Wednesday

I've been off the grid for the last 72 hours with a bad cold.  Actually missed most of work both Monday and Tuesday.  Slightly better today, but still below par.  I may try to add an entry this afternoon from the couch on Maplecrest.

BCOT

Sunday

Looks like we could be in for a little more excitement than we need for the trip back to the QCA.  The Weather Channel has a freezing rain forecast for this afternoon. They actually have a reporter on live along 53rd street and I-74 in Davenport as I'm writing this entry.

They're calling this weather Winter Storm Luna.  When did they start naming winter storms (as they do hurricanes)?

I see where the singer Beyonce is picking up some heat for lip-syncing the National Anthem at the inauguration ceremonies last week.  As a press fav, the major outlets have been giving her a pass on the matter, but there's been some grumbling on the edges, mostly I think because people were lead to believe that it was a live performance. 

Personally, I could care less about her work being live or otherwise.  In Washington, rarely is anything said that's 100% real.  And the entertainment industry has little concern with anything but appearances.  If it looks good, then it must be good.

But it will be interesting to see how they prep the world for her Super Bowl halftime show.  Could it be the return of Milli-Vanilli?

The gas mileage in the Buick on this trip has been off-the-charts lousy.  I know that they modify the blend of gasolines for the Winter, and I seem to recall noting a similar result on trips up here last year.  But I'm guessing that I'll be topping-out at 17-18 miles per gallon for this trip.  Yuck!

For the record, score one for the Good Guys in LtPC vs. The IRS on Friday.  This was not a big battle, but when you have these things come up, you're never quite sure how it might play out.  In this case, there was a rookie agent, following his check-lists to the letter, and not that much meat on the bone of a 2010 individual return reporting a sole-proprietorship.  The taxpayer had very good records for documentation, and I was able to prepare schedules for the agent in advance of the appointment that greatly limited his own work.  The "no-change" result was the right outcome. 

We enjoyed some "Face-Time" chats with the girls in NYC this weekend.  More Star Trek becomes reality.  If it is this easy to do this real time stuff on the iPhone, do people still use Skype?  How do they make money?  And how much of this communication is kept on the big servers in some basement in Washington?  You are not below radar.

All for now.  If I get home in good order this evening, I'll try to give a report before hitting the hay on Maplecrest.

BCOT

Thursday

Not a lot to add tonight. 

I missed noting earlier this month the anniversary of Daddy's passing.  January 12, 1994 (I think.  I'm writing this on the couch, and the obit is on my wall at the office.)   He would have been 103 come April.  Old f**t fo' sure.  I stopped at a Mass at the downtown church at noon earlier this week to chat about things with him and Mother.  I assumed that they'd have the time.  Not sure they were totally proud of me.  But they love my kids and grand kids.  Figures.

I elected to do my normal Friday 0900 spin class today, since I'm doing battle with the IRS at 0900 in the morning.  This instructor was not who was on the schedule, but she's a frequent Nazi, and actually not too bad.  A bit of an eclectic music list.  Two from Jason Aldean.  Not really spin  music, but better than classic rap.  It was better than Tuesday night when I got smoked.  The 0530 class in the AM is a target, but the betting person should go with the Under.

And from the Sometimer's file.  I had dressed for spin when I left Maplecrest around 0615 this morning.  When I got to Gold's at 0845, I slid off my jeans, and slid on my biking shorts, being extremely careful to fold my jeans so that my wallet wouldn't slide out of it's pocket.  After class. I repeated that careful process, actually congratulating myself for my attentiveness.  Before leaving Gold's,  I made it a point to put on my hat and gloves before going out into the cold.  Then it was off to Dunn's for 2nd coffee.

Of course, when I got to the Dunn's parking lot, I took inventory, and had to return to Gold's to pick up my phone which I had left on a lobby table where I had set my stuff to put on my hat and gloves.  It's a wonderful life.
 
My regular RCL is back on duty.  I had left her a note last week when I thought that she was back, thanking her for an Italian bottle of wine that was on my couch table.  It was an odd bottle, and not the variety that I had told her was one of my Italian favorites, but I didn't think that I had bought it.    This week, a prime bottle of Barbarra di Asti was on the table.  The exact bottle I told her to bring back from her Italy trip.  Did the substitute-substitute leave the earlier bottle?  I'm confused.

