End of the Quarter

Today is March 31 so it is the end of the 1st quarter of 2011. I was reminded of that as my client was hurrying to get a loan closed and funded. We got it closed on 3/29 but I don't know about the funding. But a creative CPA can make the books look good anyway.

Thursday night we had a major storm come through McAllen, right over our house. Winds were howling, driving rain and penny-sized hail. I was glad that we were all home and not out somewhere. Conditions were ripe for a tornado but fortunately there was none.

In the morning it looked like winter: all the leaves on the ground, ice piled up, cool and overcast.

School was cancelled and work was shortened.

Today we worked hard to get everything cleaned up. We had to make an insurance claim for maybe a new roof and fence, and to repair damage on the car that was outside. With 2 cars, one is outside. Guess who usually parks outside? Damage not too bad, looks worse in the bright sun.

Tonight was getting a little back to normal. We went to the Vipers game but we lost big. Only 2 more home games for the season. We also participated this morning in the Hoops for a Cure fun run/walk and all 4 of us were there: Susan, me, Sarah and Jack.

Another successful recommendation

I just heard that my recommendation for our friend Luciana was a success as she got the job she wanted for the summer with the Heritage Foundation. I was please to hear of her success. And of course pleased to be asked to assist her.

They say that the rising generation is going to change the country. If she and Katherine from Stanford are any indication of the upcoming students, it can't happen fast enough.

Olympic Club

Today, Sunday March 11 was  the start of daylight savings time in San Francisco and we were ready for a game of golf at the home of the 2012 US Open, the Olympic Club.

Olympic was originally called the Lakeside Golf Club since it is located by Lake Merced. Originally it was out in the country and today still is on the far side of San Francisco. I heard it would take 20-25 minutes to drive there from downtown.

Olympic is part of a larger athletic club with thousands of members. It as a result is a happening place with a lot of people there. It had a younger, more diverse vibe than many places I've seen.

Because we were meeting our host Dave, we got there about 10:30 a.m. It was a very short drive from the airport area. We met up with Dave, and decided to walk.

We headed to the Cliffs which is a par 3 course. It was not your typical par 3 with most of the holes being full length holes. Only 1 could be looked at as just a wedge. Living up to its name it was right on the coast and on the cliffs. As a result it was quite a challenge. If Torrey Pines were all par 3s it might look like this.

A highlight was the "Burger Dog" that we had at the snack hut. This concession was run by a local burger stand that used to be so popular that the golfers would go across the street for the burgers. Kind of like how the golfers used to go across Lake Austin Blvd. to the old

Sigmor station for a beer run on the second hole at Lions Municipal, or the liquor store by the 15th tee there. The burger was a classic drugstore burger: Ed would love it.

Our tee time on the Lake Course was 1:40 and we headed out, picking up a 4th in a cart, Billy. He was quite interesting, 6'7" and a fine player. He could really hit the driver. I enjoyed riding some in the cart with him.

One reason I enjoyed riding was that... Olympic is an long, uphill-all-the-way course! Now that may be an exaggeration, but in general, each of the greens rise up from the fairway to add a club'[s distance to just about every second/third shot. Plus, the greens are heavily bunkered and generally small.

The first hole started off somewhat tame, but then they warned me that 2 through 6 were difficult. That is when the long, uphilll-all-the-way pattern began. Not impossible, just quite challenging. Two separate holes I hit a good driver, only to leave a 3 wood to the green. And I never thought of myself as a short hitter.

Seven was a short par 4 that was a nice break, but the green was quite a challenge. 8 was a straight (but uphill) par 3.

After losing a ball on # 10, something must have finally clicked, for I figured out how to play the course:

Hit a good drive in the fairway

Take an extra club into the green

Fly it directly at the pin

That at least led to some improvement. I did have the highlight of fininshing strong with pars on 15 ( par 3) and 16 and 17 (par 5's). Here's a photo of # 17 which is quite typical of the greens:

On the famous 18th, the (perceived) hole of Ben Hogan's collapse, it was hard to shake that ghost. Not a long hole, but everything said "Put this in the fairway". Even that was not enough, as the tree on the right comes into play and it is a long shot uphill to a tiny, blind green. It should make for a tough finish in June.

Upon reflection it is no surprise that Olympic is a hard course. The USGA does select challenging places for their golf, even at the local level. A friend of mine who qualified for the US Amateur at Oakmont shot a 90 there, after going through local and sectional qualifying. So that should tell you how hard these courses can be.

Overall, the 27 holes there were as good as anywhere. And they've got another 18 holes there, the Ocean Course. A great spot for golf - well deserving of its high praise.

Palo Alto

We arrived in SFO after a cross country flight from SAV via ATL. The Spring Break crowds will out in Atlanta but we got through pretty smoothly. The flight went fast since I sat next to Duane who was a career military man ( and I think some type of pastor) . He was very knowledgeable about spiritual matters and so it was a good discussion for me.

