The Holidays and All that IT Entails

I'm damn near speechless, but hey, what fun would that be to you right?

It's been hectic few days, but I think in the end it's been worth it. I've been able to touch base with a number of people, many of whom I have seen or spoken with in over a DECADE. Ten years. Wow. More on that in a bit.

Started on the last day of work. Get out early on the 20th. Short nine hole practice (Thanks Cy!). Played decent, but the guys are slowly getting better. That night, mandatory coaches training in S.A. Not bad, but just peeved as the commish in town didn't see fit to call me when it was held locally, less than two miles from my house. Sign in, take an ugly pic, and sit on a hard assed bench for 90 minutes. I did pick up a few pointers, but all in all, I'm still amazed at the things parents do for thier kids.

21st - Off to Grandma's. 135-ish miles through backwoods (not really, but kinda sorta) and small towns. I took my pal Pope's (or is that Frost?) advice and take a different route. That truly made all the difference that day. My mind stayed more alert, I saw things I hadn't seen before, and discovered a new way to Granny's. Good thing is I'll be back that way soon enough. Visit was good. Caught up on things granny's and grandkids catch up on. Lisa and Ron came on down after work and we went to this awesome seafood joint that rocked (The shrimp was better that Schobel's, according to Lisa).

22nd AM - Off to Austin. Another 135-ish miles, stuck on 71N. All good. Passed up Pope on the way it. I ended up meeting an elementary buddy, Kris. Such a nice boy. He'll make you some tea, bring you a blanket, and even tell you what time is it (I had to get that out of the way, boy). He took me to a local joint, Austin Java. Really good eats and coffee. A bit pricey for this small town boy, but the city boy picked up the tab. That's a genorous guy for you! We mainly reminisced about times passed and moments lost, but for the most part, reestablished what has always been a strong friendship with the affirmation that we won't let it degrade to what it was. Worst part of the visit? Seeing a lady crunch an SUV whilest attempting to park her car. That totally sucks. Second best part? Seeing and being demolished by the ever so loving Kimberly. Maybe I'm not as affectionate as I used to be, but she really knows how to hug. Seeing my Denby couterparts was absolutely awesome and they are now permanently part of the Austin Visit Circuit.

22nd PM - This is where the day get's really long. Had a tee time at Riverside Golf Course at 2:00. Pushing it really close, but hey, I figured, can hit 290 and bogey down, no problems. --WRONG-O!!!--- Apparently, I don't know Austin traffic that well. Traffic was jamming at the intersection with procrastinating shoppers at this shopping center and it really held up traffic. I barely missed my tee time (pulled in at 1:58), but Jeremy was really late, so it wasn't my fault anyways :) . Alton was sipping on some pale ale and smiling as I pulled up. Long story short here: I whipped their ass while playing like caca in the 40+ mph winds. Man, it was windy. Did have a bird though. Alton and Jeremy held their own. Had we set up our wagers to begin with, they would have taken the front side. They would have gotten two strokes a hole. I only beat them by 17. Ouch! I still enjoyed it, and I'd like to believe that amongst all the laughing, cussing, lost ball searches, and prodding to play ready golf, they both had an excellent time.

Next entry: What happened that night. Wow, was that a party. And the adventures northward!