Man Trip 2015...

After a terrible winter, two good things came about this past week: 

First, the ice finally melted on the pond and there was no fish kill this year.  Yeaaaaaahhhhhhh !!  Maybe the fact that all of the fish were only 6-8 inches long when the ice first covered the pond might have helped them survive.  But I'm thinking that maybe all those times I went out to cut holes in the ice might have paid off.  That's what I'm telling myself and all the neighbors who thought I was half crazy all winter with that chain saw out there.

The second thing is that it was finally time for the Man Trip, our annual pilgrimage to the Carolinas to find some warm weather and green (or brown) grass where we could take out our housebound frustrations on a golf course. Every year about this time I am reminded of a quote I once used in an entry:  Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: taking long walks and hitting things with a stick. (P.J. O'Rourke).  

A lot of people say I could have taken daily walks this winter for a lot less money and still accomplished the same thing.  But I would invite them to stop by the windy plains of McCartyville to check out the winds and snowstorms. I know -- I'm a wimp.
 
Also, there was something new this year.  We went back to the Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier, NC, but we had 8 players this year.  A little more coordination, but it was really fun.

(L-R) Mike, Larry, Dave, Chuck

(L-R) Dave, Larry, Jerry, Stan

One of the other neat things we do is our mid-trip cook out.  We have steaks, baked potatoes, salad, a vegetable, a dessert and some drinks.  The food was great, but the three stores we check with had no baked pies!!  Boy did I take heat for not having a dessert.  Oh well, maybe next year we'll have two.

Pretty good looking spread.

One of the reasons we like this trip is that it's like taking our golf game on the road, kinda like spring training.  Nobody plays all that well (generally) and nobody really cares (generally).  It's just good to go whack that little ball and get away from the cold of Ohio.  And even though it was pretty cold and rainy on our last day there, we managed to tough it out for nine holes at a very nice course.  

So now it's back to our regular courses and familiar shots.  We travel some to other courses in Ohio, so we don't always play the same course.  I am also renewing my pledge to play every state park golf course in Ohio.  Sounds like another series of mini-road trips.  I'll have to see who's up for that!

What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive. (Arnold Palmer)

Hooah