Not sure if it is a national movement, but the tax-preparing companies are very active on the local airwaves.  H & R Block.  Jackson-Hewitt.  TurboTax.  Lots of TV and radio commercials.  Who the flock wants to do a bunch of dinky, individual tax returns?  Trust me.  Those testimonials from "expert" preparers are not stable individuals.  Take my free advice.  Run!, don't walk!!  Anybody who wants to do tax returns, and enjoys the process, has some troubling mental issues.

Glad game:  we've passed the half-way point of the Big O's Presidency.  Sorry.  Couldn't help myself.

Off to Harvest Path tomorrow to catch up with 1.01 and 1.02.  Maybe something here from the road if I can get @srh4 to do the driving.

Make it a Good Friday.

BCOT

Wednesday

So I had the TV on last night, sound muted, while I was resting on the couch, before going to bed...exciting life on Maplecrest, eh?  Anyway, one of the regional sports networks had the Kansas-Kansas State basketball game on from Manhattan.  Rivalry game.  (I had forgotten that K-State had brought in former Illinois coach Bruce Weber for the head job.  Surprisingly, doing a good job too!)  But the thing that got my attention was the visual mess of the K-State uniforms.  Where do the designers come up with this stuff?

When it comes to bad uni's, Maryland football is near the top of any list.  Oregon does lots of combinations of green and yellow. And some of the variations that other schools have done with combat/military tweaks don't come across very well on the tube.  I'm sure that Nike, Adidas, Russell, Under Armor and the other apparel makers are just competing for new contracts.  Whatever.  I like the basics.

When it comes to the pro leagues, I think that its all about merchandising revenue.  How many colors and combinations can the Bulls create to put a "Jordan" name on the back of a jersey?  I mean, when they went to the black uni's to be worn in about five games a year, it was evident that the only thing in mind was collector sales.

And all of the major pro leagues have "throw back" uniform days.  With these Steeler jersey's, the only relevant question is, "Why?"  And the answer is always, "Money!"  Who wants one of these things?  Whatever.

Speaking of marketing, does anyone outside of SF and Baltimore care about the football game that will be played in NO in 10 days?  The commercials have an appeal to lots of people.  And its an excuse to have a local party, but really, I had enough Harbaugh years ago.  If they do any more stories making Ray Lewis a sympathetic character, I'm going to ralph.  Hmmm.  Just did.

May get back here later today.  Make it a good one.

BCOT

Monday

I needed to put up a Home Page pic that would warm me up!  Headed below zero tonight.  But at least we won't be catching up to the freezer they have on Harvest Path.  Button up, folks!  Its Winter out there!

The markets, banks, and select government offices were closed today for Martin Luther King Day.  That meant that the phones were not so active, and we were able to slide into the week without a crush of things.  I managed to keep myself from being glued to the inaugural events in Washington as well.

The PGA tournament in Palm Desert produced quite a bit of drama yesterday.  The guy who went into the day with a five-shot lead saw that spread evaporate in his front nine, and then he proceeded to choke on his chicken on the 18th hole from the middle of the fairway.  Two other guys with chances to win in regulation three-putted the 18th as well.  And a third guy, who made it into the sudden-death play-off, duck-hooked his second shot into the water from the middle of the fairway on the first extra hole.

The guy who won on the second extra hole, Brian Gay, was the shortest hitter in the group of contenders, but he made the shots, and kept his ball in play.  His winner's take was $1,008,000 according to the morning paper.  The other two guys in the play-off each took home $492,800, splitting 2nd and 3rd place money.  And the guy with the five-shot lead who coulda, shoulda, woulda split 4th and 5th place money with another guy at $246,400 each.  Ouch!  If he could of hit a simple 6 iron and two-putted, he takes the winner's check.  Instead, he dumps his shot in the water, and watches over $750,000 go down the drain.  A six iron from the middle of the fairway!  That'll leave a mark.

One other factoid that I had never registered in the cranium from this sort of madness is the money split among those in the play-off.  Even though the third guy in the play-off fell out of the mix after the first hole, he got the same check as the guy who lost on the second hole.  Interesting.  And if there were 3 or 4 guys who tied?  I wonder if the PGA sets that rule, or if individual tournaments make their own choices?  Doesn't seem quite fair if there are multiple guys in the play-off and only two of them continue for several holes after the others fall out. 

Golf may not be the worst work in the world, but the ending of that tournament illustrated just how much pressure builds up on those guys towards the end.  And how hard it is for a guy to actually win a tournament.  Any tournament.

Moving on to more important things...

The NASCAR season is getting closer.  Daytona Speed Weeks begin Saturday night, February 16th with the Bud Shootout.  The 500 is on Sunday the 24th. 

