New Furniture Arrives.....We now have a place to sit down.

We bought a new Sofa and Love Seat about a month ago with the delivery expected the first week of October.  Our old sofa and love seat were going to be a problem  All we needed was for someone to come pick it up and they could have it.  We tried to give it to charity, but all of them require you to have it sitting out front when they come by to pick it up.  Their men were not allowed to go into the house.  This was a problem. 
Monday, with a promise of Wednesday delivery of the new furniture fast approaching, we were really wondering what we would do.  Julie's mother, Sheryl, visited Monday and brought lunch by.  Very nice of her and I really appreciated that.  My PT Lady was visiting and putting me through the mill as Mary Lynn and Sheryl were talking about the furniture.  Lisa, my PT Lady says, "I'm sorry to be eaves dropping, but are you wanting to get rid of that sofa and love seat?"  Well, it worked out that she would love to have it and  she and her husband and son came by Monday evening and picked up the whole set.  Of course, that had us do without anything for a day and a half, but other than that, the timing couldn't have been better.
So, now we have our new furniture, Mary Lynn's happy, and I have a new nest and will give Mary Lynn back her seat she graciously gave up to me during my recovery.

Kings Island on a Saturday

Toyota's Company Picnic was today at Kings Island, so Mary Lynn and I decided to go up and ride a few rides.  Here, I know you can't see her, but Mary Lynn is riding the" Diamondback' Roller Coaster.  She rode it the first time by herself because I wasn't feeling well after riding the "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" ride.  I did ride this with her before we left.  It's a great ride and I recommend pulling up the YouTube video of the ride and watching it.
We decided not to ride the "Beast" Roller Coaster.  We figured the "Diamondback" was better, and the "Beast" was just gonna be too 'Jerky'.  We rode the "Racer" first, then the "Monster", "Shake, Rattle, and Roll", and "Diamondback".  I rode the log ride, but Mary Lynn watched......she didn't want to take a chance on getting wet.  So, she took this great picture of me at the bottom of the hill.  That's me waving my hat in the back of the log.  By the way, that was the exact point that I pulled out Beth's 'Pigtails' , over 25 years ago,which still has her 'traumatized' to this day.

Round 38 FTY, and now to go in a holding pattern

I played my 38th round of the year today.  We played Iroquois GC.  Just like Tuesday, I had a bad front nine but a good back nine.  I shot a 46 - 37 = 83.  I had two birdies on the back nine and was even par going to 18, but had a bogey.
One unusual thing happened during this round.  On hole number 3, which is a par 3, I hit my tee shot over the green and into the creek behind the green.  The other 3 players hit the green with their tee shots.  So, I had to take a drop out of the creek.  I then chipped it in!  For a nice par.  The other 3 guys all 3 putted for bogey.  So, after hitting it into the creek and the other three hitting the green, the only par made was me!
Well, I didn't tell the guys I play golf with that I'm heading in for surgery.  I let Gene McDonald know I wouldn't be playing next week, but that's all I said.  A couple of them think I'm just going on vacation for a week.  I'll let them know after I'm out of the hospital  that it'll be awhile before I can play again.  Meanwhile, I'll be stuck on round 38 for awhile!

Walking 18 holes at Shawnee

 

I played Shawnee GC today.  I walked the whole 18 holes.  That's the first time I've done that for a pretty good while.  I've walked 9 and ridden 9 a few times, but it's been a while since I've walked the whole 18.  And......it'll be the last time for a pretty good while.  I'm playing again Thursday.  But this will be at Iroquois GC, and it's supposed to be upper 80's.  So, with the hilly terrain and the warmer temps, I'm planning on riding the whole 18 then.
I didn't play very good today.  Hit decent shots, but my putting was terrible.  One of those days when you're standing over a putt and 'have no idea'.  "Just hope I can get it close".  I ended up with a pretty good back nine, but it could have been very good if I could have putted.  I shot a 44 - 39 = 83.  Not a bad score, but could have been so much better with a little putting.  Oh well, this was round 37 for the year, and with one more round we'll have to putt the game on 'pause' for awhile.

Looking forward to new parts

Soon I'll go in to the hospital to get a few new parts.  I got a new hip on the right side about 7 years ago.  The surgery has changed  a little, but the parts still look the same.  They remove the old ball at the top of the femur, ream out the socket joint, and replace the whole system with a new ball, with a spike driven down into the femur.  This is just info for those of you who have never seen how a hip is replaced.
So, Monday I'll have my left hip replaced. They say the recovery time will be about 6 weeks.  During that time, no golf.  So my 'golf'' blog will have to have very little golf entries after next week. 
I got a call from Jillian last night and she asked me to be a driver on her class field trip to the Zoo.. I had to decline, and I hated it.  Not only spend the day with Jilly, but at the Zoo!  It's almost worth cancelling my surgery!  Oh well, anytime you're laid up for period, it gets to be inconvenient.  I'll also miss a couple of Cross Country meets.  I hope just one, but we'll see.
I'll keep you posted on my recovery, as there will be no golf reports! 
I'm sure I'll be able to RUN FASTER, and JUMP HIGHER.  I'm pretty sure that's what the Doctor promised.

