...a versicolor bridge between arid Summer and algid Winter.
Admittedly, it's a bridge I'd rather not cross.
'Twould be much nicer to simply linger here, enjoying the vibrant colors, crisp mornings and pleasant afternoons with their slanting sunshine and elongated shadows.
Alas, there's a metaphysical
sign posted on our bridge, and so we must trundle along from September to November, post haste.
But as we do we should be sure to dawdle just a bit along the way and sample October's delightful wares:
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| world's best apple pie, courtesy of Karen. no idea what the extra forks are about; I only need one. |
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| some apple juice / cider and warm donuts right out of the oven...from Knaebe's in Rogers City...worth the trip |
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| gotta visit a local pumpkin patch; if you've got kids, it's the law...they'll sic the pumpkin patch police on you if you're awol |
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| no autumn is complete sans everyone's seasonal favorite, leaf-peeping |
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| leave us not forget the grand finale, all hallows e'een... |
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| ...when trick 'r treaters stop by for a little old school spookification, some goodies and a gospel tract |
It'll be gone before you know it, so go ahead...immerse yourself in the renewal and change of October.
As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall."
Speaking of All Hallows, the interview process for the Walk of Fear™ continued this week, with a surprising turn of events.
The previous three applicants were all in the waiting room with the new guy.
"What's going on here?" I demanded. "I told you I'd be in touch if you get the job!"
"I think we look pretty good together," the new guy offered.
"Don't get a big head," I admonished him.
"Too late," he replied with a toothy grin.
What? Too obvious?
Well look who knows so much!
Why don't you try coming up with clever lines for a bunch of plastic blow mold halloween decorations.
Anyway, I threatened to drop him off at the farmers market if he didn't back off.
We'll see what next week brings.
A foray into the world of pre-1850 feathery golf.
Yep, it's been more than a year since I <originally mentioned featheries>, and I finally enjoyed my first round with them.
And I did actually enjoy it, in spite of playing at a local par 3 that I don't really like that much.
It has water and sand on every hole, with its lower jaw thrust out and a chip on its shoulder, just dying to prove it's "real golf", even if it is just a par 3 course.
Would have been a heck of a lot better if they'd dropped the attitude, leaned into their par 3-ness and made a course that's fun and interesting, not pointlessly nasty.
Especially since it's in the middle of a bunch of condos for folks 55 and older.
There's no way they built the course with the residents in mind.
But without driving an hour my options are limited, so I sallied forth, clubs and feathery in hand...
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| l to r: long spoon, hickory lane feathery, brassie, lofter, putter |
...to give it a shot.
The people who make the feathery I used claim most folks can hit their ball 80 to 100 yards.
Since I can drive a low compression ball 185 yards with my long spoon, I figured I'd be on the high side of that number.
So that's the first humiliation of my introduction to featheries:
80 yards turned out to be a pretty good drive for me.
I'm convinced at least part of that is being terrified of slicing or hooking one into the water when teeing off.
At $30 a pop, that's an expensive ball to banish to Davey Jones' locker.
Either way, it's an area I can definitely improve on in the few rounds I have left this year.
Due to my paltry distance from the tee and needing to hit around all the water hazards rather than over them, I played most holes as dogleg par 4's.
The second humiliation was - not surprisingly - on the greens.
Considering their not quite round shape, they roll pretty true most of the time.
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| my 1 putt for par on the first hole, which happily I made. 1 up after one. |
Most; not always.
Thus on a couple of occasions a short 3 footer took an unexpected left (or right) turn en route to the cup.
But overall I found this to be a ton of fun.
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| teeing off on the 150 yard 5th hole. I played this as a par 4 and ended up with a bogey. +1 at that point in the match. |
My normal stroll through the countryside for 9 holes with my hickories takes about an hour and 15.
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| on in 3 on the 140 yard 7th hole, which I played as a par 4. A 3 putt from there meant a double bogey. +1 after 7. |
I had the first tee time with no one behind me, so I managed 9 holes in 45 minutes, and that was taking some extra time on the greens to practice putting.
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| 8 was a disaster, so all square in the match when I teed off on 9. on in 2, and since I play bogey or better wins the hole, only needed to 3 putt for the win. |
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| tapped in for par and a 1 up win in my first ever round of feathery golf. |
All holes on this course are 160 or less, most in the 140 to 150 range.
I play bogey or better wins, multi-bogeys lose.
Hole by hole scoring:
1) par, +1
2) double bogey, all square
3) chip in for birdie, +1
4) double bogey, all square
5) bogey, +1
6) par, +2
7) double bogey, +1
8) lost count, all square
9) par, +1 and a win
Overall I found this to be more fun than someone my age should be allowed to have.
I actually tried 2 different feathery golf balls:
- the Hickory Lane one with which I played my round;
- and one from the Authentic Featherie Company in Australia that goes by the "Lion" brand. I hit it as an extra non-scoring shot now and then from the tees, fairways and on the green.
You can see the Lion ball is quite a bit smaller; it's actually a tad smaller than a modern ball, which I found to be annoying.
It's also much more expensive than the Lane ball, but performs roughly the same, maybe not quite as good.
With apologies to our friends from Down Under, don't waste your money on their Lion featheries; stick with <Hickory Lane Featheries>.
I think I can honestly say I'd be happy playing nothing but feathery golf from now on if I could find a par 3 course not quite as muscular as the one here in Holland.
I know I was tight on the tees where a simple mis-hit would drop my Hickory Lane feathery in the drink, and there's no question I play my best golf when I'm relaxed.
Hoping to get 2 outings per week for the next 3 or 4 weeks, and all of them will be featheries.
Next season?
Stay tuned.
*HGU = Hickory Golf Update
Time to 23 Skidoo:
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| mums in bloom now |
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| moonlight on the water at Larry's cottage |
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| un petite mystere...something keeps knocking the solar light off the post where our thermometer resides |
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| if they do it again we'll know they have opposable thumbs and a philips head screwdriver...firmly attached now |
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| first October sunrise at Larry's cottage... |
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| ...and an October sunset by our pool |
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| with permission from the Mistress of the Manor, I'm removing stuff that shouldn't be there, blocking the view of Dean Bryan Vollendorf's wall... |
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| ...and voila! much better. |
This has been an unusual September / early October, with temps averaging 10 to 15 degrees above normal, and loads of sunshine.
Not complaining - a rarity, I know.
The sunshine is wonderful, but I've actually missed mornings in the 40's and low 50's when I'm prowling the local links with my hickories.
Today we're headed to one of my grandsons' wedding, and it will probably be in the mid 80's when they tie the knot.
Supposedly Autumn returns next week, and I'll welcome the change of weather to something more Octoberish.
Either way I'm thankful to be vertical and able to take nourishment;
I'm thankful for God's provision and protection:
" 1 Except th LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
" 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth his beloved sleep."
- Psalms 127:1-2
later, mcm fans...
