than that!

"A Taste of Kentucky" at Chance School

2011-11-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Mary Lynn and I went to Chance School today to visit Erin's Classroom and to go to the Fun Room to see Jillian's project.

We first went to Erin's Classroom for their "Taste of Kentucky". Erin made a big pot of "Kentucky Burgoo". Each student made something of Kentucky Flavor for sampling. Ky Fried Chicken, Country Ham on Biscuits, Hot Browns, Derby Pie, and a host of other items. I couldn't quiet sample everything, but I tried. It was all very tasty!

As you can see, there was a lot of food. I'm pretty sure this wasn't Erin's first time through the line. I think the dessert table was hit several times by her.

Then we went to the Fun Room to see Jillian's project. Her Class is studying the Earth and how it was formed. Her project was a Cave. She made this cave and told everyone about the Stalactites and Stalagmites, Columns, Bats, and how those things are formed. The yellow paper on the right front is a flashlight shining into the cave.

She stood by her cave as people came by and explained the cave system to them. I was very impressed by how well she spoke up and wasn't a bit shy about it.

Docent Exam is Looming

2011-11-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when Mary Lynn went to the Chance School Boutique, I took the opportunity to attend an extra class at the Zoo. The Fall Docent Class is held on 2 days each week, Wednesday and Saturday, covering the same materials but allowing people to attend either one, allowing for each person's schedule. Saturday Class has been behind Wednesdays Class all year until yesterday. I don't exactly how they caught up, but I'm sure some of the classes were combined, therefore shortened.
Yesterday, the class had their 3 minute talk, which we had 2 weeks ago, but then had their 'Review' Class, which we won't have until this coming Wednesday. With the exam coming up I thought it would be a good idea to attend the 'Review' Class twice. Also, it's going to give me more time to study up on the things he mentions 'might' be important to remember.

Our teacher, Doug McCoy, said the test will consist of about 50 questions. He sat out 26 pictures of animals across the front of the room, unidentified, and said that '10' of those animals will be on the test. 10 of the questions will be to identify the animal and write at least 2 things about it. It's 'cute', or it's 'yuckie', will not be accepted. Those 26 animals were:

1. Cottontop Tamarin               10. Amur/Siberian Tiger *               19. Ring Tailed Lemur
2. Snow Leopard                     11. Woolly Monkey                        20. Orangutan*
3. Hissing Cockroach*             12. Rose Haired Tarantula              21. Guam Rail
4. Eastern Screech Owl            13. Giant African Millipede           22. Masai Giraffe
5. Siamang                               14. E. African Crowned Crane*    23. Warthog
6. Southern White Rhino           15. Western Lowland Gorilla*        24. Addax
7. Black Footed Ferret *          16. Polar Bear *                         25. Mhorr Gazelle*
8. Maned Wolf*                       17. Nene (Hawaiian Goose)*          26. Bongo
9. Cuban Crocodile                  18. Rodrigues Fruit Bat
                   Bongo Antelope

The animals I marked with * is my 'guess' as to the 10 that will be on the test. I feel very sure of several of them, Black Footed Ferret, Polar Bear, Mhorr Gazelle, Maned Wolf, Nene, but the others are just a wild guess. Of course, this will be just 10 of the 50 questions. He gave us no idea what might be contained in the other 40 questions! Some help. We'll see how close I came to the actual 10 used. Do you know these animals? Can you come up with 2 interesting facts about each? Oh yeah, he won't let us use "They stink" either.

We have our final Review this Wednesday, a longer class than yesterday's class, so maybe he'll cover more of what to expect. I've discovered over the course of these last 3 months, too, that, as far as I can tell, I'm the least 'educated' of anyone in the class. My limited 'High School' education, a High School without a 'Biology' Lab, and only a Freshman Biology Class, I've run into many words I've either never heard of or have not heard for many years.

I went on my first 'Night Safari' Friday night. That was fun and interesting. I didn't spend the night, but left at 11:00 pm, as the others were going to bed. The Group that came were Cub Scouts from Richmond, KY, and a lot of parents and siblings. I would guess about 24 children and 15 adults. They bring sleeping bags, air mattresses, and sleep all around on the floor of the MetaZoo. In the evenings we have a class on the groups chosen subject ( this time Nocturnal Animals and their adaptations), group activities involving in some way, animals. Then about 10:00 pm go for a night walk. In the morning they are awakened at 6:00am for breakfast of Krispy Kreme Donuts, or anything they may have brought, juice, milk and Coffee. Then they go for a morning walk through the Zoo. Of course the evening walk and morning walk are with the Docents talking about the animals we are seeing. Then about 9:00 am they're walked to the front gate and they leave. I think all the Cub Scouts had a good time. At least they sure acted like it. And, the Night Safari completed the last 2 of my required tasks for my Docent Training. So, the only hurdle now will be my Exam!

Docent Training Continued

2011-11-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

This was our last Class today. Next Wednesday we will review what we've covered, then the following Wednesday will be our Exam.

Today's class was Animal Endangerment and Extinction. This class covered animals that are recently extinct, animals that are soon to be extinct, and animals that are in danger of extinction. We also covered the reasons, both man made and natural. Most of these problems stem from man.
The top four reasons animals become endangered or extinct:
    1. Habitat Destruction
    2. Invasion of Exotic Species
    3. Poaching
    4. Pet Trade

I'll mention this once again, these classes have really been interesting. After class today our behind the scenes trip was to the Rhino exhibit. It was really rainy and pretty chilly today so the Rhino's were inside. We went into the back and entered the holding pen right next to the 2 White Rhino's. They came up to the metal railed gate and we could touch them and pet them. They really have thick skin. The keeper said their skin is about an inch thick. The two Rhino's at the Louisville Zoo are both female, and their names are Cindy and Lulu. If you're at the Zoo with me, I'll point out which one is Cindy and which one is Lulu. We're good friends now. Rhino's are being hunted for their horns. A Rhino horn is valued on the black market at about $50,000. Thieves have even gone so far as to break into museums and steal horns off stuffed Rhino's. We have one to show and let people touch, but at the value of that item I'm wondering how long we'll be able to use it.

I think I'm gonna enjoy this Docent thing. I find all that I learn in these classes enjoyable to talk about. And, I think I'm smart enough to tell if the person I'm talking to is interested also, or just bored. So I know enough not to push info on someone who just isn't interested. I never knew they had so many classes at the Zoo, and that they go out to so many different places to teach classes. It's a little, well, a lot intimidating, but I think as I get more comfortable it's really gonna be fun.

Chance School Cross Country Awards Banquet

2011-11-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

Mary Lynn and I went to the Chance School Cross Country Awards Banquet yesterday afternoon. At 3:00pm they ran the "Chance Chase". This is one of the runs they ran in this year, which is their own school run course and the first of the season. So, it was set up as just a fun run before the banquet. Mary Lynn and I ran it. Well, we walk /ran it. I told Jillian, my 5 year old granddaughter, I was going to beat her. But there was no way she was going to let that happen. I started walking and she started running. Well, of course, she didn't run very far. So I started closing on her. When I'd get within about 50 yards I'd yell "I'm gonna beat you!". Well, she'd look back and take off again. This happened about 5 times during the 1.2 mile course. Jillian hung on and beat me by about 100 yards at the end. I think I made her run a little more than she wanted to, but she wasn't going to let Grampy beat her!

Erin, my 7 year old granddaughter competed on her first competitive sports team, running on Chance School's Cross Country Team, consisting of 2nd thru 5th graders. Erin is one of the youngest in her class so I feel sure she was the youngest on the team.
Here, she show's off her trophy for the year and her "Shining Star Award". I was very proud of how well she did this year. Especially in the race where she had her worst time. But, that was when she fell early in the race, skinned her knee, but got up, brushed herself off, and finished the race.

After the awards, we roasted marshmallows over a campfire and made 'smores'. Here, Erin can't find a place to get close to the fire without the smoke blowing in her face. She liked to get her marshmallows browned.

Jillian, on the other hand, just liked to show her marshmallow to the fire, and that's about it. She liked her marshmallows a little on the 'raw' side.

Then, the good part. Mmmmmm, marshmallows, chocolate, and Graham crackers.

Erin and Jillian Spend the night

2011-11-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

The girls had a sleepover at Mimi and Grandpa's last night. They both, but mainly Erin, spent a lot of time singing their Kentucky songs.

Here, Erin is on crutches like she has a bad leg. I think she was pretending to be 'New' Aunt Julie.