The Annual BubbaLou Golf Scramble!

We played our end of the year "BubbaLou" Golf Scramble today at Shawnee GC.  This is the 3rd Scramble in a row that our team really played well!  We finished 10 under, 5 under on the front and 5 under on the back.  This tournament is a little different on determining winners.  They draw another team to partner with you on the front nine, and another team on the back nine, with your scores added together.  So, our 29 on the front was 'partnered' with a 32, and our total 61 came in second.  We tied the back nine and got back $20 for our efforts.  I believe -10 was about as good as our team could play.  We all contributed, and had a lot of fun.  In a scramble, a team really doesn't want to use me drives because they're never very long.  And long is what you want in a Scramble.  But, I consistently hit nice drives down the middle and took the pressure off our other players so they could hit better drives.  I did help with a few nice shots to the green and made a few putts.  So, all in all, we worked well together as a team. and had about as good a score as we could have expected. 
My time for playing golf is coming rapidly to a close.  Only another week before I'll be taking off for a short stretch.  I'm looking forward to getting back out about mid-November!

First Cross Country Meet of the Year

I got to see Erin and Jillian run today in their first Cross Country Meet of the year.  This was Jillian's first run, EVER!  Their race was a one mile run.  The course of hilly and it was very hot.  Both of them did very well and  I was proud of how hard they worked.  You can see how red Erin's face is  in the picture above.  I was cheering and forgot to get a picture of them running.  So, we'll have to be satisified with the after pictures.   Also, Jillian lost her front tooth last night, as you can see with this pretty smile, so she had even less weight to carry.  GOOD JOB GIRLS!

The finished Design on the Tree on Castlewood

I think he's finished with the tree.  He's cleaned up all the debris around the bottom.  It looks like a Magic Tree to me.  A castle with a secret door at the bottom and a dragon flying past.  I'm not sure what he would call this, but it's pretty neat!

Round 36 for the Year.......and a Bad One

Well, from 77 to 87 in 2 days.  I really played bad today.  Several bad holes each 9 balloon a score way up there.  I shot a 43 - 44 = 87.  Playing bad was bad enough, but I was paired with "Bad George".  Bad George is one person nobody wants to play with.  He bitches, spits, bitches, spits, cusses, bitches, spits, cusses, bitches, spits........well, I could go on.  It's unbelievable.  No matter what kind of shots he hit, he bitches.  I know how he is, so I prepare myself.......but after 11 or 12 holes of nothing but bitching, cussing, spitting, bitching, cussing, spitting......I've pretty much had it.  I really can't say he was the cause of me playing bad, but I know it didn't help.  Playing bad, I can still enjoy a round of golf....but playing bad and listening to bitching, cussing, spitting, bitching cussing spitting......just takes the joy out of a round for me.  How about you?  Oh well, only a couple of more weeks and I'll have a vacation from golf for awhile.  So, I'll try to enjoy golf while I can.

Hmmm.......Good Golf at Weissinger Hills GC

Good Grief!  Charlie Brown!  I played good golf at Weissinger Hills.  I shot a 39 - 38 = 77!  And, yes, I played good!  It seemed that all parts of my game came together today.  Of course, it could have been better, but I have to be pleased with the round and how I played.  I birdied 3 holes....8, 15, and 16.  I played with Greg Lynn and I give him 2 strokes a side....not nearly enough today Greg!  Sorry!And, if you think the course played easy today, ask Greg.  He shot a 93.
The only part of my game that I thought was a little weak today was my driving.  I hit some good drives, but a lot of them just weren't hit well.  They turned out OK, down the middle and out of trouble, but I know I didn't catch them solid.  A few of them were in on the heel and thin....which made my drives low and with a little fade.  But, they were hit good enough that they were out there far enough and in the middle of the fairway.  So, I guess, my 'misses' weren't really bad shots, just not my best.
Also, this was the first time I played Weissinger and they had 'Senior Tees'.  We played the first 6 or 7 holes from the white tees before we noticed that they had Senior, "Silver" Tees, which have been added since I last played there.  J. R. is gonna be thrilled to hear they now have Senior Tees.  Some of the holes there isn't much difference, but a few of the holes they really help.  That's going to make a difference when ever we play the 'Slyder Cup' there.  This was round 35 for the year.