Once we got here, we got our rental car and headed to the Olympic Club which was not only easy to find but also easy to navigate, no security or hard-to-find places. We were able to find out where to park and shop in the pro shop which make today's golf game easier.

Sean had suggested we meet up with his cousin Katherine who is a student at Stanford University, so I thought that was a great idea. I made the reservation for us and we picked her up at her dorm and had a very nice dinner. She's very poised for her age of 21 and was very confident of her future, since she said (as modestly as she could) that all Stanford students are outstanding in their own way; she's no different. So the future looks bright not just for her but for our country. She' s planning to go to medical school after college and is interested in geriatrics. She's already taken a lot of medical type courses and has a lot of clinical work experience. There's lots of opportunity out there which was great to see.

Chechessee Creek

Today Friday we were scheduled to play at Chechessee Creek which we had played at last year. Since it looked like rain, Brian was scouring the weather reports and keeping a close eye on the window and the barometer. After breakfast, he decided we must leave an hour early to have a chance to beat the rain. So off we went, down the road, across 2 bridges, turned right and we were there.

It looked remarkably the same from last year: the white siding buildings, the course right there. We were met and went to the range. I could see the first hole that I remembered from last year. Brian had said the pros hit it a ton off that hole. After a short warm up, we hustled to the first tee. Today was bound to be a fast round.

No pictures since I forgot my camera in the haste to get here. The first hole is a dogleg left, reminiscent of the 1st at the old Austin C.C. ( only in the fact that its a dogleg left around a big tree). Like in Austin, I hit it left, then right, then short. But then I made the putt for par from off the green. Par on #2 and then a nice birdie on hole #3 (like hole #3 at Palm View). So now I'm -1 after 3. Sweet!

Three double bogies later and I've reverted to the mean :( But we continued on. The holes have very challenging greens to approach, chip and putt and that is the main defense of the course.

The good news is that we played quickly and had no rain problems. On the back side, I started hitting the driver better and played better. There were some very nice holes. On #12, it required a long drive over a marsh. I hit a good drive, just missed the approach, hit a decent chip that just missed the right spot and ended up with 6.

On # 13 it was a par 3 that I remembered as near the driveway in. I was thinking that I was due for a hole in one, but alas, today was not the day, as has been every day before. A hole in one is like virginity: You think everyone else has one, you wonder if you'll ever have one, you ultimately wonder what all the fuss was about, and chalk it up to youth.

I've decided that it will not be the defining point of my golf career, whether or not I ever get one. I've got other bigger goals and have already had many successes. But if it ever happens, I'm sure it will be a memorable experience.

#17 was another nice hole with a long drive over a marsh. After hitting it over, it was only 100 yards to the green. A very tough green, to boot. The caddies affectionately called the marsh "Lake Stupid". I liked that one.

#18 was another long par 4. I hit a nice drive, and still had a 3 wood into the green. I hit the 3 wood into the woods and took a 6. But I still ended with 84 (43-41) which was a very good score.

Chechessee is unusual in that it is a course where caddies are required, everyone walks, and the layout is such to encourage walking. If there are other courses like this, there are not many. Perhaps Austin Golf Club (one of my favorites) is the one most like it.

Afterwards, we had lunch. Since it is a Lenten Friday, we all agreed to have no meat. The catfish was good. Then we went toward Bluffton to go to Edwin Watts. Sean had mentioned that he might need a new driver, so his dad suggested they go find one. At the golf store they had fun talking to the salesman, learning about all the new clubs, test hitting several in the net and watching the results on the computer. I wisely kept quiet and just watched. They both ended up getting new drivers, Taylor Made Rocket Ball RBZ. I'll look forward to trying out Sean's when we are in San Francisco.

Dinner was at Sigler's which was really tasty. Susan would have like it. I had a beet salad, followed by the salmon with a couple of fried oysters on top. Delish!

Tomorrow it's an early start, leaving here at 0700 to get to the Savannah airport, then ATL, then a 5.5 hour flight to SFO. Looking forward to getting there.

Spring Island - on a Thursday

Today seemed like a day at camp. After waking up and having breakfast, we went to play golf. After golf, lunch, then a nap. Then a little free time for a trip to the fitness center. Then back for a shower and to dinner.

A man could get used to this place. Here they have it all: a baseball field, a croquet field, tennis courts, horseback riding, hiking, birding. We saw some cool birds today: black vulture, ibis, some type of heron. Also a number of alligators.

Our golf game was not only enjoyable but profitable. Playing in the "Men's Day" we were in the bet pot for $15. Not having any idea of what the scorekeeping was like, we simply played our best. I played pretty well, particularly out of the sand. I hit a number of good drives also

, birdied the 16th hole, and made a great par from the sand on #18. So imagine my good fortune to be handed $15 in winnings. I turned that around and reinvested it - got a nice souvenir cap at the pro shop.

Here are a few pictures of the course. This is the 17th hole, which is right on the marsh. I hit just short left and bounced in the left marsh. Doh!

