Time is short!

7:51 am - Saturday - September 23rd - LPG&RVR - 39° F, humidity 55%, wind 4 mph out of the southeast.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 74° F.  On this date in 2014 TLE and I were hiking near Port Orford, OR.....↴ 

....the view this morning.....↴ 

It has been about a month since my last haircut, and TLE and I both had hair appointments at Kaleidescope in Alturas at 9 am to get our coifs trimmed.  We were out the door by 8:25 am, arriving in Alturas at 8:55 am. TLE hasn't had her hair trimmed in a number of months, so she was a tad overdue.  I had my ears lowered first, then it was TLE's turn in the chair.  

While Sheila worked her magic I walked down to the local US Bank to withdraw some money to pay Sheila, and some for the Likely Volunteer Fire Department 75th anniversary dinner Saturday afternoon.  This dinner is an annual event, and also a fund raiser.  We went last year to support the fire department, and had a great time.  By the time I returned Sheila was just finishing with TLE's trim.  From there we drove over to Holiday Market to do a small shopping, and were home by 10:30 am.  We had stopped off at the Likely P.O. Office on the way home to pick up a couple of packages which had arrived, so when we stopped off at the Clubhouse to drop off the mail key we decided to have a late breakfast.  The special was a spinach omelet with hashbrowns, so TLE and I ordered one to split, then snagged an alfresco table on the deck and sat drinking coffee until our order arrived a few minutes later.

I haven't washed the Beetle in a couple of weeks, and after another drive into Alturas her front was a bug spattered mess.  The local bird population has removed most of the larger carcasses, but I still had to get down on my knees with tweezers to remove the rest from the grill. We had to move our geraniums indoors Thursday and Friday nights as the temps were down to freezing, and below overnight, so before I could wash the car I needed to move them back outside to get at my car washing implements.  I haven't detailed the VW in a long, long time, so I took about an hour washing her, and thoroughly cleaning her wheels.  By the time I finished it was 1 pm, and time for a nap.

That's the best they have looked in a year!

I wanted to play at least 9 holes of golf Friday, but the course was quite busy.  I think they rented close to 40 golf carts.  Anyway, I decided to tee off around 3 pm and play the front 9.  It worked out well, as we had no one behind us, or in front of us....by this time of day everyone has played the front 9, and are on the back 9.  I didn't have my best stuff but still managed 3 pars, and 6 bogeys for a 42.  My short game from 50 yards in was spot on most of the round, with only a couple of bad results, and my putting was also spot on....no three putts, and a couple of 1 putts.  As we were driving to the first tee I noticed a lot of progress had been made on the pergola......

.....they've got two of the four roof panels installed, and should be able to get the other two installed Saturday to finish the assembly.....looking better than good!

After a couple of very cold days Friday evening was so delightful TLE and I sat on the 'viewing deck' until after 7 pm sipping adult beverages and talking, finally retreating indoors as the sun set, and the temperature dropped significantly in just a few minutes.

We had a phone call with Bob Williamson of Colorado Outback Adventures before we went golfing, and made arrangements to meet them at Glamis North Hot Springs by October 20th.  Kyle is already there, and awaiting the imminent arrival of the 12 brand new Polaris RZR's....ten 4 seaters, and two 2 seaters.  He will complete the assembly of the units by installing the tops on all the roll cages.  We should be renting our first units by the 21st....almost 3 weeks earlier than last year.

We've only got 5 more days off work before we fly to Montana, and we want to have most everything put away before we leave on our trip, so when we return we can just hook up the trailer and head south.  In fact, I need to get started right after I finish posting my latest missive!

Thanks for stopping by!

Give me shelter!

7:16 am - Friday - September 22nd - LPG&RVR - 34° F, humidity 74%, wind 1 mph out of the east by southeast......partly cloudy this morning, with clearing later in the day, and a forecast high of 69° F.  On this date in 2017 we had a foot of snow at the Yellowstone General Store in Mammoth Hot Springs......↴

It occurs to me that I speak of 'flipping the sign' down at the entrance of LPG&RVR, and that you may not know whereof I speak.  From the hours of 8 am to 5 pm you must continue up to the Clubhouse to check in/register......

....and that is the way the 'sign' points during those hours, but after 5 pm, and until 8 am the next morning we must 'flip the sign' to point at the RV night office where they will check in/register.......

