Never Standing Still

Mileage Run

2011-10-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

I know I'm not the only one who considers a mileage run to keep ADDVantage status on American Airlines. Being in Dallas, and flying places that don't "touch" Texas (meaning, flying Southwest means changing planes), status is a good thing. So, I stay on the lookout for cheap fares -- with Tony doing a job in San Antonio, I've been looking there, but roundtrips look close to $400. Too much.

I'm borderline keeping my Gold status for the year (miss having Platinum, but what can I do?) so with Tony out of town and a cheap $110 airfare available to LAX, I jumped on flying in this morning, hanging out at the Admirals Club, and flying back. I know, I could leave the airport, but this is pretty easy.

So, woke up early, headed to the airport. Parked with Freedom Park (if you don't know about this, you should), spent 30 minutes in the Admirals Club in the D terminal. Didn't get upgraded (but have for the return flight). Board -- no one is in the middle seat next to me. Yeah! Uneventful flight, except for the leaky pen that I got all over my face.

Headed to the Admirals Club at LAX. It's a pretty big place with good views. But, I like the set up of the ones in DFW better -- they have more coffee bars and refreshment areas. You have to wander around to find it here. It is better than the Admirals Club in Chicago -- which isn't bad, it's just always jam packed with people, making it hard to find a place to sit everytime I go.

First order of business: finishing up the Michigan golf trip blog. Completed! Feel like such a slacker for it taking so long. Note to self: do LIVE, not months after a trip. No fun. No energy.

Second order of business: Bloody Mary (thanks, Laurie, for keeping me out too late on Friday night!). Watch Texas OU game (non event -- it's 48 to 10 in favor of OU-- ouch!). BTW, Mr. Bartender: I agreed to spicy, and like horseradish -- but.... the huge scoop of it was a bit overwhelming.

Third order of business: Think I'm going to LEAVE the Admirals Club and grab lunch. As OK as the food is at the Admirals Club, figure there may be something more interesting in the terminal (maybe).

So, I could be playing golf instead of doing this mileage run. But I feel I accomplished things today. Maybe I'll buy a shot glass in memory of the trip.

OK, I'm off to find some lunch at LAX. Mileage run half way done.

Day 9: Tullymore and heading home

2011-10-08T13:11:00.000-05:00

It's a sad day the last day of the trip, but also a happy day. After this much golf, it's time to head home. Not that we're looking forward to heading back to Dallas and 100+ weather. Tullymore was designed by the same architect who did True North, so we know we'll be happy playing there. It does not disappoint. Cool back to back par threes on the front. Don't have those very often. But, the par 3s are pretty stout yardage wise.

St Ives Inn is no Boyne, but I obviously didn’t mind the bed since I missed the thunderstorms that supposedly blew through Wednesday night after we turned in. Did find out that all of us watched Feherty when we turned in (so, yes, there is no such thing as too much golf). Grab coffee, check out, and off to Tullymore.
Tullymore is another one of the top 100 courses and designed by Eng (same guy who did True North). This is the second of the two courses I hadn’t played on this trip so I’m looking forward to it. Can’t say that we were all bouncing up and down after this many rounds of golf. The entrance and landscaping heading to Tullymore is beautiful. Keep saying it over and over how I wish my yard and garden could look like this in Dallas -- no way in the world that could happen with our Texas heat. Don’t even want to think about what the yard looks like. I’m sure that the tomatoes are no more. Peppers may have a chance. Impatiens, definitely not.

Tullymore lived up to its reputation and was a great track. Could play it regularly, and from different tee boxes (played from the Gold -- this trip is taxing enough, why make it even longer, especially on the last course of the trip). Tullymore isn’t as challenging as True North, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing (especially on the last day). Back to back par 3s was interesting (not too many courses have -- one of them is Cypress Point, in case you’re curious). We’re finally seeing more critters -- Momma and her babies. Geese (but not as many as at St. Ives).

Round over and Mark jumps in his car to head back to Chicago. He figures if he gets there earlier, he could wrap up his meetings and head back to Dallas tonight (or earlier tomorrow). We grab lunch at the clubhouse since we have time. Excellent food (Tom had a chicken parmagian (sp) sandwich and Bob and I had a steak baguette with horseradish and mushrooms and provolone). Jump in the T&C and off to the airport we go (Bob pretty much falls asleep pretty quickly).

Sitting here at the airport in Grand Rapids (GRR), Netbook plugged in. Coffee in hand. Tom’s photos are uploaded onto my computer, as are mine. Might have tried to upload too many photos to Snapfish before the flight, but it’s delayed. Maybe it’ll be a good sign and I’ll have to cancel my upload midway (doubt it). Tom’s over to my right. Bob, don’t know where he is. This is the last leg of the trip, and we don’t typically spend a lot of time talking. We’re pretty beat by now. Figure sleeping may be on the agenda on our flight.

How’d we net out? Can’t remember if I’ve told you, but there is a spreadsheet involved and all I had to do was drop in the last couple of rounds and then it’s all figured out (yes, there are a number of documents on this trip -- spreadsheet with handicaps on different tee boxes on all of the courses we play; itinerary formatted from Tom’s initial tee times; spreadsheet for expenses since I am the keeper of the money; spreadsheet for trash and Robins). Well, no one lost big or won big on this trip. Mark was the big winner of $40 in Robins ($20 from me and $20 from Bob) and $41 in trash. Tom broke even on the Robins and won $17 in trash. Bob and I are paying them out. But, it’s worth it. I’m sure that Mr. Say So will have to have a meeting to discuss how to adjust for next year.
And, yes, we’re already talking about next year. It will definitely be Michigan. Always Michigan (and yes, I have a bag of Better Made Butter Braided Pretzels stashed in my suitcase).

[guess my overzealous uploading is working out. Flight was supposed to leave at 530 pm. Then changed to 605 pm. Just switched to 555 pm. And, since it’s 526 pm and I only have 64 of 205 photos uploaded, I overdid it. But thanks GRR for the free Wi-Fi so that I could at least start the upload.]

Day 8: Head to Tullymore

2011-10-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

Got up in the morning -- not nearly as early as most days because we're not playing a morning round and instead driving to Tullymore/St. Ives. Pack up the cars and head to check out of Boyne. Thankfully, our buddy was there at checkout so we could check everything and get squared up. For one of the first times since we've been going on the trip, everything sorted out nicely. Mark headed to a meeting and was going to catch up with us. Tom, Bob and I leisurely headed our way (Bob spent most of the trip snoring in the backseat).

To get to Tullymore, they tell you not to use your GPS because it'll take you there in a round about way. But, they do have a lot of big signs guiding you there (Tullymore is in the middle of nowhere as well). When we get to St. Ives, it's starting to rain. And, I don't particularly like playing in the rain. Don't like the rain gear, the wet grips, the umbrella. Nothing about it. So, pretty much I rode around in the cart, drank beer, caught up on email and a bit of work, watched the scenery. There were a lot of deer on this course -- including the two that put plenty of hoof marks on the green as they ran up from the pond and across the green.

Finish up and head to the inn to check in. Nothing fancy. Not nearly as nice as Boyne. But, we're only there for a night's sleep. Grab dinner and drinks and then head in for some shuteye before our last round at Tullymore.

Day 7: Bay Harbor

2011-10-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

My favorite day on the trip: Bay Harbor. Start off with breakfast at Sagamores. Head up the road to Bay Harbor to play for the day. Starting off Links/Quarry. Afternoon is Preserves/Links. It's a little chilly in the morning -- with some serious wind. Will make for an interesting day.

Repeating again the wide eyed, mouth opened looks from Bob and Mark. And, Bob finally gets the bag of found golf balls that we brought along with us to hit into the lake. Take a picture of this. Take a picture of that. Take a picture of this. So, lots of pictures at Bay Harbor.

Lunch on the patio. Nice that it was so cool that we all had to wear sweaters and contemplated inside instead of out. Soup was a good call by all to warm us up.

Day 6: True North

2011-10-08T12:55:00.000-05:00

Monday we're supposed to play True North in the morning and then added BlackLake (don't know if it's still owned by the UAW anymore) since we couldn't figure out what to do with an afternoon off (antiquing didn't really interest anyone but me and Tom). True North is in the boonies (just past Boyne Highlands courses) so we stop for a nutritional breakfast at McDonalds (after stopping at 7-11 for my coffee). Turn left at the church (Tom mentions that if they ever get rid of the church, he'll miss the road).

I don't know how these courses can stay in business because they never seem crowded, they are in amazing condition, and the staff is supberb. And, they only get play a few months out of the year. But, that's why we keep coming back.

Again, Bob and Mark are amazed by True North, like they are with all of the courses. Tom and I are amazed at how much lusher True North is this year -- guess Michigan received a lot of rain. Normally you can hit it in the gunk and find your ball. Yes, we have quite a few "gunk moments." This year, finding your ball was pretty tough -- but Bob found plenty to replace them often coming out with a handful of balls. Our cart woman -- Shelly (sp) was amazing. We must have seen her every 3-4 holes.

Lunch on the patio. Great food at True North. Few beers (of course). Our Wisconsin trip has us ordering more Leinenkugal Summer Shandy than Oberon, but we mix it up a bit. While we're ordering lunch, we have a thought: how about bagging Black Lake and seeing how much it costs to play True North again -- less driving and the course definitely doesn't "suck." For $70 replay fee, we're in!

We start off on True North again. Don't know if our tummies were full or what -- but pretty much all of us couldn't hit the side of a barn at the beginning. At least we all have good attitudes about it. Mark, I believe, shoots a 50+ on the front if that tells the story. And, with those kinds of scores, not a whole lot of trash (well, a lot, but not the ones that make $$). But, turn the corner on the back nine. It's like a fresh start.

Dinner. Well, no one but me and Tom seemed terribly excited about dinner again at the Bob In (sniff, sniff). So, we eat at some place -- chain, oh no! -- near the casino. Wasn't bad, but wasn't the Bob In Again (sniff, sniff).

Tuesday's Bay Harbor, so we need to get rested up.

Day 5: Heather/Hills at Boyne Highlands

2011-10-08T11:37:00.000-05:00

Off we go on Day 5 of our Michigan golf adventure. Today is Boyne Highlands, the Heather course followed by Arthur Hills. First have to make our stop at 7-11 for coffee (it's a tradition). Then stop for breakfast (buffet with egg station) at the inn before our first round. Warm up a bit on the not-so-impressive driving range (we've always thought their driving range was pretty dinky, but after Forest Dunes, nothing seems as top notch). The Heather course has some marsh, some hills, some woods. Really pretty course. If you watched Big Break Michigan, you'd recognize some of the holes here and later on at Arthur Hills.

Now that we’re a foursome, we can play Robins and team trash. Much more fun than with 3 people because the games are more plentiful and noone is alone in a golf cart. Not that we have running conversations or anything, it does make a difference.

Finish up at Heather and head to the next course for lunch in the clubhouse before playing the Hills. The onion rings are amazing -- but they didn’t have the sweet potato fries that are excellent (it's been a number of years, but Flick was having lunch with a Korean woman on the LPGA. Now I wish I knew who it was because I'm sure she's doing well on the tour.

Hills is one of Tom’s favorite tracks. It starts off pretty basic (especially since I birdied the first hole). Meanders around into the woods. The back nine is more impressive because of the elevation changes -- but the front is pretty special as well. Breathtaking views make playing poorly fine by me. Besides, we also have beer!

Finish up our round on the Hills and off to the Bob In for bear claws. We've discovered that Mark is winning the most. Tom is thinking about changing the rules. Why -- because he "Says So."

Tom and I have been talking up The Bob In for weeks. It’s tradition. It didn't have the same aura for Bob or Mark -- but they are newbies and have to go along with what we want to do. And The Bob In Again is TRADITION.

Cantigny and Home

2011-09-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

OK, objective is to get Chicago blog done and maybe a few of the straggler Michigan ones done before having to head to our plane. Today, we're playing Cantigny (www.cantigny.org/golf) -- recommended by Allison and Robert (told us about the great practice facility and the great youth practice facility and program). Mark has meetings so Tom and I are on our own. Have breakfast at a Portillo's breakfast place (not bad) and then head over. Michael Green is who we were to ask for and he wasn't in yet. So, we wandered around before talking to Rachel in the pro shop who just sent us off. As long as we don't run into anyone, we should play fast, even if it is cart path only.

They have an amazing set up -- clubshop, practice area, everything. We knew this would be pretty good just from turning into the entrance. And, for only $100, a bargain. (http://www.cantignygolf.com/). Tom and I play a game so that I will at least "try." He's giving me three a side. I start off pretty decent (not hitting my driver) with a par and win the hole. Then I stop keeping track. The course is in great condition, but with LOTS of dogleg rights it seems (definitely not good with my driver there) and a lot of sand. The greens aren't as fast as Naperville or Flossmoor, but in great shape with a lot of undulations. I just seem to putt better on greens in Michigan, Wisconsin and now Chicago -- than I can in Texas. Or maybe it's just new courses. Just don't know. We started with Hillside and then went to Lakeside. Supposedly Woodside and Lakeside are the two better nines, but since we haven't played any of them, we don't know what we're missing, or if we're missing anything. Not until we get to the end of the first nine that Tom announces that we're dormey (sp -- I'm winning!) and I manage to lose the next hole, tie and then win the last. We head to Lakeside and the starter, who reminds us of AK because he's peppering us with questions: are you an employee, what are you doing? oh, you're the two I let off. Then, Michael Green comes up to us and introduces himself. Great guy. He and Tom talk up the course and the Glen, which none of us have played, but Mike's interested in a comparison.

Mike tells us that the Lakeside is harder than Hillside and I manage to rattle off two double bogeys in the first two holes before settling down. Still not hitting driver. But, not getting into any trouble so that's a good thing. And I'm putting. This course is definitely a must play if you're in the Chicago area. Michigan like. Wisconsin like. And in the middle of Chicago.

Yes, I take Tom's money and am the "big winner" on this trip. We head to the airport where the nicest people at Alamo just about carried us onto the bus. Never had this great of service at Hertz or Avis or any of the others. Good job, Alamo. I think you may have a new customer in me. Keep it up. Go through the secret AAdvantage line at Ohare (or as Tom calls it, Oscare). At the Admirals Club. Not looking good for an upgrade. But free drinks and wifi. This is not my favorite Admirals Club. It's a maze and big and crowded. But, enough complaining.

Cross your fingers that we'll be upgraded.
Note: I will probably edit this blog when I get home (or maybe not), with pictures and more descriptions.

Sunday: Flossmore Country Club. Back to Homewood area where we lived until we moved to Puerto Rico.

2011-09-19T17:35:00.000-05:00

I have to say, Marriott, that you need to get over charging for internet service. It’s so out dated. I know that you need your revenue and all, but it’s not necessary. I’m sure that I have some sort of Marriott status that give me free service, but I don’t know how to do that. So, shame on you, and as a result, I’m typing the blog and will post when I can do for free. And, while I’m on a little hotel rant: do those coffee pods really save that much -- seems to be a lot of plastic that gets thrown out -- and the old method got me more coffee -- at least in my mind!
Go down to look for a newspaper, but they don’t have any yet. But, NASCAR is definitely staying here judging by the group of guys wearing Big Red stuff. Maybe the pit crew for Big Red? I’ll have to check and see who has that team when I get internet. Finally have some local weather. Supposed to have some sprinkles in the morning, then letting up, with heavier rain tonight after 400 pm. We should be good for today and on Monday before heading back to Dallas. I brought raingear, but hopefully won’t have to wear it.
Unfortunately, the rain lingered. Rained on our way down to Flossmoor Country Club (http://www.flossmoorcc.org/). Definitely check out their website and the renovation pages where they have the rearchitecture drawings and before and after pictures. Really cool way of describing a renovation. Unusual since we really haven’t seen any rain for so long. Stop at Blueberry Pancake House (http://www.blueberrybreakfastcafe.com/) in Homewood for breakfast. Their pumpkin pancakes with creme cheese "sauce" were really good! Everything is so familiar to me, but I don’t have my bearings since I never drove around there to our house or Grandmas. Did recognize the Aurelios (http://www.aureliospizza.com/) on the way. Get to the clubhouse and it’s raining. Definitely taking the raingear in. Another old school course where we are escorted to the locker rooms where they have signs for us and our lockers. Rain pants on. Rain top I will try not to wear. Head out and test out the slick greens and then warm up. We’re playing today with Booker Whitt, a member. He lives downtown and has family in this area and that’s why he belongs there.
Game on. Standard robins and team trash. Flossmoor is an old school course (established in 1899 with the clubhouse built later). Redone with accolades. Definitely wanted to take a tee marker, but controlled myself since I’m a guest. Big trees, lush (and wet rough). It’s the greens that get your attention. If you’re not in the right place, you have a definite chance at three putting. It’s par 74 for women, 72 for men, giving me two extra par 5s (one that has me teeing off behind them, and one in front of them). My driver needs Rick’s help (will probably get with him soon since it’s way, way off). But, my five iron is my friend and gets me out of some binds. I’m not used to hitting long irons on par 3s, but that seems to be typical of older courses. Definitely don’t want to be in the bunkers. Or the rough. Fairways are much better. We’re just “not that good.”
But, Tom and I win the first robin. Booker and I win the second robin. And Mark and I win the third robin. Yes, I took the money today. And, that’s a surprise because I’m not a “mudder” and didn’t expect to have much of a round. Much better only wearing rain pants and a cashmere sweater that was repelling the rain drops.
Back to Lisle, where we stop at Portillo’s (http://www.portillos.com/) for a combo dip. Tom hasn’t had one. I have, but not in a long time. Portillo’s is Mark’s Bob In. Most of the people there definitely didn’t need to be there.

Tomorrow, we’re playing Cantigny, before heading to the airport and flying out. Supposed to be spectacular. We just need to hope that the rain ends. The BMW looks cold and wet -- we know that because we played in it. Probably a good thing that we didn’t get tickets to go to Cog Hill. Being a player in rain and being a spectator in rain -- completely different situations. Guessing that NASCAR didn’t get off today since the rain was pretty steady (weathergirl said it’d end in the morning and then stay away until evening -- she was wrong).

I watched Justin Rose win at Cog Hill and then went down for a drink before turning in. Some PGA Tour "people" were staying there (along with some really drunk NASCAR people who drank and didn't watch anything), including DJ Gregory, a gentleman with cerebral palsy who walks pretty much ever PGA Tour event. I've met him at Byron Nelsons, Colonials, Glen Eagle's British Open Qualifiers, and now walking into my hotel in Chicago where he was wet and getting done with watching Cog Hill. His story can be found at: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1725450,00.html (btw, this is an older story, and it continues and he does -- great fan of golf and great testament to living).

Chicago Golf Trip - Take Off

2011-09-19T17:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, yes. I know I haven't finished the Michigan trip blogging so I'm now two golf trips behind. But, I'm not paid to blog so it'll have to do.

Thank you, American Airlines, for the farewar. With my gold status on the line, getting the extra trips in is important and I’ve been checking for deals. $125 roundtrip from DFW to ORD: done! One specifically for a golf trip (I’ve never played in the area where I was born!). A second in October for a trip to see Anna, Lily and Clara play soccer (more on that in a bit). Tom’s in. Mark’s in. I’m in. Since Mark has the connections in Chicago, he’s in charge of where we play and where we stay.
A week before we head to Chicago, we don’t really know where we’re playing or staying. But, we know that golf will be involved. Find out that it’s rather difficult in Chicago to find a place on the weekend (or weekday) that will let a woman play (at all, or before noon, or on Sunday). We thought we were on Butler National (really? Wikepedia and everything I’ve heard said: no women allowed on property). I call up to Butler and ask Skip (he answered the phone) if women were allowed to play Butler. “You need to ask a member that question.” “So,” I said, “I have to ask a member if women are allowed to play Butler?” Yes.” We took that as a resounding NO! But, we know we’re going to play Naperville Country Club first -- right near my sister, so I tell her we should have dinner on Saturday.

Note to Butler, etc.: I do not have a problem with all male only clubs. I have a problem that I can't play them. But I'm good with the idea. Just jealous because I want to try them out. If you have an opening, my info is on my blog. To those of you who think that this is just "wrong" -- they are privately owned and members can do what they want. If they don't want me as a woman to play, fine. If they don't want people named Tom to play, fine. I'm just jealous!

Later in the week, we find out that staying downtown is going to be way too expensive. Allison helps out with some geography. Mark comes through with Marriott in Lisle -- pretty central location so we’re set. Tom and Mark are getting in before me. I catch the 545 am flight on Saturday, getting in at 800 am. They’ll pick me up and we’ll head to the club. Upgraded, so I’m happy. Land, meet up with them and get my stuff. Well, American calls me and tells me to check with the baggage service department about my luggage. Since I have my clothes, but no clubs, this doesn’t look good. Happily, they are on a flight that gets in at 931 am -- and the do. We just hang out at the airport until then. --- It was funny that when I was walking to baggage claim, Tom marches right by me and I have to call his name twice. With the loss of my hair, he didn’t recognize me.
Naperville Country Club (http://www.napervillecc.org/) . Founded in 1921. Two years ago it was redone. Blogs say that it’s “snobby.” But, we’ll be in good company so who cares, right? David joins us as our member when we pull into the club. Ladies Locker Room is nice (this isn’t always the case), grab lunch, warm up (greens putting fast and smooth -- and Naperville has one of the NICEST and COOLEST practice areas. It’s so picturesque with its strategic bunkers and trees and greens to hit at). A couple talks to us on the range, saying we’ll have a great time (that doesn’t seem snobby). Then off we go. David starts off with 2 birdies and a par -- and then asks us if we want to play a game. Hell, yes! Only, since it’s late -- who gets David? Since I’m the scorer, I went Carts, Drivers, Others -- meaning Mark got David. Turned out to be OK because Tom birdied 5 and I birdied 6 for the tie.
I didn’t bring my camera on this trip, but I stole some pictures off the web that just don’t do the course justice -- and if you go to their website (http://www.napervillecc.org/) they have a cool interactive map, just doesn't show enough of the practice area). Naperville Country Club is in GREAT conditions. The greens are tricky, but Chris, our forecaddy, and David are helpful in telling us where to go (and not go). Chris tells us about the false fronts that you definitely want to hit past (as Tom and Mark found out on hole # when they landed on the green only to have their balls roll all the way back.
After we played, we grabbed a drink with David. Tom was the big winner (go figure), Mark won a $1, and David and I payed up. But, I did birdie 17 (a par 3 that has gunk all around the front, left and back -- with a bunker on the right -- and from my tees, playing 170). The couple on the driving range talk it up to us. Find out that Lisa comes to Dallas quite a bit, so I give her my card -- maybe golf, or dinner. They give us info for playing Cantigny on Monday. We’ll call on Sunday on our way to golf.
Then, off to dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill (http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com/) in Naperville with Allison and Robert. Naperville Arts Fest (http://www.napervilleartleague.com/) is on this weekend. And, Cog Hill’s down the street where the BMW Championship is being played. AND, NASCAR is in town! Get there -- haven’t seen Al and Robert in about a year, I think. It’s hard to find the time to visit all of the family (and hard for Al to do the same -- along with there being five of them). So, it’s good to see them, even if only for dinner. Tom and Mark can’t get over how much we sound alike. Look alike. And then, gesture and say things alike. I know that we’re sisters and similar, but having two people who have known me for years (and put up with me on the golf course) it was funny. Al’s telling me about Clara scoring four goals today in soccer (she says she plays like I did), and Lily scored one goal. Can’t wait to see them in a few weeks. Maybe there will be time on Sunday. Ted’s is a good place for dinner -- I had a bison burger with blackberry jam, bacon, jalepenos and cheese with a fried egg -- the combo is great.