A very key step was taken over the weekend to get the season rolling.  Miss Sprint Cup was named.  Actually there are three Miss Sprint Cups.  Why wouldn't there be?  They have responsibilities, of course.  Look for them in the Winner's Circle at the races for eye candy...and on local TV sports shows where I'm sure they'll expound on economic theory.

Hope y'all stay warm tonight.

BCOT

Sunday

Headed back in time.  Late April. 1970.  Athens, Ohio.

It was the top of the seventh of the third and final game of our weekend series with Ohio University.  We had split the the first two games, so both teams were playing every angle to get a win in this second game of the Saturday double-header.  Mike Schmidt had already gone deep twice for Ohio against our ace, Jimmy Hallahan.  But those were only solo shots, and we had scored twice ourselves in the fourth on a couple of hits after an error and a walk.  So we were sitting on a 2-2 tie score as we came to bat in the seventh (and last inning, as the norm was seven-inning games for double-headers in those days).

Mark Cooper was still throwing for Ohio.  He was a tall lefty with a good fastball and a nasty curve who had been selected in a middle round by Atlanta in the recent major league draft.  We had lost to him in a shutout the prior year in South Bend, and I had managed only a weak infield single against him in a total of six plate appearances counting last year's game and this one.  I wasn't sure if I'd make it up this inning as it was the top of the order for us, and I was hitting in the five hole.  I had taken a seat at the far end of the dugout next to my buddy Bill Schoen, hoping to avoid contact or conversation with Coach Kline (with whom I had a very distant relationship!)

Nick Scarpelli, our lead-off hitter, had just fouled off three heaters to extend his at-bat to a full count.  Cooper then showed a hint of weakness and tried to get Nick to bite on a low curve, but Nick laid off, and took the free pass to first.  Great at-bat.

Coach Kline gave the signal to have our second batter, Robby Voitier (from Cut Off, Louisiana!), lay down a sacrifice bunt.  It was the expected play, and Cooper didn't make it easy.  But his first two curves were out of the zone, and Robby was able to push a 2-0 fastball down the first base line, and they didn't even make a play on Nick going into second.

Our third place hitter was Phil Krill (of Erie, PA), who was one of the few players on our team with truly a major league skill.  He had a gun for an arm, and he came out so deep for my relay throws from left field, no one knew that I was playing with a dead, sore arm.  He was a decent hitter, with a big, upper-cut swing.  He went first-pitch hacking against Cooper, and he just got under the ball, sending a high pop-up that Schmidt gloved just a couple of steps on to the grass behind short.

So our fate rested on our clean-up hitter, athletic center fielder Bill Luck.  He had a quick bat, and was one of the fastest guys on the team.  As he dug in, I took my spot in the on-deck circle, taking some practice swings with the plastic-coated, iron donut to lighten the feel of my Vada Pinson Louisville slugger.  I was always trying to pick up a "tell" from the pitcher to get an edge.  So far, I hadn't seen anything on Cooper's delivery that gave me any secrets.

On a 1-2 count, Luck hit a hard grounder to the right side of second base.  It looked like a routine out, but the second baseman had the ball roll up his arm from an odd last bounce, and by the time he recovered, Bill had beat his throw.   Runners on the corners.  Two out.  PC due up.

The Ohio manager called for time and took a trip out to visit with his pitcher and catcher.  Coach Kline called me back to the dugout, and I had that sinking feeling that he would pinch hit for me.  I think that he was weighing his choice based on the Ohio manager's decision.  If they made a change to a right hander, he most likely would have had Rob Roemer, a left handed hitter, take my spot at bat.  (I may have been the team's leading hitter, but I also lead the team in strikeouts, and Coach Kline hated the strikeout.)

When they left Cooper in, Coach Kline said, "Make some contact in there, Moran."  (Don't ask why, he always called me Moran.)  Not exactly a confidence builder, but I had a decent feeling about Cooper.  I was due.

When Ohio had been in South Bend the year before, I had actually had a brief conversation with Cooper between innings once when I had ventured over from my right field position to the Ohio bullpen for an overthrow from the infield.  He had picked up the ball and tossed it to me with a remark to the effect of, "Can't you guys catch?" My response had alluded to their need to get loose for a likely pitching change the next inning.  He didn't seem that amused.

As I stepped into the batters box, I ask the ump for "Time" as I scratched a toe-hold along the now fully-removed rear chalk line of the batters box.  Cooper, like a lot of pitchers, liked to make that first delivery while the hitter was still getting set.  To make sure I wasn't hurried in my stance for that first delivery, I had made it a standard practice to ask Blue for "Time" before he gave the pitcher the wave to make his pitch.

