On This Cold And Rainy...

<Memorial Day>

...we pause to remember and honor those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom.

Speaking of military veterans, #5 son has gone from clean shaven soldier...

...to bearded cross fit instructor.

Either way, he's still kickin' it hard core.

Hoping to see him sometime this summer.

Hickory golf this week was a par, a bogey and...

...well, yeah...not quite that bad but pretty darn close.

The cause of all this pain and anguish?

My tee shots, per usual.

I've been hitting fairly well at the driving range, but that's with hybrids, not hickories.

Since hybrids are designed to be forgiving and are easier to hit, it's sorta like using a rifle for target practice then switching to a BB gun for the hunt.

At a loss for what to do, I finally decided to try my one and only modern hickory club at the driving range, a playclub made by <Tad Moore>:

It's still not a brassie, but at least it's a hickory long club.

Started off slow, but I was able to tweak a couple of things and ended up hitting 'em straight by the time I finished.

Problem solved?

Next round will tell, but what I really need is an open field where I can practice with my hickory brassie and super soft golf balls.

And a dash of Walter Hagen's attitude wouldn't hurt.

He maintained that 3 bad shots plus 1 good one makes par.

In his world there was only one shot that truly mattered: the next one.

Either way, it's probably worth remembering what Jack Nicklaus said about teeing off:

"A perfectly straight shot with a driver is a fluke."

It is in my world for sure.

Ok, enough palavering, it's time to cowboy up and ride into the sunset.

Let's 23 skidoo:

the fence #1 grandson built for us...

...and after Karen painted it...

...to match the house trim

Larry's got his dock in at his cottage...

...just in time for Woody to fly in for a visit.  That’s one big pileated woodpecker.

roses in bloom...

...as well as the rhododendron in the hardscape

believe it or not, he's sleeping, not stretching

That's a wrap for now, boys and girls, but tune in next week when Mr. Bolts will say:

Yeah, he doesn't talk much, more of the strong silent type.

Like me.

What's so funny?

later, mcm fans...

Wished A Happy Veteran's Day...

...to my favorite veteran...who served with honor in Afghanistan as well as stateside.

superman doesn't always wear a cape

Due to the staggering incompetence of the corrupt and cognitively impaired doofus currently squatting in the White House, an important truth has been lost re: our 20 years in Afghanistan, and it is this:

For two decades, people there - especially women - who had been oppressed by the Taliban, were able to enjoy the fruits of freedom.

Women were able to be educated, to walk freely down the streets, even run their own businesses.

Brandon and Co. definitely turned it into Situation FUBAR, but that doesn't detract from what our military accomplished for 20 years.

Thank you, Benjamin - and to all veterans everywhere - for your service to our country.

As it happens, the most beautiful great-granddaughter in the universe (no, really; I checked) turned 2 recently...

she knows "good" when she tastes it

why o why must I be chained in this car seat?

...and we got to celebrate with her.

Big fun, and looking forward to many happy returns!

A while ago I mentioned some potentially shocking news...

re: hickory golf.

Well, here it is...my new clubs:

And a closer look:

Except for Calamity Jane on the right, those ain't hickories...they're Majek Hybrid irons...a 3, 5 and 9 iron.

To make matters worse, I'll probably end up buying a Majek Hybrid sand wedge as well.

So...what gives?  After 7 years of happily swinging my hickories, what the heck just happened?

Well, first of all, I reserve the right to go back to my hickories whenever I want to...and I probably will whenever I play a suitable course.

The one I've played the last few years is perfect for my hickories; a combination of par 3's and short 4's, very little water, no sand traps, wide fairways.

Hickory clubs have a tiny little "sweet spot" - literally about the size of a nickel - so if you don't hit them just right (a common occurrence in my world), you don't get the direction / distance you need for a "good shot".

I'm a duffer, so generally not a problem.  I soldier on and the extra stroke or two per hole doesn't bother me (much).

But this new course I played at the end of the season is very different.

It's all par 3's, so distance generally isn't an issue...unless  there's water or sand traps involved, and guess what?