Say goodbye, head to bed to get up early for golf in the morning.

Lawsonia - Day 3

2011-08-22T06:47:00.001-05:00

Day 3 we get up and out the door earlier because we're going to have real breakfast at Lawsonia and it's about an hour drive from the Farmhouse. It'll be nice when the construction is over. With limited road construction months in Wisconsin, it takes forever for them. Nice drive towards Green Lake to Lawsonia. It has an impressive entrance gate that I remember.

We're starting with the Woodlands course, followed by the Links. It's chilly enough that we're all wearing sweaters or vests -- and contemplating rain pants! After a day of playing robins and trash for the first time, Tony's still in -- he just is getting fewer strokes than the first day.

The Woodlands starts off pretty straight forward with a par 5 and then meanders us around the woods. The second hole has a quarry and doglegs left severely. I told Tony about the quarry, but not much else because it's a tough layup. Ignorance is bliss and he makes it over and almost pin high. There's this enormous tree next to the green that is impressive. The third hole is a fun little par 3 next to the lake (I made my first birdie on the trip on this hole -- and only birdie). Downhill, narrow, surrounded by bunkers and trees. And, this cool house on the right. The Woodlands has a lot of trees. Quite a bit of sand. And a lot of dog legs. But pretty playable. The guys have taken a liking to Kristen (sp) the cart girl (who we find out at lunch from the waiter that her sister used to be a cart girl and is dating a football player who was drafted by the Seahawks or Falcons (or?). Tom's not playing well at all and downs a couple of beers and then makes a birdie putt and feels much better about himself. Dave's complaining about his game. I just play. Tony's in it for the practice, the vacation and the scenery and isn't getting too down on himself -- and, the amazing thing is that he's finally bought into the Leinenkugal Summer Shandy and Honey Weiss we are drinking -- and partakes himself in a few beers on the course.

Lunch at the turn on the patio (we think it's enjoyable but a woman comes out to sit on the patio and then goes inside because "it's too hot.") where we have a waiter who is undergoing his "first day." We take it easy on him, enjoy our lunch and then off to the Links. Giving Dave three more shots to stop his "whining." We're not out to destroy anyone's wallet -- just some competitive fun. The Links starts out in howling wind -- Dave makes three pars in a row so he's on a roll. There's this awesome barn on the first couple of holes. Kristen stops by and we get our picture taken with it in the background and tells us that in the Civil War they kept German prisoners there... well, wrong war, but good story. The Links has all kinds of heathery/gorse stuff that you should avoid. And all kinds of bunkers that you should avoid. And plenty of wind that plays with your shots. I'm not hitting well enough for the wind to affect much -- that's what happens when you go on a golf trip like this. But the weather is PERFECT. The scenery is EXCELLENT. The company is AWESOME. So, no complaining! Tom finishes off this course with a birdie on 18 (par 5) to end the trip. We contemplate playing a few more holes until dark and then change our minds and head to the Heidel House for drinks and dinner on the patio with a few of Green Lake (the deepest lake in Wisconsin -- not sure if they counted the Great Lakes or not). According to a plaque Tony read, Green Lake was the first resort town west of Niagara Falls.

Off to the farmhouse for last night before packing up and heading back to Dallas on Monday and getting back to the heat and 100 degree weather (ugh.) It's been a great trip and we've all enjoyed the courses, the hospitality and the Leinenkugal!

Wisconsin - Day 2

2011-08-21T05:45:00.001-05:00

It never sucks to wake up to cool sweater weather in August to head out for a couple of rounds of golf. Royal St. Patrick and Eagle Creek. Head out to Royal St. Patrick. We always wonder if Monica will get us there, since we seem to be amongst the corn fields in Wisconsin (and chicken and cow farms -- you can smell those!). She hasn't let us down since Erin Hills (and even then, she wasn't "far" off).

Pull in, get our stuff and go to the range to hit a few before teeing off on this links style track. Royal St. Patrick does not disappoint. The greens are slick, but true. The rough -- well, try not to be there -- was solid. The gunk -- well, definitely try not to be there.

Tony's in the game, so that makes a "real trip" -- robins and trash. Tom's few tips to Tony are paying off and we've been generous with the strokes, since Tony doesn't have an official handicap right now. Only fair. No blood on the first robin (Liz/Tony, Tom/Dave). Second robin, Dave and I go down three in a row (ouch), but then win the next two (because we have to) before succumbing to Tom and Tony. No blood on the last robin. Trash is healthy, but not crazy. Tony's the "big winner in the clubhouse" on the first round. Dave and Tom on 18 realize that they don't have enough golf balls if they're going to lose this many. I have lost only one ball since we arrived (shocker). Would definitely head back to Royal St. Patrick's for another round or two.

But, we're running late so off to Eagle Creek we go (crossing our fingers that Monica won't let us down direction-wise) swinging by Subway on our way. Again, we meander through the cornfields and little farmhouse roads until she drops us right at a golf course in the middle of no-where. Before stopping at Subway, we called up to Eagle Creek and asked if they searched food. Based on their odd response, that's why we decided to stop on our way.

Well, Eagle Creek, let's say, um, has some staffing issues. But not all bad ones. We get there and the "kid" at the front desk (who also serves as bartender, and sweeper and cart boy, probably) apologized and said that whoever booked our tee time "couldn't read" since there was a tournament. And, we'd be getting off around 3 pm instead of 2 pm. BUT... the green fees were on the course... and range balls! So, for $15 per person, we're in. Besides, it's nice outside and we've pretty much screeched into the course. So, patio time, practice time for everyone but me. There's some interesting people watching in Wisconsin. I am sure they say the same about our crew when we show up.

Oh, another thing about Eagle Creek. You want bottled water or soda at the clubhouse -- you have to get it through the machine outside, not through the bartender. Weird. I'm sure there's a reason, but not exactly the most efficient way to make money.

So, we're off for another round. Robins and trash again. My driving is way, way off (it's been off and needs an adjustment), but my five iron is behaving. Tony's driving the ball much better with Tom's advice -- but any new swing can result in some "off shots." Eagle Creek does not favor "off shots." It only likes accuracy -- in the fairways, on the greens. Some of the holes -- as Dave put it -- are like circus elephants and camel butts. It's an interesting course, in great condition (greens slower than Royal St. Patrick), but you definitely need to play it a few times to figure it out. The scorecard doesn't really tell the true hole-by-hole story and we all scramble to figure things out. Well, we come to the last hole and Dave and Tom are against me and Tony. Tony and I are down one (guess Dave and Tom are all square in their own little game). And... Tom stuffs one a foot from the hole for birdie, net eagle. Figures, but that's Tom.

Off we head back to Combined Locks. Dinner. Well, Tom and I aren't huge on dinner. But Dave and Tony are. Tony's fine with a bolgna sandwich. Dave, not so much. Monica gives us some selections and since Main Street is usually where "the action is" off we go to a play called Marty's. We can always change our mind.

Marty's isn't exactly "fancy on the outside" -- or "fancy on the inside." Probably hasn't been renovated in 40 years. But -- they have a website: http://www.martyssuperclub.com/ so they at least know what technology is (believe me, you wouldn't believe it when you see the place). Has a "moldy smell" according to Tony, on the inside. We're pretty much game for anything -- worst case scenario is it's a bad experience and we'll talk about it forever. Our waitress is definitely from Wisconsin. We definitely aren't. Order dinner (really inexpensive). They have an appetizer buffet that the boys check out and quickly come back because they "couldn't identify" stuff on the table. Dinner doesn't disappoint. And our waitress is hilarious in a Wisconsin way. She thought Tony was from Australia (well, not quite, but at least she knew he wasn't fronm Wisconsin). She ends by telling us about JDs for ice cream (something about a turtle sundae that sounds a bit like the bear claw at The Bob In).

Back to the farmhouse to shower up, have a quick cocktail on the porch, and then off to bed. I think Tony now knows what we mean when we say we pretty much only play golf on these trips. Even he goes to bed early.

Sunday is Lawsonia. Off at 615 to get there early for "real breakfast" instead of cereal.

BTW, pictures to follow because the camera is still in my golf bag. I am taking pictures.

Wisconsin Trip

2011-08-20T06:03:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. I still have half of Michigan to blog and here you see Wisconsin. One of the things about blogging, especially on golf travel trips, is that it's better to do day-by-day -- not after the fact. But, with Michigan, internet access at Boyne Creekside wasn't working on my little netbook, so I waited. And, as a result, you're still waiting (well, probably not anxiously). In the meantime, I'm in Wisconsin, sitting at a desk in the Appleton Farmhouse (thank you, in particular, Kim Starr for the accommodations for me, Tony, Tom and Dave.

Yesterday we readily escape 100+ degree weather in Dallas to head to Wisconsin. Thankfully Tony, Tom and I are all upgraded to first class. Not sitting next to each other but who cares. Tony gets a guy with a sling around his arm. I get a "larger" man who takes up a lot of room. Tom gets a guy -- and they pretty much talk the entire flight. In fact, we've landed and Tom and this guy are finally introducing themselves and Tony exclaims: you've been talking for three hours and you've just introduced yourselves???

We get the bags. Tom gets the car. We all hold our breath to see if all of our stuff is going to fit in the car (it did in my Explorer -- barely). Yes! And then off we go to Whispering Springs in Fond du Lac (http://www.whisperingspringsgolf.com/). It's about an hour and a half from the airport. Nothing eventful once we get past the traffic. Get out of the car, get all of our stuff out and unpacked -- yes, in the middle of the parking lot, without ceremony (Tony expected one). Grab a brat and a beer (BTW Leinenkugal Summer Shandy is pretty much out come August -- it's not summertime anymore as we're told). Hit the range for a few and then off we go.

Whispering Springs is a pretty course with really tricky greens. You're on the wrong side and you can three putt pretty quick (yes, we all did). This is Tony's first golf trip with the group and he's worried that we're going to be all army like the entire time. We think we're playing pretty leisurely. Love looking at the barns and the corn fields right next to the course (instead of hitting balls into the bay, you can hit them into the corn fields!). I play pretty decent. Dave plays great. Tony is rough on the front and then Tom got him "aligned" and shoots a 48 on the back with at least 3 pars. Considering he's never done one of these trips, sat on a plane and then in a car for half a day -- that's not bad. Tom plays okay on the front but has the rights and his back 9 aren't stellar. I think on Dave and Tom's side bet that Dave won the money. I finish up with a par on the par 5 18 (BTW on your second shot, don't be left -- big tree).

I wouldn't call Whispering Springs links style. Wouldn't call it in the woods. The back nine is reminiscent of Michigan at times. The bunkers have great sand (yes, I was in them). Think it was a great little course to test out.

Then off to the farmhouse for dinner with Darin and Ferko (I finally get to meet the famous Ferko!). Clean up quick and have a nice steak dinner, then some talk and then shut eye. I'm up early this morning and then blogging (pictures to follow since my camera is in my golf bag).

Today is a light day of travel to Royal St. Patricks (http://www.royalstpatricks.com/ ) and then Eagle Creek (http://www.eaglecreekgolfclub.net/) . Just went on their website and like Forest Dunes, Royal St. Patricks has a bonus hole #19. Nice links style course.

Day 4: Treetops

2011-07-31T09:55:00.000-05:00

Two years ago after playing and staying at Treetops, I wrote a polite letter to Treetops about the condition of the course (slow play, poor course conditions, outdated rooms -- think: teal bathroom fixtures -- and really bad toilet paper). The result of my letter was a phone call to discuss, followed by 8 free rounds of golf at Treetops. While we decided not to stay there, free golf is free golf. And the courses are beautiful, even if the course conditions were not. Maybe they’d have improved by the time we came back.

Drive to Gaylord, stopping at McDonalds on the way. Masterpiece (the course that was in pretty poor condition last time) was first up. We had already heard that the course still wasn’t up to snuff from someone at Forest Dunes. Well, bunkers still weren’t great, but at least the pace of play was fine. Bob really, really liked the elevation (sometimes three clubs less on a couple of downhill par 3s). Headed to Premiere next, grabbing lunch. I couldn’t hit the side of a barn so I eventually decided I’d ride around in the cart and drink beer. But, luckily, the skies opened and we looked at the map on the scorecard to try to figure out how to get back to the parking lot. Looked like it wasn’t going to work until we found a dirt track that we decided was a maintenance or marshal shortcut. It was. Tom gets the car (using the best umbrella ever from Ensco). Bob and I hide out with everyone else, trying to stay dry. Note on the Town and Country windshield wipers -- they work. Well enough that when they are going full steam next to people standing next to them -- they splash lots of water. Poor couple kept saying -- turn off the wipers!!! Bob and I are giggling.
A mile down the road, heading back to the condo -- dry as can be. But, I know Bob and I are happy to have a half round less than what we planned. Rest up. Swing through Meijers for amenities (Vernors, Monster, Better Made Butter Braided Pretzels, fruit). Shower up. After the night be fore’s experience at dinner, figure we could go into town for a meal. Tom and I are watching golf. Bob heads upstairs. While later and Bob is still upstairs. While later and there is a noise coming from upstairs. Ask Tom if that’s snoring coming from there. Put on mute. Yep. Bob is sacked out, snoring like Darth Vader. Guess that dinner may be out now. Doesn’t matter to me and Tom.
Phone rings and Mark’s at the Grand Lodge, checking in. We warned him it could be an experience to check in. We’d already had two of them ourselves, and each time, they told us Mark would have to pay for what he missed. We know, we know! Tom and I head over to the Lodge, wondering if Mark is even where we think he is supposed to be. He is. And, Logan, our best buddy at Boyne, was helping him check in (guess pre-Logan the check in wasn’t going so smoothly). Couple minutes later and we’re on our way to the townhouse.
Bob and Mark are hungry (it’s now 900ish). Tom and I aren’t. We send frick and frack out on their own to forage for food (hoping that they also figure out how to get back to the townhouse on their own).

Day 3: The Mountain

2011-07-31T09:50:00.001-05:00

We almost always have our first day at Boyne at the Mountain (Alpine and Monument) so that we don’t have to drive around much. Grab breakfast. Read the paper (big news about Tiger and Steve Williams parting ways). Pack up the car (again since we have to move to Creekside). Head to the courses.

Start off on Monument (takes 15 minutes to drive to the top of the mountain from the pro shop). Play down the mountain to the “valley” on this course that honors top golfers with plaques and stories along the way. Have lunch at the half way house after our first round. Then off to play Alpine. Don’t know what hole Bob decided that he was going to play barefoot. Then Tom followed suit. I finally succumbed to it and the grass is so spongy and soft that it’s amazing. In Texas, the ground is hard and hot.
Finish our round and check in (long, long line for check in that Bob and I bypass -- then Bob goes and gets us beers at the bar as we go through check in). Off to Creekside. This place is nice. And has a hot tub. Settle in and unpack. Clean up and decide to go to the Beach House for dinner. Tom and I remember it as being nice -- with fish on a plank. Not the case anymore. It’s definitely gone “family.” Service is spotty. Food is incredibly bad. Bob returns his for a steak. The steak is incredibly bad as well. But, they comp his meal and give us a discount. Extreme disappointment. Don’t know if it’s the economy, or just Boyne. Sad to see.

Back to Creekside to rest up for our day at Treetops (8 free rounds of golf). We’re assuming that Mark isn’t going to make it to Treetops and aren’t sure when he’ll get in.

Day 2: Forest Dunes

2011-07-31T09:30:00.000-05:00

Good night sleep. Wake up, make coffee. This is when we usually don’t find out how compatible a newbie will be with me and Tom on this trip (meaning: just because you think you can get up a the crack of dawn every day, doesn’t mean you can). Why? Because the first day for a rookie is like the first day of school. Way too excited. It’s further along in the trip that we find out.

36 holes of golf today at Forest Dunes -- how good is this. Get there before it’s even opened. We don’t care. Craig (he played with us the year that Steve came with us -- I don’t think I blogged much because of wifi problems) was going to join us so that we had a foursome until Mark shows up. Bob has his mouth opened already and we haven’t even teed off. Great first round re-remembering the course. Quick lunch (their food is good). Go around again (even easier to remember two times in a day). I like the front nine over the back nine. I think it’s just the woods/preserve type of courses that I enjoy over links -- or maybe I just play them better?). Have a beer and tally up the trash (we played robins and team trash -- for once, I cleaned up with $45 and Tom lost most of it -- yes, I was throwing a party).

Bob’s mouth (btw) was still open. And probably full of bugs because that is Forest Dunes only problem as I see it: bugs (not mosquitos, just no see ems, horse flys, bugs).

Off we head to Boyne (about an hour, hour and a half when you stop for ice cream (DQ, because Chet requested it), Subway for Bob (he needs three square -- Tom and I are good with ice cream and pretzels and almonds) and 7-11 (Big Gulp for Tom -- note to potential sponsors of this trip -- being in advertising, I have no issue name dropping products (but, if I don’t like your product, beware!).

Pull in to the Grand Lodge for check in. This is always an adventure because Boyne’s front desk isn’t always the swiftest. This is the case for this check in as well, but Scott is a sweetheart. And, then we get to our room (the Salzburg Suite). We’ve been making fun of Bob for a couple of days about the Hansel and Gretal room (it’s real and we knew it). BUT, in real life, it’s super real -- and Bob took a look and went “no f**” -- well, you get the drift -- and went out for a cigarette. Tom and I looked at each other and Tom says “we need to fix this.” NOTE TO BOYNE, IF YOU READ THIS: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ASSIGN THE SALZBURG SUITE WITH THE HANSEL AND GRETAL ROOM (NOT A ROOM) TO PEOPLE ON A GOLF PACKAGE. That rooms is NOT for an adult and should not be considered a room.

Down we go to the front desk. Scott again (sweetheart). Well, he listens to our story and gets flustered. And then gets Logan. Tom explains our predicament. We need three bathrooms (because of me needing my own bathroom). And then we need four bedrooms (sometimes three is OK because people don’t mind bunking up). The Hansel and Gretal room is not sufficient as a fourth. What can we do? Logan gets on the phone -- another Boyne inefficiency is that Logan’s “book” and the person on the phones “book” don’t synch up. But, we hear Creekside. Four bedrooms. Three bathrooms. Hot tub. Only bad thing: can’t get in until the next day. No problem. We’re three people and no one will have to sleep in the Hansel and Gretal room (unless they really want to).

Shower then grab a drink in the bar and then off to bed.

The great thing about Boyne beds is that they are super comfy.

Day 1: Travel day

2011-07-31T09:22:00.000-05:00

Can’t believe I’m sitting in bed at 435 am (335 am Texas time) wide awake, watching ESPN (because Golf Channel is still on infomercials) deciding to get caught up on the blogging for the trip (at least started). No WiFi because we’re staying at Creekside and Boyne doesn’t reach there. And not uploading photos (because my camera is in my golf bag (story to follow).

Well, I’m in Michigan. On my annual golf trip. Life is good. Recap since we left, blog by blog.

Our first day sets the course for the trip. We don’t have to leave on a 630 am flight like we usually do (but should have because I was bored by 7 am and itching to get to the airport). But, Tony appreciated me because he didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to take me and Tom (and Bob this time) to the airport.

Off to the airport, picking up Tom (no problem) then Bob at our office (on way there, Tom gets a text about him being stuck on 75 -- we’re early but wondering if that’s going to be typical -- that’s important on as Tom calls it: a “hut hut hut trip.” Bob gets there. We tightly load up the Explore (another note: hard to fit three people’s golf bags in their travel bags, and suitcases for a week golf trip, and four bodies into a a Ford Explorer -- why we rent a mini van on the trip).

Tony drops us off, we check in, no incidents through security (actually, Bob had his bag searched), then head to the Admirals Club for lunch (and free beer). Weird that Admirals Club has all of these free things -- and then charges for bottled water. Would think Fiji would step in for some promotions and donate water (at least occasionally).

Finally, time to board. We’re all in row 12 (exit row). No incidents because I had crossword puzzle, soduku. And, a new Clive Cussler downloaded onto my Kindle. Plane take off. Plane lands. Bags arrive with us all in one piece. The Town and Country mini van that Tom had been talking about -- we have one. And, it has Sirius (this is important in Michigan where the radio, cell, any electronic coverage can be spotty). Off we head to /Forest Dunes in Roscommon, Michigan, about three and a half hours away per our maps (we have a printout, garmin and backup from the Forest Dunes website). Pretty boring drive. We stop in Cadillac at Glen’s to stock up on staples (Diet Mountain Dew, Vernors, Oberon, Better Made Butter Braided Pretzels, Apples, Cherries, Almonds -- you know, STAPLES!). Then, Bob’s looking to stop for a cigarette -- ice cream, screech. Pull in for our first ice cream on the trip.

Get to Forest Dunes (in the middle of nowhere). Pick up the “keys” to the Eagle at the bar and go and find our house (on the seventh hole). This house is nice. Three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, nicely furnished, comfy beds. Bob, who hasn’t played here, goes skipping out with his pitching wedge to pitch and putt. Head for one last beverage at the bar (no one is there -- Michigan does close down early). Off to bed for Day 2.