I liked seeing the palm tree here and there. It reminded me of home. These here are called Palmetto Palms, hence the Palmetto State.

It was an enjoyable course. It reminded me of one of my favorites, Shoal Creek, especially the front 9 which was more inland. As you progressed, the marsh areas were more in the backdrop. And the tabby walls were more evident on the back 9. Tabby refers to a shell/mortar mix that is/was commonly used in the Low Country.

I'd like to spend some more time in this area: Savannah, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Charleston and so forth. These trips are good but it makes you want to be spending a week or more. Of course, we've already got a lot of time available. But it is a nice place and there is a lot to see.

Tomorrow we've got another round scheduled at the same course we played last year, Chechessee Creek. I liked it a lot, so I'll look forward to going back. Brian thinks it might rain - he's quite the weather watcher, but I'm more of the optimist. We've got all day so we should get at least some golf in. If not, on to California!

Arrived in South Carolina

They say a good tally per day for a writer is 1,000 words. So I'm going to try and match that during this trip.

___

As usual, it was not easy to get out of town. Between the guilt factor of going on vacation when others are not on vacation, coupled with the (seemingly) spinning clock that speeds up as time goes away, can make for added stress. But it always seems to get through that difficulty, and now that I'm here, it's pretty easy to forget about that left behind, at least for a while.

Getting to Savannah, GA from McAllen, TX is both easy and not so easy. I had to get up very early today at 0345 for an 0600 flight to DFW, then onward. I had to stop by the ATM on the way to get money and then when I got to the airport, at the counter was a friend of mine, Jessica, who works for American. I was not sure how things would work since I had 2 confirmation numbers, one for American and one for US Airways. So I had not checked in. I was thinking I might have to pay double checked bags fees.

Jessica was of course very nice. When I had my credit card out to pay for the bags, she waved it off. That was a pleasant surprise, $60 saved already. Then when I got to the gate, I looked to see what boarding group I was in when they were calling out. "Priority Access" - wow - she also upgraded me to First Class on the way to DFW. So that was a double benefit. As I was thinking of the trip, God will Provide.

It reminded me of a trip I went on to Los Angeles when I was in college. It was the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs (ACE). My friends had set this chapter up on campus and the convention just happened to be during our winter break. I recall that I went on this trip with an absurdly small amount of money, like maybe as little as $20, less than $100 for sure for the week. Part of that money was a check for $17.00 that my roommate Craig has written me.

To start off the trip, Craig took me to Washington Dulles airport, which was only about 10 minutes from his home. I think I arrived maybe 20 minutes before the flight was to leave. I wasn't planning on carrying on but it seems there was no other reasonable choice. So with my suitcase (forturately it was small) I headed right on to the plane. Can you believe I actually had a hard sided suitcase then?

As I said, God will provide. I had arranged to stay a few days with my mother's cousin Ann and she picked me up at the airport in a Cadillac limousine, no joke! We went back to her home. For the next few days I was there. I don't recall having to spend any money. I did go into some branch bank, requested to speak to the manager, let him know I was from out of town and would like to cash this check from Craig Monroe of Centreville, VA drawn on a Virginia bank to me, a Texas resident. I must have approached him right, for he walked me to a teller and I left with 17 well needed US dollars.

I guess we had paid for the conference ahead of time, because I don't remember spending much money there. I did have a credit card "for emergencies". I did use it for one emergency, when we were at a nightclub on the last night, we met some local women and one of them ordered a very expensive drink on my tab, a Long Island Iced Tea, which back then cost $13.00 in Los Angeles in 1986. I guess it would be at least twice that now.

Needless to say, by the time I got to the LAX airport to leave, I literally had about $1.00 left. I'm sure I don't remember the story exactly about how little money there actually was, but the part about the $17.00 check is very clear that such amount was a good percentage of the total week's budget. I can't say I'd recommend doing this again, but I made it happen. Do more with less, that is the Marine Corps motto!

Anyway, for this trip as of yesterday, I had spend all the cash I had, and it was a good thing that I could hit the ATM at 0445 before leaving today. And then, I fly First Class.

The layover in DFW went by quickly. Susan doesn't like flying American through DFW because she thinks it is always late but it's not a problem for me. I think once you are at DFW, it's particularly easy to go to either coast.

We flew on a full flight to Charlotte where it was a long walk from one terminal to the next. They don't have a train system so there is a lot of distance to cover. I met up with Sean and we flew together from CLT to Savannah. Savannah airport has kind of a French Quarter vibe to it. We met his dad, Brian and we headed up the now familiar drive to their home in Okatie, SC, from where this byline is coming.

After a settling in, we had some snacks on the screened in porch and then his mother, Kathy made a nice Ziti dinner, with turkey sausage, homemade sauce, spinach salad and fresh bread coupled with a tasty ice cream dessert. She's of Italian descent, so she is a good cook.

As with many couples in their 70s, we had a discussion of conservative politics after dinner followed by a turning in at 8:30 p.m. Plenty of time for rest for golf tomorrow at

Old Tabby Links.