When I cocked my bat off of my right shoulder, I heard Blue say "Play", and Cooper took his stretch, looking directly at first base, where the first baseman was playing off the bag, behind Bill Luck who had a modest lead.  There was no "steal" sign on (that I saw anyway), so I figured Luck wouldn't be taking any chances.  Cooper restarted his delivery and I saw the ball release with a slightly pronated delivery out of his hand, high above his head.  It was the Deuce.

Hitters always guess on what pitch might be coming next from the mound.  Good hitters can be ready for the heater, yet stay back well enough to hit the curve.  Pete Rose, Tony Gwinn, Rod Carew and Stan the Man, and a few others had the combination of hand-eye coordination and quick wrists to hit anything in the strike-zone.  The rest of us really needed to be good guessers or get lucky with pitchers making timely "mistakes" to make good contact at the plate.

I wasn't necessary guessing curve on that first pitch, but I wasn't ready to hit it either.  And once the ball got two thirds of the way home, I decided not to swing, and hoped that the ball would break inside and out of the zone.  I got lucky.  It was almost unhittable, but came down low and inside, and the catcher actually had it slide off his glove and bound a short distance toward third.  Bill Luck at first had seen the action and without a moment's hesitation, jumped toward second.  The catcher quickly grabbed the ball and fired a strike toward second base, only to see his second baseman rush forward to cut  the throw short, fearing Nick Scarpelli might try to score from third.  But Nick had stayed put, and we now had two runners in scoring position.

I stepped out of the box and looked at the third base coach.  Like what was he going to say, eh?  If he had flashed a "Take" sign, I would have ignored it.  But he just clapped a few times and yelled, "Stay back.  Stay back."  As I turned toward the box, I wondered if Ohio might now elect to change pitchers, or perhaps, walk me to load the bases and create force-outs at every base.  But there were no signs of either from the opposite dugout, most likely a sign that they'd rather pitch to me than compound their bad facts.

My instincts told me that Cooper would likely come back with a fastball to try to get even with the count.  But I wasn't yet in clear-guess mode, and as Cooper took his full wind-up, my mind was racing to decide on my swing.  I again saw the ball release from his hand, high above his left shoulder, but I didn't see any suggestion as to the type of pitch.  It must be a fastball.  It looked like it would be a strike and I released the endorphins to take a cut at it.

I had seen the ball well, I judged its location correctly.  I took a healthy cut.  And missed!  He had taken just enough off of his normal fastball to have me out in front of the pitch, and I struck nothing but air. Dang!!  The count is now even at 1-1.

"Nice pitch, Buddy," I say to myself.  Change-up.  Didn't know he had that one in his arsenal.  No way he'll let me see that one again.  I swing my left leg out of the box, and look again at third base.  He's still clapping.  I re-set in the box, and await the next pitch.  Its gotta be a heater.  Gotta be.

Cooper takes his full wind-up and lets it fly my way.  I start my "heater" swing, and I'm right on it.  It comes in just above my knees, on the outside half of the plate.  But I'm just a hair late, and my line-drive lands harmlessly in foul territory down the right field line.  1-2.  Pitcher's count.

I hate being behind in the count.  The pitcher can throw any of his pitches, and guessing becomes a fool's game.  But I always feel better facing a lefty, as that curve ball comes into you, which helps keep my weight on my back foot.  The biggest danger is watching a heater come down Main Street and being too frozen to act.

I choked up on my bat and separated my hands slightly in my grip to give me a slightly better chance to "protect the plate".  Shorter swing.  Stay back.

Cooper's next release is another curve that stays outside.  The count evens at 2-2.  In my mind, I think that he's playing with me.  Showing me the Deuce off the plate, setting me up for a Heater inside.  He takes a couple of steps off the mound and grabs the rosin bag.

I know he wants me on this next pitch.  I hit the one heater pretty good.  But maybe he thinks he has one saved up that would be even faster than the one I was late on and fouled away.  And he really hasn't delivered a big league curve to me yet.  I'm uncertain and nervous.

We're both ready.  In his wind-up, his right leg raised medium-high.  The ball is released.  Its spinning down like a curve ball.  I see it.  Its definitely gonna be a strike.  Inside corner.  I need to swing.  I stay back and on the ball, taking a short but efficient cut.  Bang!! Contact.  But foul again.  This time, a grounder  down the third base line.  The count remains even at 2-2.