Jillian on the other hand, was showing me how strong she was. Notice the rippling muscles and those mountainous biceps!

Also, note that she has her jeans on inside out. She said one of the pant legs were rubbing but we couldn't see anything that might do it. So I suggested she put them on inside out to see if they still rubbed. They didn't, so she wore them the rest of the evening that way.

Last night for dinner we had Bar-B-Q Chicken, Corn on the Cob potatoes and rolls. The girls ate a pretty good dinner, and then....TA-DA! Pumpkin Pie! They both got to put the Whipped Cream on their piece of pie themselves.

This morning, Grandpa's World Famous French Toast and Sausage. It must have been good because they each ate 2 pieces of sausage and 4 pieces of French toast! Well, it does build those rippling muscles!

Make'n money on Tuesday, blowing it on Thursday

2011-11-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

It was a dark and stormy night....No, wait a minute. That's a different story. It was a cold and windy day. A real tough day to play golf. It looked pretty outside, but the wind was blowing and the temperature was in the low and mid 40's.

I found out today that I won the front 9 and the total score for 18 this past Tuesday for a total of $34! Pretty nice! However, I sure didn't play well enough to win today. Everybody played bad today. I shot a 44 - 42 = 86. We had four teams play today and our net score average on each team was 77 - 76 - 76 - 75.3. We finished with a 76 average so we lost by .7 strokes. There were a lot of times today when you got over your ball, you had to step back away because a gust of wind would blow you off balance. If it hadn't been for the wind, it would have been a very nice golf day, even with the temps in the low 40's.

But, this was my 60th round for the year.

Another Wednesday, Another Docent Class

2011-11-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

We're approaching the end. I have 3 more sessions. Only one more class, one week of review, and then the final exam.

Today we finished up Ecosystems. But, the main thing we did today, each Trainee had to give a 3 minute talk. This was very hard, standing up in front of the other trainees and the Docent mentors, and giving a 3 minute talk on your chosen subject. My subject was Polar Bear Fur. Even though I'd timed myself many times and had gotten what I thought was a good 3 1/2 minutes of material, when I gave the talk I finished about 10 seconds short. "Uh, any questions?" Kinda embarrasing, but I made it. I wasn't the only one of about 15 of us who had to give a talk today who came up a little short. One thing, I found out right before class that you could ask the group questions as you talked. Now, that's one piece of information that I'd like to have had when preparing. You can really stretch out a talk if you can phrase a lot of your information into questions and fielding the answers as you go. So, I decided to stay with how I practiced it. I'm glad I've got that part behind me.

After class today, on our 'behind the scenes' trip, we went to the Zoo Commissary. Nope, it's not where they prepare food for the concession stands. This is where they prepare food for the animals.

I'm going to list the food the Zoo goes through every week. EVERY WEEK!

12 BUSHELS OF GREENS

30 POUNDS OF GRAPES

100 PEARS

120 BALES OF HAY, STRAW, ALFALFA

160 POUNDS OF BANANAS

200 RATS

250 ORANGES

300 POUNDS OF CARROTS

300 POUNDS OF SWEET POTATOES

500 POUNDS OF APPLES

500 POUNDS OF MEAT

1,000 POUNDS OF FISH AND SQUID

1,200 MICE

5,600 POUNDS OF GRAIN

10,000 CRICKETS

15,000 MEALWORMS

$400,000 per year is budgeted to feed the 1,700 animals found at the Zoo. The list doesn't include 'all' the food, but a sample of the volume of food they use.

The food must be prepared for each animal. Sometimes things are mixed together, portions need to be weighed, even the same food item may be prepared in different ways depending on which animal is to eat it. And the Commissary is constantly receiving changes in diets for each animal. More food, less food, different varieties of food. As an example, I saw a note on the bulletin board that, and I forget which animal it was for, the rats were to have their tummies slit open from now on. Appetizing, yes? But these are the things that the Commisary workers prepare for the Zoo Animals.

We went into the large walk-in refrigerator. Lots of veggies and fruits, but also bags of rats, mice, rabbits, chicks, fish, etc. The freezer had boxes and boxes of meat. They use horse meat. Also, they make a trip to Bardstown processing plant and bring back gallons of blood from the slaughtered sheep and cows. This is fed to the vampire bats and also mixed in with other animal feed. I don't know how often they make that trip, but my guess would be once a week.

This all may seem a little gross, but animals must be fed the food that keeps them healthy and mirror what they would be eating in the wild. I'll say it again, it's been very interesting!

News Flash!...Bob plays a decent round at Shawnee GC!

2011-11-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

I've had a little time to think about my golf game since the last time I played. We were rained out last Thursday so it's been a week since I've played.

I few little things I know I've been doing wrong, just not having the right concentration on each shot was the main thing. So I was anxious to get out again to see how I would play.

Today I shot a 36 - 43 = 79, where a week ago I was shooting a 44 - 45 = 90. My back nine should have been a couple of strokes better. I lost my tee shot into the trees on the right on hole #17 (lack of concentration), and hit a nice iron to the green that came up just a little short and fell back into the bunker. My only double bogey of the round. I think my front nine and possibly my total for the 18 might win me some money. My handicap on Tuesdays has gotten up a little since I've been shooting these bad scores, so my net should look pretty good. I don't know what my handicap is at the present for Shawnee. I was pleased with my putting today. I made a few nice putts and when I didn't make them they were just good putts that didn't go in.

This was round 59 for the year!

Docent Training Continued

2011-11-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

We didn't have a class last Wednesday, but I still worked on fulfilling some of my required tasks. I went in last Wednesday and did an 'interpretation'. That's where we go to one of the exhibits, taking with us a 'biofact', such as a piece of giraffe hide, and talk to the people who come by about the animals. We went to the giraffe exhibit and talked to people about them. It was pretty nice because the baby giraffe had just gotten her name the day before. He name is Amani, meaning Peace in Swahili.
Today I went on an 'Outreach', one of my other requirements. This is where we take animals out to schools, etc, and teach a lesson there.
We went to St Albert's, just off Westport Road, and taught 3 different groups of 3rd and 4th graders a class on Animal Adaptation. Each class was 45 minutes. There were 3 Docents and 2 of us 'Trainees'. We took along 4 animals. Above, a picture of one of the animals, a pygmy hedgehog. I notice in the picture they are not wearing gloves, which we do. Not because of the spiny hair, which really isn't a problem, but because they have very sharp teeth. The kids love this animal because he's so cute. He really works his nose around.

We also took a Tiger Salamander. This was the only animal the kids were not allowed to touch. This animal is very 'skin' sensitive and just the handlers touch him, and we must keep our hands wet and him wet at all times.

We also took a Ball Python. He was about 5 feet long. Seeing a 'live' snake always thrills people. I was going to say kids, but snakes always get the attention of everyone. And I think it will be fun for them to go home and tell Mom and Dad they touched a snake today.

Then, the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. This is one of those things that make them go "Ooooyuuuk", but they can't take their eyes off it and want to touch it. This was the animal I handled today. When you go on an 'Outreach' you can only take 3 animals, but that doesn't count a cockroach, so it can be your 4th animal. They say cockroaches are 'free'. Because there were 5 of us, the other Trainee didn't handle any animal, but passed around pictures we had and handled the hand sanitizer.

The kids at St Albert were very well behaved and were able to answer a lot of the questions. They were studying ecosystems and were just getting to animal adaptations. This was also the first time St Albert had Docents from the Zoo come in to teach a class. I think the teacher was very pleased with how it was conducted and I would think that we will make many appearances there in the future. As a matter of fact, one of the Docents with us had another class scheduled there this coming Wednesday.

Now, besides finishing my classes and passing the 'final exam', I only have two more required tasks to complete, and those should be signed off in my book when I go on a 'Night Safari" at the Zoo I have scheduled for Friday night, November 18th.

I need to find a place to do some metal detecting

2011-11-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

I metal detected at Chance School Field today for about an hour and an half. I started near the pumpkin vines to the right of the Chance Chase Starting line. That area has only yielded pieces of aluminum cans in the past, and it was the same way today. I roamed up to the soccer field, only to find an occasional piece of can there. I did find a piece of 12 gauge shotgun shell. I found 2 quarters along the edge of the soccer field. The 2 pennies were lying on top the grass near the parking circle.

The wires were found at the north end of the parking circle. I've found pieces of wire like this in that area in the past, and I think there is still a lot of those pieces there. I don't know if they're copper or what, but they don't seem to disintegrate when in the ground. And, they're not magnetic.