.....now when I speak of 'flipping the sign' you know whereof I speak.

We awoke to an overnight low of 31° F Thursday morning, and by the time we were ready to go to work it was only 36° F.....time for watch caps, gloves, long sleeve shirts, and pants again....

....just like the past 3 days Thursday was another slowish day at LPG&RVR.....I staged 10 golf carts, and we rented 9.  Most of our golfers did not tee off until after 10:30 am as it was way too cold, and cloudy to play golf before that.  Frankly, it didn't feel warm enough to play golf at 1 pm.  The forecast high for Thursday was 58° F, but it only got to 56° F.  I took off my zip up sweatshirt a couple of times when the sun made brief appearances, but otherwise I wore it most of the day, as well as my gloves.

Thursday was also mowing day for the driving range, and as you might recall, I cleared the range on Tuesday, garnering five 5 gallon buckets of balls using the 'ball picker'.  On Thursday I just took a couple of 5 gallon buckets and the Shag Bag to the range to clear what few balls had been hit since Tuesday.  I filled one of the buckets with those balls, and then headed into the trees that border the driving range on both sides and garnered another 5 gallons of balls.  It has been a while since either Walt, or I went way into the forest gathering balls, so there were a lot of them.

I've mentioned 'Miracle Bob' to you before.  He is our resident golf cart mechanic, and frankly our everything mechanic.  He repairs most of the mowing equipment we using on the golf course, too.  Anyway, he has been using a pop up canopy for the past two years to work on carts out of the sun....at this elevation (4,500') it can get pretty intense in the middle of the summer, plus when it rains he needs something to keep the carts dry when he has them all opened up to work on the engines, etc.  Dennis, the owner, recently bought one of those do it yourself pergolas, and it will look something like this when it is assembled.....

....they had to pour four concrete footings before they began to erect it, and that was done a few days ago, so Wednesday they began to assemble everything on the ground, and then Thursday we stood the first two sections up.....

"Give me Shelter" - Rolling Stones

.....once they were up things began to move a little more quickly, but the two main sections were not raised until almost 5 pm, so the balance of the assembly will probably take place Friday, when I am not at work.  This pergola is about 12' x 14', and will allow Bob a permanent shelter under which to work on golf carts.

By 4:30 pm I had the two 5 gallon buckets of balls washed, and 8 of the 9 golf carts washed and stowed.....there is always someone out late, and I can't blame them.  After 3 pm the course is wide open, and it feels like your own private course.

TLE and I were home a little after 5 pm....I didn't do any putting while I waited for her to finish closing the office as it was too cold, and breezy.  And with the end of this four day work week TLE has just 8 days of work remaining, and I have 9.

Thanks for stopping by!

Color time at LPG&RVR....

6:23 am - Thursday - September 21st - LPG&RVR - 35° F, humidity 94%, wind 2 mph out of the east......sunny this morning with increasing cloudiness this afternoon, and a forecast high of 58° F.  On this date in 2018 we had just arrived at the Burlington, VT Elks Lodge......↴ 

Wednesday was about as slow as they come here at LPG&RVR.  We rented just 7 golf carts the entire day, in spite of wonderful, cool weather.  When things are slow I have time to 'stop and smell the roses', so I took quite a few pictures to document the arrival of Fall weather....there are not many deciduous trees here at LPG&RVR, but what ones we have are changing color fast....

.....Wednesday was also mowing day for me, so around 9:30 am I headed out on the small Husqvarna to mow tee boxes 3, 15, 16, 17 & 18, as well as the grass strip on the left side of the cart path leading to tee boxes 1, and 10.  I finished around 11:30 am, giving me just enough time to make another pass around the course to see how the 14 golfers were doing, and they were doing just fine.   After TLE's lunch hour, and then mine, I returned to find 3 golf carts patiently awaiting their spa treatment, took care of them, then washed five 5 gallon buckets of balls, and set them out in baskets to dry overnight.  There have only been 3-4 medium size buckets of balls hit on the driving range since Tuesday, so I'll have to clear them Thursday morning so DeWayne can mow the driving range....that shouldn't take too long...I'll probably use the 'Shag Bag' to retrieve them.

I spent time cleaning the loaner golf clubs again, and reorganizing them so each bag has as complete a set of clubs as possible.  It's always amusing to me to find left handed clubs in the right handed bags, and visa versa.  By that time all the carts had returned, except for the one four seater we rented, so I'll have that to take care of Thursday morning.  