Two Post's in one day.......WOW!

Mark has lately posted  on Facebook about the spiders he's seen around his house.  This time of year there are some very large spiders building nests.  I was at the Zoo this morning, and when I left, right outside the office was this large spider.  The web was stretched from the tree branches to the flowers below.  It looks like he caught something pretty big and was either eating, or wrapping it up for a later meal.    I'd say counting his legs, he was about as big as a half-dollar.

Tree Carvings

In the past I've posted several carvings from tree trunks.  The "Royal Bunny", a Fish, Iguana's, Bears, etc.  This is a new one being carved near the house.  I'ts down below us on Castlewood Ave., in the corner lot that Mark used to cut for Dr. Rountree.
I'm not sure what's going to develop, but there's a door at the bottom, and looks like Castle turrets on top.  When he work's on this he builds a scaffolding all around the tree.  It's going to be a Landmark, that's for sure!  I'm anxious to see the finished product.

Working at the Zoo

I've been working as a Docent at the Louisville Zoo for 2 years now, but I've also been working in the front office for awhile, which doesn't count as Docent hours.  As a Docent, I'm required to put in 48 hours a year, which hasn't been hard to do.  In the 2 years I'm just now passing the 500 hour mark......so the required hours  for a Docent haven't been a problem.  So, the hours I work in the front office are above and beyond Docent hours.
I'd say I work 2-6 hours a week up front.  Lately, I've been transcribing a log book of all animal that come in to the Zoo.  The old log book, you can see a piece of it in the upper left hand corner, is very old and contains less the half the information the new log book will have.  My job is to pull each animal's ID number up on the computer and log all the information.  That is, ID number, Sex, Common Name, Scientific Name, House Name, How we came by it, From Who, The Date, and where the animal is now.  Hand-written.  Yes, this info is on the computer, but the log book will be for any Keeper to be able to drop in, look the animal up by ID number, find out all they need to know about it in a speedy manner.
Now, writing all this out by hand is very slow.  Especially when you have to 'wait' on the computer.  Each bit of information requires me to click on different sections of the web-page and wait for it to come up.  I average hand printing about 1 page an hour.  My usual time there is 2 hours, so I finish about 2 pages each time I work.
I usually start about 9:30am and work til 11:30.  The computer is pretty fast when I first start, but slows over the period I work.  So, I get almost twice as much done the first hour as I do the second hour.  You can see from the picture that it's a lot of writing.
Now, I've been working on 'Mammals'.  I'm up to 1993.  Only 20 more years to go!  Then, I'll have to do Birds, Reptiles, and Fish.  Talk about Job Security!

Just finished round 34 FTY at Iroquois GC

Just finished my round at Iroquois GC today.  Not a good round at all.  I  shot a 44 - 42 = 86.  Made a few really bad shots, but mostly it was poor putting.  On many holes I chipped up close enough to save par with a short5-6 foot putt, but then couldn't convert.  Just halfway decent putting would have put me down around an 80.  But, I guess this will go towards raising my handicap a little.  I told my fellow team-mates today that I was investing in the future.  You know I don't play bad on purpose just to raise my handicap, but that is what keeps me from being too disappointed with my round.  It was fun.

Round 33 for the year was a BUST!

I played round 33 for the year at Shawnee GC today.  Didn't play so good.  I hit more poor shots on the front nine than I've hit in 18 holes for a long time.  My 9 wood was the main culprit.  I just couldn't hit it.  Everything was off the toe and weak to the right.

I shot a 44 on the front nine.  And I feel like that was a good score for as bad as I played.  I shot a 44 - 40 = 84.  My 9 handicap at Shawnee netted me a 75.  However, shooting those scores should soon get me a little more handicap.  It was a nice day, the weather was nice, and even playing bad I still had fun.

Seneca Golf Scramble to Support Manual H.S. Girls Basketball Team

This team of old guys played in the Manual H.S. Girls Basketball Team Scramble today at Seneca GC.  Now, looking at these guys you'd think they didn't stand a chance.  They just might surprise you!.  We didn't win, but we gave the young pups who won a run for their money.  The winners finished -11 and we finished -9, pretty good for 4 old guys.  I'm not sure who the winners were, but Brian's team finished -10 and finished 2nd.  We left a several birdies out on the course early on, but we got hot coming in tot he clubhouse, with a birdie on the last 3 holes.  We really played well as a team, with everybody contributing shots the whole round. 

I guess I'd better identify the guys in the picture for those who don't know them.  R to L:  Bob Tabler, Tom Flood, Bobby Flood, Don Middleton.  Bobby hit some nice drives and sank a couple of nice putts, and Tommy and Donnie were consistant with all their play.  Everybody made a nice long putt for birdie, and at no time were we ever in trouble of not making par on a hole.