One day until Michigan

2011-07-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

We're one day away before heading to Michigan. Yes, I've been pretty well packed for two weeks. Charging up all of the electronics to occupy us on the flights. There's a heat wave going on in Michigan right now -- they are advising people to turn on their air conditioning (if they have it). Compared to the 100+ weather we're having, we might still be wearing sweaters up there.

Just checked out the suite we're staying on at the Boyne lodge. Bob (aka LemonDrop, or Three-putt Bob -- I'm sure he'll have some new names), the rookie, is going to end up with this room (the kid's bunk room). Oh, me thinks that we'll have some fun with this trip!

8 Days Until Michigan

2011-07-12T15:28:00.000-05:00

It's 105 degrees + in Texas these days. Way to hot.

But, on the bright side -- 8 days until we hit Northern Michigan and our golf trip. This is about the time the the bantering amongst us happens. With newbies, Tom and I usually initiate it and see if everyone is up for the banter.

Think this year will be a good group. Daigle is definitely up to the banter. Think his jaw will drop at the beautiful courses that he's been reluctant to check up on because he wants to be surprised. Being the only woman on the trip, I usually expose them to some pictures of "hunks."

Example today was Tom emailing us that Veronica from Forest Dunes was asking if we needed any amenities at the house for our arrival. I responded with: firemen (after spending lunch at a chili cookoff that we judged with firemen). Tom responded that they may be able to find an old 350 pound fireman. I responded with, no, need one of these please:

Tom, responded with -- well, I won't post it because it was an over 400 pound gentleman who doesn't need to be featured on my blog. Bob responded with an email -- that we need to talk to him about because he either can't type or can't spell so interpretation was suspect.

Then, realized that Forest Dunes is owned by the plumbers union, found this gem on the Internet and think he may be there when we arrive:

Let the days tick off, and the banter continue. Michigan, here we come! Forest Dunes, Boyne, Treetops, Bay Harbor, True North, Tullymore. We might actually head over to Mackinac Island our afternoon off to play on their Executive Putting Course (sounds like miniature golf without the clown's mouth). Waiting for them to rerun the handicaps so we can polish up the spreadsheet.

NIRI National and "Old Age"

2011-06-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe that I'm about ready to head out to my 12th NIRI National Conference (www.niri.org). Really? This time, back in Orlando at the JW Marriott Grand Lakes. This time, those of us coming in from Dallas will be insisting on watching the Mavericks play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Talking about old age, we have an intern this summer, Jake Berman. He's a senior at Davidson, is a Phi Delt, is on the baseball team. He's 21 -- that's almost how long it's been since I've been OUT of Davidson. He was born when I was at Davidson. We're talking about going to my 20 year Davidson College alumni reunion next year -- only a couple of weeks after Jake graduates.

We had lunch on Thursday with a fellow Phi Delt, John Walsh (three years my junior, so he only makes me feel slightly older). Started telling stories about "the way things were back then" -- dock stories at Giggy's. Airband. Betty, the Phi Delt "cook." Pig Pickin.' At least Jake was able to say "things haven't changed." That made us feel less old, I think.

I don't feel old. I hope I don't look old (thank goodness for Clairol). But you start looking at twelfth this and twentieth that... the numbers start looking pretty big. Guess I could look at it as -- under 25 years until retirement.

The Grill

2011-05-02T14:35:00.000-05:00

We're pretty big on grilling. Unfortunately, my 10 year old Weber gas grill started to show it's age. Only the front burners worked and the right side cooked faster than the left. No matter how hard we tried, the grates just wouldn't clean up. And then, there's that debate about gas vs. charcoal. I'm a firm believer in both -- but want the convenience of turning on the gas, with the occasional ability to use charcoal.

So, a year or so ago, the new grill conversation started. Gas vs. Charcoal. Keeping old Weber and using it for gas and buying a charcoal. Keeping old Weber and converting it to a charcoal grill and buying a new gas grill.

And then, one day, we saw this grill -- a big grill. One side is gas. One side is charcoal. How cool could that be?

But, conversation continued -- is this just a cheap grill that will last a year? We went to the store and it seemed sturdy. Pretty much two grills attached, with a burner on the side.

So, we decided at $299 for the grill, if it was just a cheap grill that lasts a couple of years, so be it. We'll just run it into the ground if that's the case.

Why am I blogging about this CharBroiler duo grill -- it's awesome. We can charcoal, we can gas grill. Or, as is often the case -- do both at the same time. I get the gas part, Tony gets the charcoal. And in the case of Saturday, when we decided to grill, and started ... just in time for the torrential downpour to come ... if the charcoal wasn't going to get hot enough, we could switch over the gas and still have dinner.

I feel like a product endorser right now, since we've been grilling so much lately, and loving it. Lowes has one. HomeDepot carries one under a different name. I might be saying something else in a year if we find that it's a cheap $299 grill.

Annual Report Season

2011-04-28T16:15:00.000-05:00

Pretty much my life is taken up with "annual report season" from November until May. The crazy part begins in February. The presschecks in March. The last of our 2010 annuals rolled off press on Tuesday. Yes, annual reports are still "alive and well." They come in different shapes and sizes. The quantities printed are few. But, they are still an effective tool to communicate to stakeholders. It's also a good exercise for companies to go through to summarize the year, and the upcoming year.

Eisenberg And Associates is always proud of the books and our efforts. It takes a team to create -- our client, our designers, our production team, paper reps, photographers, copywriters, illustrators, printers, proofreaders. Lots of driving between our office and our client and printers. NTTA loves my tolltag bill.

Here are some of the covers of our final books. We're proud!

Michigan Itinerary

2011-04-21T08:10:00.000-05:00

We are locked and loaded for Michigan. As usual, Tom takes control.

Wed July 20
Leave DFW at 1:30 arriving GRR at 4:55 on AA flight # 3269 (www.aa.com/). We will drive to Forest Dunes (www.forestdunesgolf.com/ and @forestdunesgolf and on facebook too. if we had our act together we could have won a round of golf for us with an award-winning 75 word essay) and have their ONLY 4-br house reserved. Have been told it is very nice.

Thur July 21
7:30 am tee time at Forest Dunes
Lunch Forest Dunes
1:00 pm tee time Forest Dunes
Will leave for Boyne (www.boyne.com/ and @boyne and on facebook) after drinks in the FD bar

STAYING IN THE MOUNTAIN GRAND LODGE IN THEIR ONLY 4-BR SUITE FOR SIX NIGHTS THRU THE 27TH

Fri July 22
8:00 am tee time Boyne Mountain Monument
Lunch at the turn
2:40 pm tee time on Boyne Mtn. Alpine

Sat July 23
8:00 am Treetops Masterpiece (Robert Trent Jones) www.treetops.com/
Lunch
2:10 pm Treetops Premiere (Fazio)

Sun July 24
8:20 am tee time Boyne Highlands Heather
2:40 pm tee time Boyne Highlands Hills
Dinner at the Bob-In in Petoskey (www.bobinagain.com/)

Mon July 25
8:24 am tee time at True North (www.truenorthgolf.com/)
Afternoon off (???) Hang around Harbor Springs or go antiquing.
Dinner and then stopping at the Bob-In

Tues July 26
7:30 am tee time at Bay Harbor Links/Quarry (www.bayharborgolf.com/)
Lunch on the deck
2:00 pm tee time at Bay Harbor Preserve/Links
Dinner in Petoskey
Bear Claw at the Bob-In

Wed July 27
Morning off (???)
Drive toward Grand Rapids
2:00 pm tee time at St. Ives course (www.tullymoregolf.com/)
Stay the night at Inn at St. Ives

Thurs July 28
8:00 am tee time Tullymore
Leave for GRR, eat lunch on the way, leave GRR at 5:30pm AA Flight #3268 arrive DFW at 7:10pm

Sat July 30
BRAG TO ALL THE KIDS AT WOODBRIDGE ABOUT WHAT AN AWESOME TIME WE HAD!!!

Michigan!

2011-04-19T17:01:00.000-05:00

OK, note to self: finish editing the Pebble Beach Pro Am post and post it! I know it's annual report season, but enough procrastinating. I just received a Pebble Beach brochure in the mail that prompted me to remember that I never got around to it.

If you're a non-golfer, I'm sure that you'll be less than excited about this post. But, if you're a non-golfer, you probably don't read much of my blog anyway, since 90% is devoted to golf, golf and more golf.

After much debating, last week we decided we wanted to pull the trigger on our annual golf trip. But, Friday's are NOT the days you want to look at airfare. We did and the rates had jacked up again. Decided to wait until Tuesday, when the rates usually drop again.

So, this morning, I get on to aa.com and check out the rates and they were still jacked up at 6 am. Ugh. Don't know what prompted me to check back around 10 am -- and they had dropped! Called, Tom -- who had checked at 530 am. He called Bob, called Forest Dunes, called Frank, made a couple other calls. And then called me and we booked our flights.

Then, Tom -- who as you know is our cruise director for the trip -- pretty much booked the rest of our stay in Michigan. I just need to dig up the gift certificates for the 8 free rounds of golf at TreeTops and then make those tee times.

So, July 20 - July 28: Michigan Bound!

More on the itinerary, but I know this:
* Staying at Forest Dunes our first night and playing there the next day (they have a four BR house)
* Staying at Boyne Mountain for the rest of the trip (I believe in a four BR suite in the main lodge)
* Playing Alpine, Monument, Bay Harbor, True North, TreeTops (probably Fazio and maybe Threetops), couple other Boyne Highlands courses, maybe Tullymore
* Bob In will be on the route any chance we can
* Bob (no relation to the Bob In) has never been on this trip, so we have a "newbie" -- we haven't told him that he's in charge of shining our shoes nightly, giving us shoulder massages, taking care of our clubs, etc.

Allison's Blog

2011-02-16T08:45:00.000-06:00

OK, my much, much older big sister Allison has finally gotten with the program and has a blog (I remember how hard it was to get her on Facebook).
http://longen-blog.blogspot.com/

Hopefully she'll add some shows that I watch to her posts (hint: golf shows, food shows, the Westminster Kennel Club dog show). Hopefully she'll blog about the Oscars because she goes to more movies than I do.

In case you think my blog will change because of Al's: nope. You'll still be "riveted" by my golf commentary.

Stay tuned: Next blogs: Pebble Beach AT&T Pro Am and February 19 Woodbridge Reverse Scramble (read: worst shot).

Dallas and the Superbowl

2011-01-28T09:39:00.000-06:00

Note: I was not driving while taking this picture. Sitting at a traffic light. But, you can tell that I haven't mastered the Blackberry camera taking a picture of Reunion Tower lit up.

Well, the Bears won't be in the Superbowl in Dallas this year. Too bad. But if you're in Dallas there is no way to avoid the hype in town. On a 30 minute newscast, 25 minutes is devoted to the Superbowl (maybe 28 since they seem to be able to give traffic and add in Superbowl traffic input and the weather and add in Superbowl weather input). The Dallas Morning News has also turned into "Countdown to the Superbowl."

Last night, we wondered what they would do to Reunion Tower. This may be phase I, but this morning on my way into the office, the base was lit up blue. Guess that starting now all of the buildings who conserve energy by not being lit all of the time -- well, downtown Dallas should start looking like a disco.

Thoughts of getting out of Dallas sound pretty good. Thoughts of renting my house would have too -- but figured that renting a house with "must like dogs" didn't seem like a good sell.

$15K for a ticket to Diddy's concert? $15K for a ticket to Prince? $500 to park (call me, for $500 I'll drop you off and pick you up and you can park at our house). $200 to sit in the parking lot at the stadium and watch the game?

Granted, if someone called with some freebies, I'm sure I'd consider.

AMAZING Tortilla Soup Recipe (courtesy of Karen Marino)

2010-11-30T14:40:00.000-06:00

. I'm a soup person. And definitely a Tortilla Soup person. Here's a wonderful recipe Karen Marino from Vollmer PR (soon to be Edelman) passed on to me last year. I made it again on Sunday to help combat the sniffles.

Tortilla Soup
Ingredients1 rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, meat picked from bones and shredded
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (depends on how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

Directions
For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Note: It’s important to put the white corn tortillas in and let it simmer. They not only flavor the soup but they thicken it just enough.

Simple, delicious. Enjoy!

Diamond K Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T14:26:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe we were that close to a Texas Longhorn. This wasn't Betsy.

Hard to believe that this was year three of spending Thanksgiving at the Diamond K Ranch in Sisterdale, Texas (http://www.diamondkranch.com/). This year, one more night's rest. We leave on Tuesday morning to drive down. Unfortunately, I'm sick, but with Kleenex box and plenty of remedies in tow. It's a relaxing drive, but the cops were out in full force.

It's always great went you take that right turn that will leisurely lead you into the ranch. Pretty quickly we see "critters" -- deer-like things is more along the lines of what we see. Pull through the gates, head to the office to check in. Then off to the Loghouse where we're staying this time. Get settled in, pour a cocktail or two. And then sit down to pheasant enchiladas for dinner. Yum. Big fires in the firepit and the chimenea, looking for critters in the dark (unfortunately our night vision is not working). It's quiet and relaxing.

In the morning, we get up and have a big breakfast and then head out for skeet shooting. I opted out because I couldn't decide if I'd rather wipe the snot running down my face or hold a gun. Kleenex won vs. Gun. But it's nice outside. Big lunch (Axis burgers, yum!!!) then out for a drive to check things out. We have a pair of Pierre David's right around the lake at the Loghouse. We usually don't see them around, but this year they were just "hanging out." Driving around, we run into some Longhorns. Get out and before we know it, they are surrounding us, almost at arm's length. They wouldn't get close enough to touch. The next herd -- Betsy was in it -- Betsy licked me! I didn't know that girl Longhorns had horns. Yes, I'm a city girl! Another evening with cocktails, dinner in the barn this time, fires in the pits. Life is tough.

Thursday is Thanksgiving and we start out with some bird hunting. Follow it up with lunch -- Tony and I skipped it because we were still full from breakfast and wanted our fill of turkey for dinner! It was windy and the birds were flying "dog low" so the catch wasn't as good as the year before. I just love watching the dogs. No one was shot either! Hang out, watch some football, have a nice Thanksgiving meal.

Friday, breakfast and then head home with all of the crazies in traffic. But, this time, we have a "bird bag" -- a bag of frozen quail, pheasant, chuckers... and ground axis. We'll be figuring out what to cook over the holiday!

Woodbridge Takes Back the Gold Cup

2010-10-11T15:51:00.005-05:00

OK, enough of the suspense and I'll get right down to it: Woodbridge won the Gold Cup 16 1/2 to 15 1/2 to take back the Cup! On Saturday morning, we finished Best Ball (fourball) 4&4, but had some difficulty in Alternate Shot (foursome), finishing up on Saturday with 6 1/2 points to Plantation's 9 1/2. We had our work cut out for us in singles matches on Sunday.

Saturday Best Ball Matches

Gary Foster/Ronnie "Blood" Cross vs. Randy Steinbrenner/Mike Hess

W Kelly Dills/Bill Johnson vs. JW Wright/Paul Krause

W Doug "Big Nuts" Kelly/Mark Patsy vs. Steve Jarmon/Jed Cantlay

Paul Burke/Brett Bim vs. Duncan MacLean/Blake Richardson
W Elvin "The Assasin" Sharp/Jack Thompson vs. Ron Gunia/Alan Owen
Ron "Seagull" Campbell/Brian Hackney vs. Chad Owen/Joe Hamilton
W John Smith/Greg "Cop" Neal vs. Mike Askew/Paul Miller
Tom "ProV" Warren/Pete Dickenscheid vs. Joe Curtis/JR Westmoreland

Saturday Alternate Shot Matches

AS Bim/Dills vs. Hess/Cantlay
Sharp/Thompson vs. Jarmon/Owen C.

W Warren/Campbell vs. MacLean/Terrien
W Neal/Patsy vs. Hamilton/Richardson
Dickenscheid/Kelly vs. Gunia/Miller

Hacknay/Johnson vs. Wright/Krause

Foster/Cross vs. Owen, A./Nelms

Burke/Smith vs. Curtis/Westmoreland

Sunday Singles Matches

W Askier vs. Bailey

AS Kelly vs. Gunia

W Dickenscheid vs. Owen, A.

W Bim vs. Hess

W Dills vs. Steinbrenner

Campbell vs. Wright

W Warren vs. Krause

W Patsy vs. Jarmon

W Neal vs. Askew

Cross vs. Owen, C.

W Smith vs. Hamilton

W Johnson vs. Nelms

Hackney vs. Miller

W Thompson vs. Richardson

Sharp vs. MacLean

W Foster vs. Westmoreland

W Burke vs. Curtis

Frank and I finish up our round with the Pros, grab some beers and head out to check out the action. Pete closes up his match on 18 with a win and Doug squares his match against Gunia. We hear that Woodbridge is kicking some butt in our matches. We are. But, we had some ground to cover in order to get the cup back. Frank and I are tooling around, checking out the matches. At 13 we find the last group and since their match is pretty tight, decided they didn't need an audience and we decide to follow Pete and Doug to the 16th and check out the action there. If you know Woodbridge, we have a lot of little trails that let you shortcut to different holes.

You know something's going to change this little golf adventure, don't you? Well, it does. I just told Frank to let them go ahead and we were chuckling over the two big guys in the cart ahead of us, taking up a lot of space as they raced full speed to the 16th. CRASH. Bodies flying out of carts. "You blanking blank!" coming out of Doug's mouth. Smoke coming out of the cart. Cart seat off the cart. Yes, Pete ran full force into a tree while not keeping his eyes on the "road" (and no, he wasn't drinking). Pretty much stopped golf in its tracks as matches stopped, people came running.

Good news: while Doug is going to be pretty sore and has quite a few gashes, he'll be good. And Peter will be a little sore, he'll be good except for the many, many years of stories that will come with this "incident." It sure did make for a lot of fun after we won Gold Cup and were drinking beers. And, Pete discovered that there is a "dumbass deductible" with his homeowners insurance that will cover the cost of fixing (or replacing) the golf cart -- that didn't look like it was going to be "fixable."

I say it everytime and I'll say it again. While winning the Gold Cup is excellent and an honor, and I was honored to be co-captain of the team, it's really about the teamwork, the comaraderie between Woodbridge and Plantation -- that's what makes this my favorite event of the year.

Gold Cup, Part 1

2010-10-10T05:37:00.005-05:00

I thought about waiting until the end of Gold Cup and then filling you in on the results. But then, that didn't go over well last year, because I didn't remember the details. So, the morning of our Sunday round, decided to upload the photos I took into snapfish, and drink some coffee. It's also nice that this bout of gastro stuff (they say that stomach "flu" isn't correct) is over and I feel human again.

On Friday evening, skills challenge (long drive, chipping and putting) started on on the rocky side for Woodbridge in the Long Drive category. Well, rocky is mild. Paul Burke led off with a whopping 1 point. Followed by no points by Doug Kelley, one point by Pete Dickenscheid, and no points by Brian Hackney. Plantation wasn't doing great, but you get one point just for being ANYWHERE in the fairway. Advantage Plantation. And then the chipping came and we rallied back. And then the putting came and we clobbered Plantation with some excellent feats by Dills, Sharp, Foster, Thompson, Smith and Cross. Winning the skills challenge. Announce the pairings for Saturday's rounds. I'm absent but I'll get caught up on Saturday.

Saturday, not 100% I'm going to be up for this co-captain responsibility, but at least will try and make it up there to get them off the first tee and then wait and see. I do make it and for the entire day. And even eat for the first time.

But, I think I'm just going to upload a smattering of photos (I've discovered that what looks really close to me when I take these pictures, is really not -- and while I know all of these guys, I'm sometimes having an identification issue) and post the results from Saturday and keep you in suspense.

Ryder Cup, then Gold Cup

2010-09-24T08:48:00.002-05:00

In a week, Ryder Cup will be on. The next week, Woodbridge and Plantation will be going up against each other in our Annual Gold Cup. Last year, Plantation took the cup from us. We're raring to go and take it back. I'll be sitting out this year from play, but acting as Assistant Captain. We hope this year doesn't bring the torrential rains that forced us to play all rounds at Plantation.

The Woodbridge Team:
Ronnie Cross (Woodbridge Flight One Club Champion)
Paul Burke
Elvin Sharp (the assassin)
Peter Dickenscheid
Bill Johnson
Jack Thompson
Mark Patsy
Brian Hackney
Brett Bim
Ron Campbell
Doug Kelly
Tom Warren (2009 Woodbridge Club Champion)
Greg Neal (aka the cop)
Gary Foster
Kelly Dills
John Smith

Stay tuned.

Day 6: Lawsonia and The Farm House

2010-08-09T13:13:00.008-05:00

We've been told that Lawsonia (http://www.lawsonia.com/) will be one of our best days of golf in Wisconsin. They have a links course that we're playing in the afternoon and a woodlands course in the morning. Supposedly the Links is the better of the two. And, after digging around researching for the trip, since Green Lakes boasts of the Heidel House, a hotel with a spa, seems to be like a Bay Harbor type of experience.

Pack up the car with all of our stuff since we're heading to the Farmhouse right after we play 36 holes. Bye-bye, Pete's Mom's Christmas Tree Farmhouse. A great place to stay during our trip. Off to a new location.

We thought we'd stop for breakfast along the way. But, like most of the trip, we're in the boonies and there isn't much on the way. Clubhouse it is! And, that was a good choice because it was one of the better breakfasts we've had on the trip (and yes, they accept American Express). Figured out what was wrong on the range (too far on my heels) and off we go to play the Woodlands. Gorgeous track. Mosquitos weren't really around either. Pretty enjoyable round since we had no one in front of us and no one behind us. Can definitely see why this is tops on people's list. This afternoon, we're playing the Links, which is supposed to be even better. Grab lunch and they get us out earlier than our 2 pm tee time. The wind has picked up -- perfect for Links (but not necessarily for scoring). Another gorgeous afternoon and course.

Before heading to the Appleton Farmhouse, we decide to see what's up with the Heidel House and Green Lake. Now this is what Michigan is like. Quaint little town, nice hotel on the Lake. We have a cocktail and then head to the Farmhouse. Call Kelly, who is going to meet us there. Her daughter is having her Softball Parade so she may be a little late.

When we pull into the Farmhouse, we know that this experience is going to be nice for our tired, golfed out bodies. It's cozy and comfortable. Each of us has a bedroom and bathroom -- there's wi fi so I can get on the internet and delete a gazillion emails. They give us goodies, including Utopia golf shirts, and steak for dinner. And it's so nice not to have to drive anywhere. We sit out on the patio (no mosquitos). Ahhhh, relaxation before our last day of golf.