Thursday was a pretty laid back day, and by 4:40 pm I was done with the 3rd of four work days this week.  I spent about 20 minutes putting on the putting green, then headed down to the entrance to flip the sign, and write in the available sites on the 'white board' at the night registration office.  By the time I returned TLE was already walking toward home, so I gave her a lift for the final 100 yards.  And with that we are now down to about 10 work days, 5 of which will entail the annual 'punching of the greens' to prepare them for next season, and that will take place from October 2nd to 6th (Monday thru Friday), which is our last work week here.  On Saturday the 7th we will be driving to Medford, OR to catch a plane to Missoula, MT.

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. - TLE reports that she can now read the numbers on the 'staged' golf carts from the office window without having to walk outside.

Flip the switch.....

6:15 am - Wednesday - September 20th - LPG&RVR - 40° F, humidity 76%, wind 0 mph out of the east by southeast.....sunny today with a forecast high of 70° F.  On this date in 2022 there was snow on Eagle Peak here in Modoc County, CA.....↴ 

After about a week of 80's temperatures they dropped back into the 70's on Tuesday, and based on the 15 day forecast they should remain in the 60's and 70's for the balance of our stay  at LPG&RVR.  I forgot that there was snow on Eagle Peak on September 20th last year....none so far this Fall.

It appeared we would only need 12 golf carts initially Tuesday morning, but by the end of the day we had rented around 18 carts, including our two 4 seat Club Cars, and 2 of the Yamaha gassers, which went out twice.  It was never very crowded out on the course, but I did make 3 rounds, including my usual early morning round to check conditions.

We've rented a lot of golf balls for use on the driving range since last Wednesday, and I noticed that our two 55 gallon barrels of balls were both half empty.  That's a lot of golf balls out on the driving range already, and by Thursday, the next time we will mow the range, there will be too many for the ball catcher to catch, so I decided to clear the range Tuesday morning to get the bulk of the balls cleared, and cleaned before Thursday, when I'll clear whatever has been hit in the past two days before DeWayne mows.  

That took me to lunch time for TLE, after which I took my lunch at 1 pm.  By the time I returned from lunch at 2 pm 6 of the 18 carts had been returned, so I washed and stowed them, then retrieved the small Husqvarna riding lawnmower to mow around the putting green, the 10th tee boxes, and one of the large grass strips that run along the cart path in front of the Clubhouse.  I'll mow the other grass strip Wednesday, along with the 4 tee boxes at 3, the blue tee box at 15, the four tee boxes at 16, two at 17, and all four at 18, and then I'll be done with my mowing for another week.  By the time I finished with all that it was going on 4 pm, so I only had 40 minutes left to wash another 9 carts.  By the time I was off work there were still 3 carts outstanding, so I'll wash them first thing Wednesday morning.

It is supposed to get down to 59, or 60° on Thursday so I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing long pants again by then.  The overnight lows have suddenly dropped into the 30's in the 15 day forecast....time to get the plants inside the trailer at night again....we had a low of 37° F last night, and a forecast low of 31° F is forecast for tonight.  It is as if someone has flipped the switch, and it is no longer summer...can winter be far behind?

By the way,  8 days after her cataract surgery TLE's left eye continues to heal quickly, and her vision is improving daily.  She can bend over again, and lift heavier objects....not that lifting heavy objects is her goal, it is just that she is medically cleared to do so if she wishes.

I can see clearly now....Johnny Nash

Thanks for stopping by!

Nomads forever?

6:21 am - Tuesday - September 19th - LPG&RVR - 48° F, 75% humidity, wind 0 mph out of the east by southeast....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 79° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I entered the state of New Hampshire in our Newell for the first time.....↴ 

As I sit composing today's missive I can see the glow on the eastern horizon through the passenger side window in the salon portending the imminent arrival of the sun.  The point where it will show itself on this new day continues to move to the south, and ever lower in the sky, as the earth continues its annual journey around the sun, and the season changes from summer to fall, then winter when it reaches its lowest point in the southern sky.  Time seems to be passing more quickly with each passing season...it does not seem like we have been here almost 6 months now.  We've been on this nomadic journey for almost 12 years (13 living in the Newell), and it is hard to remember ever living in a sticks and bricks abode.  We are different people than when we began this journey.  We have had the privilege of working all over this great country, and meeting people with whom we would never have crossed paths had we never begun this journey.  All of these people have shaped us, and are now apart of the fabric of our life, and we are the richer for it.