It was a lot of fun, and the first time we've all four been together on the course for awhile.  But, everbody agreed, we all missed having the H-Man out there!

Muggy Morning, Beautiful Afternoon

There was a big difference from the front nine to the back nine today.  I played Shawnee GC for the 33rd round of the year today.  Didn't play that bad, but still had a few bad shots that cost me.  Plus, I still can't seem to make those putts that save that par.  I shot a 42 - 40 = 82.  On the putts, I leave a lot of them just short, but dead in the middle of the cup.  I'm reading the greens OK, but not getting the putts to the hole.  I need to be a little more aggressive with my putts.  I can make those little 3 footers coming back, so why not make sure I get the putt to the hole?  I tell myself that, but then still leave the putt short.
As for the difference from back nine to front nine.  The weather really changed around noon.  The front nine it was very muggy after the all night rain and warm temperature this morning.  But, the wind picked up around noon with a cool breeze coming out of the north.  The humidity dropped, and the back nine was perfect weather for golf.  Maybe that's why I played a little better on the back.  I also walked the front nine, but rode a cart on the back nine. 
It was fun, I just wish I could put another good round together and get rid of all those bad shots.  Also, start sinking some putts.  It's not that I don't make any putts, I make a few.  But so many 6 - 8 footers are missed that I know making 4 or 5 of them would really improve an already decent score.  Such is golf.

A Rainy Round 32

I played round 32 for the year at Weissinger Hills GC today.  I didn't play well, hit a lot of bad shots during the round.  I hate anything worse than a bogey, and I had 3 double bogeys.  I shot a 44 - 42 = 86.  Not a real bad score, but I also didn't putt well.  I made a lot of short putts, 3-4 footers, but I couldn't make those pesky 5-8 footers that will really help your score. 
I played with Greg Lynn and Elwood Tackett.  Both guys I worked with at Toyota.  They live up Lexington way, so meeting them at Shelbyville to play makes it a halfway meeting.  I always give Greg strokes and play him $1-$1-$1.  Today I gave him 2 strokes on the front nine and 3 strokes on the back nine.  I tied him on the front, but beat him on the back and the 18, so I won $2 from him.  Also, we played Bingo, Bango, Bongo for a quarter a point, and I won $2 more from Greg, and $1.75 from Elwood.  So, even playing bad I still won all the money!
Now, for my new yellow ball.  My plan to play 10 rounds with that new yellow ball ended on hole #9.  My drive was a little short on the par 5 hole and I didn't quite reach the corner.  So, I tried to hit a driver through the opening in the trees, keeping it low.  I hit a good shot, but there was a small pot-hole in the cart path, and my ball hit very hard on the far edge of the hole, bounced straight up in the air, loosing about 60 more yards of roll.  And, it put a nice gouge in the ball, so I had to replace it.
It rained a lot during the round, but never very hard.  I never got my umbrella out, but did cover my bag with my bag umbrella to keep my clubs dry.  It never rained more than a sprinkle, but it did rain off and on for most of the round.  But, it was fun and I enjoy getting to see my old friends from Toyota.

Round 31 completed

I played round 31 for the year today.  I shot a 41 - 38 = 79.  A good score, but I hit a lot of bad shots today.  Most of them irons from the fairway or chips, and almost all of them that were bad were hit thin, or sculled.  Other than that, I played pretty good.  I did finish my tenth round with the same little yellow ball.  It's now retired.  I almost lost it on the 9th hole, when I hit it out of bounds.  I watched it closely and was able to go find it.  The 9th hole was my only really bad hole, getting a triple bogey on that hole.  So, with a nice par on 9 I could have had a 38 - 38, but that triple bogey really zooms up a score.
While waiting on the 9th tee, I looked around in the weeds behind the tee box for balls.  I found a little yellow ball, exactly like the one I've been playing with, and brand new!  So, I think I'll start a string of 10 rounds of golf with that one and see how far I get.

Round 9.....and Round 30.......What?

I played Shawnee GC today for Round 30 of the year!  I played well, but my putting Stunk!  I shot a 41 - 41 = 82, but if I'd have putted better it could have been easily 6 or 7 shots better.  I mean, missed short putts, long putts left 6 feet short, then missed the short one.  I had a 6 foot birdie putt and left it short dead in the middle!  I can't complain about an 82, but Wow, it could have been so much better.