I don't know if there's anything left to find at that field. I've been very disappointed in the finds there. I've always been sure there are silver coins to be found, but other that that half dollar coin, I just can't turn them up. I sure wish I could find a good place to detect. I need people who live in old homes to allow me to detect their yards. If I thought they'd let me, I'd go knocking on doors in old neighborhoods asking permission. But, I think that was just me a waste of time. I need someone who knows me and who lives in an old house to let me detect. Help!

Old Navy Saying

2011-11-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

There's an old Navy saying "Red sky at night, sailors delight, Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning."

I took this picture early this morning as the sun was coming up. Yep, it starting raining a couple of hours later and chance of thunderstorms in the forecast.

It is a pretty picture though, isn't it?

More Golf at Shawnee GC on a Tuesday

2011-11-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day for round 58 of the year. Walking 18 holes on a Fall day with the leaves falling and the sun shining is what the retired life is all about. I enjoyed the day even though I didn't play very well. It seems like I lost something about 3 weeks ago and can't seem to get it back. It was the same way early in the year. Out of the 18 holes, I play 13 or 14 well and get big numbers on the other 3 or 4 holes. And that's enough to balloon my score out of the respectable range. Yesterday I started off triple bogeying the first hole. After a good drive, good 3 wood, I hit a fat iron to the green, well short, then wedged up and ran off the back, short siding myself. Chipping up past the hole, then 3 putting on a fast green. I look back at that hole and one iron shot hit fat cost me 2- 3 strokes. And that's the way the day went. Really good shots lost because of one bad shot on a couple of holes each side.

I was trying to figure out why my game goes south during the Spring and Fall. I think my body hasn't adjusted to the little bit of tightness in my muscles due to temperature change, or posssibly the change in the clothes I need to wear. Each of these might cause just enough difference in my normal swing. I don't know, I'm grasping at straws here to try and understand. It seems every Spring and Fall I play terrible, but seem to play better during the Winter and Summer after settling in to the normal temperature. I was thinking it was the difference the the balls carry due to cooler weather, but it's not. I just don't hit the ball flush way too often during these times I'm playing bad. Either hitting it thin or fat. I'll hit an iron fat from the fairway, leaving me short, then hit my wedge up a little thin and run over the green. Maybe it's just because I'm a lousy golfer? Yeah, that's probably it.

Oh, by the way, I shot a 44 - 46 = 90. Had a birdie on #7 with a nice drive, nice 3 wood, and a nice 15' putt. Followed by a par 3 that I pushed my tee shot, hit the carpath, and jumped into the weeds. Wedged up over a bunker, 3 putted for a 6. Consistency!

Getting lost in a Corn Maze

2011-10-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful Sunday to be outside. And what better thing to do on Halloween Eve than to go to a Corn Maze.

We headed up to Deere Farms with Mark, Kim and the girls. We went through the 'intermediate' Corn Maze. Very Good Choice!

Here, a pretty girl welcomes us to Deere Farms!

We head into the Maze. Erin and Jill holding hands. Kinda reminds you of the Hanzel and Gretel Fairy Tale, doesn't it? Wonder if we'll ever find our way out?

Erin and Jill made the decisions. They led us deep into the maze. Every crossroad we hit was a major decision. Jillian tried to determine which trail looked 'most used'. They did a good job of talking it out before deciding which trail to take.

Jillian and and Kim through the corn. We wandered around for a long time. We found a total of 10 of the check points. The girls did a fine job. Jill started getting a little tired. We were in there for a loooong time!

I know you were worried, but we finally got out! We kinda cheated and cut through some of the rows, but we got out. They have 2 mazes up there, intermediate and advanced. Jill decided we didn't need to go through the other maze.

Doesn't she look good on a tractor? She's a real Farm Girl!

That was lot's of fun and I think it will be on the agenda for next October.

Erin's last Cross Country Race and I missed it!

2011-10-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Erin ran her last Cross Country Race today in Woodfor County, and I missed it. I was playing golf. Mary Lynn got these pictures.

Erin worked hard this year, and I think she had fun. I think she learned a lot about running, and just exactly how hard it is to run a long distance instead of a sprint. Two completely different kind of races.

However, I don't think she quiet has a grasp on competition. Which, don't get me wrong, probably is a not bad thing for a 2nd grader. But I know for a fact she could run better times than she does. I think she's satisfied jogging at her comfortable pace and could care less if she beat anybody or not. As a matter of fact, I'm sure she would encourage anyone near her to keep up with her, and might even slow down so that they can. She's just a sweetie!

Here she is with her ribbon for completing and competing in this meet. I think my Rosie Pie would be just as happy if she finished 10th or 110th. She loves to run and likes being with her teammates, and cheering for each of them when they run. It's been a long season, and a lot of hard work. I think she was glad to see the season draw to a close, but I also think she'll look forward to next year.

Now, on to those Brownie Scouts!

Round 57 for the year, and What a Stinker!

2011-10-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

I played Iroquois GC today for round 57 of the year. Boy, did I play bad! I shot a 43 - 48 = 91, the worst round I've had at Iroquois this year. I had 4 or 5 terrible holes which really shot my score up there. I mean, 4 putting a par 5 for an 8, loosing a ball on a par 3, hole #7, and taking a 8. Several double and triple bogeys, and BAM!, All of a sudden your score is out of control.

It was a nice day, though. I played with Greg Lynn and Mark Wagner. It was a cool, but really pretty day. And, I did make some good shots. But I think I made more really bad shots today than good shots. I lost a dollar to Greg when I gave him 2 strokes a side. I beat him on the front nine but lost the back nine and the eighteen.

It's not near as much fun writing about bad golf as it is good golf. So, I'll quit now.

Round 56 was a Cold, Blustery, Wet Round

2011-10-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

After heavy rains last night, the course was sloppy wet today. During the round it was windy and a light mist fell off and on throughout. Other than that, it was perfect weather for golf!

This was round 56 for the year. I played at Iroquois GC and shot a 41 - 43 = 84. Not a good round, but a much better score than I felt like I played. It seems like I didn't hit a single solid shot all day. When hitting the ball out of the fairway you knew you were going to get a face full of mud. It was just sloppy. And, I've never seen so many worms on the course. The saturated ground drove them out and they were all over the fairways and greens. I mean, in one square foot you would have probably 10 worms. You could brush them out of your way on shorter putts, but on long putts you just had to allow for them.

Plus, it was pretty windy. The cool weather, about 52 degrees, made the wind feel like it was blowing harder than it was. The cool air, wind, and soft ground made for a lot shorter drives. Then, hitting to the green, you weren't going to bounce onto the green, you had to carry it there. I know 52 degrees is not that cold, but for this time of year, cloudy and windy, it was pretty chilly! And, we had 3 3-somes, and were the only ones on the course. I was in the first group and we finished 4 holes ahead of the group behind us! FOUR Holes! When they finally got in they accused us of running! We just played our normal speed. It's just that we never had to wait. We got done in about 3 hours, 10 minutes. That would be about normal for us without having to wait on anybody. And we were walking. I'm sure with carts we could have been well under 3 hours. Our team lost low team by .3 strokes. That's 3/10ths of a stroke. We lost 73.3 to 73. Close but no Cigar!

Docent Training Update - Tenth Class in the Bag!

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today's class was on Terrestrial Ecosystems, their plant life, and animal life. We didn't have any animals to handle today and we didn't go behind the scenes at any exhibits. Getting close to the end of our training, at the end of class today we signed up for our Docent Shirts to be ordered. We only have about another 5 weeks.

Today we talked about the differing Ecosystems, Deserts, Grasslands, Rain forests, Tundras, etc., and the type of plant life and animals they support and why.

When talking about these systems we not only cover the plants and animals found there, but how they developed and how they are being destroyed and what that will mean.

I was unaware that Rain forest areas, when cleared, are very poor agricultural areas. The dirt is very poor for farming.

It was very interesting to learn about the reasons behind animal behavior, the way certain animals hunt their prey dictated by the area in which they live. Also, that each areas animals have their Night Animal (Nocturnal), Day Animals (Diurnal) and Dawn and Dusk Animals (Crepuscular), that allow animals to hunt in areas and not be in competition.

I had a grassland picture, but for some reason it didn't work out, but you know what a grassland looks like. How these areas animals, the grass feeders, have grown large in size and developed systems to digest the grass. Grass does not have much nutrition and therefore huge quantities of it must be eaten.