I know, intellectually, that our time living this nomadic life is getting more finite with the passing of each day, week, month and year, but in our hearts the future possibilities still seem limitless.  We live mostly in the present, enjoying each other, the people around us, and the geographical location where we happen to be at the time.  We do think more often about "What is next?", but for now we are both content with our lives, in good health, are both still very active, so we will continue to 'rock on' as they say, seeking new adventures, and possibilities for as long as our mortal bodies will allow it, all the while beginning preparations for that time when we will no longer roll the wheels of our Newell Classic toward new horizons.

Monday, about which I am supposed to be reporting, was a typical Monday, and typical first day of our four day work week.  I made several rounds of the golf course, first weeding and raking the four sand traps, then trimming the grass around the edges of the traps with a Stihl string trimmer on another round, then just marshaling near the end of the day.  I dragged the main cart path from holes 9 and 18 to the Clubhouse, did some weeding, staged golf carts, then washed them and stowed them.  I chatted with customers, and friends, and even did a little putting at the end of the day as I awaited TLE's exit from the Clubhouse office a little after 5 pm.  It was a good day, a satisfying day....the kind of day we have relived day after day for the last 6 months.  Soon we will be waking from our nightly slumber in a different location, with a different view, always grateful for each other, and this wonderful nomadic life.

Thanks for stopping by!

A surprise.....

 6:18 am - Monday - September 18th - LPG&RVR - 49° F, humidity 76%, wind 1 mph out of the east by southeast....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 82° F.  On this date in 2013 TLE and I were overnighting at the Cracker Barrel in Missoula, MT.....↴

TLE switched work days with Office Kathie last week so she could have her cataract surgery, and Sunday was the day she switched with Kathie, so whilst TLE went off to toil at the Clubhouse office I remained home and took care of a few projects I had been meaning to get to for some time now.  The first was to wash the Newell exterior.  It's been a couple of months, or more since I last gave our Newell Classic a spa day, and we'll be rolling our wheels again, soon, so we want her to look her best as she cruises southward on US-395 back to Glamis North Hot Springs for the winter.

When I went to open the 'through bin' to retrieve our long pole squeegee I noticed a mouse in one of our mouse traps that we keep in all of our bins.  WOW...that's the first mouse since we were at Ramona Oaks RV Resort back in 2019, but that is why we keep the traps set, and bated 365 days a year.  You just never know when one of those buggers will get inside.  Well, anyway, that added another project to the list for Sunday.....clean, and rebate all of the traps....if there's one, there may be others.

I managed to get the front, drivers side, and rear of the coach washed and dried before it got too warm, and warm is a relative term for those who may live Phoenix, AZ, or thereabouts.  It was 85° F, and that is what passes for warm here in Modoc County in September.  I want to stow the patio awning, anyway, to wash the passenger side, so I'll do that side on our next day off work, weather allowing.

Once I put away everything I gathered all the other mouse traps together, cleaned them, and then added new 'attractant'.  We used to place them inside the living area of the Newell, but found it was better to put them in the basement storage areas, and catch them before they got into the living area.  That philosophy has worked well for years now, and combined with the rope lights we place on the ground, around the Newell and trailer, has been mostly successful in keeping the rodents out of the living area of the Newell.

I ran TLE over to the Clubhouse at 7:40 am to begin her work day, then at noon time to pick TLE up for her lunch break, then took her back at 1 pm.  At 5 pm I ran over again (in the golf cart, of course) to bring her home after work....that was the sum total of me leaving site #55 on Sunday.  My back feels great after playing 27 holes of golf in the last 4 days, and I'm looking forward, already, to golfing again next Friday.

We've got two more days of 80's weather, then it is into the 70's, and 60's for the rest of September, and into early October.  We've got about 13 work days left before we head north to Deer Lodge, MT to visit my sister, and brother-in-law, so time is short.  Within a month we'll be back at Glamis North Hot Springs for another winter of RZR rentals.

Thanks for stopping by!

A day off.....