Last Day of Golf: Green Bay Country Club and Oneida Country Club

2010-08-09T12:53:00.010-05:00

After a great breakfast at the farmhouse (so nice not having to drive around to find breakfast), we head out to Green Bay Country Club (http://www.greenbaycountryclub.com/) for our morning round. Surprised us that it wasn't as "hoity toity" as we thought considering how difficult is supposed to be to get on. And surprised us even more that it wasn't the "traditional" old type of course that we envisioned it. It's awesome. And really not that old. And, did I say, awesome. Well worth the money (and they take American Express). The front nine was pretty slow with two groups of guys ahead of us who eventually sped up. They were from Amelia Island, from the looks of a couple of the guys who also had their Tour Bags like Pete.

Our intention was to grab lunch at Lambeau Field on our way to Oneida. But with only an hour between tee times, we head direct to Oneida and wave to LF on our way. Pulling into Oneida, Dave comments on us being at Bushwood Country Club. There's a pool, and a big club house. Looks a lot like it (but we know that Caddyshack was filmed in Florida). The clubhouse is all fancy, hoity toity. Nice ladies' locker room (with these little flowers you write your name on if you make a par). They do not take American Express. Grab lunch on the patio (and a beer).

And, as non-members, you can't purchase anything from the beverage cart. And the mosquitos were AWFUL. And the trees were huge (not 90% air). Do not go into the rough. Last round of golf. Not the best of our rounds. But a great course to want to take another try at some other time. But, the best part that affirmed that we were at Bushwood -- we met a muskrat (figured that's close enough to a gopher, don't you)? There were plenty of Caddyshack lines tossed around in that round. And, surprisingly for the last round of golf -- Pete didn't break any of his clubs, or throw any into a body of water.

Head back to the Farmhouse, where showers, drinks and dinner await. And sleep. Head to the airport in the morning. Golf is done for this trip. Time to pack up and head out in the morning.

Heading Home

2010-08-07T06:15:00.008-05:00

It's morning and I'm sitting on the floor, Netbook on the floor, uploading photos from the trip onto Snapfish. And trying to get caught up on the Blogs about the trip. It's hard to recap the trip going backwards, since 12 rounds of golf is a lot of golf. And I'm not one of those who remembers what each hole on each course is like. I have a great memory, but these pretty much run together.

Deer at the Farmhouse. Tom saw 8. I saw 3. Pete saw the triplets yesterday. My golf bag is packed. My suitcase next to the car.

Working on the spreadsheets. Pretty much guessed it right on the expenses (what we do is collect money from everyone and then I pay for everything -- meals, snacks, club cleaning, golf balls, ice cream). Makes it easier than having to decide at each meal who owes what. And, it all pretty much evens out. Someone may have a bigger meal, but another may have one more icy cold beverage.

OK, spreadsheet completed. Dave and Tom are the overall winners, but only with a difference of $2 with Tom being the Grand Winner (no, you don't get another prize for that honor). I've fared better than I have in other years, but owe a bit of money to Dave. Pete, with the low handicap, is the big payer.

Breakfast at 7 am. On the road around 8 am. Head to the airport and back to Dallas. Getting in at 230 pm, the heat of the day. Not looking forward to it. But looking forward to getting home to Tony, Maggie, Kat. And no golf for a few days! And the jacuzzi to loosen my back. And maybe a massage. And a chiropractor. Hopefully with all of the mosquito bites that we don't contract Malaria, or West Nile, or some mosquito-related illness.

Stop at a Harley Davidson store on the way to the airport to get Milwaukee shirts (as opposed to the Museum shirts). Check in at the airport (no curbside check in and the poor man checking people in was about to have a fit -- he was really nice to me. Not so nice to Pete, with his overweight golf bag). We're lucky that we're all upgraded to First Class on our American Eagle flight (yes, they have added first class to some of the cabins). I'm still watching the first season of Lost and get through a couple more episodes. Matt and Max are picking me and Tom up at the airport.

So, we had a great time in Wisconsin and loved the courses and the hospitality (but not the mosquitos). Better than Michigan. No. But worth doing? Yes. According to Golf Magazine (September 2010), we just played 7 out of 15 of the best courses in Wisconsin (with Erin Hills being #35 of the Top Courses You Can Play). Not bad. Time to start thinking about next year.

Reminder to bring my Visa next time I come to Wisconsin. Because not many places accept American Express.

Day 5: THE WISCONSIN DELLS (Wild Rock and Trappers Turn)

2010-07-28T09:26:00.010-05:00

Wisconsin Dells. I guess I kept hearing about waterparks and waterparks and it being a great place to bring the family. And water parks. But, in my mind, I had it a little quaint Traverse City, Petoskey. You know, a casino down the road, but cute little boutiques and art galleries, punctuated by ice cream parlors and wine bars. WRONG! As we pass the Wisconsin Dells sign and then head onto what I will call the main drag... you encounter a tourist area like none other. The biggest touristy, cheesy, Wally World (and yes, there is a Wally World) type of experience (with a lot of water parks). We drive down the main drag and pass Famous Daves (yes, that's where we'll have lunch), every kind of tee shirt, vintage photo, candy store you can imagine. I could never have imagined this as Wisconsin Dells.

Tom and I want to go to Paul Bunyans for breakfast (we have a thing for doing touristy, non chain restaurant kinds of experiences and why wouldn't you want to go to a place with a huge Paul Bunyan outside). It doesn't open until 7 am, so we drive around -- past water park after water park. The best is Rome -- it has a Trojan Horse, the Parthenon, and about as much Roman cheese as you can handle. Right next to the upside down White House (that's themed Top Secret). Discover that Pete HATES eggs scrambled, as omelets, in any way except fried. So, when we find out that Paul Bunyan is family style only, with only scrambled eggs, we bypass it and go to Dennys (no, not the chain, but the Elvis Denny's) with it's world famous cinnamon rolls). What a way to start a morning before golf. Wondering if Wild Rock is going to be themed like the Flintstones, or something wacky. Pull into Wild Rock and you can tell we'll probably have a pretty decent experience. GPS in the carts, people at the bag drop.

Well, the wheels definitely fell off this morning on Wild Rock -- and it wasn't the course. We really liked Wild Rock (yes, they accept American Express). Felt like Michigan. Farm Houses, rolling woods, carry over canyon-like things. But, I happened to have a case of the dreadful s***ks (yes, the word I can't even bring myself to type in this blog). And I couldn't seem to cure it. And I couldn't get my driver to behave. Didn't help when you're having a mental kind of morning to have someone (Pete) tell me getting up to the teebox (I see a woodie coming on this shot) with trees all of the way down the right side. Just god awful. But, decided to do the seven wood play. See how many different shots I could pull off with that club. It ended up working for me (along with drinking three beers when the beer cart came along) enough to salvage a 43 on the back (with three pars in a row). And, they have a barn that was turned into the restrooms on the course. How cool is being able to pee in a barn?

After golf, we have some time to kill and decide to head to the main drag to go to Famous Dave's for lunch (BBQ). I'm not Texan so I'm not picky about BBQ. It was pretty decent. Then, a couple of tee shirt shops on their way to find ice cream. With lots of inappropriate tee shirts. Everyone knows I haven't been party to most of the Tiger jokes circulating, but this one was pretty funny. Don't need more than a couple of hours on the strip to be maxed out. Even though, it was great people watching and pretty amusing. Off to Trappers Turn (yes, they accept American Express)-- still wondering if this is going to have some crazy theme to it. On the range, I still have my issues and realize it's just going to be that kind of day that I probably don't fix it and the next day, with new shoes, a different hat, a different ball marker, different clothes, different golf course -- that I should be fine (yes, I'll blame just about everything even if I know it's all me, not my ball marker). So, rather than donate my money to charity (Dave), I decide not to play in the game (yes, you can do that if you want). Could have picked up a whole lot of trash when I chipped in for birdie on the second hole (that'd be birdie, net eagle, chippie, skin). The mosquitos were definitely biting at Trappers Turn. Great course, but clearly need to play it a couple of times before you know where you should (or should not) be going.

Wild Rock (http://www.wildrockgolf.com/)

Trappers Turn (http://www.trappersturn.com/)

Day 4, University Ridge and Ice Cream

2010-07-28T09:25:00.005-05:00

Off to Madison we go to play University Ridge, the University of Wisconsin's course (http://www.universityridge.com/). We have the afternoon off to visit the city and the university, look for co-eds, and have ice cream.

Started with stopping in Lodi for breakfast (because it's where Susie the Duck hails -- http://www.lodiwisconsin.com/). I thought the story about Susie would be more interesting, but you can read all about it if you want. Guess they needed something. Breakfast was good -- but thank goodness we weren't in any particular rush, because we were there quite a while. "Leisurely service" might be an appropriate term to use.

Keep on to University Ridge. Get there and you guessed it-- pretty well branded everywhere from the turf to the trashcans with University of Wisconsin or Badger related items. Very red and black. Since I went to Northwestern for year, Dad went to Purdue, Andrew to Ohio State, Allison to Penn State, and Tony is definitely not a Big Ten fan, don't see myself buying much in the proshop at this course. But, looks great. The front nine is a "link-ish" style course. The back nine is more "woodlands." Very true. I play great on the front (carded two birdies that were really close to eagles) and awful on the back. Felt like some of the Michigan courses. Great condition, soft greens. Only thing we didn't like was the sand -- on the front, it was pebbly and on the back, it was so soft that the sand came around my ankles. And, we had lunch provided with our green fees. And, they accepted American Express.

University Ridge opened its doors in 1991 and has received many awards, including in 2009:
#7 in “Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play” Wisconsin-Golfweek; Reader’s Choice Awards “Top 50 in country” Public category-GolfWorld; #1 Rated Course in Wisconsin-Golflink.com; #47 Top 100 United States Golf Courses-Golflink.com.

Not bad. After golf, we head downtown to go check out State Street (supposedly "the street" in Madison). Unfortunately, because of a lot of construction, we had to weave our way to State Street. Parked, found ice cream, and then visited the Capitol building (they have a Liberty Bell -- Freeport-McMoRan does need to change the sponsorship from Phelps Dodge to FCX since Phelps Dodge is no longer). State Street didn't seem to be as "wild" as we heard. But then, school hasn't started yet so may be on the quiet side.

Enough of this. Decide to head back to Pete's with a stop at Milty Wilty on the way home. You can tell that we really like Milty Wilty (W7411 State Road 21, #73, Wautoma, WI 54982). They don't have a website that I would say is their website, but you can send them your pictures with you wearing your Milty Wilty tshirt for them to post. Poor waitress was a little overwhelmed with us and managed to have some trouble with our orders. But, we're in no rush.

Another adventure tomorrow!

Day 3, Northern Bay and Sentry World

2010-07-28T09:24:00.006-05:00

Ok, we have more driving to do on Day 3, playing Northern Bay and then heading to Stevens Point (over an hour away from Northern Bay) to play Sentry World. Hoping to stop and have breakfast along the way (but given yesterday's experience, we may be eating at the clubhouse again). We were lucky to find a little cafe pretty close to Northern Bay. We walk in and a guy at the counter says "you must be the golfers." Duh. Guess they get a lot of us in there.

We pull into Northern Bay (http://www.northernbayresort.com/) and it reminds me and Tom of Boyne. Newer condos, nice cars parked out front, nice clubhouse. Kinda log-cabin style. We're running on the trunk slamming side timing wise, since breakfast took a little longer than we planned. And, again, Northern Bay does not accept American Express. The weather is a little on the "chilly side" so we're feeling like we're in Michigan. And the course, played like Michigan, only these were replica holes from Augusta, TPC Sawgrass, Oakmont, etc. This course definitely needs to be on a course to play in Wisconsin. Except for having to pass a really slow threesome at the turn (#10 is the TPC Sawgrass #17 hole). Northern Bay is definitely a must play on a Wisconsin golf trip. We buy brats for the road to eat on the way to Sentry World.

Sentry World (http://www.sentryworld.com/) is part of Sentry Insurance and it's facility is pretty enormous, with lots of tennis courts. They do take American Express! Parking lot is pretty empty and we get on earlier than our 3 pm tee time. Gary, our starter, is a trip. Here's another Michigan like experience and the course is very picturesque. Especially the 17th hole par 3 that is surrounded by flowers (free drop if you hit in their -- local rule that is a two stroke penalty if you don't adhere to it). Gorgeous and sweet smelling. Not necessarily on the top of my list, but we enjoyed ourselves (until the mosquitos came out).

Finish up and head to dinner at a place recommended by the cart kids. We even tried fried cheese curds (tasted like fried mozzarella sticks). We're also sticking to Wisconsin beer. Like Wisconsin Amber (the beer for Badgers) and Leinenkugal is pretty tasty. And Spotted Cow (which Tom calls Spotted Monkey). When a tourist,be a tourist, is our motto!

Day 2, Lake Arrowhead Lakes and Pines

2010-07-28T09:23:00.006-05:00

First day of two a days begin on Sunday. This means getting up really early and heading out, hoping to stop for breakfast along the way. Today: Lake Arrowhead Lakes and Pines (http://www.lakearrowheadgolf.com/)

Since it's our first trip with Dave and Pete, Tom and I don't know if they'll be dragging to the car or sitting in the car when we plan on heading out. They are the latter (yeah), at least for the first day.

Head out to Lake Arrowhead. Corn, lots of corn, along the way, but pretty much no "civilization" until we get to the club. Moment we get out of the car, mosquitos begin their onslaught on us.

Since there was nothing to eat along the way to the clubhouse, the nice lady in the restaurant made us breakfast sandwiches (we also experienced some of the regulars already hitting the bloody marys and beer -- may not be a bad idea). Pay for our round (they don't accept American Express) and range balls, off to loosen some stiff muscles. With the defective tokens (or range machine), Pete looks like he wants to break the machine (but doesn't).

Lake Arrowhead is WELL POPULATED WITH MOSQUITOS. But, we come prepared and spray away. Unfortunately, we discover throughout the day, that the stuff we brought -- well, the skeeters liked it. And us. Never in our Michigan trips have we encountered this many mosquitos. And, it's on the warm side. But, they do have a Michigan feel to it. Problem with the Pines course is that it's Sunday, and it's "couples/family" day on the course. SLOW, slow, slow. But, we're on vacation. And we're golfing.

Head back after our round and wash up and head into Waubash (civilization) for dinner at a restaurant Pete's been talking about for weeks (I can't remember if they take American Express). And, we discovered a new place on our way to Culvers for ice cream: Milty Wilty's (they only take CASH, no credit cards) -- the Waubash version of Petoskey's Bob In. Not quite the same, but not that different. Very Happy Days-ish. Tom and Dave buy tshirts. This is definitely part of our Michigan experience.

Back to Pete's house and crash to prepare for Day 3 of Wisconsin (I suppose we need to come up with real names for our trips).

Off to Wisconsin, Day 1

2010-07-28T09:21:00.011-05:00

Well, morning started off uneventful in Dallas. Woke up, didn't have trouble getting Tony up (THANK YOU TONY, FOR TAKING ME AND TOM TO THE AIRPORT), picked up Tom and headed to the airport. Who knew that curbside checkin wasn't open at 5 am. So, pulled up top -- Pete was sitting outside waiting for us. Checked in (who knew that at 5 am only one person would be working the desk).

Got on plane, took off. I have a Kindle, Touch, Camera, Phone and Netbook. Opted to continue watching the first season of LOST (yes, I'm behind the times).

Landed, got bags (first off), picked up the minivan and headed to the Harley Davidson Museum to check it out and get Tony a tshirt. Museum was pretty cool. Very "motorcycle architecture" and awesome interactive displays. Pete keeps talking about how starving he is, so we get out of there and head to Erin Hills (http://www.erinhills.com/ ). Their website said not to go by GPS. So, with our redundant system, I have hard copy driving directions printouts to accompany the Garmin. It's definitely in the middle of nowhere and we keep wondering where the PGA Tour players will stay when the US Open is there in 2017 (Tiger may want to stay at Holy Hill, http://www.holyhill.com -- Holy Hill is located in southeast Wisconsin, on the highest elevation in that part of the state. According to their website, it "provides the visitor with the opportunity for spiritual enrichment." And, if we had time, we probably would have gone and visited it, because it's pretty impressive.

Doing pretty good directionwise until right at the end. Find another course, ask two guys -- they say that we're a long way away and send us back where we came. Don't know what their long way away was, but pulled the printed directions out and we were only a couple of miles off [note to people going to Erin Hills -- it's not well marked yet, but they are doing a lot of construction, probably in preparation for the US Open in 2017]. Pull up, unload the car, reload the car. Go find Ben, the man who has been so helpful on this trip. He looks just like you'd think Ben would look like (btw, they take American Express, a theme on this trip when you read posts to follow).

Lunch is pretty nice outside on the patio at Erin Hills (think Dave is going to beer and brats his way through Wisconsin). Their beer-battered fries were pretty darn tasty.

Their driving/practice facility is washed out after lots of rain these last couple of weeks. So, with a couple of putts, off we go with our caddies Ben (from Pittsburgh PA) and Randy (from Frederick MD).

Here's the kicker on the caddies: Ben has been laden with my bag and Pete's TOUR BAG. Ben's a big guy, but Pete's bag must weigh 70 pounds. Poor Ben. We said Poor, Poor, Poor Ben a whole lot more when we realized how many hills we would go up (why does it seem you never go down a hill, only up?)

Erin Hills is gorgeous. The clubhouse is a rustic-looking building with a locker room downstairs. Looks old, but is probably pretty new (but I'll have to check that). The course has a lot of gorse on either side of the fairway. Not much water. In the wind, which we didn't have, it will definitely be more challenging than it was the day we played it.

After our round, another couple of rounds of drinks. We contemplated dinner, since it was a pretty good lunch. But, decided to get on the road and head to Pete's in Hancock. Ice cream time anyway. Not far down the road, we encountered quickly on the left a custard place. Brats and custard will fill us up for dinner and the rest of the way. Garmin took us the "scenic" route, seeming to take a turn every few miles until we got on 39. But, we get to Pete's Mom's House. Kinda dark, and we're kinda tired, so we pretty much crash. Time to start Day 2.

REMINDER: I am not a graphic designer. I am not a web developer. Therefore, there is nothing aesthetically pleasing about this blog. I upload pictures and where they show up, they show up. You can figure out what picture goes with what story.

Itinerary Set for Wisconsin

2010-07-09T14:01:00.002-05:00

After much planning, our Wisconsin Golf Trip is locked and loaded. I am now working on the spreadsheet with the course ratings, slopes and yardages from the variety of tee boxes we will have the opportunity to choose from.

Here it is:

Saturday, July 31
Fly to Milwauke
Harley Davidson Museum
Erin Hills, 136 pm (host of the 2017 US Open)

Drive to Pete's Mom's Christmas Tree Farm

Sunday, August 1
Lake Arrowhead, Lakes, 800 am
Lake Arrowhead, Pines, 148 pm

Monday, August 2
Northern Bay, 745 am
Sentry World, 300 pm

Tuesday, August 3
University Ridge in Madison, 10 am
Afternoon free for Ice Cream and Antiquing

Wednesday, August 4
Wild Rock, 830 am
Trappers Run, 348 pm

Thursday, August 5
Lawsonia, Woodlands, 800 am
Lawsonia, Links, 130 pm
Drive to Combined Locks to stay at Appleton Farmhouse (thanks, Kim, Kelley, everyone at Appleton Coated Paper)

Friday, August 6
[this day is many thanks to Ben at Erin Hills who has gotten us on these private courses]
Green Bay Country Club
Drive by Lambeau Field, eat at Curly's
Oneida Country Club

Saturday, August 7
Drive to Milwaukee and fly back to Dallas

Three weeks to go!

Planning for Wisconsin

2010-06-18T07:41:00.004-05:00

In case any of you have wondered how we plan our annual Michigan golf trip, here's the direction we head. Tom has always been our "Julie" (for those who are too young, Julie is the cruise director from the Love Boat). He and I often converse prior to an email like he sent below (partially because he and I have gone on most of the trips; also possibly because I'm a control freak). Pete and Dave are virgins to the trip, so we need to set the framework.

Here's Tom's email:

Wisconsin Campers:

Those of you with A.D.D. still read through this.....

Except for our last golf day (Friday 6th), I have put together a tentative itenerary which I am going to try and book as early as today. IF THERE ARE ANY OBJECTIONS TO ANY OF THIS PLEASE TRY AND GET BACK TO ME BEFORE NOON TODAY.

Liz and Dave both have suggested we play Erin Hills, north of Milwaukee and sight of the 2017 US Open. After a major renovation, it opens the day we arrive, Sat. July 31st. It looks great on the website and unless we end up playing crazy expensive private clubs on Friday, it will be the most expensive round (by far) of the trip at $160 plus approximately $85 for the caddy....NOTE-ESPECIALLY PETE...ERIN HILLS IS WALKING ONLY AND YOU EITHER CARRY YOUR BAG OR TAKE A CADDY...NO PULL CARTS. It is apparently pretty difficult and very much a links-style course. Interesting article (it may scare you) at http://www.wisconsingolf.com/articles/erin-hills-golf-course-hartford-wisconsin-8876.htm

It will be difficult to play twice on arrival day and get to Pete's house at a decent hour (original idea was to play University Ridge outside Madison on the way to Hancock). Also, Liz has a strong desire/need to see the Harley-Davidson place (they have a VERY highly rated museum) both for herself and Tony (Dave-Tony is Liz's boyfriend and a longtime Harley owner). I have owned three Harleys myself and think going to the museum would be very cool as well. Therefore, subject to strong objection from anyone, the plan is to land in MKE, go eat breakfast, go to the HD Museum in central Milwaukee (Dave would look SOOOOO cute in a black HD t-shirt! and full leathers!!), have lunch and then play Erin Hills, which is about 40 minutes north. It is then about 2 hours to Pete's house.

The rest of the week would look like this (assuming I get the tee times I want):

AM PM Comments

Sun Lake Arrowhead Pines Lake Arrowhead Lakes About 35 min drive from the house close to Wisconsin Rapids. 1st round $67 and second (twilight) is $39

Mon Northern Bay ($60 before 9am) Sentry World ($75) Long day to play 2 top-ranked WI courses. 45 min to NB and 1:15 to Sentry (Steven's Point) back thru Hancock

Tue University Ridge OPEN (**need decision) Univ Ridge is the top-ranked public course in WI & 1:30 from house. Tue is $79 unlimited play & includes buffet lunch

Wed Wild Rock ($89) Trappers Turn ($65 twilite) Courses are within a few min. of each other in Wisconsin Dells, about 1hr from house. Both on Golf Dig. best to play

Thurs Lawsonia Woodlands Lawsonia Links(many awards) Ranked #55 by Golfweek,in Green Lake 1 hr from the house. All day play is $105 w/cart.