How the Cheetahs, Lions, and Leopards develop their hunting styles depending on their environment. Either using speed, ambush, or hunting in groups. How sometimes one small animal or plant removed from a system can mean a total collapse of the system, and why. Example: The Desert Tortoise. This burrowing animal provides burrows for many animals in the desert to escape the heat of the day and the cold temperatures of the night. Without the burrows, many of these animals would not be able to survive. So many things like this are discussed that I had no idea, or never thought about.

Anyway, I've found this class to be extremely interesting and I'm glad I signed up for it. I have no idea how much volunteer work I'll do after I 'graduate', but just the training classes alone have been worth the time and money.

That's not a bad score for as many times as I hit it!

2011-10-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

It was a tough round, but I got through it. I really hit the ball well on the front nine but couldn't make a putt. Then, on the back nine the rest of my game joined my putting.

I played at Shawnee GC today and shot a 41 - 48 = 89. I had to par #18 with a pretty long putt to post that one under 90 score. It was a really pretty day and it was nice to be out walking 18 holes, and I enjoyed the round, even playing bad.

I played the Slyder Cup yesterday and that's similar to a Scramble. We alternate playing our own ball, alternate shot, and scramble on different holes. I've said before that I never play well after a Scramble, so maybe that's it.

I did finish with a par, making a nice putt on #18, so maybe I can get it all together the next time I play. Don't we always think that?

The Fall 2011 Slyder Cup is in the Books.

2011-10-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

J. R. and I were defending Champions of the Slyder Cup, and we tried to defend our title at Weissinger Hills G. C. today against Harold Goad and Barry Rahn.

It was a close match all the way. The course had all players Shotgun Start today for some reason, and we started on hole #12, so holes #10 and #11 would be our finishing holes. Here, Harold hits to the green on hole #10. We were tied at this point after Barry sunk a birdie putt on #17, and sunk an eagle putt on hole #18, to win both holes. This was our next to last hole. This hole was played as a scramble.

We lost the 17th hole when Barry sunk another Birdie Putt! He was killing us! Here Barry hits off our last hole, #11. J. R. and I were down one with one to play, needing to win this last hole to halve the match.

Well, the last hole was played playing your own ball, both players score added up to be a team score. Low team wins hole. We managed to halve the final hole, but that left us one down and losing the 2011 Fall Slyder Cup 1up. Here Harold and Barry received their trophy and Championship Towels. J. R. and I had to buy the White Castle's.

The next Slyder Cup will be in the Spring. Get your tickets early, the event sells out months in advance! See any of the participants and they can get you discounted prices.

Trunk-or-Treating at Shively Park

2011-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

J. R. Harris decorated his trunk and made a costume for Shively Park's Trunk-or-Treating at 1:00 today in Shively Park. When he signed up to do it he hadn't read the fine print and didn't realize he was supposed to be in costume and decorate his trunk. He thought all he had to do was sit in a chair and hand out candy, until his wife, Barb, read the fine print to him.

So....he started making his costume. Painted some red devil horns black, black mask, black hood sweatshirt, cape, utility belt, black boots. Presto!.........Batman!

Then some cotton cob webs, spiders, pumpkins, cut out cardboard teeth, and a shredded garbage bag........Spooky looking trunk!

Put it all together, pretty good Trunk-or-Treat outfit! The best decorated trunk won $100, but I stayed for the judging and our Bat-friend didn't win. Several other vehicles were Company sponsored vehicles, or Organization Sponsored, but I think J. R.'s was the best individual original decoration and costume. But, then again, I didn't get a vote.

Good Show, J. R.!

But, then again, J. R. looked more like Batman's Grandpa!

Yard Sale Fishing Finds

2011-10-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

As is our custom, Mary Lynn and I went Yard Sale-ing this morning. We bought $21 worth of stuff we couldn't do without! I bought 2 small fans for the upstairs Wagner and Hedges Suites for $1 each, 2 golf clubs, putter and 3 wood cut down to Erin and Jill's size for $1 each, a new plastic large tackle box for $5, and 9 CD case free. Mary Lynn bought a few $1 objects, (basket, jar, doll, plastic zipper bag for closet storage). And I spent $8 on this tackle box with all these lures in it, a total of 32 lures, tackle box, and a few odd hooks and sinkers.

When I saw the amount of lures in the box I couldn't pass them up. I thought Mark and I would have fun casting them out and at the low price wouldn't have to worry about losing one if it hung up on something. I mean, they were less than 25 cents each when you figure in the tackle box.

It's getting close to the end of yard sale season. I guess it's a good thing because we've run out of yard sale money. But we sure got a lot of things we couldn't live without this summer!

Talking about Halloween with Erin and Jill

2011-10-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mary Lynn and I picked up Erin and Jillian from School just to spend a little time with them. We stopped at DQ and ate dinner before we took them home. In the car we talked about Halloween and with no 'Silly Songs' to listen to, they asked for a paper and pen to entertain themselves while we drove to DQ.

Erin made a list of the costumes each person was going to wear on Halloween, and drew a picture of each. Daddy? Mommy? Mimi: Feather Mask, Grandpa? Jill: Frankenstein, Erin: Leaf. I love the use of question marks and colons!

Jill made a list of the candy she wanted. Halloween treats I want.
Rice Crispy Treats
Jelly Bean
Sucker
Tootsie-Roll
Tootsie-Roll Pop

Jillian now wants to be Frankenstein. I think she's starting to get brave in her old age. Where has she heard of Frankenstein? I'm sure she hasn't seen the movie.

Docent Training - Week 13

2011-10-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's already been 13 weeks since orientation. We were told at orientation that it would cost $60 to 'volunteer' to be a Docent. This money would cover our printed material, which is a pretty good size binder full of helpful material, and an "Official" Docent Shirt with patch we
are required to wear when working on Zoo time. At the time it seemed pretty steep, but I could see why they might need to charge for this.

Well, 13 weeks into the training I feel the experience alone has been well worth the money. Today was the second week in a row we didn't handle any animals. We have Library training after class and 4 or 5 people stay each week to get that done, so they haven't been bringing in any animals so that we can get started on that right away. I did my Library Training last week. This is just an hour of orientation on how things are stored, how to sign them out, and what we have available to us for 'show and tell'.

We did go behind the scenes to another exhibit today. We've gone to the Herpaquarium, Elephant Exhibit, Giraffe House, Gorilla House,.........and today we went to visit the Lions.

We went around back, behind the Lion enclosure. We stopped outside the doors and the trainers told us what to expect when we went in, and exactly how to behave. It's a small area. Stay against the wall. The Lions will roar and jump at you, especially men. Don't stare at them, they perceive that as a threat. If you happen to trip and fall, don't grab the cage wire to hold yourself up. Whatever goes on the other side of those cage wires will STAY there. We will only take in 5 people at a time.

Wow! That was a unique experience! I was the first one in, behind the trainer. We were only 3 feet away from the Lions, and that male Lion jumped at me and growled the loudest growl I've ever heard. Even though I was expecting it, when you have a 450 pound Lion jump at you from 3 feet away, it's a little nerve wracking. What power! They said one swipe of his paw could crush all your mid-section bones and that his jaws could crush your head like a grape. Yep. They had my full attention and respect. I only stayed maybe 2-3 minutes, not wanting to keep the others from coming in. Really! I would like to have stayed a little longer but there were 3 other groups of five to come in yet.

So, week 13 is completed. I've got 6 more weeks to go. I'm going to do a 'Night Safari' on Friday night, November 4th. This will just require me to be there from about 6:00 pm until about 11:00 pm. When I become a Docent I can spend the night with the group that will be there, if I want. I'm not much for spending the night anyplace, so I don't think I'll be doing that. I don't know how old this group will be, but on the 'Night Safari's' they have a class around 7:30, then go on a night walk through the Zoo around 10:00. This will help fulfill one of my training requirements. I'm also signed up to go on an 'Outreach' to St. Albert the Great School on Monday, November 7th. I'll need to be there at 10:00 am and will probably get back around 1 or 2 pm. Another training requirement completed.

Shawnee GC for Round 54 of the Year

2011-10-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

I played today for the first time since last Tuesday. It really was a nice day, just a little cooler than it has been. A storm came up when we were on about hole #5, but it stayed to the West of us and moved North. I'm glad, because there was a lot of thunder we could hear in the distance.

I really hit some good shots on the front nine. I just couldn't make any putts. One of those times when you chip up close, but just can't convert the putt to save par. I made one birdie. That was because I put it a foot from the hole from about 150 yards out. I did make a long putt on #9 to par the hole and keep me under 40 on the front. I shot a 39 - 45 = 84, which is about the way I've been playing at Shawnee the past 6-8 weeks.

