Friday, August 31, 2018

Our Nation's Capitol...

...was recently invaded...by a group of desperate outlaws, captured here on security video under the cover of darkness...

No...wait...my mistake...that's #1 son and some of his progeny...left to right, Micah, Isaac, Tionna and Isaiah.
...pretty sure that's the reflecting pool by the Capitol building...and that's Kyle on the right, Tionna's husband.

A couple more shots of them doing the tourist thing...
...two future residents of the White House...

...and the same desperadoes about to make their getaway...

Micah said the place was jammed with more tourists from other countries than Americans, all there to see what the big yank is.

God Bless America, y'all.

Enjoyed a round of hickory golf this morning...
...and tried out my new putter...that's a replica of Bobby Jones' famed "Calamity Jane" putter from the 1930's.

Jones was the greatest player in the hickory era, and the story goes that he was struggling with his putting just before the 1930 Open...his longtime coach handed him his old putter which Jones then used to sink a 30 foot putt.

He went on to win the Open and thereafter kept it in his bag, eventually nicknaming it Calamity Jane after the 19th Century frontierswoman, scout and sharpshooter.

The 3 bands of whipping on the shaft were the result of Jones' famously volatile temper when he would abuse his clubs after a less than successful attempt, and he shored up the hickory shaft with whipping after he cracked it.

On my replica those are just window dressing, and sadly I did not sink any 30 foot putts today...but I actually did do a little better in that department than I had been with my other one, so I'll stick with CJ for awhile.

Watched a good flick last night, Trouble With The Curve...
...loaned to me by a friend from work.

It stars Clint Eastwood as an aging baseball scout, Amy Adams as his estranged daughter / ambitious lawyer, and Justin Timberlake as a former pitching prospect Clint helped sign who is now a scout after burning out his arm.

Clint is very believable as an old curmudgeon struggling with his eyesight at the end of his career, and the conversational repartee between Adams and Timberlake is fresh and entertaining.

Watch for the scene where Timberlake is attempting to ask Adams out on a date and manages to turn it around so it appears she's the one asking...which pseudo invitation he graciously accepts.

Was not a fan of Timberlake's music, and thought he was a bum for throwing Janet Jackson under the bus during the fallout from their obviously staged "wardrobe malfunction" in the superbowl halftime show, lo these many years ago.

But he has turned into a decent actor over time and handles these types of romantic roles very nicely.

There are some touching scenes in this occasionally dark story, including a gravesite visit that reduced me to tears, and a climactic father / daughter confrontation that finally helps clear the air between them.

Just when you're ready to be done with Clint's misanthropic ways the ship manages to right itself in time for a somewhat contrived but satisfyingly happy ending.

This one won't change your life, but it's a couple of hours of quality entertainment...definitely on my "watch it again" list.

But now it's a gorgeous day out there as we start up summer's swan song and prepare to welcome fall...
...so I'm going to get out in it and see what kind of damage I can do...

later, mcm fans...

Sunday, August 19, 2018

A-NOM-A-LY

əˈnäməlē/
noun
  1. 1.
    something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

i.e., today's round of golf...
...parred 4 holes - both of the par 3's, then #6 the short par 4, and #8, a 330 yard par 4...bogeyed 2 others, and double bogeyed the other 3.

I was using my mid-iron off the tee and for whatever reason it made sense and felt right today...hit it consistently between 160 and 180 yards...even hit my mashie 160 yards on #8 and 1 or 2 putted most greens.

It's nice to know it's at least possible to do, frustrating to not be able to do it with any consistency.

So I know this is an exception...next time out I will most likely revert to my normal round, where if I happen to snag a par somewhere along the way it will have been a good outing.

But like all blessings, I'll take 'em when I can get 'em and today was one of those days.

Sarah snapped this pic recenlty...
Karen and a homeless octogenerian who wandered by planting a new fir tree in our backyard...

While researching a writing project I stumbled across this archival film...

...for Greyhound Bus lines, made in 1953:



The romantic backstory is a little bit hokey, but overall the film is well done and an interesting tour of the continental US by bus.

Of course back then there was more of an emphasis on customer service and it was probably a half way decent way to see some of the country.  Today?  Well, probably not so much...

In any event, this is worth the 30 minutes of your life it will take to watch it.  Enjoy.

And now the rest of this sunny Sunday beckons, so...

later, mcm fans...