Then we drive a little over an hour to Liz's vendor's [Appleton Coated Paper, thanks to Kim Starr] house (which Liz got us for FREE!!) outside Appleton. Supposedly the house comes with a CHEF to cook us dinner!!

Fri TBD TBD Talking to Liz's new "freind" about which courses best to play in Appleton/Oshkosh/Green Bay. Trying for private clubs

**NEED A DECISION-do we want to try and play another Madison-area course on Tuesday, play University Ridge again (incl in one price) or be tourists/relax??

DAVE/PETE....we have found in the past that it works great for one person to pay for ALL the meals, ice cream, snacks, ice cream, booze and ice cream. We will each give Liz $300 on Day 1 ($1200 total kitty) from which she will pay everything and keep a running total. If/when whe runs out, we will each put in $100-$200 more depending on how fast we are burning/drinking through it (Dave likes good scotch and Liz likes wine). If one person is drinking/eating more than anyone else, he/she would be expected to put in a little more but we do not make a big deal out of it. Last year, one of our guys liked REALLY good wine and he paid for it himself outside the kitty although we all drank it.

I have a minivan reserved for the entire week for $600.

I estimate the costs for each of us as follows:

Housing FREE!!!!!
Golf $1075...$825 for what is planned, assuming we all use caddies at Erin Hills (which I think is great fun!). Assume $100-$125/round on Friday for private club golf, less if we go public
Van $150 each
Ice Cream $450...includes all that other stuff....food, booze, snacks....but who cares? Could be less if we are always too tired to eat (NEVER too tired for ice cream...sometimes that is dinner)

Total Basics $1675

Other:

Gas ??
HD T-shirt $30
Dave's leathers $800
Strip Club $2000.....Wisconsin softball players!!....Yum!!!
Club Repair $200...put this in for Pete....Dave, you never played with Pete but he throws/breaks one or two clubs/putters a round
Emergency Room $400...one of us will get hit by Pete's club
Therapy $500...we will all need it after living together for a week

Please respond as soon as you can on any objections, suggestions, and a decision on Tuesday afternoon. We leave six weeks from tomorrow.

Your faithful tour guide,

tdub

Contact Info for ID Theft

2010-06-11T07:41:00.002-05:00

Sitting in the Admirals Club in San Diego, I found a great article on ID theft in PC Today (May 2010, page 73) that included Important Contact Information. Since my objective today is to clean off my desk (meaning: get rid of piles of paper), I figure that this would be a good post if I ever need this information. Thanks PC Today for the comprehensive list.

Get Credit Reports
AnnualCreditReport.com
www.annualcreditreport.com
877.322.8228
Request free credit reports.
Equifax
www.equifax.com
Order report: 800.685.1111
Fraud alert:888.766.0008
This is a credit reporting agency.
Experian
www.experian.com
888.397.3742
This is a credit reporting agency.
TransUnion
www.transunion.com
Order report: 800.888.4213
Fraud alert: 800.680.7289
This is a credit reporting agency.

Opt Out
Direct Marketing Association
www.dmachoice.org
Indicate mail preferences.
OptOutPrescreen.com
www.optoutprescreen.com
888.567.8688
Opt out of preapproved credit or insurance offers.
Investigate
Consumer Debit Resource
www.consumerdebit.com/consumerinfo/us/en/chexsystems/report/index.htm
800.428.9623
Obtain a consumer reportabout checking accounts in your name.
Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.gov/compliance/enforcement/index.html
Criminal Investigation Informant Hotline:
800.829.0433
Find out if someone has filed a tax return in your name.
TeleCheck
www.telecheck.com
800.710.9898
On the Web site, click Consumer and Check Fraud/Forgery to find out if anyone has used your driver's license or ID to write fraudulent checks.

Report Other Problems
SCAN
800.262.7771
Call this hotline to find out if anyone has been writing bad checks in your name.
Social Security
Administration Office of the Inspector General
www.ssa.gov/oig
800.269.0271
Report fraudulent use of your Social Security card to obtain benefits.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service
postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx
To report stolen mail or a fraudulent address change, look in your local phone book for the nearest Postal Inspector or go to this Web site.

Report Credit Card Fraud
American Express
www.americanexpress.com
(Click Fraud Protection Center)
Card replacement: 800.992.3404
Customer service: 800.528.4800
Bank of America
www.bankofamerica.com
800.732.9194
Customer Service:800.427.2449
BankOne/Chase
www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/privacy_security/fraud/page/report_fraud
Credit Card Customers
Personal: 800.436.7927
Business: 800.346.5538
On the Web site,click Protect Your Family From Identity Theft
Citi Cards
www.citicorp.com/domain/contact
800.950.5114
Discover Card
www.discovercard.com/customer-service/faq/#q15
800.347.2683
MasterCard
www.mastercard.com/cgi-bin/emergserv.cgi
800.622.7747
Report lost or stolen credit card: 800.627.8372
Visa
www.usa.visa.com/personal/security/need_help_now.html
800.847.2911
Wachovia
www.wachovia.com
866.201.5702
Wells Fargo Bank
www.wellsfargo.com/help
866.867.5568

Additional Resources
Call For Action
www.callforaction.org
Federal Trade Commission ID Theft changed
www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft
877.IDTHEFT (438-4338)
Identity Theft Resource Center
www.idtheftcenter.org
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
www.privacyrights.org
Department Of Justice
www.justice.gov
Includes the Identity Theft Quiz for Consumers.

August Golf

2010-06-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

It's official: we are not going to Michigan this year for our annual golf trip. Instead: Wisconsin (www.wisconsin.com). Get ready for some new posts (and pictures) and a comparison to Michigan when it's all said and done. When we figured we could save $200 each on airfare by flying to Milwaukee, the Wisconsin trip we have spoken about became a reality Trip begins July 31 and ends August 7.

Fun Facts About Wisconsin

Wisconsin's dairy farms produce more milk than any other state (YUM, cheese and ICE CREAM).
Famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center. Today places like Wausau boast a number of Wright's designs.
The Green Bay Packers are actually owned by the city of Green Bay and have a massive waitlist for season tickets.
Wisconsin is nicknamed the "Badger State", but this refers not to the state animal but to its early miners who often lived like badgers, beneath ground.

The planning begins now that our flights are booked. It's a bit sad that we won't be playing Bay Harbor, or Forest Dunes. But, it's good to have a new adventure. Just more planning because it is hard to come up with two different courses each day for a week.

Stay tuned for more as we plan. The great reps at Appleton, Neenah and Sappi have been helping provide lists of courses so that we can build the trip.

NIRI National 2010

2010-06-10T09:41:00.002-05:00

OK, another NIRI National over. I believe this was #10 for me going to National. I know I now have a 10+ Year Member ribbon to wear. Hopefully they don't have a 20+ Year Member ribbon. As usual, it was great reconnecting with people I only see once a year at National. It's beginning to feel like a family reunion of sorts. We comfortably catch up and reminisce.

And golf. This time, Coronado with Jason, Brian, Bruce and Nick (who caught up on the second hole). Coronado is a muni. They let us play as five. The pace was as slow as you could get for a Saturday. But the company was great, so we didn't mind. A nice comfortable track to start off the conference. Golf tournament at Grand Del Mar with fore caddies. We had two in our group and while we didn't come in first or second, we met our objective: beat Weeks, Roop, Andy and Ken. Awesome course (Phil Mickelson plays there). Monday was Aviara because a slot opened up. Aviara is BEAUTIFUL. And Glen, the starter, after telling me where all of the restroom areas were (that was very important to him), caught up with us later and gave us tootsie pops. The little things that make you smile. We ended Tuesday at Salt Creek Golf Club (www.saltcreekgc.com). A great track, but I think the economy has made them slow down on the maintenance. Greens were in great shape, but the rest was a little beat up. I still recommend it.

And socializing. Saturday we had some BBQ at the Top Gun bar across the street from the Manchester Grand. Not great, but great company. Sunday was the opening reception, followed by the Texas mixer, followed by Georgeson. Of course the highlight was Georgeson! Monday was more gathering. Tuesday the same. Not much sleep, but great company, at NIRI National.

And, important note: I did attend a session this conference. Of course I had to hear Ken Janke, AFLAC and Andy Backman, iStar Financial speak. Of course we showed up five minutes late, in our golf outfits and flip flops, with my clubs parked outside the entrance. But, great topic.

Headed home on Wednesday. Now I can't wait until NIRI Southwest Regional, www.niriswrc.org in New Orleans, August 18-20. Get to catch up again with old friends.

Byron Nelson Classic Pro Am

2010-05-26T16:19:00.003-05:00

First, I have to thank Williamson Printing (especially Terry and Jerry) for the invitation to play in the Byron Nelson Classic Pro-Am on Sunday (and my uniform -- sorry that I couldn't quite fit into the shirts, but I wore the hat proudly). I also have to thank Tony for towing my bag and my birds around the course on a hot steamy day on a course with a lot of hills. And, since I managed to hit it left, right, and not in the fairway most of the day, there was even more walking.

Yes, based on the last sentence, I did not play particularly well. But I did enjoy it. I knew I was doomed after shooting a 78 the day before.

Some more news I just found out. We placed Third in the morning round and a gift certificate is on its way!

3rd place - 58
Jim Martin
Liz Kline
Fred Gans
Rick Berg
Chuck Young - pro

Byron Nelson, Gleneagles, Colonial

2010-05-25T10:38:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year in the D*FW area. Byron Nelson. Colonial. And, thanks to Custis, I found out last week about Gleneagles hosting the only British Open qualifier on Monday. And, Davis Love III, Ricky Barnes and Fred Couples were supposed to be among those qualifying. Even better ... it's FREE. And, good thing... Greg from Denbury lives down the street from Gleneagles so we don't have to worry about parking. And, good thing... Tom has procured member passes. Don't know what they get us, but we'll take them. Definitely what to do on Monday afternoon!

Get there and pick up a pairing sheet and realize how good a FREE deal this qualifying event is. Freddie isn't there afterall, but how about some of these names: Davis Love III, Bo Van Pelt, Tom Pernice Jr., Charley Hoffman, Bubba Watson, Boo Weekley, Ricky Fowler, Ricky Barnes, Woody Austin, Rory Sabbatini, Ryan Moore, Chad Campbell, Andres Romero, Aaron Baddley, Stuart Appleby, Stephen Ames... 78 players looking for 8 spots.

The great thing about this (besides the free bit) is that there are no ropes and no crowds. You just follow who you want to follow and walk along in the fairways with them. That's what we did for awhile with Stephen Ames (Greg is from Calgary -- Stephen lives in Calgary), Andres Romero (the "kid" who was in the lead of the Masters earlier this year) and ... Kid in the pink shirt whose name escapes me. And then we found the beer tent and settled near a hole nearby for a couple of cold beers and watched people teeing it up on nine and putting in on 10.

I'm definitely in the next two years that Gleneagles hosts this qualifying event.

Match Play

2010-05-03T08:07:00.002-05:00

First round of matchplay is underway. The following have proceeded to the next round. Bob Bergeron, Grant McAfee, Ron Campbell, Brian Hackney and AK Fassett. A few other rounds were underway on Sunday. The rest will be completed by this weekend.

Superstitions

2010-04-29T13:19:00.002-05:00

Was just reading an article in the Wall Street Journal today about lucky charms. Brief mention included "lucky golf balls." Led me to realize that Tom really made fun of me last week for deciding which cart to ride in. "No, not 52." I said. "42 is OK for me since I'm playing from the whites." As he asked me if I was kidding, Ron walked by and said, "Oh, not 42." So, we're not the only ones who decide on cart numbers to determine our game that morning.

And I know we're not the only ones. I've been known to throw out tees that have been errant. Ditto with golf balls. No, can't wear that cap in the tournament -- didn't score well. Have to keep that cap because I made a hole in one.

Call me superstitious. Or just say I'm giving myself and excuse ... in case I chose the wrong cart.

Woodbridge 2010 Match Play

2010-04-28T08:01:00.003-05:00

It's officially started: Woodbridge 2010 Match Play. I haven't particularly performed well in this over the years, but it's fun. This year, I think the committee has figured out the seeding and tee boxes (all men from the blues, me from the whites -- while I sure do wish my handicap was higher...). I'm in Flight B and my first match is with John "Hit It REALLY Far" Smith. I think he gives me two pops.

Prediction: If John is long and in the fairway and his short game performs: I will be CLOBBERED. If John is long and all over the course and I then play safe and strategic: I may stand a chance.

Other pairings:
Flight A
#1 Lance Luttrull (0) vs. #8 Pete Dickenscheid (4.3)
#2 Bob Bergeron (0) vs. #7 Steve Anderson (3.3)
#3 Ivan Sparkman (0) vs. #6 Grant McAfee (3.3)
#4 Will Rheaume (2.7) vs. #5 Paul Burke (3.1)

Flight B
#1 Tom "Go For It" Warren (5.4) vs. #8 Elvin "The Assassin" Sharp (8.2)
#2 John "Hit it REALLY Far" Smith (6) vs. #7 Liz Kline (8.2)
#3 Paul Gray (6.2) vs. #6 Matt Pierson (6.9)
#4 Doug "Hammer" Kelly vs. #5 Kevin Tate (6.8)

Flight C
#1 Mark Patsy (9) vs. "#8 Bill Johnson (12)
#2 Ronnie Cross (9) vs. #7 Kelly Dills (11.5)
#3 Bill Blackburn (9.2) vs. #6 Jeff Levin (11.5)
#4 Ron "Matchplay Champion 20xx" (9.7) vs. #5 Jack Glenn (10.2)

Flight D
#1 Doug Alford (12.8) vs. #8 Jeff Kelly (21.4)
#2 Brian Hackney (13.9) vs. #7 Doug Allen (20.6)
#3 AK "The Curmudgeon" Fassett (14.6) vs. #6 Dion Casto (20)
#4 Todd Deville (16.5) vs. #5 David Dryden (17)

Results as they come in. Feel free to send in your bracket predictions.

Spring?

2010-03-05T10:25:00.003-06:00

It's the height of annual report season, financials, narrative, photoshoots, photoshop, printing, paper, calls, edits, emails. But, that's what I signed up for. That's the kind of adrenenlin (sp) high I like.

Until today. Supposed to be 70 degrees. Sunny. Not too breezy. And I'm inside. Not on the golf course. And then Sean the Client calls me -- Important Request...

... I have a buddy in town. Where should we play golf. We're only two, so you could join us. Dammit, I can't. So, I gave him a short list, told him to get calling because the course would be jammed (see above weather forecast) with golfers who are itching to golf... just like me.

But, there's Saturday and Sunday. So, back to the financials, narrative, edits, calls, emails. Sigh.

Chicken Wing

2009-12-10T08:35:00.003-06:00

Was just looking at this dark and blurry photo that Tony sent me from my unsuccessful attempt at shooting clay pigeons. I have a chicken wing golf swing. So, guess I have to have a chicken wing shooting -- don't know what you call a shooting swing. And, now that I remember it, I played soccer with two chicken wings on the field. Remember the elbows...

Social Media

2009-12-10T08:14:00.003-06:00

OK, I'll admit that I've adopted social media as a "friend." Started off with this blog, that was really just going to be my "instead of a holiday letter to friends and family." Figured I could post things that may be interesting (golf) and maybe talk about my trips (mainly golf). And, it pretty much is a golf blog, with some other "stuff" thrown in once in awhile. I don't post a lot of entries, but then, who wants to hear about my daily work routine.

LinkedIn came next, but I didn't really even know I was on it until about a year ago. It's a great resource and way of finding resources, professionals, networking. You need an answer: go to LinkedIn and you can probably find someone.

And then I reluctantly signed up for Facebook. Figured that being in creative services, I really had to know what this thing was. Posted the same picture as my blog (I know, unoriginal, but it's a picture I like that Tom took when we were on one of our Michigan golf trips -- that's Lake Michigan, by the way, near Holland). Found a couple of friends. And then I got "hooked" -- remember it was the day I discovered an eighth grade classmate from Ponce, Puerto Rico. And then another. And then another. And then a sixth grade classmate from Luling, Louisiana. And high school classmates. College. Graduate school. So, I've found Facebook to be fun.

So, what was next. Enter: Twitter. This I really struggled to adopt. I didn't really want to Tweet. But, I really liked that it was a news feed. And I liked that being in creative services, I could have an excuse for following anything from marketing to investor relations to golf and food. Any media service. people. You name it and I felt I could follow. I was a little wary about all of the naked ladies that I had to block from following me. I'm now a bit obsessed with figuring out how to be able to follow more than 2000 people (you need 2000+ to follow you first) -- in an organic way, not using an app.

Last night, at the NIRI DFW Holiday Party, Bill asked me if I was the Liz Kline on Twitter who was in Avid Golfer. Huh? Had no clue what he was talking about. But, this morning, OCD me had to do some searching. And yes, it was. Never thought Twitter would make me “famous”:

http://www.myavidgolfer.com/back_issues/?view=department&department_id=20&issue_id=152

So, I guess I'm in social media for the long haul. The next thing I sign up for? Who knows. I'll keep you posted.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-24T15:27:00.003-06:00

It's becoming a bit of a tradition now that this is two years in a row. Thanksgiving in San Antonio. Spend a couple of days at the Watermark Hotel (www.watermarkhotel.com) and relax on the Riverwalk. Tony's been in San Antonio on a couple of jobs so it's been nice to spend time with him. He's been away for so long.

Last night, went to dinner on the Riverwalk. Do NOT go to Rio Rio. Bad service. Bad margaritas (Tony's tasted like tequila and robitussin - sp). Bad Mexican food. Drinks after at Swig (that's becoming a tradition as well). Hang out on the balcony overlooking the Riverwalk.

Today, spa day. Couldn't talk Tony into it this year. But I enjoyed! Tonight, dinner at Boudros (sp).

Tomorrow, off to Diamond K Ranch (www.diamondkranch.com) to look for critters, relax, and eat some amazing food. Thursday, more of the same. Weather is supposed to be chilly -- big difference from last year when it was around 80.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Always nice to spend time with family and friends. Sorry it couldn't be all of our families. And sorry that Maggie and Kat aren't with us. Happy 7th Birthday, Maggie! You'll get your present when I get back (and no, it won't be getting to sleep in the bed!).

Presidents Cup. Gold Cup. What a weekend it will be.

2009-10-08T07:42:00.002-05:00

As I watch the rain fall, all I can think is: 1) wouldn't it be nice to stay home and watch the President's Cup today 2) it'd better stop by 1120 am on Friday in time for Skins and the Skills Challenge 3) it'd better not rain this weekend for Gold Cup 4) cart path only on Saturday? yuk.

Yes, our annual tradition. The Gold Cup. Woodbridge vs. Plantation. We've won three years in a row. But, is Plantation hungry like The Rest of The World against the USA in the President's Cup this week? And, since we're wearing Greg Norman apparel, does that mean that we're representing The Rest of the World? Or, since Mark is playing in the Skins game on Friday with us, can we count him as our Michael Jordan, Assistant Captain?

Woodbridge's Gold Cup Team:
Ron Campbell
Tom Warren (aka Woodbridge 2009 Club Champion)
Kevin Tate
Garrett Persons (last Gold Cup before leaving us for Kansas City?)
Paul Burke
Pete Dickenscheid
Mark Patsy
Doug Kelly
Bill Johnson
Kelly Dills
Elvin Sharp
Doug Alford (aka Woodbridge 2009 Match Play Champion)
Liz Kline
Matt Maresch
Frank Catron
AK Fassett
John Smith
Joe Moses

Go Woodbridge!

Michigan - Unblogged

2009-08-03T05:52:00.005-05:00

I know, I know. I've been so good over the years of blogging about our annual trip to Michigan to play golf. But, one thing about blogging: if you don't have internet on the trip, blogging doesn't take place. And another thing about blogging: just isn't the same to do it after the fact. And, since I couldn't blog, I didn't even bother taking pictures this year.

So, about the Michigan trip. It was great. The weather was perfect (high maybe of 80). The courses were great. Forgot how much I love Forest Dunes. Our Treetops experience this year was less than good (SLOW play and they really need to update their lodging facilities -- teal bathroom fixtures???). But, after writing a letter expressing our experience, they followed up with a phone call. And then sent eight free rounds of golf. Motivation to return: YES!

And now it's end of September and I wish I were in Michigan experiencing Fall weather. But, I can look forward to our annual Gold Cup in October instead.

Michigan 2009 Planned

2009-07-02T07:31:00.002-05:00

The Michigan golf trip is planned (thanks, Tom (aka Julie)). Head out on August 1.

Saturday: Arrive in Traverse City. Play Kingsley Club.
Sunday: Bay Harbor. Quarry/Preserve; Links/Quarry.
Monday: Boyne Mountain Monument; Boyne Mountain Alpine.
Tuesday: True North.
Wednesday: Boyne Highlands Hills; Boyne Highlands Heather.
Thursday: Treetops Fazio; Treetops Smith Masterpiece.
Friday: Forest Dunes. Head back to Dallas.

The countdown commences.

NIRI National and Le Tub

2009-06-16T09:22:00.002-05:00

NIRI National: hard to believe it was my 11th one. Same faces, new faces. Jason said it right when he mentioned that we are no longer the younger ones. We're now the older ones. Established, I'd say. Florida: Don't know how people can live there in the summer. So muggy. But, we managed to get four rounds of golf in around the raindrops. And two trips to Le Tub (www.theletub.com). Anyone in Hollywood, Florida, needs to go for their burgers. But, put a bunch of IROs there, and we all tried to "change the menu." Note: they won't let you. American or Swiss cheese. Can I have Cheddar? No, American or Swiss. Can I have grilled mushrooms? No. How about onion rings instead of fries? We don't have onion rings. No. But, great burgers, Fun atmosphere. Great key lime pie. Just remember: cash only.

After national, Doug, Rachel and I roadtripped across Alligator Alley. Dropped Doug off in Naples at his dad's, Rachel off in Fort Myers at her grandma's, and then I spent a couple of relaxing days with Mom and Bill. Bit of shopping. Just hanging out. Perfect. Yes, a bit of recovery from the late nights socializing. And boasting about our award-winning D*FW Chapter.