I don't think being a week since I've played is what made my putting off. I just wasn't aggressive enough on putts. I left 3 putts on the front short of the hole by several inches when it was right on line. Long putts were pretty tough because there was so many leaves and pine needles on the greens that you couldn't clean them all out of the way so you just putted through them and hoped for the best.

I hit a lot of good drives today, and good fairway woods. If I can just get a little more aggressive in my putting and keep hitting the ball well my game will be right on track. Let's see, what's the odds of that happening? Seems like at least one part of your game stays gone at all times!

Exploring the Swamp

2011-10-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

For several years now as I drive down River Road I've passed a little pull off parking lot with the sign that says "Caperton Swamp". I've been wanting to stop there and walk back to see what it was like. I asked Mary Lynn if she'd like to go with me sometime. She declined. So, today I visited the place.

This is one City Park I'd never been in. There is a well defined trail that leads away from the parking lot. The trail goes back about 200-300 yards to a small pond.

I'm sure there's much more water in this during a wet season, and I could tell the water was pretty low. It also had a lot of greenery on top of it.
The path loops around this pond.

This is a better view of the pond. I walked around the pond and it's very close to I-71, you can hear a lot of car traffic, and at one point you can see Blankenbaker Lane through a gate.

The sign as you start back says it's a .9 mile loop, and that seemed about right to me. While walking the trail I came across a man and a woman walking their dog. That was the only people I saw back there. I did pick a pretty good size stick to carry with me. I don't like being back in the 'wilderness' without some protection.
OK, now I know what's back there!

Chance School Fall Festival

2011-10-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

We went to the Chance School Fall Festival this afternoon. They had EVERYTHING!

Face Painting,

Mask Wearing.

Pole Climbing.

Horseback Riding.

Dog Petting.

Cake walks, Bean Bag Toss, Folk Singing, Dinner, Dunking Booth, Cake and Pie Auction, Bag Decorating, Duck Pond. It was fun and the girls had a great time. Erin did her first ever bidding at an Auction and got a Pumpkin Pie for $2 Shrewd!

Erin didn't finish in the top, but she finished like a Champion!

2011-10-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Mary Lynn and I went to another of Erin's Cross Country meets today. It was at South Oldham County High. The distance of this race was 3K, 2nd thru 5th Grade.

They started about 200 yards from the track, entered the track, ran one lap, exited and ran through the woods, then finished with a lap on the track.

Erin, on left,who starts slow, fell on the track, skinned her knee, and was dead last when they exited the track.

A couple hundred yards from the track she passed her first girl and said something to her as she passed. The girl was walking, and when Erin said something to her, she started running again. Knowing Erin, she was encouraged her telling her that "Come on, you can do it". I don't think she beat very many girls today, maybe a dozen or so, but she ran a good race today and is a classy runner.

Jillian, when Erin runs, is right there cheering for her and the rest of the Chance School Team. But during the down time, she likes to read. She'll run and play, and be best buddies with all the Chance School Cross Country Team, but when she sits down to read.....TOTAL CONCENTRATION!

Halloween Parade

2011-10-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I marched with my son Mark in the Halloween Parade on Bardstown Road as he wore his costume he made. All I did was hold the chain, like he was under my control. Of course, I didn't get to see much of the rest of the parade, but I'd have to imagine that Mark was one of the biggest attractions, if not THE biggest attraction in the parade.

The Parade route was probably about a mile and a half, but I'm sure we walked at least twice that continuously going from one side of the street to the other.

We would get calls from the people "Over here!" and "Can I get a picture?" from both sides of the street. Mark would stop and several people would come out and Mark would put his big arms around them for a picture. We would start lagging behind the float in front of us and would try to stay in the middle of the street and walk, wave, and try to catch up in the parade. But it was hard to stay caught up. People kept wanting pictures. "Turn this way", "Can you stop for a picture?". I heard a lot of good comments about his costume. And, I'm sure Mark had a great time.

When we got back to the car and mark was able to take off his costume, he was soaking wet! It was a cool night, but in the costume and as much walking and bending over as he did, I'm sure he's tired and sore today.

The Parade was great fun. I'm sure all the people loved Mark's Costume. If they gave away prizes, I feel sure Mark would win first place!

I'd shoot better scores if I didn't hit the ball so many times.

2011-10-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

I played my usual Tuesday Golf at Shawnee GC again today. I haven't shot a good round at Shawnee in many weeks. Today was another bad round. I know my score doesn't seem that bad, but I know how many bad shot I hit. I shot a 41 - 44 = 85.

I'm just hitting way too many bad shots. I can accept shots that aren't my best. I know I won't always hit the perfect shot, but I shouldn't be hitting as many terrible shots as I do. I hit 2 out of bounds today. Seems like lately '2' out of play per round is becoming the 'norm'. I hit a ball out of bounds off the tee on numbers 10 and 17. My score stays fairly respectible because I hit a lot of really good shots. So, if I can just keep those terrible shots down to just shots that are only so-so, I can have a great round.

I know why I hit them. I don't keep my concentration on the shot I know I need. As soon as I hit a bad shot I know my focus wasn't as it should have been. I seem to have a hard time keeping that intense concentration on each shot for an entire round. I know I don't play deliberate golf like a lot of people, but I have pretty good concentration when I'm over the ball. I think that's why noises or people talking when I'm hitting just doesn't bother me like it does a lot of the people I play with. So, I know those bad shots are just a lack of concentration on the shot at hand.

Oh well, another nice walk on a nice day. This was my 53rd round for the year!

Gearing up for Halloween on HillCrest!

2011-10-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

For something to do while Ben was up from Forida, we visited Hillcrest Avenue to see the Halloween decorations. We think there were still a lot of houses that hadn't put up their decorations, but there were many houses with them up already to make the trip worthwhile. We could tell by all the wires run that much of these decorations would be lit up at night and some may be animated. They were fun to look at.

This yard, to the right, had a flying saucer that had crashed, and these were the Aliens that had been thrown into the trees from the crash.

Even "Way up here in Kentucky", Ben found some banana trees. There were 4 of them in this yard with bananas on them! Ben noted that he was sure it was impossible to grow bananas up here and wondered how in the world thay did it! He's pointing to the bananas, right by the point of the roof.

It was fun to walk the street and see the decorations, and we are thinking about going back tonight to see how different it is when lit up.

Playing Eagle Creek GC

2011-10-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

I played Eagle Creek GC in LaGrange today. I played with Julie, Jit, and Mark. The foursome behind us was Brian, Kevin, David, and David's friend. I played well the front nine. Actually played well the back nine except for 2 holes. The 12th, I took an 8 after hitting my drive in the trees and topping a 3 wood. Then, on 17, I took a 6 after hitting one in the trees. However, I did make a 4 from the tee....except I was hitting 3 from the tee after hitting one in the trees. But, still, an 83 is not bad at all.
Mark's back was really bothering him. He usually beats me when we play, so I know he was hurting.
We all played from the 'Gold' tees, except Julie, who played from the Red. This was the first time I've played Eagle Creek this year and was really pleased with how good a condition it was in. The greens were in very good shape, and played pretty fast, I thought.
This was a beautiful day, the Course in good condition, and the company was excellent! I really enjoyed playing this 52nd round of the year!

Round 51 for the Year

2011-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

I played my usual Thursday round of golf at Iroquois GC today. I let a couple of holes mess up my good score.

I had a triple bogey on hole #12, then birdied 3 of the last six holes for a 37 on the back nine. I ended up with a 42 - 37 = 79.
I hit a lot of good shots again, but can't seem to keep from letting those big numbers pop up on a couple of holes. I had a double bogey on hole # 7, a par 3. My handicap on Thursdays is now a 7, so I netted down to a 72. Today, 2 people tied for low man with 69's. So, I'm getting closer. That 79 will probably drop my handicap down one stroke to a 6. When I break 80, I've shot a good round. If I can't win low man breaking 80, then I don't have enough handicap.
I walked the 18 at Iroquois today. That's a tough course to walk. But, it was a very nice day, I played well, and got some exercise. All in all, a real good day!

Docent Training - Week 6

2011-10-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

I just completed my 6th week of Docent Training at the Louisville Zoo. Today we covered rules and regulations, and teaching methods. They covered a lot of how to handle difficult situations both in the classroom and on the Zoo grounds. Most of it was common sense, but it is amazing the situations that may occur. From dealing with people for years, I know there's no telling what some people will do or say. Situations, everyday or emergency, from cell phone usage, lost children, misbehaving children in class, escaped animals at Zoo, Tornado warnings, etc. Anything unusual that my happen when teaching a class or talking to people out around the animal exhibits.

