Woke up early (what else is new?) and checked things on my computer. We had a moment of panic when it appeared that an important part of my Aeropress coffee maker had been forgotten at home — but then it ‘appeared’ in the coffee grinder basket. So we enjoyed a great cup of coffee — hadn’t had that for quite a few days. Sue had TWO cups, shakes be damned.

By 10am Sue had reworked her massive grocery list for the seventh time and it was time to get outta here. We headed to the Fresh Fruit Market and checked off most of the fruits and vegetables on our list. Next stop, the Dollar Store, to get a few ‘serving trays’ and other kitchen thingys that were not in the house. And then to Fry’s, the big discount grocer. The van was full by the time we got home for a late 2 o’clock lunch. We took our sandwiches out to the shade on the patio and relaxed.

After lunch Sue continued to pack away groceries. I tried to set up the remotes for the garage door and the security to work with the ‘HomeLink’ buttons in the van. I finally got the garage door to work, but no luck with the security gate. Then I took the van to the car wash. Back at the house I finished the job by scrubbing the bugs off the front bumper and license plate by hand.

At around 4:30 we decided to go for a walk to Mountain Brook Golf Course. The sun was low in the sky — it gets dark really early and really quickly here — and we’d have to hurry to be back before dark. We had some trouble getting out of our gated community — I hadn’t taken the little fob along, and assumed that if we walked up to the exit gate it would open, just like it does for the car. Nope. We danced around and stamped our feet like idiots, but couldn’t open the gate. Just when it looked like we’d have to jump OVER the fence, I tried to squeeze THROUGH the grille. Hmmm, I guess all that cycling this fall has paid off — I fit through the gate.

First stop was the Gold Canyon Golf Resort to pick up the discount passes I’d bought online. All good. Free driving range anytime and one free round at either Sidewinder or Dinosaur included. Great. I’ll be able to take a few clubs, walk from our house across the main drag and be at the driving range for an hour every day if I choose.

The sun was already reflecting gold and red off of Superstition Mountain as we headed down the road to Mountain Brook. It was actually quite a long walk! By the time we got to the golf course the shadows were long and the parking lot was nearly empty. The pro shop looked closed, but there was a guy vacuuming and the door was open. We asked about a twilight 9-hole walking rate. Oh yeah, no problem, $20.00, anytime after 3pm. Do we need to make a booking for tomorrow? No, just show up at around 2:30 and I’ll get you on. Great!

We walked back home in the dark. Looks like lots of folks are having a garage sale tomorrow — we’ll cycle around and look for a lounger for Sue.

Leftover Chinese for supper. Then we spent about an hour going through the thousand channels, Sue writing down where we might find the ones we’ll want to watch so we don’t waste all our time flipping through the guide. Watched the CBC National. Then Bill Maher on HBO, although I missed that — fell asleep on the couch. Went to bed at 10.