Did we notice the recession at NIRI? I'd have to say, yes. Not as many people (but not a bad thing). Not as "blown out" as others (but not a bad thing). But, still solid. Good job, NIRI National.

NIRI National in Hollywood

2009-06-03T07:29:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe, but it's getting close to my 11th NIRI National Conference. This time, in Hollywood, Florida. Not my favorite location -- hot, possibly rainy, definitely humid. It'll be interesting to see what the "mood" is like, given the economy. So many aren't able to make it, due to travel restrictions. Being in Investor Relations when your stock is down more than up, can keep you up at night. So, on Saturday, I get on a plane and head East. Looking forward to hearing if we win any Chapter Awards. The DFW Chapter is strong and Jason Landkamer and the 2008-2009 Board of Directors did an amazing job. Here's to a strong 2009-2010 Board, headed by Veronica Marks.

More on NIRI National when I arrive.

Been Awhile

2009-05-13T08:15:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged. I've been a bit obsessed with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, et al. They can be exhausting. Besides, it's been either work or golf lately, and no good golf trips lately.

I am excited about playing in the Byron Nelson Classic Pro Am on Sunday, thanks to the generous invite from Williamson Printing. I just wish my handicap was as high as the first time I played in it!

Puerto Rico Bound

2009-02-06T10:54:00.004-06:00

Never would have thought that I would reconnect with former classmates from Caribbean school on Facebook. And never would have thought that after connecting with one -- Jorge Santana -- and then get to help him rebrand his company. All because of Facebook. Well, it happened and here I am.

Left yesterday -- long flight (and I wasn't upgraded, but at least had a good seat towards the front). Was surprised that people didn't cheer when we took off and landed, like I remembered. Jorge picked me up and we went to dinner to catch up. It's been 24-25 years (since 1984!), but we picked up where we left off. People change, but not so much that you aren't the same in many ways as you were in eighth grade. Lots of laughs in remembering old teachers, students.

I will have to say that I have almost NO comprehension of Spanish anymore. Enough, but barely. That is really sad after taking 12+ years of the language.

Got up this morning and went for a walk on the windy walkway along the water. Had breakfast and then read by the pool. Hotel Normandie is right across the street from the famed Caribe Hilton. I don't remember Allison and I ever going there as children. But, we were kids.

Now, just catching up on work emails, getting ready to show brands to Nagnoi. And then, who knows for weekend.

Puerto Rico still smells the way I remember on the water -- salty.

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-01-13T08:30:00.008-06:00

OK, I've been negligent on the blog. Mainly because I keep forgetting to get my photos developed. And a blog without pictures isn't nearly as fun. But, I finally developed my pictures from Thanksgiving (we bought a cheap disposable since we forgot the digital camera).

Thanksgiving was a blast. We started out staying on the Riverwalk in San Antonio for two nights. Had fun (too many martinis one night), ate well, went to the spa (yes, even Tony had a facial and a massage). Then on Thursday morning, we headed to the Diamond K Ranch -- pretty close to Luchenbach (sp?) to stay at their guest lodge and look at wildlife and eat and drink well.

It was amazing. The guest lodge was full of antiques and built out of old cabins. Rustic, but ultra comfy. The outside patio had a great firepit and overlooked a field. We started out with lunch: Axis burgers. Yum! Then went for a ride to look for "critters." We saw all kinds of deerlike things (some exotic, some just your ordinary white tailed deer). Then off to see the hunting dogs. They had two litters of puppies. And, yes, we wanted to take one home, but we already have enough of a zoo -- and hunting dogs like to run, run, run.

And we went and shot guns! I had never done this before. At first, had no idea what to do. And then was given a golf analogy and started hitting the pidgeons. Could be a new hobby!

Then back to the lodge, where cocktails and Thanksgiving dinner awaited. We asked for "traditional Thanksgiving fare" but with some game. And they delivered: turkey, quail, axis, stuffing, mashed potatoes, asparagus, rolls, cranberry relish, good wine -- and creme brulee for dessert.

Spent the night outside watching the fire, smoking cigars, enjoying cognac. A great Thanksgiving. Relaxing. Quiet. Nice.

Woke up the next morning and unfortunately it was so foggy that we couldn't see the wildlife that supposedly comes out in the field in the morning to cross. Think I saw an elk and a white tailed deer. Had a big breakfast and then went for another ride to see the wildlife. We saw Pierre David (sp?) -- an extinct Chinese deer thing that looks like a cross between a horse and a deer. The ranch has the largest population. Saw red sheep that I didn't think looked like sheep. Some other deer things. Pretty cool.

Then packed up and drove back to Dallas the scenic (read: non I35, non post Thanksgiving route). Stopped for a late lunch at a German restaurant in a little town.

A great time.

The emotions of getting on Facebook

2008-12-23T10:49:00.002-06:00

A few months ago I took the plunge and signed up for Facebook. Mainly to see what it was all about. Afterall, I'm in marketing and should be up on the latest trends, right? Secondarily to see what everyone in the office was spending so much time on. Also, to see if I could generate new business out of it. Why not!

So, I signed up. And then started spending time and finding people. Became a bit addictive. Talked my sister into it.

She finally got Robert, her husband, to sign up and she summed it up perfectly below:

I was going to email you this morning because robert finally got on facebook and is totally addicted. it's really funny. he's going thru the same range of emotions I did. 1) There's no way I'm joining Facebook. 2) Disdain for others on facebook. 3) What, my Mom is on Facebook? Guess I gotta do it. 4) Okay, can't figure out the damn thing- how do i set up my profile? 5) Look at these people I'm finding! 6) Running upstairs to check the Wall & to change status. 7) this is fun!

Happy Holidays!

Monday Night Football: Cowboys vs. Eagles

2008-09-16T10:48:00.004-05:00

Note: finally figured out how to get my photos off the phone (thanks, Brian and Shane). Found out that my computer didn't have the right "stuff" so we used Shane's mac to get them retrieved. As you can see, I'm also not very good at using the camera phone (notice I took a self portrait and didn't even know...)

Eventually MORE visual aids will be added to this posting, but I am phone challenged and haven't figured out how to make the photos go from my phone to my computer to upload. Jason isn't as technically challenged as I am and provided these two.

My first Cowboys game.
My first Monday Night Football.
The first home Cowboys game.
The last MNF game at the old stadium before the new one opens.

Pretty historic (or, as Jason said -- "you're an elitist"). Not a bad game to get tickets to, thanks to John Hampton, Xpedx (thanks!).

I'm going.
Tony's going (he's at least a Cowboys fan)
Jason Landkamer is going (he's a fan)
Jason LeFebvre is going (he's a Bears fan like me).

"Get there early," John said, so our plans are to leave from Eisenberg And Associates around 430. Think by the time we got lost and then found a Cash parking lot (note to Cowboys: better wayfinding signage is needed at the new stadium) and waited in a long line to park in a field, hiked a mile to the stadium. Boy, that first beer was pretty good. Seats are great -- section 14, row 38 (thanks, John!).

Have to say that I'm glad we went and we all had a good time. Have to say that I'm glad it was up until the end before an outcome -- no big routes. Close until the end. Yes, I know -- the Cowboys won. I have to say I'm happy. And I have to say that it was well worth the traffic and the crowds and the LATE night.

After the game -- three million people all left at the same time. What did we do? Went to the Corral and drank until it cleared up (better than being in a crowd, parched, with no place to go). That must be why we made it through college. EDUCATION.

Yes, I stayed out until 2 am and made it into work. Yes, I'm tired. But it was worth it. Not going to do a play-by-play because most of you know that I like football, but I'm not obsessed by it. I'll fill in with pictures. Maybe find a few stats to sprinkle in that make me sound like a football nut.

Last Days in Michigan

2008-08-18T08:44:00.006-05:00

Friday morning we got up, leisurely packed up the car -- seemed more packed than before. And made the drive down to Holland. No golf today. Seems weird, but relaxing. Stop in Cadillac for breakfast -- try to go to the place we went last year. But it's closed. The Big Boy looked packed so we headed back through Cadillac to Bob Evans. I'd never been to a Bob Evans-- great coffee.

Off we go. Frank's driving. He knows the way. Get to the motel and check in. What do do? Decide that we need to show Ryan Lake Michigan and head to the Holland state park. All of those years in Michigan and I didn't realize that Holland had a beach. Only thought that they had a Mejiers Thrify Acres. Ryan is impressed -- not just with the beach, but the young girls. Have to take a picture of the seagulls since that's what Ryan called Tom during the week when it came to food. Perfect nickname for him, even though all I can hear is that seagull in the Little Mermaid that sings really really poorly!

After the beach, then off to a blueberry farm -- Frank's good friends with the owner. We graze. Graze some more. Learn about the blueberry pickers. Graze some more. LOVE blueberries.

Drop Frank off at Linda's mom's and then off to play miniature golf. Tom, Ryan and I all start off with hole in ones! But that was just the first hole and we proceeded to get eaten up by the course. There are hazards (Tom found), four putts, and more. Tom took $1 from me and $4 or $5 from Ryan.

Dinner then bed. In the morning, we're playing the Ravines and have to leave before 6 am for our 7 am tee times. The Ravines is in Saugatuck. I'm carting Tom around this morning and playing the womens tees -- just worn out and want a relaxing round. Not even playing in the game. I manage to shoot a respectable 82. This is a great course that I hope we can play again. Saw some turkeys. This trip hasn't been as full of wildlife as other years.

The greens are in excellent shape -- even though you have to be on the proper side of the hole or three putts are definitely easy. Ryan's putting saga continued. Until the 17th hole -- a par three. He four putts.

And then proceeds to hurl his putter into the ravine in between the tee box and the green. About time. Time to buy a new putter!

The golf vacation is over and we pack up the car and head to the Grand Rapids Airport to drop them off and then head to Chicago. Stop by and buy blueberries and peaches and a blueberry pie on the way at the exit that would take me to Glenn Shores. It's not a bad drive to Chicago, except for the construction zones that slow me down. And all of the cops on the road preventing me from going 80 mph.

Wheels are off

2008-08-15T06:16:00.005-05:00

Well, Thursdays the wheels are really pretty much off - except for Tom. Well, maybe also Tom but he's so much better his misses aren't as bad as our duffs. But, we're at Bay Harbor. My favorite. Breakfast first at Sagamore (sp) at the hotel. First real meal I've had in a few days. No gurgling stomach. Get to the club, check in, check out the pro shop where I quickly decide on what I'll purchase later this afternoon.

Morning: Preserves/Links

Beautiful day. Not too windy, sunny, not too cold or hot. PERFECT. I know I haven't been really good about blogging this trip, but we've had a lot of fun, despite my ickiness. Ryan is a great addition. He started off as a legit 26+ handicap and has improved tremendously. Good enough that we don't mind having him as our partner (especially with all of the strokes) in a robin. Good enough that he's taking all of our money with all of his strokes. And I guess we can say that his putting has improved. Each of us has a different way of helping him with putting. Tom gets him all aligned. Frank works on his stroke. I just tell him in my own way where I would putt it and kinda how (i.e. dink, tap, easy). Depending on where he is on the green, it works. Sometimes...

Frankie is good at giving him nicknames. If only I wrote them down. Let's see: Dingleberry, Fuzznuts, Doofus, Baby, Lug nuts, Big Foot... all in love, not meanspiritness. And he takes it well.

Lunch on the patio in our regular spot on the Quarry 9th hole overlooking the water. Perfecto.

Afternoon: Quarry/Preserves. But, we have a problem. A deloitte "outing" that makes the round five and a half hours long. Killer. And no beer cart woman. Ugh...

Another beautiful day, but we're all dragging. Decide on pizza for dinner. And then at dinner decide that golfing isn't mandatory and we're going to sleep in (read: 530), pack up, have a nice breakfast and head to Holland early to goof off, play miniature golf and enjoy the day. How 'bout that? Yes, no golf one of the days. Just one more on Saturday in Holland at the Ravines.

Michigan trip almost over and time to head back to Chicago to see the family. And have more Aurelios!

Day 2, 3 and 4: True North/Little Traverse Bay, Hills/Heather, Ross/Moor

2008-08-11T05:09:00.009-05:00

I'm usually pretty daily about my blog, but haven't been this trip. For the past three days I've been suffering some sort of "intestinal malady." Don't know whether it's food poisoning or a bug, but yesterday afternoon Powerade became my savior and made the gurgles stop. Sitting next to my computer now with that same wonder beverage, hoping that today the gurgles will end. Sorry, but the photos are a little lacking too. I'll try to fill in with new "color" later, but I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things.

So, recap:
Monday, normal morning. Wake up, stretch, get in car, drive to McDonalds, get to True North. In the fog. Lots of fog. True North is a private club just past Boyne Highlands and is beautiful. Today, Frank didn't shoot a 78/79 -- I definitely didn't either. But I enjoyed the course more time #2.

Then off to Little Traverse Bay Golf Club, 995 Hideaway Valley Road, Harbor Springs, MI 49740, (231) 526-6200 (Golf Shop), (231) 526-7800 (Restaurant), http://www.ltbaygolf.com/

Get a little lost, but find it. Then off to the snack shack for brats and beer. Have to say then that it didn't sit really good on my tummy. But nothing was that day. Little Traverse Bay is a really pretty course. Great views. Like most of the Michigan courses, lots of elevation.

Dinner on the patio. I still just wasn't hungry, but ordered something thinking it would go away. Needless to say, after a really really long wait for our food -- plus the darkness and chill setting in outside -- I took two bites and ran to the golf course. No more dinner for me (Tom said it was pretty good). We get back to the condo and I promptly retire to chills and ickiness. Sleep pretty much none and then find I can't hold down pain reliever in the morning (that really sucks)

Next morning is Hills and Heather. I'm still not feeling great. Definitely not hungry, gurgling stomach. But, we head out into the fog (which looks like driving rain when you're in it). Hills is one of my favorite courses. And it definitely becomes Ryan's -- he shoots an 80-something (wonderful considering his handicap is about a 26 and he's been shooting 100s) -- and takes all of our money. Fewer three putts helped that score. I dont' shoot that bad either -- Tom thinks because I purged the night before.

Heather. I like this course too. I always forget which course is which until I start playing.

Dinner at Bob In.

Wednesday: Ross and Moor. Up again and still can't hold down pain reliever and have the gurgling stomach. I actually contemplate NOT playing golf. But the idea of golfing feeling awful, or watching the Olympics and Oprah at the condo. Well, golf of course seemed better. So, off we go again. I don't really care about golf in the a.m. and it shows. Oh well. The view is at least nice. Moor. Last time we played, we only made it through about 3 holes and it was so slow that we went in. So, I haven't really played this course. First cart girl I decide to get Powerade. SMART move. It made the serious gurgling stop that was so distracting (and a bit alarming).

I started playing better, but not great. It's nice just to not hear the gurgles. Moor is a pretty course. Lots of little marshes. The wheels have fallen off most of us -- this is round nine.

Dinner: Bob in.

Tomorrow, Bay Harbor.

First Two a Day - Alpine and Monument

2008-08-11T04:53:00.002-05:00

Our first two a days began with an easy day at the mountain without much driving. Alpine and Monument. Start off with heading to the lodge for breakfast -- and we discover that there is no more buffet! We like the buffet at Boyne. Especially grabbing a couple of apples and some cereal for the course. But don't really need that much food.

Then off to golf. I won't retell these courses since I did last year -- in fact, don't have many photos yet. Maybe today at True North and Little Traverse Bay (new course).

Will tell everyone that it was CHILLY all day. The marshalls and cart girls (from Michigan) had on gloves and sweatshirts and were talking long underwear. And then there's this group from Texas all wearing shorts. But, as we kept saying, it's not 107 degrees!

Dinner and then watch a bit of the Olympics. Then bed.

Chicago to Michigan

2008-08-10T04:51:00.007-05:00

Okay, seems like old times, only this year I'm blogging sitting on the floor in the loft of the Bowne Disciples condo we're staying at. Haven't figured out if this is going to be the place.

The adventure began uneventfully. Upgrade to first class. Flight gets in on time. Pick up Mini Van at Hertz (it's a Kia), and head to Al's. Lots of construction in the area, but I make it there in good time -- in such good time that noone is home. But, it's only 80 (yes!) degrees so I sit on their front porch and rock in the glider. I'm on vacation.

Al shows up and gives me a tour of the house (hard to believe how long it's been). Looks great -- so much roomier than before. Before I know it, the girls are home. A little shy at first, but then -- I'm their buddy. Don't know what they say half of the time, but they are adorable. Can't tell Lily and Clara apart at first, but get the hang of it. Good thing is that Clara likes green -- green clogs. And Lily likes blue -- blue clogs. That helps a lot!

They're having neighbors over for a pizza party in honor of Lily and Clara's birthday -- number 3. Robert makes yummy margaritas. After they leave, we give the girls a bath (they definitely aren't modest!) -- and then they help me get ready for bed and proceed to dress up in my golf clothes and high heels. Note to self: ship them old party clothes for dress up.

Off to bed. Don't sleep much at all so I slip out the door at 445 am and head to Michigan. My goal was to stop by the golf course and the cottage. Don't get that opportunity. Easy drive and find Glenn Shores without any trouble. It's amazing how much closer things are when you're older.

Glenn Shores is for sale. I walk around, look around. The course is in pretty bad shape -- actually, the main house more than the course. That's the sad part. Cars all over the place, weird fences. So, I get in the car and drive around to the cottage. Again, no more red house that you can see from the road. It's now behind stuff. And brown.

Enough of that. I head to Grand Rapids to pick up Frank, Ryan and Tom. Jason calls on the way. We'll miss him this trip. And he's missing us already.

NOTE TO PEOPLE READING THIS BLOG FOR THE FIRST TIME: Yes, if you don't golf, you'll be BORED. Yes, if you don't know these people, you'll be BORED. And, I'll edit postings and add photos as I find the time. It's hard to blog on the floor. And when you don't have time, since you're doing two a days.

On the way there, I stop by the HD store in Grand Rapids and then Mejers for sodas, pretzels, cherries (yum) and gas. By the time I get to the terminal, Frankie's here and Linda's already gone. Next: Ryan.

Now the adventure begins. Ryan's here. No bags. Don't know which flight. OK, now for Tom. We head to the bar and have lunch and watch golf. Pete calls to talk about Saturday at the club and "equitable play" (that's worth another blog). Tells me I suck because we had Aurelios. Tom shows. His bags too. Decision time: hang around GR until about 330 and get Ryan's bag. Let them find Ryan's bag, possibly ship to Chicago, then to Traverse, then drive to Boyne. 50/50. Tom sits down on the floor, boots up the computer and finds a course near the airport - Thornapple Pointe (www.thornapplepointe.com). Tom did say something about the movies -- but we nixed that idea.

We decide to hang out. Ryan's wearing flip flops and a tshirt, but they let us on. The internet calls it a nice, but "strange" course. Wonder what that means. The course is right next to the freeway and the airport -- and the wind is kicking!

We're in Michigan so the games begin: robins and trash! Ryan gets us a bit worried with a par, net birdie on the first. We didn't see much of that after that hole. Frankie's playing well. Tom... Me, not so good. The strangeness of the course is that if you haven't played it before, you have no idea -- even with the GPS -- what's over the hill. Note to newbies: GUNK -- thick GUNK.

But, the back nine I woke up and shot a 39. So far: Tom's a three time winner in Robins. Frank's killing in trash (12). I'm not doing bad. Ryan's trailing.

So, off to the airport to pick up Ryan's stuff. We pull up to the pick up drop off and drop Ryan and Tom off and pull over. Think the security guard is going to make us drive around. Instead, he chats us up. Just moved here from Idaho and Phoenix of all places. Hates Texas. Used to live in San Antonio and thinks it's an armpit. Oh well. He still lets us stay on the side. Tom and Ryan come out 10 minutes later -- emptyhanded. Seems that the competent airline (Delta) decided to ship them up to Boyne. They're on their way (we think). Tom and Ryan talk about the intangibles. Whatever that means. We'll see.

Drive to Boyne. Yes, bags are there! Check in. Shower. Sleep. Wake up. Blog. Pretty soon: breakfast. Today begins our two a days at the Mountain -- Alpine and Monument.

Vacation time

2008-08-08T08:01:00.003-05:00

In about 30 minutes, I'll be heading to the airport for some time out of Texas. First, off to Chicago to spend the night at Al's house. Hard to believe how long it's been since I've seen them. Just was alerted that I've been upgraded to first class, so I'm even happier.

Tomorrow morning, get up bright and early and head to Grand Rapids to pick up Tom, Frank and Ryan. Then our golf adventures begin for a week.

After Michigan, back to Chicago to see Al -- Dad's coming in too, so we can celebrate Lily and Clara's birthday. That should be fun.

Last leg of the trip is NIRI SWRC in St. Louis. Happy to see that coming to an end. What a lot of work. We have a good showing and I'll be happy to see old friends. Ken from Aflac is making it in to speak and hang out with us.

Well, time to file the last few emails. Be ready for some pictures. Lots of pictures!

Small World

2008-06-07T08:52:00.002-05:00

OK, I get to my 10th NIRI National Conference in San Diego. Happy that the trip was uneventful, if not easy (especially with the upgrade). Catch a cab to the hotel (Manchester Grand Hyatt -- please note that the rooms need upgrading and are a little dingy, but the view from my room in the Harbor Tower is pretty sweet). Have 20 minutes in my room to get freshened and meet Jason in the bar (oh, surprised?).

So, get to the bar. Vince White from Devon is there. Jason is there. I grab a cocktail and we're getting caught up. And then I look across the bar. That man looks familiar. Look across the bar again. He waves. He looks really familiar. And then realize that it's Mark Larsen from US Energy Corp. and his wife. Catch up with him and then Reggie comes down with his wife and baby (and another on the way). They've decided to come to NIRI (of course, Mark is asking me about sessions and which ones he should go to and I don't even know what the agenda looks like!).

Dinner and then -- Walter, Gaff, Terri, Ian and more and more of the NIRI crew show up (at the bar, of course).

Today: golf and then the Leadership Dinner. Wonder who I'll run into this time.