The animals I handled today:

The Prairie Kingsnake. This little guy was about 3 feet long. He was pretty docile. He didn't slither around much. Kinda just let you hold him while he kept sticking his tongue out. Compared to the Ball Python, he was pretty skinny

Then the Greek Tortoise. He was pretty good size. His shell was a little smaller than a normal sized Frisbee. The trick to holding him was to keep your hand up close enough to his front foot and far enough away from his back foot that he could't reach your hand with his legs. He had pretty good pushing power.

The Giant Millipede was pretty neat. He would crawl from hand to hand. His legs felt like Velcro.

These are pictures I've Googled. We are not allowed to take pictures because they want to control what pictures from behind the scenes, or from Class, that are shown on Facebook!

We didn't go behind the scenes of any exhibit today. We had two of the animal trainers come in and show us how they train the animals. That was pretty interesting. They use the same basic principles on all the animals when training. The training of animals is mainly for easier handling and health care.

Next week the Class will be "Understanding Food Webs/How Organisms relate to each other.

Walking 18 at Shawnee on a Nice Day

2011-10-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Even not playing well you can still enjoy playing golf on a day like this. Sunshine and a high of 77. A great day to be out walking 18 holes. I didn't play that bad. Just had a couple of bad holes that ballooned my score up a little. A triple bogey on #10 didn't get me off to a very good start on the back nine. I shot a 40 - 43 = 83 at Shawnee GC today. I had a birdie on #4, after having a double bogey on #3. I had several good birdie chances, but timid putting left me short of the hole on each one. Overall, I was pleased with the round. I hit a lot of good shots today. Even the triple bogey, I didn't hit the ball that bad. My drive went in the 'concret' ditch on the right side of the fairway and I tried to hit out without bottoming out and ruining my club. Well, I topped it and rolled it about 15 feet and it stayed in the culvert. I then chipped out about 50 yard up the fairway. A nice iron to the green later rolled off the back. So, overall, I really didn't hit that bad a shots on the hole, but had a little bad luck.

This was round 50 for the Year.

It's Official! My signed scorecard makes it so!

2011-09-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Scramble I played in a couple of weeks ago is the equivalent of most league's end of the year banquets. We play a Scramble, then eat and give out awards for our years worth of incredible golf.

I stayed around for the Scramble winners, but not for anything else. At the time I had other places I needed to be. But, they gave out 'Awards'. So, I didn't get mine until yesterday. This was the even par back nine I shot a few weeks back. He saved the scorecard and framed it for me.

So, it's official. Scorecard signed and everything.

You'll notice that the year, '2011', is in white. That's because he had the wrong year, 2010. He said he'd run me off a new Yellow sheet with the correct year. Until then, I'll just use my white piece of paper.

Metal Detecting....Just a little bit

2011-09-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

I got out to metal detect a little today. I spent about 30-40 minutes in Rubel Park.
I found 76 cents, a nut, and a ring. The ring is very cheap tin, or some other cheap metal. Very possibly a ring from a fountain pen.
The ground, despite the heavy rain several days ago, is still dry and hard to dig. I was surprised at how dry it was. It was not dusty dry, but the dirt would not clot together when you dug. It would just fall apart. I think I'll wait for more rain before I go out again.
I went to the Fincastle Apartments on Poplar Level Road to metal detect in a little ballfield there. But, I checked with the maintenance people to get permission, and they turned me down. Their excuse was that they had some residents who metal detect and that they probably wouldn't want me to. OK. If there are other metal detectors living there, then it probably wasn't worth my trouble anyway. I bet those grapes were sour.

Golf at Iroquois for round 49 of the Year

2011-09-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

I played Iroquois GC today as usual on Thursdays. Like my round Tuesday at Shawnee GC, my game is not up to par.

Today I shot a 43 - 43 = 86. With my 6 handicap on Thursday that netted me a nice round 80!

My game is just a little off. Like it was early in the year. Just a few shots here and there, a few putts fall. I've been chipping well but can't convert the putt. I feel good over the putts, but nothing falls. And, on longer putts that I leave myself 3 or 4 foot putts, I miss them to 3 putt. It'll come around. I don't think it's left me for the year. I really think the last 3 weeks or so, I was under a little more stress than I let myself believe. I missed a couple of rounds, and I think my mind hasn't been on my game. So, I really believe a couple more rounds under my belt and those 78 - 80 scores will start showing back up.

That's the plan, anyway!

Docent Training Update

2011-09-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today I completed my 5th training session at the Zoo. At the end of the session today we went to the Giraffe Exhibit and got to go behind the scenes. I didn't get to pet the giraffe's today like the elephants last week. However, we did go into the enclosure beside the one that 3 giraffe's were in. the Momma Giraffe was in with her two babies. One baby was almost 2 years old and the other 3 months old. We were told that this would probably be her last baby, as she was getting on in years. The Mother Giraffe, named Mariah, was 24 years old and has reached the end of her child bearing years. It's very interesting to stand there and listen the the Keeper talk about the animals, facts about the type of animal in general, and the little quirks each one may exhibit. How some throw fits just like a spoiled kid, some very easy going, some get upset easy. I guess each animal has a different personality just like people.

At the end of class, we handled our '3' animals. Today we handled:

A Zebra Mouse. This was not taken out of it's little cage. It is shown only in the cage when taken out on a show and tell trip.

A White's Tree Frog. This amphibian, when handled, must be kept wet and can't be touched by the people to whom you are showing. We had to take him out of the container, hold him as if showing him, and then put him back and close up the container. Before handling him we had to wet our hands and keep him moist at all times.

Then we handled an Argentine Horned Frog. The same thing applied to him as the tree frog. This guy was about 3 times as big as the tree frog. I guess to to describe how big, this guy as about the size of the Bullfrogs you see in these frog jumping contests. He was pretty good size. Pretty much covered your whole hand.

Also, after class was over today I hung around and completed one of my requirements. We have to attend 3 interpretations. That is, go to one of the animal exhibits and help another Docent talk to the people about the animals in that exhibit. Today, we went to Glacier Run and talked to people about the Polar Bears and Grizzly Bears there. We had a piece of Fur and a Claw from a Polar Bear to let the people, mostly kids, touch and feel, and tell them about the bears in the exhibit and answer questions. That was also fun and interesting.

The weather is changing and so is my golf score

2011-09-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

The temperature is starting to drop and the ball doesn't carry as far now. That really doesn't help a short knocker like me. They haven't moved the tees up for winter yet, either. Plus, today was a windy day and I think the wind was blowing against me on every hole. Let's see, can I think of any more excuses for why I played bad today?

I played like I played early in the year. I hit a lot of good shots, but allowed way too many bad shots to balloon my score. I shot a 43 - 44 = 87 at Shawnee GC. I hit two bunkers today, but got out of each OK, but two putted. I also hit one out of bounds on 18.

This round might help raise my handicap. He usually throws out the high round, but I think I shot a pretty bad round either last time or time before last. So, he can't throw all of them out. I've gotten a little rusty over the past 3 weeks, just haven't played as much. And, with the wind and soft ground conditions from the heavy rains, the ball would carry as far today and didn't get much roll. So, with those few really stinker shots and the conditions, I'm not that disappointed. It felt when I hit those good shots. It just didn't happen often enough.

I believe this was round 48 for the year.

Memorial Citation

2011-09-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Today in the mail I received this Memorial Citation for my mother from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I recieved 3 copies, so I'll have one for Joe and Jean.

I went to Flaget with Rep. Larry Clark and we remain good friends. I very much appreciate him doing this for me and the family.

Taking one, leaving one

2011-09-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

They're removing a tree from across the street. But not the one that lost the big branch that crushed a van, a car, and damaged a truck. However, they will be removing the dead wood from it. I can't understand how they can leave that tree on the right. With that big scar on the side where that large branch used to be, I just can't see how that tree can be healthy enough to remain.
This is just another job done in the neighborhood that I wasn't consulted on beforehand. Go figure!