8:04 am - Sunday - September 17th - LPG&RVR -  57° F, humidity 43%, wind 0 mph out of the north by northeast.......partially cloudy today with a forecast high of 86° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were taking our first walk on Seal Rock Beach......↴

One of my favorite pictures from our 12 month stay at SRRVC.....blue skies on the left, and retreating fog on the right

After two days of golf, for me, I decided I would take a day off golfing, and enjoy watching at least one soccer match (I wrote about that in the previous post), and then college football.  All but two of the top 25 ranked teams won their games, with Kansas State being the one of them, losing their game 30-27 on a last minute field goal, and #11 Tennessee losing to the unranked Florida Gators.  Number 3 Florida State barely won their game against unranked Boston College, and may fall a few places because of that....maybe USC will move into the top 4 on their bye week.

The most interesting game of the day was #18 Colorado University against unranked Colorado State.  Colorado U is coached by Deon Sanders, one of the best corner backs in the history of the NFL.  This is his first year coaching at this level, and no one thought his, initially unranked, Golden Buffalos would be successful in his first year.  Under the prior coach they were 1 and 11 last year.  Going against the odds, and talking heads he has managed to get his team into the top 25 (#18) after just two games.  Two of his sons play for him (quarterback and pass defender), and both are playing great.  At any rate the Buffalos were down by 11 points late in the 4th quarter, but managed to tie the game, and then win in the 2nd overtime, so the magic continues.

Saturday was the day of the annual Members meeting, and dinner so the putting contest was scheduled for 3 pm, instead of the usual 4 pm.  I managed to play six rounds, missing the semi final round by one round.  I lost 2-1 in both matches I lost (it was double elimination) on the final hole of each round.  In the 6th and last round I had a hole in one on the 3rd hole to pull even with my opponent, and then made a great putt on #4, pin high, about 2 feet away.  My opponent then sank his first putt to pull ahead by 1 with one hole to play.  We both made good putts, and I was mere inches away, but my opponent made his 3 foot, uphill putt to tie the hole, and win the match.  Ultimately, the other opponent I lost to won the contest, and I did finish 4th out of 34 people, so I cannot be too unhappy....

.....even though it is called the Members dinner, employees are invited to participate as well.  We are treated like members since we also have golf and golf cart privileges, as well as being eligible to get a permanent site, but exchange labor instead of cash for those privileges.  By the time the annual meeting, and dinner were complete it was after 7 pm.  DeWayne, the local BBQ expert, in addition to his other talents, BBQ'd pork loins for the main course, and everyone else brought a dish for the potluck portion of the dinner.  The pork loins were so good no BBQ sauce was required.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mortal once again......

6:59 am - Sunday - September 17th - LPG&RVR - 51° F, humidity 64%, wind 0 mph out of the east by southeast......partially cloudy today with a forecast high of 86° F.  The view this morning.....↴ 

.....and on this date in 2018 TLE and I were having lunch at 'Duckfat' in Portland, ME....↴

As you might have surmised, I took the day off from writing Saturday, so I owe you two blog posts.....Friday, and now Saturday.  Buckle up, and hold on tight....here we go!  Instead of sitting down at my laptop to compose Friday's missive TLE and I watched the Tottenham vs. Southampton English Premier soccer match.  As you know, we enthusiastically follow Tottenham.  The game was tied at no goals late in the game with Tottenham controlling the ball about 80% of the time when Southampton score an unexpected goal on a rare counterattack.  Suddenly Tottenham's undefeated season was on the line, but they scored a tying goal in the 88th minute, and then the winning goal in added time to win, and remain undefeated.  Anyway, here is Friday's recap.

After parring each and every hole on the back 9 Thursday I was curious to see if the magic might continue so around 2 pm on Friday I headed out, alone again, to play 18 holes.  It's interesting how one's expectations change when par golf becomes the expectation, in lieu of bogey golf, which had been the previous ideal.  I began with a double bogey on the 1st hole, then a bogey on the 2nd, then a par on the 3rd.  So, after 3 holes I was averaging bogey golf, but disappointed, instead of satisfied.  From that point on I played steady bogey golf, with a couple of pars thrown in to end up shooting 89 for the entire 18 holes....one stroke under bogey golf.  On any other day prior to Thursday I would have been, and had been ecstatic, but now I fought off disappointment.  Success at golf, for the mortal masses, is fleeting, and so it is for me as well.  I should be happy knowing I am in the 20% of recreational golfers who break 100, instead of in the 80% who do not, and never will.  I need to put the par round in perspective, and continue to enjoy bogey golf, awaiting another magical day when all aspects of my game work together once again....how long into the future will that next magical day be?  I do not know, but that hope and anticipation is what keeps us teeing it up each and every time we golf.