Now, for the 9.  I have played 9 straight round of golf with this same yellow ball.  I play with balls I find.  I can't remember the last time I actually got out a new ball to play with.  If you'll remember what I said before....I play with a WIFL ball.  When people ask me what type ball I play with, it's WIFL...Whatever I Found Last!  Awhile back I noticed I had 4 yellow balls in my bag, so I thought I'd go ahead and use them to get rid of them.  Well, I always play with one ball and have another in my right hand pocket.  I've had the same two balls for the last 9 rounds, using the one in the picture and the other one has stayed in my pocket.  So, I'm going to use this ball for one more round, to have a nice round number of 10 rounds, then retire it!  I just know I'm going to lose this ball on my next round of golf, but we'll see how it goes.  I would doubt if anyone reading this blog has ever used the same ball for 9 complete 18 hole rounds of golf.  Yes, it's showing a little wear....with at least 3 cart path marks on it.  But, it's still good enough to play in my book!  They aren't Serious cart path marks.

Round 29 For The Year was a Good Round

 

I played Iroquois GC today for the 29th round of the year.  Our team didn't play well today, but I did!  I shot a 40 - 35 = 75, for my lowest round this year.  I actually shot 1 under on the back nine, the first time I've ever been under par on 9 holes.
I did manage to win low man today, with a net 67, and won $13.  I had 3 birdies in the round, 1 on the front nine hole #2, and 2 birdies on the back nine, holes #13 and #15.  I didn't putt great today, but I did make a few nice putts for my birdies.  However, I could have been much lower had I made a few other very make able putts.  I've mentioned that my tee shots had kinda left me the last month or so, when I'd really been hitting good tee shots this year.  Well, they came back today.  I really hit well off the tee today.  So, overall, I was very pleased with my round and I hope it keeps up.  I'm playing in a Scramble this coming Monday. 

The Cooking Channel has made me an offer.....

My recipe for Derby Muffins and Triple Crown Muffins have spread like wildfire across the country.  I hear they're baking these muffins all the way up in Columbus, Ohio!
Well, I've created a new dessert.  'Bad Bob's Blueberry Blessing' Cake.  When you eat of piece of this wonderful Blueberry dessert, you know you've been blessed.

I used a little blue food coloring in the icing, but I mashed up a half cup of blueberries and used the juice for flavor.  After icing the cake I topped it with whole fresh blueberries.

I put about a dozen large fresh blueberries in each layer of yellow cake mix before I baked it.  Just enough to have several blueberries in each slice of cake.  Mmmmm.......looks good, and it tasted good.

I've been wondering what to name by new Cooking show.  Maybe "In the Kitchen with Scoots!"

Having fun playing golf

No, that's not a picture of ME playing golf.  But it is a picture of some of the people I have to play with.  I played with a guy today for the first time.  He's fairly new to our group and this was the first time I played with him.  He got mad a threw a club a couple of times during the round.  I wonder if he'll get even angrier and throw the clubs more often when he gets to know us better.

I didn't play bad today.  I shot a 40 - 41 = 81.  I had a double bogey on 17 and bogey on 18.  So, I didn't finish very good.  The double bogey on 17 was my only double of the round.  And, the bogey on 18, a par 3, was a 3 putt!  So, I played decent today, but didn't finish well.  With my 7 handicap at Iroquois GC that gave me a net 74.  Not good enough to win any money.  But, I had fun, didn't get angry or throw any clubs, and that was round 28 for the year.

Golf at Shawnee for Round 27

It was a little cooler today, so I thought I'd play a little golf.  I rode a cart the whole 18 holes.  I shot a 40 - 44 = 84.  Not  a bad round, but a few holes cost me. My handicap at Shawnee is 8.  So that 84 netted me a 76.  Not good enough to win any money.   I doubled the 10th, 11th, and bogeyed the 12 for 5 over after 3 holes on the back nine, but then finished 8 over.  So I was only 3 over for the last 6 holes. 
One problem I had was on several  long putts I left them way short, causing me to  putt.  I didn't putt bad overall, just a few holes.  My chipping was pretty good, and I hit some good fairway woods.  My driving wasn't as good today has it's been the last few times I've played, but it was OK.  So, I guess, overall, I didn't play that bad.  Like I said earlier, just a few holes cost me in the final score.  Of course, I didn't play at all last week, so I can see where my consistency would be a little off.
I plan on playing again Thursday at Iroquois GC.  Should be a pretty nice day.  I hope to walk the front nine, then ride the back nine.  We'll see!

Saving a Fly

Mary Lynn posted this on Facebook but I figured it deserved a little longer story on my blog.