Box Turtle

2011-09-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

On the way home from Iroquois GC today I found this Box Turtle crossing the street and had to stop and pick him up. I used to see them crossing streets all the time years ago but this is the first one I've seen in years. He was crossing Summit Ave., just a few blocks from home.
I figured I'd rescued him so he wouldn't get run over by a car, so I don't plan to keep him. But I would like to keep him long enough for Erin and Jill to see him.
I'll have to google him and see what you're supposed to feed him. I remember when the boys were little we had one and he loved nightcrawlers. I put a little cheese, sausage, and a carrot in with him to see if he'd eat any of that. I hate that the picture is so 'orange' looking, but I put him in my recycle bin, so it kinda gave everything an orange tint.

Getting my handicap strokes back

2011-09-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

I just finished round 47 for the year. The best thing I can say about it is that I walked the 18 holes and it was good for me.

I played, as usual on Thursday, at Iroquois GC and shot a consistent 42 - 42 = 84. With my handicap down to a 5 that netted me a 79. As I've mentioned before, your team needs to average around 70 to win team bet, and to be low man you need to net down to around 66. So I was a long way from challenging for the money. But, I just can't feel bad about shooting an 84. I had 2 penalty strokes today, which is unusual for me. My game is to keep the ball in play. I don't hit it very far so I have to rely on keeping the ball in the middle of the fairway and out of trouble. I didn't do that very well today. But, this is the first time I've played my own ball in 2 weeks. So, I was a little rusty.

Another Cross Country Meet. This Time at Hite Elementary School in Middletown

2011-09-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

Mary Lynn and I went to another Cross Country Meet tonight. There was a pretty good crowd, and we had a looong walk from the parking lot to the actual race course. In this meet Erin got to run against ONLY 2nd grade girls. Each race was divided by Boys and Girls and class. Each grade raced by itself. That made it nice. I was able to see where Erin ranked with other 2nd grade girls. The 2nd graders also only ran a half mile. The course was fairly flat for a Cross Country Course, but it did have one long uphill climb about half way through the race that was challenging.

Jillian read while swinging waiting for Erin to run. When Erin ran Jill was there cheering hard for her.

Kim on the left cheering for Erin. Erin was pushing hard to the finish. Here she's by herself, either way behind the girls in front of her or way ahead of the girls behind her. I prefer to think of it as way ahead of the girls behind her!

Erin crossing the finish line in 5:07 for a half mile. I think that's pretty good for a 2nd grade girl. I'm proud of her effort. Look at the ponytail fly!

Docent Training at The Louisville Zoo

2011-09-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

Some of you know this, others may not, but for the past 5 weeks or so I've been training to be a Docent at the Louisville Zoo. The training began with orientation on July 16th, and my first class was August 24th. I have classes each Wednesday, from 9:00 to 12:30, until November 30th. At that time I'll be a trained Docent and can start doing Volunteer work in the field of educating others about the animals living at the Zoo.

At the end of each session they bring in 3 of the animals they use in the 'Outreach' program. That is, the Docent's take them out to off-site places, schools, senior housing, pre-schools, etc., for a little show and tell.

In order to sign off on the sheet that says you've handled the animal, you must remove it from it's enclosure, present it to someone to touch or pet, and then return it to it's enclosure. So far I've handled a Box Turtle, Chinchilla, Ball Python, Lop-eared Rabbit, Rose Hair Tarantula, Hissing Cockroach, Tiger Salamander, Bearded Dragon, Pygmy Hedgehog, ferret, and a Guinea Pig.

Also, the last hour or so of class we go out to one of the exhibits and go behind the scenes. We've been to the Herpaquarium basement, and the Islands exhibit with the Tapirs and the Sumatran Tiger. Today, we went to the Elephant Enclosure.

The Louisville Zoo has 2 elephants, one Asian elephant and one African Elephant. There are many differences, but a quick look at the ears and head you can tell the difference. The Asian has two rounded bumps on top the head and smaller ears, versus a fairly flat head and large ears for the African Elephant. I also learned that the Asian Elephant's name is Punch, and the African Elephant is Mikki.

We got to go inside the pen and stand in the yard where the elephants are on display, and stand right beside the elephants and pet them. Of course the trainers were right there. But that was pretty neat. The skin of the African Elephant was very rough with bristly hair, but the back of her ears were very soft and velvety feeling. The trainers said they give them Jelly Beans for a special treat and the elephants love them. I asked how many they give them, a hand full, or what? Nope, ONE Jelly bean. They love it! That's their treats when they do what they're told.

Well, I've got two full months of training left, so I'm sure I'll handle all the other 'Outreach' animals before I'm through. Other snakes, Toads, Tarantula's, Frogs, Millipede's, Rats, Opossum, and a few other varmits. It's been very interesting, and with a few things behind me after this weekend, I'll have more time to finish some of my up close and in person training requirements.

The Fall "BubbaLou Classic Golf Scramble"

2011-09-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here we are all lined up to start the 2011 Fall BubbaLou Classic. We had 17 teams on this cool, windy morning.

After completing the round, the score card is torn in half, front nine and back nine. They draw two teams together and that's your front nine score. We finished 32 on the front and drew with a team that shot a 32 on the front, so our score was 64. Then they draw two more teams together until all teams are paired with another. The low score together, both teams win. Then they draw back nines.

We didn't win anything.

This was my team. From left to right Norman, Buddy, Rowland, and Me.

I had my name on a closest to the pin on hole #4. When was played it about half the groups had gone through. But, it didn't hold up. I played pretty good today. Hit some very nice drives, nice irons. Putted OK, not great. Made one long birdie putt. Out team birdied 5 holes and bogeyed one. We bogeyed hole #2, a long par 4.

It was fun. Would liked to have won something, but I did get a hamburger when we finished.

Oldham County's "Rumble in the Jungle"!

2011-09-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

I went to Erin's 2nd Cross Country Meet, the first away from home. It was in North Oldham, and there were at least 20 schools there. A lot of competition. The weather was pretty warm, and the sun shining. The course was tougher than the "Chance Chase" course. This course had some hills. These girls ran 1.2 miles. Now, that's a long way for 2nd and 3rd graders.
Doesn't Erin look cute in her uniform?

They had so many runners they had to split this age group up into two races. The girls and boys ran together.

Erin, on the right, kicking to the finish line. She was hurting, and her tummy was hurting, but look how strong she finished! That little girl is tough! That's my Rosiepie!

Round 46 for the Year was a Cold, Wet One

2011-09-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

I played Iroquois GC today in my usual Thursday golf league. My handicap is now down to 5! I shot a 41 - 38 = 79 today, and netted down to a 74. Our team averaged a net 76. Not so good.
It was a cold, wet day. It drizzled most of the time we were on the course and was a little breezy. So, the temperature of about 65 degrees made for a wet and cold round.
I'm pleased with my 79. I can see I won't be low man until my handicap gets a little higher. I'm not going to shoot much better than a 79. My problem is that I've been too consistent. I've been shooting 78-81 most every week. Not a score that would win me anything, but one that steadily dropped my handicap.
I hit the ball well today, and chipped and putted well. I let a couple of shots get away from me in the fairway and had to drop out of creeks, but still managed to keep those holes down to a decent score. Two straight holes I had penalties, one I had par, and the other I had a bogey. Not bad recoveries.
It was fun, despite not winning. We'll get'em next week.

Chance Cross Country Race The "Chance Chase"

2011-09-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Mary Lynn and I went to the "Chance Chase" to watch Erin run her first Cross Country Race. I think Mary Lynn was a little cold, so after Erin ran we left. So, I don't know how Chance School did in the event, or what Erin's official time was. But, she really did good. That was a long race for a 'young' 2nd grader. She's one of the youngest in her class.

She beat a lot of girls. They were still coming in a long time after Erin crossed the finish line.

This is one of Erin's best friends, Ellie, who is on the team, too.

This is about 3/4 of the way through the race. Erin is on the outside wearing long pants. She decided to run in her warm up pants because it was pretty chilly.

It was a lot of fun and I'm sure Erin learned a lot from this first race. She really has a nice pace and I think as she gains experience she gonna really be tough to beat!

When I was in School I used to beg for more homework myself!

2011-09-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Mary Lynn and I watched Erin and Jillian Sunday night while Mark and Kim went to a movie. We played some fun games but I think the most fun they had was doing homework. Not from school, but from me. They asked me to make some homework for them like they have from school. So, I made some.

I made up some math problems, a few Geography questions, and I asked them what else I could put on the paper? They said some horse questions. So, I made up some horse questions.

Oh, they each had their own homework paper with different questions. Here, I think, they were going back over some of the questions before they turned in their papers.

Weren't you that way? Always wanting more homework. I know I was. Homework was always my favorite part of the school day. Play outside with my friends? Naw, I wanted to sit at the kitchen table and do homework. But, that's just me.