On my way from the 9th hole to the 10th tee I stopped to take a picture of the area I weeded the other day.....man, it sure looks good now.....

Cart path on the left connects the 9th hole, and 10th tee.....to the right of the island is employee site #51

.....I weeded the area between the cart path, and the employee road all the way back to site #51.

I managed to play the 18 holes in a little over 3 hours, which is really fast for me, so I've got that going for me, too....lol.  After stowing my clubs, and golf shoes in my Clubhouse locker I was home around 5:30 pm, and sipping an adult beverage minutes later.

TLE's left eye continues to heal, along improvement in her over all vision.  Soon she will only need to wear glasses when reading, and that day is not too far distant....thanks for stopping by!

Thirty-Six.....

8:06 am - Friday - September 15th - LPG&RVR - 57° F, humidity 31%, wind 0 mph out of the east by southeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 86° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I arrived at Seal Rocks RV Cove for a one year stay.....↴

You never know when your 'number' is up, and when I awoke Thursday morning I had no inkling my number would called.  But, I get ahead of myself.

TLE and I love the first day of our four day 'weekend'.  During our four day work week we are up by 6 am, and out the door on our way to work by 7:40 am.  On our days off work, especially the first day, we refuse to get out of bed until at least 7 am, sometimes later, like Thursday, when we didn't shed the blankets until almost 7:30 am.  It's not that we're necessarily sleeping, but it is just nice to lay there knowing you have no schedule to which you must adhere.  We talked briefly about making our grocery run into Alturas Thursday, but within minutes decided to go Friday morning...maybe.  Since we were not going to town I decided I would try to squeeze three things into my day.....finish working on the mountain bike for Office Kathie, finish the rock border around the dining canopy, and, most importantly, play some golf....and pretty much in that order.

All that was left to do on the mountain bike was to adjust the front, and rear derailleurs so one could easily shift through the gears.  This bike had been sitting out in the elements for at least a year and the shifting cables were kind of stuck inside the cable housings, so I dismantled each one, lubed the cables, and then put them back together.  Usually it takes some adjustment to get everything to shift properly, but not this time.  Everything shifted as it should, and the bike was done!

Next up I began locating volcanic rock suitable to be included in the rock border around our site.  Volcanic rock is ubiquitous here, and one can usually find enough rocks for any project located within feet of said project, and that was how it worked out for me Thursday.  Within 30 minutes I had located, and placed the remainder of the rocks needed to complete the border....at least for now.....

⇓I added rocks to each end of the rock border⇧

....and then completed the border around the perimeter of the dining canopy aka: 'lower deck'

.....by the time that was done it was just after 12 pm, and my thoughts began to turn to playing golf, so I got something to eat, spent time stretching out my back, got dressed, and headed over to the Clubhouse, where I snagged a 1:30 pm tee time.  I hit a few balls with my driver, then headed to the 10th hole....the front 9 was pretty busy, so I opted for the back 9.  To make a long story short, I parred every single hole from 10 to 18 for a 36.  It was like a dream.  Every club I pulled out of the bag did its job.  So, here the blow by blow account of my dream round:

10th - Par 4 - dog leg right - Hit a so, so drive about 100 yards, but then hit a booming, high, straight 5 wood to within 30 yards of the green.  I hit then hit a pitching wedge to within 5 feet of the hole, and one putted for my par.

11th - Par 3 - about 130 yards to the hole - Hit a beautiful 7 iron to within 10 feet of the hole, and two putted for my par

12th - Par 4 - dog leg right - Hit a beautiful driver about 220 yards, then a 6 iron to within 10 feet of the hole, and then 2 putted for my par

13th - Par 4 -dog leg left - Hit another beautiful drive about 200 yards, then a 7 iron to within 5 feet of the hole....just missed my birdie putt, but made my next one for par

14th - Par 5 - dog leg left - Hit my longest drive ever on this hole...about 250 yards, hit a 5 wood over the creek, and then another 5 wood which landed 9 feet from the hole...I've never been on this par 5 in 3 shots.  I then just missed my birdie attempt, but made my par putt.