When we were watching the girls yesterday, we came in the house from the girls climbing in the tree in the front yard.  A fly happened to get in the house when we came in.  It buzzed around us back in the Family Room and Mary Lynn said "I'll get something to swat it".  Erin said "Or......we could catch it in a cup and let it go outside."  This is a little girl who moves worms off of sidewalks and puts them in the grass, talks to ants like they're her pets. 
Well, of course we said, "Sure, that's a good idea."  But, we both were sure you wouldn't be able to catch a fly in a cup.  Well, Erin got a little plastic cup, followed the fly around.  It finally flew into the kitchen and flew to the window above the sink.  Erin jumped up onto the counter and sat there waiting patiently, then slipped the cup over him.  Well, we had him trapped under the cup, on the window.  It was my job to slide a piece of paper under the edge of the cup.  I was more than a little worried now that I might accidentally let the fly out.  I would have hated that after Erin's hard work.  But, I got the paper under the edge of the cup and we had him trapped.  We took him out front and let him go.  The girls let up a cheer.....you'd have thought we just saved a bald eagle!

Finding something COOL to do on a hot day!

The girls bowled a game at Ten Pin Lanes.  Here, Jilly rolls a ball standing at the line.  She changed after not doing well this way, and moved back and got a running start to roll the ball.  She ended up with a 62.

Erin threw a good ball.  If she could put a little more speed on her ball she would have gotten a lot more pins.  She did good though, with one strike, and ended up with a 97.

Then, we have Mimi.  True, she didn't use the bumpers.  Several times Jilly turned to me when Mimi had just rolled her ball and said "Gutter Ball!"  Mimi beat Erin and Jilly with a whopping 108.

No, I didn't bowl.  We had fun, stayed cool, and then went over to The Mall to see hermit crabs.

A few interesting pictures

I'm not playing golf this week.  I've got The New Docent Orientation at the Zoo this Thursday, and it's going to be really hot tomorrow, so I'm staying in out of the heat.  So, in because I don't want to go very long without a post, here are a few interesting pictures I found.

This is a picure of Eastern Parkway just West of Poplar Level, looking East.  You can see the Medical Arts Building in the background.  This was after a 6 inch rain fell, I think 1964.

Our neighbor, the Mid-City Mall.  This would be November, 1964.

And, last but not least, Shelbyville Road with the Watterson interchange in the left foreground.  The 'Mall' on the top left, with the East Drive-In Theatre across the Street.

Here's Round 26 for the Year, as promised.

I played Iroquois GC yesterday for the 26th round of the year.  It was a really nice day, but I rode a cart anyway and didn't attempt to walk.  I really enjoyed the round for several reasons, but the biggest reason was because Brian played.  I don't get to play golf with Brian very often.  I played from the yellow tees and Brian played from the white tees.  Brian shot a 72.  I can't break down his 9 hole scores for you because I don't remember.  But my score was 41 - 38 = 79, which I was proud of.  Of course, I didn't win any money and out team didn't come close to being low.  Brian's score didn't count in our team bet, and the other two guys I played with netted down to an 80 and 77.  My net score, with a 7 handicap, was 72.

Here I was helping Brian on the first tee.  I taught him everything he knows.  Father-Son Golf.  It's Great!

I'm a Quitter

I played Shawnee today.  My big plan was to walk the front nine and ride the back nine.  It was a hot day, so walking the entire 18 was out of the question.  It was a little hotter than I thought it would be.  When I got to the 2nd tee I'd wished I'd rented a cart for the whole 18.  I was really hitting the ball well, and not putting bad, even though the putting cost me dearly for the nine holes. 
Anyway, I was completely exhausted after 9 holes and on about the 7th hole I decided to quit after 9.  I was so tired I didn't even want to try to ride the back nine.  I needed to get in out of the heat, relax, drink water, and get my energy level back up.  I haven't been this run down since I was in Pittsburgh.
But, I'm home now, hydrated, cooled down, relaxed, and glad I made the decision to just play 9 holes.  I hated to quit, but I feel it was a wise decision.  The only problem was, I was really playing well.  I missed two short putts, ones you know you should make, but I still shot a 37.  I had a par on every hole except the two holes I missed a short putt for bogey.  I'll play again this Thursday, but I'll ride from the outset.  It's supposed to be a little cooler, too.  At least now I know not to even try to walk at all on the hot days.

Now, to report on a round I haven't blogged about yet.  Round 25 for the year.  I played Kearney Hills GC in Lexington this past Friday.  It's a Links style course, very nice.  About 10 years ago it was a Senior Tour Stop.  The day was a rainy one, drizzle most of the day with periods of steady rain.  We managed to get the 18 holes in.  I played well there, too.  I birdied 3 of the 4 par 3's.  I ended up shooting 40 - 44 = 84.  I gave Greg Lynn 2 strokes a side and ended up beating him both sides and the 18 when he shot a 96.

I can't count my half round today in my rounds for the year.  so I'm still coming up on round 26.  Hopefully, this Thursday will allow me to get that one in. 

Traditional 4th of July Art Contest!

Our Traditional 4th of July Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest went on as scheduled, despite the rain.  We had to move it indoors and use paper and crayon instead of sidewalk and chalk, but it went on just the same! 