NIRI SWRC

2008-06-06T12:50:00.002-05:00

www.niriswrc.org

Davidson in the Elite 8

2008-03-31T07:22:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe that I'd ever hear Davidson spoken out of so many mouths this past couple of weeks. First, defeating Gonzaga in the first round. Second, Georgetown. Third, Wisconsin (a route, I might add). Then, Kansas on Sunday. I thought about going to Sharkey's and watching the game. Or the Metro Grill, where they were having an alumni viewing party. But, superstition set in and I headed home to watch the game with the dogs. They gave it their all, but lost by two points to Kansas. The closest game in the elite 8.

And then, unlike the other three rounds, my cell phone wasn't buzzing with text messages and phone calls. Everyone knows I like to suffer alone, and not hear "sorry."

Go Davidson. There is always next year.

From USAToday.com: Davidson watches storybook run come to an end

By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
DETROIT — The only regret Davidson Coach Bob McKillop had after a two-point loss to Kansas Sunday is that his players will dwell on the disheartening finish instead of their wondrous journey at the NCAA tournament.

"The sadness is that we can't celebrate the four months of greatness because we will reflect upon what finished the season," McKillop said after his team fell 59-57 in the Midwest Regional final.
"My father was a New York City cop. He used to always tell me to polish the backs of your shoes because that's the last thing people will see of you."

Holding Kansas 23 points under its season average, Cinderella team Davidson gave itself a chance for a storybook ending when it had the ball in the hands of the nation's hottest shooter for a possible game-winning three-point shot in the closing seconds.

But Stephen Curry, voted the Regional's Most Valuable Player, was too well defended by a Kansas double-team and was forced to dish to point guard Jason Richards who forced a long-range three-pointer that was off the mark.

"I thought it was a good look," Richards said. "Felt like it was in. Unfortunately it missed. Emotions through my body. It's tough to describe them."

McKillop clearly liked Curry's decision under pressure, noting that Richards has a history of success in big game. "He's the guy you want with the ball in his hands in that situation," McKillop.

McKillop blamed himself for not telling his players exactly what player he wanted to set the screen against.

"They had four guards out there and they just switched," Curry said. "That kind of defeated the purpose of the play. I gave them a pump fake to try to get a look, but I was off balance when (Kansas defender Brandon Rush) fell down. So I saw Jay open at the top of the key."

Kansas had harrassed Curry more effectively than other teams have in the tournament, evidenced by the fact that he was only four-for-16 on three-point attempts. He finished with 25 points, but Kansas hurried him enough that he had some important misses. "They did make me work hard," Curry said.

Richards said Davidson players were exhausted in the second half, but he believed they had enough energy left at the end to get it done. "Maybe you can say we could have got a better shot," Richards said. "At that point it seemed like the best shot. I felt comfortable taking that shot."

Said McKillop: "The agony of this is that we've come so far, smelled and touched and seen our dream, but haven't fully embraced it."

Davidson's run to round of 16 grows sweeter over time

2008-03-24T15:40:00.002-05:00

OK, I have to brag about where I went to school. People either know Davidson, or think it's a community college. But, I'm proud of where I went (please note any Davidson students on the annual giving call list: I just mailed my check today). And now, I'm even prouder because they made it to the Sweet 16 this year. Made one of my decisions to go to Davidson (Division I in sports) even better. I had them beating Gonzaga (even thought even I had doubts because Gonzaga's a pretty good team). And then had them beating Georgetown (again, doubts because Georgetown has a pretty good team). Now I'm rooting for Wisconsin. [Note: I wasn't soooo loyal that I chose Davidson to win it all -- but now I'm crossing my fingers]

Here's an article from USA Today:
By Mike Lopresti, Gannett News Service

RALEIGH, N.C. — They do not act like a No. 10 seed.
They do not talk like a team from a school that until Friday, had not won an NCAA men's tournament game since the first year of the Nixon administration.

They do not play like a mid-major — refusing to obey the law that says if you fall behind a big brute such as Georgetown by 17 points in the second half, you're as dead as rotary dial.

It was about then Sunday — with Georgetown still ahead 14 — when coach Bob McKillop looked into the faces of his Davidson Wildcats during a timeout and posed a question.

"Are you having fun?"

Oh, they would.

Not long after that, Stephen Curry — the main man of March so far — would bury a long three-pointer while being fouled, and complete a 4-point play. It was as if someone had blown a bugle.
In the end, Georgetown's only hope was that Davidson would do what countless other underdogs have done before when it came time to close the deal — stop playing to win, start playing not to lose.

Fat chance.

"When we see light at the end of the tunnel, we have a killer instinct," Curry said afterward, slumped in the hallway on a table, an exhausted assassin after scoring 30 points — 25 after halftime. This a mere 48 hours after torching Gonzaga for 40.

Welcome to the new world, when a team from the Southern Conference takes on one of the behemoths of the Big East, and talks "killer instinct."

"There is a gap," guard Jason Richards said of the distance between the major powers and Davidson's world. "But that gap can be closed."

So Davidson wins 74-70 to go to the Sweet 16, and it is possible all 1,700 students from the campus outside Charlotte will never forget this day. Though they're still probably happier that the school provides free laundry service.

"I'm a dreamer," McKillop said, "And I've been a dreamer all my life."

A lot of upstarts with fine records have dared to imagine such thoughts, but Davidson has more than dreams and gall.

The Wildcats have a toughness forged by playing through fire. The insane non-conference schedule McKillop handed his Wildcats — North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, North Carolina State — now pays off. Each one was a loss. Each one was a tutorial. They haven't lost since four days before Christmas.

"We played not to lose against Duke and North Carolina. When we got ahead 18 on UCLA (before losing by 12), we freaked out and started playing not to lose," said forward Thomas Sander. "We learned our lesson."

So in the final, frantic minutes Sunday, Curry was not afraid to take and make a three-pointer. Richards did not think twice before slashing through the Georgetown defense for a layup.

Nobody played safe and sat on a fragile lead.

"Coach has been waiting 19 years for this moment," Curry said.

McKillop has stayed at Davidson through 19 mostly successful seasons, ignoring the lure of bright lights elsewhere. He stresses a three-word mantra of caring, commitment and trust — "I stole that from Lou Holtz" — and does things like tell his team before the game Sunday about his tryout with the 1972 Philadelphia 76ers.

He was too tentative, just satisfied at getting the chance. "That team was 9-72, so I was cut from the worst team in NBA history."

The moral: Don't be happy just to be here Sunday.

But none of this works without Curry.

He scored only five points in the first half, against the most determined defense Georgetown could offer. Jonathan Wallace would guard him, and then Chris Wright, and then Jeremiah Rivers. Curry was handed from Hoya to Hoya as if he were a bowl of jellybeans.

"Most guys would start forcing the issue and rushing," Curry said. "I have absolute confidence in my teammates, so I let the game come to me."

His teammates marvel. Richards was asked his favorite Curry moment from Sunday.

"The 4-point play from the logo ... the spin three-pointer with two guys in his face ... the scoop shot ..."

He might have gone on forever.

Curry said it never crossed his mind that he would not ignite in time. "I try to have that feeling every time I shoot the ball. You don't want to shoot not to miss."

And you never want to play not to lose. This was no fluke. Here is a player and team with instant national credibility.

Somewhere, the members of the 2006 team from George Mason understand what might be happening.

Brookfield High graduate wins Academy Award

2008-02-25T09:59:00.002-06:00

This is cool. Al emailed me this morning that one of our High School classmates won an Oscar (think she may have dated him...) Email to Chris Wysocki and Chris Amorossi. Amorossi said that the art direction was all that was award winning -- and she sees a lot of movies. Then, Wysocki emailed me this from the Danbury News Times (www.newstimes.com).

Brookfield High graduate Bill Westenhofer won an Academy Award for Visual Effects on Sunday night for his work on "The Golden Compass.'' The win for "The Golden Compass" was considered an upset over the blockbusters "Transformers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Westenhofer is the visual effects supervisor for Rhythm & Hues, and led the studio's team on "The Golden Compass.''

Westenhofer led a crew of 500 on two continents over a period of 18 months to produce nearly 400 shots featured in the movie, which stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue Richards. Lee Berger, president of Rhythm & Hudes' Film Division, congratulated Westenhofer last month after he received the nomination for the 80th Academy Awards. "We congratulate Bill, his entire crew and all of the employees of Rhythm & Hues in Los Angeles and India for this tremendous recognition, which acknowledges their inspired creativity, hard work and dedication,'' Berger said.

According to the Web site AnimationXpress.com, Rhythm & Hues' work for "The Golden Compass'' includes creation of the hero daemons, including Richard's daemon Pan in all his incarnations; the Golden Monkey (Kidman's daemon); Stelmaria, (Craig's daemon), the spyflies and numerous other characters. In addition, Rhythm & Hues' Academy Award-winning proprietary fluid simulation program was utilized for the creation of the mystical swarming dust clouds seen in the movie's Daemon Death and Battlefield sequences. This technology
was recognized by the Academy in January with a Scientific and Technical Academy Award. Recipients include Dr. Jerry Tessendorf, Michael Kowalski, Jonathan Cohen and UCLA Oceanographer and R&H Consultant Jeroen Molemaker.

Westenhofer is a two-time Oscar nominee. He was previously nominated in 2005 in the same category for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Westenhofer is also nominated for "The Golden Compass" in the Special Visual Effects category by the Orange BAFTA Awards, and "Compass" is one of the Visual Effects' Society's nominees for Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture Category. Westenhofer's mother is former longtime Brookfield Board of Education Chairman Adi Westenhofer. His father is former longtime Zoning Board of Appeals Member Don Westenhofer.

Christmas Decorations

2007-12-09T06:18:00.001-06:00

I have to admit, I'm pretty bah humbuggy about Christmas. But, not about the holiday season. And, I love the decorations, especially the Christmas tree. This year, we have both of them up -- the one that Tony thinks is lame, and the one that may not be that bad (I'll let you determine which one is which). I've promised that the lame one will be thrown out after Christmas. When we put the trees up, I get to do the decorating -- and out come all of our old ornaments. I think about the stories when I put them up. The one I made. The one Jane Satterlee made. The one that Mom made. The treeskirt Al made me for Christmas one year. Great histories make it fun.

Tony had light duties for outside the house. I think Dalton did the majority of the work. Our block is starting to look really festive. Makes it fun to drive home from work and see the pretty twinkling lights.

Cookies We Left For Santa

2007-12-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

It's tough each year to come up with a new holiday card for the company. Mine is pretty easy -- find a picture with Kat and Maggie (that's actually pretty tough) and one of me and Tony (again, kinda tough). For our company card, Arthur doesn't mind if it's Christmas, Kwanza, Chanukah. Just something fun. I only care that it mails at regular postage rate.

This year, we emailed everyone a link to submit a cookie recipe. We developed a database and collected them for a month. The card this year features some of our favorites. But now, you can go and add more recipes that will populate the database.

Check it out: http://www.cookies4santa.com

Please note those of you who know Arthur and Eisenberg And Associates. We want to do everything right -- and sometimes don't think of the perfect idea until it's almost, but not quite, too late. This year, a week before we were supposed to release to the printer, Arthur decided he wanted photographs of some of the cookies. Difficult? Well, let's say that Laura had to spend two days in the kitchen, making recipes that she had never tried. And then we had to get a photographer to shoot them -- thanks Andy and Suzanne! And, a place to shoot -- thanks Sur La Table!

Merry Christmas!

Teaching Valuable Lessons Through Graphic Design

2007-11-24T05:31:00.000-06:00

This story is courtesy of Laura Holt. Actually, her brother Edwin, who is the lucky one to be blessed with a slew of children. Mom, Dad, aren't you glad that you didn't have any problems like this with me and Allison, the sweet angels?

Here's the story:
So my nephew William is now 13...nearly 14, and it seems that he has discovered the wonders of internet porn.

Edwin and Jennifer have two computers in their home - one in the family room, and one in the children's playroom. Both computers are located where everyone has access to them at all times, and are in full view of everyone. The other night, Jennifer went to the playroom and was faced with a locked door. It took William a good five minutes to get to the door to let Jennifer in. Since Edwin was in Dallas, she called him and said "Uhm...William was in the playroom with the door locked. What should I do?" Edwin said, "Wait ‘til he goes to bed, then check the history and give me a call."

About 10:30, Jennifer calls and says "William has been on every porn site known to man. What do you want me to do about this?" Edwin told her to take the aircard out, keep quiet, and that he would see her tomorrow and they would figure something out."

For those of you that don’t know my brother, he doesn't just punish you for doing wrong - he likes to get back at you in a "Cruel Intentions" kind of way.

Edwin arrived home the next day about 2 pm and waited for William to get home from school. William breezed in the door about 3:30 and went straight to the playroom. About five minutes later, he was in the family room and said "Dad, there's something wrong with the internet. I can't get it to work." Edwin said "Well, I just checked my e-mail and it seemed to be working fine. Why don't you get on the internet in here in the family room?" William just kind of looked around and said that he was going to go try and fix the internet in the playroom and see if he could get it working.

FOUR HOURS LATER, William comes out of the playroom and says that he wasn't able to get the internet to work. Edwin just says he's sorry and he doesn't know what to do.
The next day, Edwin calls one of his designers and has him pull the logo for their internet provider and lays out a letter which states that due to a high volume of pornographic viewing, their internet service will be cut off. It is signed "Head of Pornagraphic Investigations", saved as a PDF, and sent to Edwin, where it is printed out, folded up and added to the mail.

The next morning, after a bit of coaching, Jennifer goes out to get the mail and brings in the "letter" from their internet service provider. Since it is Saturday, William is at the table, having his cereal, getting ready to mow the lawn. Jennifer says "Edwin, we just got a letter from our internet service provider saying that they are going to cancel our service because someone has been looking at pornography!" Edwin grabs the letter from her, reads it out loud, and says "Well, our line must have crossed with the neighbors, because no one in THIS house has been looking at pornograophy on the internet! I guess I am going to have to go talk to all of our neighbors and see who has done such a thing.”

William continues to eat his cereal, while breaking into a cold sweat. Edwin drops the letter on the table and leaves the room. About 10 minutes later, Edwin comes back in the breakfast room and Jennifer says "William, would you like to tell your father what you just told me?" And William says "While listening to iTunes, I may have accidentally looked at one or two inappropriate websites."

Edwin took him into the playroom, pulled up the history on the computer and said "One or two sites is an accident, my son. This is not an accident."

Needless to say, the computer in the playroom is now gone. And William has learned about computers and their histories.

Allison's 20 Year High School Reunion

2007-11-02T06:57:00.000-05:00

Al shared with me the pictures from her 20 Year High School Reunion -- Brookfield High School, in Brookfield, Connecticut. She wasn't able to make it, but did get the photos. Her message when she sent it was "No, i didn't go. here are the pics dave asch sent. do you recognize half the people? We don't all look that old, do we?" So, when I clicked, I figured that I would recognize everyone.

Nope. Thank god for name tags or I would have had a lot of problems recognizing people that I spent a lot of time -- friends, boyfriends, teammates, etc. Makes me want to pull pictures of me from high school to see how much I've aged.

All I can say is "wow." I haven't seen many people from high school since college. Haven't seen many people from college either. Makes me want to pull my old yearbooks and check things out.

Kat and Maggie's Adventure

2007-10-29T08:05:00.001-05:00

Kat and Maggie don't get out in the neighborhood much. Tony and I try to get walks in, but Maggie only makes it about 3 blocks before getting tired (and we don't want to have to carry that one home). They have a nice big backyard for Maggie to sunbathe and Kat to chase squirrels.

It's pecan season and the other day Tony let a woman and her child come into the backyard and pick pecans. Nice thought. The little girl played with Kat. When Maggie came outside, they made a quick exit.

On Friday, I'm leaving the office to head home and have two voicemail messages. One from Diane Sherman, the real estate woman who lives a few doors down. "Maggie is on my porch. Call me." The second from Frank, next door. "Maggie is on Diane's porch. I'm not at home. Call Diane." Seems like a gate was left ajar.

My next thought as I'm trying to call Diane. If Maggie is on Diane's porch, where is Kat? I also know that Kat isn't wearing her collar because I just gave her a bath. As I race home, I can only think about someone picking up Kat and taking her home. Or her being run over by a car, since she's out on her own. Or, hopefully, only Maggie is out of the backyard and Kat is in the house.

So, I get home and Maggie is in the backyard. Kat, not in or outside the house. Panic. Tony's racing home too, but stuck in traffic. I call Diane and head out the front door, not sure at all where to begin looking for Kat.

Perfect timing. A woman who walks her dog every morning and evening, walked by and asked if I was looking for a little white dog. Yes! She found Kat wandering around Edgefield and took her home, worried about her being out and getting run over on Jefferson. Kat was very happy to have a friend and spent the day in her backyard. She (Heidi) also made flyers at work and was beginning to post them. We walked over to her house, a couple of blocks away, and retrieved Kat. Kat was very happy to see us, all shakey and jumpy from her adventure -- and spending the day out in a strange backyard. Carried her home.

Kat and Maggie both slept well after their Friday adventures. And, Kat has her collar back on!

Lily or Clara

2007-10-15T11:39:00.001-05:00

I know there are pictures of me and Allison that look just like this one of Lily and Clara (I don't know which is in the foreground and which is in the background) riding in a golf cart. Aren't my nieces adorable?

2007 Gold Cup: Sunday Rounds

2007-10-15T07:18:00.000-05:00

Sunday, we don't tee off until 1230 pm, so I head to Woodbridge and practice putting and chipping (Tom indicated that Scott, the guy I'm paired up with, doesn't have a strong short game even though he hits it a mile). Have to work on not decelerating on these shots.

Get to Plantation to warm up. Mark Patsy, Gary, Scott and I are the first off. Good deal since we won't be waiting. This day's shirt I cut up isn't as short as Saturdays. I didn't go with Tom's advice to go braless for "competitive advantage." (note to Laura: I did put on mascara and tinted moisturizer)

First hole, I'm on the left. Scott duffs it off the tee. But, he hits it a long way on his second shot and is right off the green in 2. I lay up and then hit my third long. But my fourth is close. Scott overshoots the hole and has a lengthy putt for par. Misses. I make my 5-foot putt. AS. Second hole, I give him a pop (I have to give him THREE this round -- tried to talk him out of it, me being a girl and all. Didn't work). Scott hits it a mile. I hit it well, but 100 yards shorter. Hit my second close to the green. He hits his left, just off the green. My third shot goes four feet from the green. He makes five, I make par. AS. Third hole, I land in their rock hard bunkers and lose the hole. Fourth, par five -- Scott gets a pop. I get a fence and lose the hole. I think I win the next. Lose the next. Win the next. Tie the next. Something like that. Not playing poorly, but hard to keep up with someone on the green in two, while I'm laying up on my second. But, we're having fun -- and playing fast (don't have any idea what's going on behind us). There is no one in front of us. Needless to say, I'm trying, but not catching up. Lose 5 with 3 to play. Mark is dormie with two to play and needs to make birdie to go to the next hole. He doesn't. Scott is probably terribly happy that he beat me -- that'd be a hard thing to handle for an entire year at Plantation -- the one who was beat by a girl. Never would live that one down!

This is when the fun starts -- we get to watch the rest of the matches and drive around and drink beer. AK has lost his match. Ron was all square, Frank up one. Keith was up. Garrett was up. Doug Kelley ended up drawing Ron, their club champion, but was only one down. Pete's up. Bob is up. Rob won his match. Not bad. Most of the matches were pretty close. And now there is a crowd around the holes. Tom gives up a point to Alan when he hits his hybrid 220 yards into the water (not on purpose). He gives up a pop on the next hole to go down one. Ties the next.

18th is pretty packed with carts and players. We think we've secured a win. By one point. We did. So much for the stat that whoever wins the Skills Challenge loses the Gold Cup. Even though I lost two matches, this has to be one of the best times. The guys at Plantation are great. Our guys are great. Wonderful rivalry. Woodbridge doesn't have the membership that Plantation has -- they actually have to gain points in their tournaments to be able to play in this. Our group is so small that we automatically get in because we do. And we won.

2007 Gold Cup: Saturday Afternoon Round

2007-10-14T06:40:00.001-05:00

Saturday afternoon is alternate shot. I've never played this format. Pete and I are teamed up. I'll take the even holes, he'll take the odd. We're teamed up with Paul Miller and Dennis Lewis. And, we're giving them three strokes (that's never happened to me to give pops).

Start off strong on the first and win it. #2 isn't pretty and we lose. #3 isn't pretty and we tie. #4 isn't bad -- but Dennis sticks it close. And we lose. Yes, seeing a trend. Play is also extremely slow. #5. We lose. #6, 7, 8, 9 -- no blood, but we're still 3 behind. #10, we shift the momentum and win a hole. #11, Paul sticks it close, but we tie. #12, we lose. #13, no blood. #14, we tie. #15, we lose. We're three behind with three to play. Dennis sticks it close. I stick it in the bunker. Pete hits the lip and I have to hole for par. We lose the match. Pete and I didn't play poorly, we just never turned it on. And those three really bad holes at the beginning didn't help matters.

Eric has told us that Ron and Tom were behind by four, but Tom has just issued the order to make Ron drink. Keith and Mark played Ron (yes, the club champion) and were dormie on the 12th. Bob and Garrett are ahead. Doug and Kelley are close. Rob and Bill are winning. Frank and Tom are close. The drinking supposedly helped Ron and Tom -- they win eight holes in a row to win their match.

Results for Afternoon Round
Tom/Ron 1
Garrett/Bob 1
Rob/Bill 1
Frank/Tom
Keith/Mark Lose
Doug/Kelly Lose
Liz/Pete Lose

Pairings for matchplay on Sunday announced. I'm first off at 1230.

2007 Gold Cup: Saturday Morning Round

2007-10-14T06:15:00.001-05:00

Some of you may read this twice. Once with pictures. Once without. I don't have any photos now, but it's 600 am on Sunday and since we don't play until 1230 at Plantation, I might as well write about the Saturday rounds. I didn't get the opportunity to see many of the other rounds, so those of you who read this blog and played, feel free to comment on your round. Or send me and email and I'll post -- in fact, should think about setting up a Woodbridge blog...

Note to all: I'm terrible at names, especially on a golf course when I don't have anything to write on, so if I get some wrong. Sorry. You can let me know and I'll correct. I have complete control over the blog!

Wake up to my normal routine (wake up, change, get Big Gulp at 7-11, do crossword puzzle at Woodbrige, warm up) with one exception: pick up golf balls for Ron at Walmart. Note to people going to get golf balls at Walmart at 530 am: you have to go in the entrance at the food court. Golf balls are at the farthest possible corner of a Walmart. It's a hike. And I hate Walmart.