The benches are now both up on the top steps, the players all making a lotta noise.  I'm still confused.  I've fouled off two good pitches, one a heater and one a curve.  The only time he fooled me was on that change early in the count.  He won't throw that again, will he?  The ump comes around and sweeps off the plate.  "Nice at-bat, Kid" he says under his breath as he returns to his spot behind the catcher.

Cooper toes the rubber, taking a brief, perfunctory peek at Scarpelli over at third.  I gotta protect against that high-end heater.  I gotta start early or I'll never connect.  Here it comes.  But, WAIT!!! WAIT!!!  Its off the plate!!  Don't swing!  And I save it.  Not even a half-swing to challenge.  Lucky.  Wow.  I take a breath, stepping out of the box.  Really nervous now.  Full count 3-2.

But he doesn't have to throw a strike.  First base is open.  If I walk, the game continues.  But they would likely make a pitching change, and Cooper would have to watch the rest of the game from the bench.  His only shot is to get me out.  So I know he wants to make a good pitch that will look like a strike, but be hard to keep in play.  I'm guessing curve ball, on the outside black.  I'm giving up on the heater.

More fidgeting by Cooper at the back of the mound.  I'm ready.  Here it comes.  Yes!!! Curve ball.  But coming inside, under my hands.  I'm in trouble!  I step away, bailing out of the box, swinging out of control.  Ugly.  Ugly.  Ugly.  But my prayers are answered and I some how, barely "tick" the ball as it passes, and it rolls back to the feet of the catcher.

"Holy Crap'" yells that catcher. "What kind of Mickey Mouse swing was that?  Did ya hurt yourself?  Sheesh, you lucky SOB!"  The count remains full at 3-2.

Wow!  I was lucky there.  In need of a break, I walk over to the on-deck circle and grab the pine-tar rag to add stick-um to my bat handle.  Joe Keenen, kneeling next to the circle gives me a couple of words of encouragement, something like, "Forget that last one, PC.  Take a good rip at this one."  Good advice, and I returned to the box for another pay-off pitch.

I think Cooper was nervous at this point as well.  It wasn't hot outside, but his shirt was soaked clear through.  Maybe a little tired?  I'm back to guessing again and I think Heater all the way.  He wants out of the inning.  I've looked bad on his off-speed stuff.  He has to be thinking that I need to protect against the "junk".

We're both ready again, and he lets fly with the high gas.  I can tell.  He had the look.  No more foolin' around.  Here it is, Irish pretty boy.  Try to catch up with this one, Sucka!

But I was ready.  I dropped my bat into that throwing motion through the strike zone (later made popular by batting coaches Charlie Lau and Walt Hriniak).  Daddy had always encouraged me to hit line drives up the middle.  I refined that thought to one of line drives right back at the pitcher.  This kept my eye on the ball, and gave me power to the centerfield-rightfield gap.  And the pitch from Cooper almost exploded off my bat and headed for that alley!!

What a great feeling!  Two runs in and the Good Guys ahead by two.  Me sitting on second.  Chatting up a future Hall of Famer about bars near the Athens campus.  Life is good!

+++++++++++++++

EPILOGUE:

It wasn't easy, but we ended up winning the game.  But we needed both of those runs.  Schmidt led off the bottom of the seventh with his third home run of the game.  A shot off the second story of the field house across the street behind the left field fence.  When it left his bat, I didn't even move.  But our reliever came in and got two quick outs, and then survived when, after loading the bases, Luck bailed us out with a diving catch in right center of a potential game winning hit.

After all these years, the memories of that day are still there in the archives.  What a great day!

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Wednesday

There's not a lot of news here this week.  I may be in recovery from the golf trip.

Here's a few ideas for my 2013 plans:

1.  January Scottsdale golf trip.  Check.
2.  St. Paul in February for George Strait.  Scheduled.
3.  Phoenix in April for CPA conference.
4.  Fargo or NYC in May.
5.  TOMRV in June.
6.  July-August golf to a 12 handicap
7.  KC for a long weekend in late July.
8.  September to Italy for 12 days.
9.  NYC for a long weekend in October
10.  Turkey Trot in November.
11.  Christmas in TC.

July 4th is a Thursday this year.  Sounds like a 4-day weekend to me.  I've done Memorial Day in Woodbury each of the last two years.  Why wouldn't I again?  And if the Sister's Half becomes a reality, I'm there as the support team.  There'll be an Iowa football game or two, and I want to do a Cubs' game with an overnight to allow for post-game dinner and cocktails in Wrigleyville.