We had ten entries this year, and here they are in no particular order.  We each got to vote for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and couldn't vote for your drawing.  And the winners:  Erin and Jillian tied for first place, and Kim came in 3rd.  As you can see by the entries, it was difficult to vote for the best pictures.  The theme was 'The 4th of July', and you had 20 minutes to make your drawing.  Of course, a little cheating on the time was allowed with a few protests, but the voting took place after all entries were in. 
The two winning entries:  Erin's entry bottom left, and Jillian's entry bottom 2nd from right.  Kim's entry for 3rd place was between Erin and Jillian's on the bottom.
Like I said, it was a tough choice because all the entries were excellent!  We look forward to getting back out on the sidewalk with chalk next year, but we'll always have a backup plan!

Sunday night was another fun night at Willow Park!

I forgot to write a post about Sunday night in Willow Park.  I didn't get a picture of the dancers, but we had a good crowd and the band, 'Stray Cat Blues Band', played good dance music. The rain stayed away from the park, even though I know it poured in other places around town.   Now, to touch on a different, but not completely different, subject.
Mary Lynn just finished reading a book titled: "The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared".  I'm reading it now and about half way through it.  It's a pretty good book, and, as you would suspect by the title, has a lot of funny moments.  But, some of the main characters in the book are in a gang and wear leather jackets with "Never Again" on the back.  They're a pretty dumb bunch of people, and "Never Again", the name of their gang, comes up often.  So, what does this have to do with the Willow Park Sunday Night Concerts?  Well, Sunday night I saw a girl walk by and was dancing on the Dance Floor, and she had a tattoo on her right shoulder blade.  I couldn't make it out, but I said "Surely that doesn't say what I think it says".

I didn't know how to get close enough to read it without being noticed, so I took a picture and then zoomed in on the camera to see the tattoo.  I was right, it said what I thought it said.  "Never Again".  Hey, one of the gang members right here in Louisville!  Mary Lynn and I got a pretty good laugh out of that one.

Another round of golf in the books!

I played at Shawnee GC today for round 24 of the year.  I walked the 18 holes today and I felt pretty good when I got done.  The weather was nice.  We had a little shower for about 5-10 minutes, but when it finished, the sun came out for the rest of the round.  It only got into the low 80's today, but with the recent rains and the short shower today, it was plenty humid. 
I hit the ball really well today.  Probably as well as I've ever hit the ball for 18 holes.  However, my putting was terrible.  I shot a 42 - 43 = 85.  It seemed when I read a green correctly, I didn't hit a good putt.  But when I misread the green, I hit a good putt that didn't do what I thought it would do.  So, overall, it was a poor putting round.  I think if I'd putted well, I'd have easily broken 80.  And that's pretty good for me at Shawnee. 
I like to walk, if I can.  When the weather is cool I'll walk.  But, I just can't handle the 90's and heat indexes of over 100.  So, when it's hot, I'll have to cut down to playing once a week and riding!

Bad Front Nine, Good Back Nine

It was a hot one today, so I rode the whole 18.  I'm not going to try to walk when the heat index gets above 90.  I might try walking the front nine at Shawnee GC, when it's early enough that it hasn't gotten that hot yet.  But today we played at Iroquois GC, and I won't attempt it there.
I didn't have a very good front nine, double bogied three holes, two of them were par 5's.  It's hard to keep your score down with a couple of 7's on the card.  I played much better on the back nine.  Plus, I really putted well the whole 18.  It could have been a much higher score if I hadn't saved a few holes with nice putting.
I shot a 45 - 39 = 84.  I mentioned in an earlier blog that my handicap at Iroquois is now a 7.  So my 84 netted me down to a 77.  I takes a score in the 60's to win low man, and an average team score of around 70 to win low team.  Needless to say, my 77 didn't help my team.  Luckily, I guess, the whole team played pretty bad today, so not winning wasn't just my fault.
This was round 23 for the year.

People watching at Willow Park on a Sunday Night

It was another fine Sunday night in Willow Park.  They finally opened the newly sodded area near the new dance floor, so we were able to sit in our normal place.   'The Tarnations' played, which I will not place in my favorite Sunday night bands, but the music was OK.
It's fun watching all the dancers and watching the little kids dance.  Some of them really have some moves.  Little kids are so 'uninhibited', and have fun moving to the music as the music moves them.
We also like to watch the people.

This guy in the shorts was one of Mary Lynn's favorites.  We both wondered just exactly what look he was after when he got dressed to come out and dance in public.  What you can't see is the red bandanna handkerchief he had hanging on his right side tucked into his waistband.

And, there was this guy.  You think this was a new pair of shorts?   I zoomed in on the tag on the bottom of the shorts and they said "Walking Shorts, W34.