There's both water and sand traps on every hole, not to mention narrow fairways.

Long story short, I rapidly tired of losing 2 or 3 balls per round.

I could bag it and just go back to playing my "old" course, but  a)  it's 45 minutes away vs 10 minutes for the "new" one, and  b)  it closed in early October, while the new one stayed open into November.

After some agonizing, I finally decided to pop for 3 new hybrid irons...they're advertised as high in forgiveness quotient (i.e., they have a much larger sweet spot).

sales puffery?  we shall see...

In the real world that's supposed to translate into fewer bad shots (i.e., less golf balls in the drink).

They have many 5 star reviews, and as new clubs go, they're inexpensive.

My "new" course is closed for the season now, so haven't tried them out anywhere other than my backyard with wiffle golf balls.

After some swing adjustments - the shafts are longer than my hickories - so far, so good.

But the acid test is months away, so gonna hafta wait awhile to see how I / they actually perform.

It's going to be a looooong  winter...

It's that time again, folks...

Uh, well...no, not that  time...it's time to skedaddle out the back door before someone sees you here...

...and you have to make up some lame excuse. ("I was minding my own business when suddenly 3 large men grabbed me and forced me inside...")

On your way out you have my permission to cast a wistful glance or two at these late fall themed parting shots...

got the last 2 lamp posts installed

the view from the courtyard

finally starting to drop some leaves

the view pulling into the driveway

a brief snow shower turned my greens into whites

Mr. Otter stopped by Larry's cottage...

...for a brief visit

Are you ready?

The big day is less than 2 week away now.

later, mcm fans...

Veteran's Day 2020...

 

Benjamin receiving the Fleet Marine Force Combat Device in Afghanistan

...has come and gone...did you remember to thank a veteran?

Our God given freedoms have been safeguarded through the years by brave men who risked everything to protect them.

We owe them a debt of gratitude for our very lives, and we should hold such men in honor for their courage and sacrifice.

God Bless our veterans and God Bless America.

Well, we're more than a week past the election and in spite of what every legacy media outlet maintains, this election is far from over.

There are thousands of reports of voter fraud and election rigging from all around the country, and dozens of lawsuits currently in progress to contest them.

When dead people vote, certified poll watchers are refused access and so-called "software glitches" switch votes by the thousands, fair and rational people should be alarmed.

These election results need to be challenged and verified so the bedrock principle of "one citizen, one vote" is preserved.

If we lose that, we've lost America and you can kiss your individual liberties good bye.

Remember kiddies...

A starkly beautiful November sky...

...reminds me how close we are to year's end now, and Karen recently returned home with two new Heralds of the Holidays.

Please welcome Norm...

...and Roger...

...the Christmas Gnomes...from the Aldi's Aisle of Shame, of course.

Yes, I am aware we haven't even arrived at Thanksgiving yet and no, I don't know why their hats are bent.

Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger.

More good news from Mandy at The Retro Revival re: our Philco V-handle...it has been primed and is now ready for painting:

We kicked around a number of different color options, and I've seen restored V-handles in fire engine red, robin's egg blue, Halloween orange and one that was sort of a mix between piss yellow and puke green (with apologies to a very young Harrison Ford in American Graffiti )

But c'mon...when you bought one new off the showroom floor in 1955, what color was it?

Yep, we're going with "appliance white".

I know, what can I say?  We're Mr. and Mrs. Traditional.

Recent sightings 'round the ol' homestead...

sad but true

my friend Larry's view from his deer blind...

...and the view when he dozes for a few minutes

missing hickory golf already and it's only November

back for two weeks only, it's the Qornucopia Quartet

coming soon to a holiday near you

winnie the pooh's blustery day's got nuthin' on us

when I play this the Lions actually win

sunset at the Castle Frankenstein 

We're just about ready to bring this one in for a landing folks...

...so please extinguish whatever it is you've been smoking lately, wobble back to your seat, return your tray to its upright and locked position, fasten your seatbelt, and would it kill ya to shut off your cell phone for once?

As we taxi to the terminal I leave you with this reminder from God’s Word:

later, mcm fans...