I'm happy that Tom and I are off first. We'll set the pace and not have to worry about waiting on anyone. Find out that we're playing with Ron Club Champion from Plantation (he's a 1) and Steve, who is a 4. So, we're pretty loaded with additional shots -- at least I am! I start off with a ball in the woods. Great. But Tommy tied the hole. We win the second since I get a pop. Third hole. I believe we lost. Fourth hole. I hit it in the woods (yep). I believe we lost. Sixth hole. I don't think any blood. But, Ron doesn't make any mistakes. He birdies 7 and 8 -- with really makeable eagle opportunities. I'm thinking that Tom and I were behind most of the round. But, not getting trounced. Hear that our other teams are doing well at the turn. 10 was a nice hole. I made par, net birdie to win the hole. But, Steve then drains a birdie putt on 11 to bring it back to 2 under. 12 I believe was no blood. 13: this was key. Tom goes for the green in two and doesn't make it, but his ball is up. Steve and I lay up and have great second shots, but then dunk our third into the bunker. Ron has 175 yards and sticks it 15 feet from the pin. But, Tommy is the man and drains his birdie putt. Ron misses his eagle. We tie the hole. We then lose 14. 15 and Tommy is again key and is on the green in two and makes birdie to win the hole. 16th hole is a par 3. One that doesn't give me issues. I don't think Ron or Steve were in good shape. Tom was in the water. I was about 15 feet long on the green. We win 16. Tom wins 17 with a birdie. We are now 1 up with one to play. 18: I hit in the fairway. Tom hits into the gunk on the left. But, we find it and he has a shot. Hit our third shots. Steve and Ron are both over the creek in two (Steve gets a pop). Steve's third shot wasn't great -- window is open. Tom and my fourth aren't great. Steve's fourth wasn't great either. Tom and I only need to tie him in order to win the match. Tom lets me go first so I don't have the pressure on me to have to make the putt (good idea since I'm not known for putting).

It's downhill, down grain, right to left. I'd say about 8 feet. It starts, it stops, it moves some more, it turns, slows down, goes in the hole. We won the match.

Head into the clubhouse. Already know that AK and Mark won their match. Doug and Kelley were losing. Ron and Frank had a big lead but had lost it. Garrett and Keith were all square. Pete and Bob were winning. Tom and Bill were winning. Tom and I grab our lunches and beer and head out to watch the rest of the matches. That's the fun part of about this tournament. You get to watch others finish their matches.

End of morning rounds: Woodbridge 4 1/2 points. Plantation 2 1/2.
Liz/Tom 1
Bob/Pete 1
Bill/Tom 1
AK/Mark 1
Keith/Garrett 1/2
Ron/Frank Lose
Doug/Kelly Lose

Time for alternate shots.

2007 Gold Cup: Woodbridge vs. Plantation

2007-10-14T05:56:00.000-05:00

Much to the satisfaction of players in the Sharky's tournament, our annual Gold Cup was the same weekend. Woodbridge vs. Plantation. The cup is ours. Friday, Garrett, Keith and I played a practice round at Plantation. 530 pm at Woodbridge, the Skills Competition (putting, chipping, sand, long drive) and pairings are announced.

Get to Woodbridge way early since our round at Plantation finished early and there wasn't any sense in heading home and then dealing with traffic. Frank and Eric were working on the players in the skills competition (none of these are really my forte -- I get chipping). And I get my shirts. They didn't get me women's shirts again (note to men: there is a huge difference in cut in womens vs. mens shirts. Shoulders. Arms. Length.). So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and borrowed scissors from Scotty and then cut the sleeves off and then about six inches off of the bottom. A new shirt -- looks kinda raggedy, but I'll call it "modern." Next year.

Skills competition: Putting
The putt is this ridiculous downhill breaking putt that needs to:
1. Go in the hole for two points, or
2. Remain in the octogon (not a very big one) for one point.
Needless to say, not many made it in. But Garrett stole the show on that one.

Skills competition: Chipping
Doesn't look that difficult except the circle the ball has to remain in for one point, wasn't very big. Again, needless to say, we weren't too skillful at this competition. I even tried putting.

Skills competition: Bunker
Yep, another circle. A small one. Frankie hit one in the circle. I think someone from Plantation did as well.

Skills competition: Long Drive
Believe it or not, there is some accuracy in this. You have to hit it between to flags. The longer it is the more points you receive. I think three points was for being accurate and blowing it all the way through the driving range. Bill and Doug had 5 points each, Doug 3 points.

It's always been the discussion that whoever wins the Skills Competition will lose the Gold Cup. Hard to say it's statistically significant since this is only our third competition. So, Woodbridge wins the Skills Competition in 2007. Now we need to proove this superstition incorrect.

After the Skills Competition, we go in for beers and pairings and times for the morning's Best Ball. Here you go (will fill in the other team after I get the actual pairings):
Liz Kline/Tom Warren
Garrett Persons/Keith Hughes
Mark Patsy/AK Fassett
Doug Kelley/Kelly Dills
Bill Johnson/Tom Abercrombie
Frank Catron/Ron Campbell
Pete Dickensheid/Bob Bergeron

Tom and I are off first. Fine for me. I hate waiting.

We also establish the rules and there is healthy debate over golf balls. In Best Ball, we're all fine with using the same ball brand (i.e. Titelist ProV1x, Titelist DT Solo) throughout the round. In Alternate Shot (after we established that alternate shot is based on one player teeing off on the even holes and one player teeing off on the odd holes -- and then alternating from the tee until the ball is holed), the discussion was whether one ball brand the entire round, or if the even player could choose one brand and the odd player could choose another brand -- and then play that through the round. Two brands wins over. I cared, but didn't as much as the discussion. As long as my teammate fronted the balls, I'd play his.

Friday's over and Saturday's not far off.

Monday in Riverton, WY

2007-09-24T18:07:00.000-05:00

Woke up and it's a rainy day in Riverton, WY. But, it's a nice quiet rain and a refreshing change from the flooding rains that we have. Spent the day at US Energy Corp., getting to know the company. Great group. After lunch, Hal and I went for a drive to Lander and to the Eagle Bronze Foundry. This is the foundry that produced the cattle in Dallas (each sculpture was created by Robert Summers and is believed to be the largest continous sculpture of its kind in the world), the mustangs in Las Colinas, the conquistador in El Paso. Large scale projects. The tour was impressive. I couldn't help thinking that some of the bronzes at Perot Systems were created. For me personally, the Payne Stewart statue at Pinehurst was impressive. The level of detail and the process is amazing.

Eagle Bronze Foundry: http://www.eaglebronze.com/

Sitting at the base of the Rocky Mountains beside the windswept plains of Wyoming Eagle Bronze Art Foundry produces world-class art and sculpture for some of the most famous artists and collectors. The foundry was started in 1986 by Beverly and Monte Paddleford. Beginning as a family business, it has kept the strength of its founder’s ties alive in a new generation as daughters and sons-in-law have grown up and come into the business. The foundry is renowned for quality and ships fine art casting to clients throughout the US, Canada, Japan, Europe and the Middle East. The sculpture mix ranges from small jewelry-sized pieces through monumental castings in both bronze and stainless steel alloys.

Dinner with Hal and his girlfriend was in Hudson, Wyoming, at Svilars Steak House, on Main Street, owned by Mike Svilar (who helped start USEG and is also Secretary and General Counsel for the company). Mike joined us for dinner. Another enjoyable evening. Don't want to go back to Dallas the company has been so great. Only wish it didn't rain all day so I could see the sun and the mountains. Maybe next time.

Back to Dallas tomorrow. Hopefully the flights will be uneventful.

Travel Day on Sunday to Wyoming

2007-09-23T21:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we went out on the bike -- my first time on it in months. It was a good day. Went to Tony's jobsite, then went to Sharky's after deciding not to go to Octoberfest -- which I didn't want to do anyway. Then, called Mike Clark, and Steve Smith and Damon and other bikers. Mike was on his way to Susan's and would meet up with us. Where to ride? It was quiet and pretty boring at Sharkys. Mike showed up and we went to Pub Monkeys near Woodbridge. And then rode to Lake Lavant (spelling? -- need to look it up). Called Pete and asked him where Bob lived. Bob called and we went and saw where "the other half lives" -- on his boat. And then a couple of cocktails. Then dinner. Needless to say, a long day and I had to catch a plane for a long day of travel to Riverton.

Not bad. Got up at 5 am, took a shower and then climbed back into bed while my hair dried. Tony headed to the course at 7 am and then I went stir crazy (go figure). Finally, went to the airport, headed to the Admirals Club and did the crossword puzzle, then off to Denver. Uneventful flight. Got to Denver. Didn't realize I have never been in Denver's airport. Cross another off of the list. Denver's airport has three terminals, with a train inbetween them and then a separate place for baggage claim. Flew into C, flying out of A -- on Great Lakes Airline. Another first for me.

Great Lakes Airline operates like some of the AA flights at DFW. You head downstairs (meaning: you're walking outside and then up the stairs to get on the plane). Yep. Get on a plane. Yes, a prop plane. Keep wondering if I'll get my baggage. Oh well. The flight is bumpy, but I can see mountains and views. Yellowstone looks really pretty close.

Get to Riverton and Reggie Larson from US Energy Corp. picks me up. And then find out that my bags didn't make the flight. He's the founder's (recently passed) grandson -- later, as I find out, the second oldest of 21 grandchildren! We head to the Holiday Inn. Check in, have a couple of beers, and then head over to his and Elisa (wife -- don't know spelling) and Jackson (9.5 month old son) house. And then go for a drive to see some mule deer and the city (pop. 10,000) and then to dinner.

Just as we're leaving dinner, Reggie's grandma and aunt show up. So, we went in and had another drink with them. It's so amazing to meet all of the people in this family and be introduced to them. It's a close family. I guess we have a bit of that with our families, but we are so spread apart. This family all seems to be within a few hours of each other.

Dropped me off. Supposedly, my bags on on their way to the hotel. Should be here around 9 pm. I really want to put on my PJs and get some sleep. Tomorrow should be even more. I'm enjoying this trip so far -- even without my luggage. Too bad the Bears lost to the Cowboys.

Trivia: Riverton is featured in the short story "Brokeback Mountain" by E. Annie Proulx, as the home of one of the story's protagonists, Ennis Del Mar

Riverton, Wyoming

2007-09-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, I'll be Riverton Wyoming bound to meet with US Energy Corp., a company Eisenberg And Associates picked up last year towards the end of annual report season. My second trip to Wyoming, this one with the locals. FYI: Riverton is smack in the center of the state. I'm flying into Denver on American and then from Denver to Riverton -- I believe on an airline called Great Frontier, or something like that. Get in on Sunday, head back on Tuesday. Trying to figure out what to pack since it's going to be chilly.

DISC Personality Profiles

2007-08-30T07:21:00.000-05:00

While we were in Michigan playing tons of golf, Tom and I talked about DISC -- it's a personality profile that helps teams work together, new business pitches/client relationship become more effective. Jason and Frank were a bit skeptical about it.

I'm a definite D personality. Tom's an I. Jason we figure has to be a C. and Frank and S. Everyone is hardwired a particular way -- can't do anything about it, but you can work with your personality type to be more effective.

So, back at work, I pulled my DISC profile from last year and gave a copy to Shane -- thought he'd benefit from knowing how I tick. And then did some research online. The official DISC tests/workshops can be pretty expensive, so I found a free online version: http://www.mtselect.co.uk/testing/DISC.htm

Took it twice and it came out like when I took the official one. So you know my results.

D= Dominance (I scored 84 and 72 the two times I took it)
I = Influence (I scored 8 and 12)
S = Steadiness (I scored 4 and 8)
C = Compliance (I scored 4 and 8)

People who score in the High Range of D:
* enjoy competition and challenge
* are goal oriented and want to be recognized for their efforts
* aim high, want authority and are generally resourceful and adaptable
* are usually self-sufficient and individualistic
* may lose interest in projects once the challenge has gone and they tend to be impatient and dissatisfied with minor detail
* They are usually direct and positive with people, enjoying being the centre of attraction and may take it for granted that people will think highly of them. They may have a tendency to be rather critical of others. Consequently, other people may tend to see them as being rather domineering and overpowering.

Sound like me? If you look at what being in the low types of I, S and C, you'll see.

Low Range of I:
* are usually socially passive
* quite frequently have an affinity for things, machinery and equipment
* are generally happy working alone
* frequently have a tendency to be analytical and once they have sorted the facts out they communicate them in a straightforward direct way
* tend to take little at face value
* may well have learned and developed good social skills but they only bring them into play when logic dictates such tactics

Low Range of S:
* tend to enjoy change and variety in their work and non-work life
* are expansive by nature and tend not to like routine and repetitive work/activities
* enjoy stretching themselves intellectually and physically

Low Range of C:
* are independent and uninhibited
* resent rules and restrictions
* prefer to be measured by results and are always willing to try the untried
* free in thought, word and deed, they long for freedome and go to great lengths to achieve it. They feel that repetitive detail and routine works is best "delegated."

Still sound like me?

Packing up

2007-08-11T07:06:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday and we're heading home. Packed up. Doing a little more blogging. Settling up the bets. I'm pretty happy with my play, even though I lost. But, not playing from the women's tees pretty much means that I'm not going to be really "trashy" since I technically have to play fairways and greens from the other tee boxes to get up and down. But, I think I played pretty decent golf. And so did Frank.

Besides, there was no way it would have been fun to play four sets of tee boxes. Especially since we have piddlers (OK, Jason is the main piddler. He has to play with the range finder, analyze the exact yardage, get a golf club, put on his glove -- he's worse than Ron on this trip. Drives me CRAZY). So, Frank and I enjoyed playing from the same tee boxes.

Last breakfast at the Lodge. Time to go on a diet after this trip. One more day of "being bad" as Frank notes. Head to Grand Rapids shortly to catch our flights. Tom and I are flying in together. Jason direct to Houston. Frank is saving $20 (I stand corrected in the car -- $60) and coming in an hour later.

Back to Dallas and 100 degree weather. I have four days to recover before heading to Austin for the NIRI SWRC and the golf tournament at Onion Creek on Wednesday. Terri's email said I need to make sure I'm good to go so we can win this tournament.

The trip to the airport is uneventful and I ditched Tom and Jason before the security checkpoint to see if I could get online at the gate. Yes, successful. The Grand Rapids airport is small, but you can tell that they've recently had some renovations. Frank was lucky and jumped on the 1245 pm direct flight to DFW (and saved $60 on top of that).

Hawks Eye/The Chief

2007-08-11T05:21:00.000-05:00

Last two rounds, last day of golf. We're all pretty worn out. But, we're stubborn, rather stupid, so off we go to Hawks Eye (www.hawks-eye.com) and the Chief (www.golfthechief.com)-- two courses near Shanty Creek in Bellaire. Another beautiful morning, another beautiful course.

Hawks Eye is in the winding woods/hills, with lots of raspberry and blackberry bushes and is rated the #12 public golf course in the state of Michigan). My wheels fell off again, got back going, and then off again some more. This late in the trip, my concentration is nil and everything bothers me, especially piddling. And I think everyone is piddling at this point. But, we're outside.

Lunch is good -- beer with a brat. Tom has ice cream (as usual). Head over the The Chief for our final round (14 for me, Frank and Tom; 13 for Jason). Countdown begins. Frank and I are just going to enjoy the scenary and see what happens -- and drink beer.

And Frank and I definitely counted down those last few holes. Finished up. Frank offered to climb up the chief for a photo opp. Off to dinner in Boyne Falls. Then ice cream -- we tried to go into Boyne City, but they had some sort of evening block party and the Dairy Queen was too busy. So, with Frank singing "Baby Love" -- or "Baby Dove" -- we headed to McDonalds instead. Last evening before packing it up and heading home.

[Note to golfers: Hawk's Eye definitely needs to be on the Michigan rotation. I think our favorites, not in any particular order since we all have a bit of differences: True North, Bay Harbor, Forest Dunes, Arcadia Bluffs, Hawk's Eye, Wuskwehan. We want to add Crystal Downs to the list, but only Tom probably has the pull to get on.]

The Mountain -- Alpine and Monument

2007-08-10T04:11:00.001-05:00

Thursday -- 10 rounds down with four to go. It's either going to be a good day for us, or a bad one. We're staying close to the condo and playing the Mountain courses -- Alpine and Monument. It takes about 10 minutes to ride the carts up the mountain, and then you play down them. The greens read crazy -- they may look uphill or downhill, but you have to play them "towards the mountain." Won't be a lot of poley pars today.

Game is on. For some reason, my body hasn't completely fallen apart and I play pretty decent. Frank is struggling and cussing up a storm over the greens. Not only are they difficult to read, they are bouncy and slow and bouncy some more. They sure are scenic though with apple trees (not very ripe or good -- the deer like them) and rolling hills.

Finish up with the Alpine course and have lunch at our normal little turnaround spot between the courses. Ray, one of the marshals, comes up and sits down and we begin talking. Ray is from Holland, so he and Frank started dropping names of people that they knew. Tom and I think that before Linda, he and Ray may have dated the same "Susie Creamcheese." Never know.

[Note to readers: I am NOT a professional photographer. If you want to find one in Dallas, Danny Turner, Andy Bennett, Suzanne and Chris Salvo -- et al. They are PROFESSIONALS. I just realized that these photos really are pretty bad, but they aren't meant to be coffee table books, just for reference.]

The Monument course is our second course. I like it, but the holes are kinda "funky" and I don't remember ever playing it well. I don't at first. Ditto for Frank. We need the beverage cart that finally shows up around the seventh hole. We load up. Time for some swing juice. I know it made me play better because I think I parred the next three holes.

After this round, we cleaned up really quickly and went to dinner at the new Lodge. Frank and Tom are going to turn into whitefish they've had so much. Dwain takes care of Frank with a martini -- but no olives. So, there is some negotiating between them and Frank gets olives and a free martini out of the deal. Not bad. Get back around 8 pm and I go in and crash. Two more to play and then Saturday we head back to Dallas.

A Ga Ming -- Sundance and Torch

2007-08-09T04:43:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to type fast to get drafts with photos posted because Radio keeps asking about the link to the blog. It's pretty hard to work on a blog while having a laptop propped up on a nightstand and sitting on a bed (see "Packing up" post for picture of my office). I'll edit and get more photos added after the trip and I have time. Knowing Jason, he'll probably add comments to all of these posts with a play-by-play of each round he had and exactly what the outcome is. I know I'm boring enough people just talking about these rounds of golf.

Wednesday comes and that Ben Gay menthol/heat patch I wore last night really made my back better. Good thing to pack on a trip like this. We made it up and on the road, stopped at a McDonalds for coffee (no 7-11 for me) and then at a bakery (no kolaches for Frank) before heading to A Ga Ming (http://www.a-ga-ming.com/), where we are set to play Sundance and Torch.

Sundance is the newer of the two courses (voted #3 best new public course in 2006), designed by Jerry Matthews (not to be confused with The Beaver) and Torch is a pretty old course. Glad we played Sundance in the morning because it was very forgiving (perfect kind of course midway through the week) and none of us played poorly. Quick lunch and then Tom's partner, Jim Hern (sp) showed up to play Torch with us. Tom's been talking about Jim, who has a house nearby, on this trip forever. Makes for an enjoyable round to have someone new with us. He's tall, with a smooth swing with one little hitch/waggle like AK before he hits. Can see why he's a zero handicap.

Before heading to the teebox, I spot a dog sitting in the cart with someone -- a mastiff. If only Maggie could do the same. Wish I had my camera out to take a picture. Luckily, Jason has already taken off and he stops the cart them. The dog quickly gets out and makes friends -- A brindle bull mastiff named Heather. She lets us rub on her before getting back in the cart. I'm still not sure Maggie would be able to sit in the cart like that... Would freak people out at Stevens Park.

Again, we needed the beer cart this afternoon to make it through the round. Tom shoots a 35 on the front. Jason is hacking it around except at the right times -- managed two (or three chip) ins for a ton of trash. Rarely does this happen when he's my partner -- usually it's when Tom is his partner. That's just the whining that Frank and I like to do. The rest of the round, he was sitting in the cart or waiting for the beer cart.

After the Torch round, we head over to The River for dinner with Jim and his wife Harriet. Sitting out on the deck overlooking the swans and the boats isn't so bad. Our plans are to have dinner and then go out on the boat for a while. Jason hasn't stopped talking about the boat since before the trip. Side trip for ice cream before we headed out for a spin on the boat. You can tell Jason is in his element, and Frank, Tom and I are just relaxing on the ride, enjoying the sunset and views.

10 of 14 rounds completed. 4 to go.

[Note to golfers: Sundance is worth playing. Torch is okay, but doesn't fall in the favorite list. And Sundance may only fall into it because it's in great shape and was a good mid-week round.]

Belevedere

2007-08-08T04:36:00.000-05:00

After True North, we're going to grab lunch at the Bob-in (where we had custard the night before). Jason has to have a square and Tom has mentioned the Bear Claw about 10 days already on Tuesday while golfing. Custard doesn't count as a square for Jason, but they have food.

Our afternoon round is completely different from the morning. Belevedere (www.belvederegolfclub.com) is the oldest (according to Tom -- Jason will check the facts) golf course in Michigan. Built in 1925. And has hosted the Michigan Amateur Championship 39 times. The clubhouse is reminiscent of Glenn Shores, only a little more level and not so moldy smelling. The men and women's private locker rooms are in their own building -- Members Only. This is a round to go barefoot.

Another pretty afternoon, on a course that isn't too demanding. Unless you count the demands of the body performing on cue on the 7th round. My wheels fell off for a few holes since there wasn't any beer, but I woke up a bit towards the end. That's what playing all of these rounds is about. Frank was still playing well. I think it's having me as a cart buddy, since he has played much better when he rides with me than Jason. Yes, Tom, the Control will take credit.

A course you have to play in Michigan since it's so historic (the par threes were really long), but one that you want to either

1. bring your own beer

2. play the morning round.

Dinner in Charlevoix, followed by ice cream. Yes, a trend. We have discovered a beer called Bell's Oberon (http://www.bellsbeer.com/) that the label says Kalamazoo. They serve it with an orange wedge and it's really refreshing. We headed back the back way past the Mountain courses in Boyne. As we're heading up the road, there is a man taking a sobriety test on the road, his cart buddy in the cart with his hand over his head. Never have we seen a golf cart driver going through a sobriety test. At least it wasn't us. Couldn't get my camera out fast enough for a picture.