15th - Par 4 - severe dog leg right - I hit a wonderful 5 iron to cut the corner, landed about 80 yards from the hole, then hit a pitching wedge to within 4 feet of the hole....just missed another birdie attempt, but made my par putt

16th - Par 3 - Elevated green....about 125 yards to the hole - I hit another 7 iron, very straight, and very high into the air, hitting the green about 6 feet from the hole...

....which 'plugged' into the green. I've never had this happen before.  I pulled the ball out, repaired the ball mark, then two putted for par...once again, just missing my birdie attempt.

17th - Par 5 - dog leg left - I hit hit a so, so drive....maybe 150 yards, and then hit another so, so drive with my 3 wood, but I hit my 5 wood next, and it went high and straight, landing in the fairway about 40 yards from the hole.  I pitched to within 7 feet of the hole, then sank my par putt.

18th - Par 4 - straight as a arrow - Hit my best drive ever on this hole to within 75 feet of the hole.  I mishit my pitching wedge over the green, but was able to pitch the ball back to within 3 feet of the hole, and made my par putt.

I had NO 3 putts, and 3 one putts on those 9 holes.  It was just one of those days when every part of my game (driving, fairway woods, long irons, short irons, pitching wedge, and putting) worked.  I still cannot believe I shot par for 9 consecutive holes.  I would have been happy with a 45 (bogey golf).  I had intended to continue, and play the front 9, but I decided I did not want to put a blemish on what I had done, and called it a day.  I played the back 9 in less than 90 minutes....usually it takes me 2 to 2.5 hours per 9 holes....lol!  I wish TLE had been with me, but she opted out as her allergies were bothering her eyes, and with post surgery recovery still in progress, her left eye was really watery, so she stayed home with the windows closed, and the A/C running to keep the outside air at bay.

You just never know when your 'number' is up....thanks for stopping by!

Expect the unexpected....

8:14 am - Thursday - September 14th - LPG&RVR - 52° F, humidity 43%, wind 0 mph out of the south by southeast.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 84° F.  On this date in 2020 we were overnighting on the Columbia River on the Washington....we would cross the 4 miler long Astoria-Megler Bridge into Oregon the next morning on our final leg to Seal Rocks RV Cove where we spent 12 months.....↴ 

I got dressed for work Wednesday morning not expecting to be working on the driving range clearing golf balls from its surface so it could be mowed, so I wore shorts and a t-shirt.  If I had known in advance I was going to be clearing golf balls on the driving range I would have worn long pants, and a long sleeved shirt to minimize mosquito interaction. In fact, I got dressed Wednesday morning thinking it would be a pretty easy day as based on the tee time sheet we would only need 8 carts for the day.  Expectations can be tricky things....sometimes you get the exact opposite of what you expect.

Within 10 minutes of arriving at the Clubhouse to stage 8 carts I saw DeWayne walking toward me.  He wanted to let me know that he would be mowing the driving range later in the day, not on Thursday as we had discussed a couple of days prior,  and then TLE advised she would need more than 8 carts....well, there goes my easy day....lol.

In all we ended up renting 14 carts, and all but one was back by 5 pm.  I don't try to clear the driving range until after 10 am as the grass is too wet, so I headed out to do my initial round of the golf course.....

.....I love how the rising sun causes the dew on the putting green to sparkle.  I decided to drive down the first fairway and take a picture of the permanent sites which front the 1st and 10th fairways.....

.....we are hoping to get a site up there in the next year, or two.  The next picture is looking back down the 11th fairway....

.....on my round I re-raked two of the 4 sand traps, and touched up the other two during.  I arrived back at the Clubhouse around 9:30 am, and decided to pick up a few tools, and finish the weeding job I began down near site 51 (employee row) Sunday afternoon.  This area has been an eyesore for as long as we have been here, so I decided to clean it up a few days ago.  There were way more weeds than I was counting on, so what I began Sunday afternoon did not get finished until Wednesday.  It turned out quite well, but I had to haul 3 trailer loads of weeds to the burn pile later in the day.

By the time I had all the weeds pulled and stacked for later pick up, it was almost 10:30 am, and time to get started on the driving range.  I garnered six 5 gallon buckets of balls....about 1800 balls in all, and finished just before 12 pm...perfect.  As it turned out, the mosquitoes were not bad at all....another expectation turned upon its head.

