Friday - Golf in Paradise

Everyone was moving a little slow this morning.  The night before had been along one.   You know there is always at least one when catching up with friends.   So the  beautiful pink skies of the morning sunrise seemed bright to some.   We made breakfast and took a dip in the pool to wash away the cobwebs.

The plan of the day was for Vic and Tom to go golfing and the ladies join us on our round to take in the beauty, and probably get a laugh or two.   The Quivira Golf Course is a Jack Nicklaus course that wraps around a mountain and parallels the Pacific ocean.  To say the least, it is a challenging 18 holes.  I have not played a round of golf since November 1999 and prepared myself for a very long day.   Upon arriving at the course we were informed that the ladies could not join us due to it was a very busy day.   So with a kiss and hug the ladies departed us for their own adventure.

My first drive off the tee, my ball sliced into the cactus underbrush on the far left side of the fairway.  A very inauspicious start to my day, and I was hoping it was not a precursor of what lay ahead.   However, I settled down and no longer tried to kill the ball, but keep it in play.   It would be another 13 holes before I lost another ball. 

All along the course there are comfort stations where the course staff are mixing cocktails, handing out beers, and grilling food for the golfers.  All included in your green fees, which are a little steep, but well worth the experience.  The time came for the hole I was dreading.   I knew it would be costly on our rich supply of golf balls.   Hundreds of feet above the ocean hanging on the cliff is a very small green.  

With my ball on the tee and a 3 wood, I hit my best drive of the day.  Where the ball landed could not be determined, and I knew it was lost to the sea.   As we approached the green I found the ball perfectly positioned for my second shot.  Hallelujah!   Now I had a short wedge shot downhill to the green, but the sea was the background.   I duffed the shot and the ball rolled forward about a foot.  Same shot otra vez -  The wedge shot flew true and when the ball hit the green it sat down and stayed.  

My day was complete no matter what else happened the rest of the round.   BTW – I did screw up the putt so I ended up with a six.  Mr Double Bogey – That is Me!

Along the way I snapped a bunch of pictures, saw two roadrunners, some amazing waves against the rocks.   The day ended with the loss of only three balls, a score of 112, and a whole lot of sun on face.

While the boys golfed, the girls hopped in the car and went to visit Amy’s brother at Carmella.  What a view!   Although the water was alittle rough and churned up, Janet got to snorkel.

The waves were crashing in, she still got to see some beautiful Angel Fish and puffer fish playing in the rocks. One of the treasures of the beach were beautiful pieces of sea glass.  As the afternoon came to an end and it was time to go pick up the golfers, we took one last look at the sea and got treated to a whale spout.

After another beautiful sunset at the golf bar with a tasty Margarita , but no green flash.

 Sugar’s brothers, Malcom and Jimmy, joined us for a beer can chicken dinner and more laughs.