After breakfast Suzie Homemaker baked another delicious batch of monster cookies. We also finalized our plans for our summer trip to Europe and Sue booked flights. At 11 o’clock we were at the Peters’s house. Sue was going shopping to Santan Village with the girls. Ed and Rich threw their golf clubs into the van and we headed up to Longbow Golf Course.
Our tee time was for 12 noon, but things were running about 15 minutes late so we had plenty of time to have a hotdog and a beverage at the clubhouse before heading out to the course. It was going to be a warm sunny afternoon — perfect for golf. Perfect as a sendoff for Rich and Linda who are heading back to 40 below weather in Manitoba tomorrow. This would be the third day of golf for Rich, who was being a great sport about it all. At home in the summertime, Rich would rather meet and greet people at a company golf tournament than swing a club. But when in Rome…
We were lucky to golf as a threesome; the course was busy and backed up a bit. Next Tuesday it will shut down for a week so it can host a major LPGA tournament. We had to wait for the group ahead at every hole, and they in turn were waiting for the group ahead of them, etc. Still, as Ed was fond of saying, there really isn’t anything we’d rather do on such a pleasant afternoon than enjoy the sunshine on a golf course. Well, for Ed at least, no matter how many times he insisted “he was happy with that,” he’d surely have enjoyed things more if he hadn’t missed putts by a fraction of an inch on the first 6 or 7 holes. But on the golf course, attitude is at least as important as skill — maybe more so.
And it was hot. And three thirsty golfers couldn’t figure out where that beer cart was staying. What a business opportunity missed! And then, just when we’d about given up hope, there she came. A mirage in the desert? No sir. And to top it off, if you’re going to be thirsty on the back nine too, here’s a deal for you: buy 5 drinks and get one free! Oh yeah? Well, let’s see what else you have in that cart. And she gives us the line of the day: “The reason I’m so late is that everyone wants to look in my drawers!”
As good as I played on the front nine (44), the heat (and the drink deals) caught up with me on the back nine, adding a stroke per hole to my score. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Rich played a steady, consistent game, making most of his long putts. And Ed’s luck came around eventually and those near-misses started finding the cup. It was a very fun afternoon.
We got back to Gold Canyon around 5:30 — plenty of time for the Peters boys to shower and get themselves to their 6:30 dinner reservation. And I went home and got all the lowdown on the day’s shopping expedition. When there was nothing left to tell and we’d had our little happy hour and watched the evening news, Sue and I took the flashlight and walked across the road to the Gold Canyon Golf Resort. A warm evening out on the restaurant’s deck. Fireplaces and patio heaters going, lanterns lit up around the railing, guitar player plucking Pachelbel’s Canon in the corner, a pretty good barbecued chicken pizza to go with a glass of merlot and a cold brew, a pretty lady and a sun-soaked but happy golfer enjoying an evening in beautiful Arizona together. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Nothin’ wrong with this picture.