Atomic Monster Cafe: The Tulip Time...

...that almost wasn't.

I did say "almost".

When the tulips bloomed this year they were stunning as always.

Unfortunately, they bloomed early; thus when Tulip Time began they were - how shall I put this?

Dead or dying.

Not the look the organizers of Tulip Time were going for.

Even so, there were still plenty of activities to keep the punters busy - craft shows, concerts, walking tours, food trucks, <klompen dancing>, a carnival, parades, etc.

And the 600,000 or so folks who come to town each year made life interesting as always: turning the wrong way down one way streets, creating traffic jams, overcrowding parking lots.

But they do enjoy themselves...

...and they spend a boat load of $$'s here so the local businesses love 'em.

The rest of us?

Well, I'm originally from Texas, so...

My dos centavos.

May is without a doubt the prettiest month here in Michigan as nature bursts forth in a symphony of blooms…

courtyard's coming into focus

...blossoms...

spirea are gorgeous this year

...and birds.

I didn't even know they made upside down Orioles

Oh yeah...also bugs...

left, top right, bottom right: Michigan's state bird, flies, stink bug

3 out of 4 ain't bad.

The Dimwit In Chief is at it again...

...as usual, on the wrong side of history and endangering the country he's supposed to be protecting through his stupidity and Biblical illiteracy.

God told Abraham, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

- Genesis 12:3

Standing with the enemies of Israel is a one way ticket the dustbin of history.

Makes perfect sense Dementia Joe would lead us there.

In the good news / bad news department, I was able to add whipping to my new "spliced head" brassie, so it went from this:

To this:

In the bad news department:

Yeah, that.

It worked well for awhile, but then I felt a wobble in the handle area, and investigating further I discovered some jackwagon did a half-ass job of trying to extend the shaft.

Don't know if they're incompetent, dishonest or both, but as always it's caveat emptor when buying old hickory clubs on ebay.

This one's heading off for repair to an excellent craftsman I know in Vermont.

And on the subject of hickory golf...

...it was another gorgeous day on the links, and that's the only pic you have to hay through this week.

2 pars, 2 bogeys, the rest not worth mentioning so I won't.

Did have a chance to use my niblick the way it's intended when exiting a sand trap, and worked beautifully...thank you, Harry Vardon. That was one of the bogey holes.

But as usual, my achilles heel is consistency; specifically, a lack thereof.

For every decent hole I put together, there's at least 1 other where I play like I've never seen a golf club before.

Frustrating.

Still in search of a complete round.