After giving TLE her lunch break, I headed home to take my 1 hour lunch break, which included a nap.  After lunch I began to load the piles of weeds into the small gardening trailer we have for just such occasions, and haul them to the burn pile.  Once that was done I washed 10 golf carts, put them away, and then set about washing 1800 golf balls.  Over time I have refined my golf ball washing process, and it does not take nearly as long as it used to.  Before I left for my lunch break I poured all the balls into the aforementioned six 5 gallon buckets, poured in some Dawn dish detergent, and then filled them with water to let them soak.  As they sit there in the direct sunlight the water heats, and the dirt falls from the balls....it's amazing.  So, while I was at lunch, and picking up the weeds the balls were getting cleaned.  By the time I returned to finish the cleaning process it had been 3 hours, and it was time to pour off the soapy water, then rinse them before pouring them into six baskets to dry overnight.

All but one of the golf carts returned before 5 pm, and TLE and I were on our way home about 5 minutes after 5 pm.  We decided to sit on the 'viewing deck' until sundown enjoying the early evening stillness which descends over LPG&RVR.  There were adult beverages consumed, a couple of cigars smoked, good music playing the the background, and sweet conversation for a couple of hours as the sun slowly made it daily slide toward the western mountains.....

.....the sun is hitting those mountains a little after 7 pm now, and as soon as it hits the mountains you can feel the air temperature drop significantly.  Within a few minutes we had retreated to the warm, friendly confines of the Newell for another evening.  Now to enjoy our four day 'weekend'!

Thanks for stopping by!

All is good.....

6:24 am - Wednesday - September 13th - LPG&RVR - 47° F, humidity 81%, wind 1 mph out of the east......forecast is for clear, blue skies today (still dark) and a high of 81° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I were watching the sun rise from Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island (Bar Harbor, ME) along with a few hundred other folks.....↴ 

TLE's cataract surgery was scheduled for 6:40 am Tuesday morning, so we were up a tad after 5 am, and out the door of our hotel room by 6:30 am to make the 3 block drive down to the Klamath Eye Center.  There were the ubiquitous forms, which needed to be signed, and initialed, but by 7 am TLE's name was called, and she headed into the surgery.  Once she was on her way I gathered my things, and headed out to the VW to drive over to the local Fred Meyer fuel station to fill her up for the 110 mile drive home later in the morning.  She only needed 5 gallons, but gas is $1/gallon cheaper in Klamath Falls than Alturas.  While I was there I bought a cup of coffee at the Starbucks inside the store.  I then went back to the hotel to pack my bags, and was back at the eye center by 8:10 am.

Within a few minutes a nurse came out the surgery to let me know all was well with TLE, and that I should bring the car around in about 10 minutes to retrieve her, which I did.  On our way back to the hotel TLE asked me to go to the Dutch Brothers drive through coffee place across the street from the Shilo Inn to get her a cup of coffee and a pastry.  By the time we were back to the hotel it was 9 am.  I laid down to rest before we began the drive home.....at this point we had both been up for 4 hours.  Around 9:40 am I gathered up our bags (TLE is not supposed to lift, or hold anything heavy for a day, or two) and we headed for the VW once again.

Since I had already fueled up the Beetle it was just a matter of heading directly out of town, and home where we arrived, unscathed, around noon time.  While TLE settled in to rest the balance of the afternoon (her left eye was still dilated from the surgery), I dressed and went to work around 1 pm.

I needed to get my mowing done, and Tuesday afternoon was a good time to do it as the course was not real busy.  I managed to get all the tee boxes for which I am responsible mowed, plus the large grass strips running along each side of the cart path down to tees 1 and 10, as well as mow around the putting green by 4:15 pm.  I spent the rest of the time until 5 pm washing, and stowing golf carts.  The final cart returned around 4:50 pm, so I washed it and put it away, too.  I think that's the first time in a while that all the carts have been back before 5 pm.

I'll go to work at the same time with TLE Wednesday, and will spend part of the day assisting her as her vision continues to return to normal.  She mentioned on the way home from Klamath Falls that she could read license plates (something I have taken for granted for a few years now) for the first time in years.....that restored distance vision is already kicking in!

TLE will have her post surgical follow up eye appointment on October 12th in Alturas, and then we will be free to head south for the winter.

Thanks for stopping by!