A Cold Night to End the Willow Park Concert Season

2011-09-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's hard to believe it got so cold so fast! I'm playing golf in 102 degrees Saturday and Monday I'm sitting at the Willow Park Concert Freezing to death.

My little girls were cold! They spent most of their time cuddled under a blanket or in somebody's lap to try and stay warm.

Jerry and Kathy Blandford hit the dance floor. Jerry made sure he didn't hit on all cylinders or he'd scare everyone else off the floor. He tried to keep all his 'smooth' moves toned down. (Well, that was his story anyway)

Bill and Kathy Ralston also hit the floor. They said they weren't afraid of Jerry's moves. "Bring it On!", said Bill.

To top it off, we had a Beautiful Sunset!

It was a nice Season of Concerts at the Park. It was so hot all summer, and so many Sunday nights were really scorchers, then to finish of the season on a cold, windy , night.....it was just one thing I wouldn't have believed.

Cold and Windy Golf at Weissinger Hills GC

2011-09-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

I met Greg Lynn at Weissinger Hills GC today. J. R. played and a friend of Greg's, Dan. I played Saturday in 102 degree temperature and melted. Today, two day later, I played in 65 degrees and windy and froze! Unbelievable!
This was round #45 for the year. I shot a 42 - 45 = 87. I gave Greg 3 strokes a side and lost the front, tied the back, and lost the 18. Hmm....I think I'll adjust that stroke thingy.
The forecast was for a high of 73 today. When I got in the car at about 2:30 in was only 65 degrees and it had been windy all day. It wouldn't have been bad if not for the wind. A good stiff breeze can make 65 feel mighty cold!
I think I played well today but I never made a putt. The greens weren't in very good shape. They'd had a lot of rain there overnight and the greens were pretty soft, wet, and uncut. This made for pretty bumpy greens.
It was fun and I'm looking forward to going to the concert tonight. But, I bet I dress warmer for that than I did for golf.

For Brian's Bachelor Party, What else but Golf?

2011-09-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

For Brian's Bachelor Party he wanted to play golf. So we played today at Heritage Hill Golf Course in Shepherdsville, Ky. We didn't plan it, but it got up to 102 degrees today! Yep, it was hot! But we had a nice time and it's a nice course. Some of the greens were pretty bad, but it's been a problem with a lot of the courses this summer. They've just burned up.

Because it's Brian's Outing, I'll just post pictures of him teeing off! He pulled this drive just left of the cart path but just short of the high weeds.
That's Don Dreher on the left and Jeff Dreher on the right.

This is the 18th tee. Nice course. Really well taken care of even though some of the greens were bad from all the heat we've had.

After playing today we went to Dundee Tavern back in Louisville to drink a few beers and eat a sandwich. After a couple of hours I left and left it up to the younger folks to party as long as they wanted to. I enjoyed the day and I hope Brian had a good time.
Oh yeah, I guess I'd better report on Bob's Bad Golf. This was round 44 for the year. I'll report our scores, even though I'd rather not. Brian and Jeff both shot 75, Don shot 95, and Bad Bob brings up the rear with an even 100. Needless to say, I played terrible today.

Round 43 FTY, keeping it below 80

2011-09-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

I played bad but scored well. You know what I mean. My chipping and putting was good today and made a so-so round pretty good. Making a 30 foot birdie putt on the first hole didn't hurt.
I hit the ball well off the tee, but my fairway shots left a lot to be desired. Actually, my putting was just adequate, but my chipping was excellent. I think there were three holes my chips were up to about a foot from the hole. I shot a 40 - 37 = 77. My handicap is still a 6 on Thursday, so my net 71 won't win low man. But, the good news is that 2 people on my team beat me with net score. So,....maybe we can win the team bet again. I had to leave before everybody got in, so I'll find out later and let you know.
***Well, I found out we lost low team by .2, that's 2/10 of a point!

Round 42 FTY, Back in the Saddle with an 82

2011-08-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

My 42nd round of the year was played at Shawnee GC. I couldn't get around without getting a couple of double bogey's, but I did manage to keep my score respectable. I shot a 40 - 42 = 82. A much better round than the 91 I shot last Tuesday. I had one hole I double bogeyed and really never hit a bad shot. I hit a very good drive, over clubbed my second shot over the green, flopped a nice ball on a the green, but it wouldn't stop rolling until it was 50 feet away. Left my putt short, about 4 feet, then made a nice putt that hit something and kept it just off the right side of the hole. I normally don't say much about putts, but the last putt was just the way I wanted to hit it and it hit something, maybe a piece of crabgrass, andjust missed the right side of the hole. I really hated the double bogey, but I was pleased with the way I hit the ball on that hole.

I walked the 18 holes today. It was a beautiful day. Nice breeze, cool in the shade, blue sky. A really nice day to be on the golf course. I played with "Bad" George again today, but I didn't let that bother me like I did last Tuesday. I made up my mind that I wouldn't let him ruin my game. We have a 'Good' George and a 'Bad' George. If you wanna know what 'Bad' George lookes like just look up "Curmudgeon" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of him.

Once again the Zombie's were on Parade!

2011-08-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

I went to the Zombie Parade tonight. Mary Lynn didn't want to go this year so I called J. R. and we went together. I think there were more Zombie's this year. Of course, I think it grows bigger every year.

Looks like Ol' McDonald took a pitch fork to the mid-section.

The Hamburglar showed up. I'm not sure what kinda meat was in the hamburger.

I'm not sure if this guy was made up or just got finished cleaning his chimney.

This Zombie was a little taller than most. It's amazing how many of them march and how much time they must spend on making themselves up.

My favorite was the 'Bikini Zombie'. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of her, but I liked her outfit.

Scramble at Cherokee GC

2011-08-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

I played in a Scramble at Cherokee GC today. I'll play 2 or 3 Scrambles there a year with pretty much the same guys. At least, it's always the same 3 of us and the 4th person changes from tournament to tournament. Cherokee is an easy scramble course. Any team that plays half way decent should be 8 to 10 under. However, we always play terrible and struggle to finish under par at all. Usually we limp in around 2 or 3 under, with a bogey or two. Well, we didn't win or anything today, but we managed to play much better. We finished 8 under and tied for 2nd with 2 other teams. First place was 11 under. Of course, we lost 2nd place in a scorecard playoff. We were pleased simply because we finished where we should be, 8 under par. We could even play better, we know, but, as we've shown, we can finish much worse. It was a nice day, I played fairly well, and I'm satisified with my performance.

More Golf at Iroquois GC on a Thursday

2011-08-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

The putts just wouldn't drop today. I didn't play that bad, but I just didn't make any putts. Early on, I had a lot of birdie putts, then some very makeable par putts. I just couldn't convert. Still, I shot a 41 - 39 = 80. Not a bad score, but a few of those putts fall and we're looking at a very good score.
The thing is, they weren't bad putts. Just a little off. Several were on line but inches short, mostly on the longer putts. And, when I miss the greens in regulation and have to chip, I'm chipping very well, but can't convert the 4 or 5 footer that I've left myself.
I'm still at a 6 handicap. It didn't drop after my 76 last week. So my 80 today netted me a 74. Our 3 man team today averaged net 71, so I kinda pulled them down a little with my 74. I know I've earned my 6 handicap, but I can't shoot scores that will net me down low enough to help my team. Oh well, as the weather starts cooling off I'm sure my scores will start going up. Then when I happen to shoot a low score my handicap will net me a winning score.

LATE NOTE: Well, we won team low score today! Our net 71 average was the lowest of the 4 teams today, and J. R. won low man with an 81 net 67. He's on my team.
J. R. won $12 for low man and we got $8 each for low team.

The Round of Golf at Shawnee GC today was a Train Wreck!

2011-08-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say something good about my round today...but,...oh, wait. I walked the 18 holes today and got some good exercise! That's about the only thing I can think of that was good about this round #40 for the year. I shot a 45 - 46 = 91. I hit 2 balls out of bounds, my tee shots on 16 and 17. That led to a triple bogey and double bogey. My play wasn't very sharp today, but the worst thing was my putting. I think I 3 putted about 10 greens today. I hit 4 of the 5 par 3's, and 3 putted 3 of them for a bogey 4. The only par 3 I didn't hit was #8, a long hole that I always hit a driver, and today I was just off the front of the green, and got down in 3 from there for my bogey.
I just wasn't in the game mentally today. As Yogi Berra might say, "The game is 80 percent talent and the other half mental."