The weather was nice.  Not too hot and a gentle cool breeze all night. Next Sunday night will be the "Stray Cat Blues Band".  They're not one of my favorites either, but they play pretty good music and decent dance music.  Hope the weather's good!

Playing Shawnee GC on the Weekend

I played Shawnee GC today with Mark and Matt Wagner.  I don't like playing a City Course on weekends because it costs me twice as much as it does during the week.  I get the Senior rate on weekdays of $7.75 Green Fee.  Weekends, there is no Senior Rate and the Green Fee is $14.75. 
It was pretty hot today, so I was just able to walk the front nine and had to rent a cart on the back nine for another $8.00.  I know this is not a lot of money, but if I expect to play a couple of times a week I need to keep my expenses down as much as I can.
I don't know what happened to my drives.  I just lost it a couple of weeks ago.  I was hitting the ball so well off the tee.  Now, I don't know where they're going, and the ball doesn't go very far.  Maybe I'll get it back.  I didn't play well today but still managed to shoot a 41 - 40 = 81.  I guess that's pretty good.  But I know it should have been 5-6 strokes better.  I think Mark and I tied, but I believe Matt shot an 80 to beat us by one stroke.
I'm not sure how to handle the heat this summer.  I know I'm now one of those people who are supposed to heed the Heat Advisories.  So, I think I'm going to have to really curtail my golfing during the hottest part of the summer.  And, when I do play, I'm going to have to ride a cart and not even try walking.  So, I'll probably have to quit playing on Tuesdays for awhile and just play on Thursday at Iroquois.  I don't know, I'm still trying to decide what to do.
This was round 22 for the year.

Funny faces, smiling faces

We celebrated Kim's Birthday last night at Uncle Maddio's Pizza.  I got some nice pictures, but I'll just show you one of the nice ones.

This is a nice picture of Kim blowing out the candles on the brownies Mark made.  Of course, this was after the traditional 'Happy Birthday' song.









Then........ everybody seemed to start making funny faces for the camera!

Some of us take to this really well!

Sometimes it's hereditary!

Mr. and Mrs. Goofy........

And hands down, the winner is............










Yes, we had a lot of fun.  And, again, Happy Birthday Kim!  We love you!

The Problem with Playing Good Golf

Anyone who plays golf knows the problem with playing good golf.  It never keeps up.  The same with playing bad, you know eventually it will change.  So, my good golfing changed today.  After several rounds breaking 80, today I shot a 43 - 42 = 85.  Not a terrible score, but not what I've been scoring. 
I hit a lot of really good shots today.  The problem was, I hit way too many 'terrible' shots.  I topped a tee shot, hit a couple way left.  Got myself into trouble.  But, on several holes that I got into trouble, I was able to make a really good shot to bogey the hole.
I can't say I'm upset about playing bad.  My handicap has really dropped and if I expect to win any money now, I'll need to get that handicap up a little.  It's now 9 at Shawnee and 7 at Iroquois.  I mean, '7' handicap?  That means I'd have to shoot a 76 in order to net below 70, which it takes to win low man on Thursdays.  Usually, it takes around a net 66 to win low man.  That means I'd have to shoot a 73.  Which would only be 2 strokes lower than I've ever shot in my life.  Not likely. 
So, while I have this low handicap, I can't complain about shooting high scores.  It can only help in the long run.  Now don't get the wrong idea.  I'm not one who would shoot high scores just to raise my handicap.  I try to play well.  It's just that when I don't play well, I take consolation in the fact that at least it'll raise my handicap!

Breaking 80 for the 3rd time this year

I played Iroquois today for my 20th round of the year.  As at Shawnee, we moved one of the holes back to make it a par 5.  Those of you familiar with Iroquois GC know hole #12, a long par 4.  So, we moved back to the blue tees and made it a par 5.  This gives us 3 par 5's in a row on the back nine.  I shot a 40 - 39 = 79 today.  My only double bogey was on #18.  I guess you can say I choked!  I'm still not hitting my tee shots as well as I have been.  But they were OK.  The bad part of my game today was my fairway woods.  I just didn't hit them well at all.  The rest of my game was all OK, but I would have to give my fairway woods a failing grade.  I hit a lot of them a little fat, and a lot of them off the toe of the club.  These shots weren't terrible, but they just didn't measure up.  I didn't get into trouble with any of them, but instead of hitting green on par 4's and having a short iron in on par 5's, I had to hit small wedges and long irons.  I did chip and putt pretty well.
My team did win low team today, so I got $9 back.  That's 3 times in a row I've won a little money.  My handicap at both courses is 10, and I think I'm due to have it drop a stroke.  Anyway, I hope that's all it drops!