For all of the above, I need to keep'er between the ditches, and keep a little rubber between me and the pavement while on the bike.

On the intellectual side of things, I need to suck it up and complete the book on Baseball with Daddy.  I must be half-way or so done with the writing.  Discipline a couple of nights a week this Winter could be enough to come to a conclusion.  I'll need 2's help to do the printing.  If I get this thing done, the year will be a success, even if nothing else makes it to the finish line.

Moving on.

The new Man Bag was a hit on the trip to Scottsdale.  Thank you to all for the gift.  It still is inconvenient with the Oakley sunglasses case, but I think I have that covered with the laptop valise.  For Italy, I may just take some sunglasses that are a little more compact to transport.

My newest display of Sometimer's went over the edge to new territory.  On my birthday night when we gathered for a couple glasses of wine and hors deouvres at Biaggi's, I had a situation where I paid a partial tab with cash...AND with my credit card!  (This was after the primary party, where my friends paid the tab, and I had stopped to visit a client who was sitting alone at a table near the exit from the bar area.)  The waiter was very grateful to me as I left the restaurant, and I had no clue why...until I called up my credit card statement online Tuesday (to see the damages from PHX).  The Biaggi's charge was unexpectedly there.  Hmmm.  I was able to put together some facts and it made sense.

The waiter probably should have made more of an effort to explain what I had done, but he was too inexperienced to go there.  I was definitely distracted at the time, but looking back, it seems like my internal data-processor juxtaposed elements while I tried to keep a conversation with the client going, and getting out the door at the same time.  I consider it new territory on my march to old age.

I'm off to see if the RCL showed today.

BCOT

Monday

Just a few lines today to recognize my return to the real world.

You may not have noticed a slight change in the Home Page pic.  This is another of the Par Three's on the Talon course at Grayhawk.  Postcard-ish in appearance.  All carry from this tee box, across the desert ravine to a green placed amid the sand.  Pretty hole, but I don't think any of us hit the green either day.

And here is the group photo after dinner on Saturday night as we were leaving the Ruth's Chris Steak House on Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale.  The color in this shot isn't great, but that's the best I could do for now.  If you are in the mood for a good steak, and are not budget-pricing, I recommend the place.

I forgot that I had taken a couple of pics during the last day of wildlife on the course.  Remember, this is the desert, so whatever might live there naturally might happen across your path during your round.  The birds were all over the place, all of the time.  We saw a bobcat each day, and then in the open space next to the 18th fairway, we saw these two guys having lunch.

Cold here this AM.  Hello 2013!

BCOT

Sunday

Happy Birthday 1.01.  You are Granddaughter of the Day!!!

More from the road later.

Now later...

The flight from PHX this morning was without incident.  We actually got to C-town  few minutes early.  I will say that Security at PHX was as slow as any program that I have been though in the last couple of years.  The airport was busy, and they didn't have all the lines open.  And they didn't even have the full-body scanners in play.  But we got through without major pat-downs.

Looks like we may have a delay getting out of ORD.  Which would give us a 75% on-time departure rate on our trip.  Not bad, actually.  They have the de-icing trucks working on all the planes.

We ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse last night.  Excellent meal.  They are not afraid to have high prices.  But the food was good, well-served by a veteran waiter from Italy.  And the steaks were all prepared to order.

So the trip was a success, but the cold definitely took some of the wind out of our sails golf-wise.  Playing golf in temperatures in the 40's just takes a lot of the fun out of it.  And I played poorly those last two days.  I'll be glad to get back to Maplecrest.





BCOT

Saturday

Day 2 in the Valley of the Sun was something less than perfect.  It may have reached 50 degrees, but it was a struggle.  Today will be about the same.  They have freeze warnings out for the farmers and citrus growers.  And early morning golfers.

The Home Page pic was taken from the tee box of one of the Par Three holes yesterday.  At least it was sunny.

Happy Tax Birthday to 1.01!  She is Granddaughter of the Day!!!

 We went to a sushi place last night.  My pal Ron is a big sushi guy.  It was okay, and busy, but not my favorite.  Tonight will hopefully be steak. 

I'll add more later after golf.  Cal and I have a Death Match with Roy and Ron.  And we're givin' those thieves shots!

Have a great Saturday.

BCOT

Friday

Here's the Motley Crew on the First Tee yesterday.  We never had sunshine, but it was reasonable temperature-wise.  Today, we have the sunshine, but the course is under a 90 minute frost-delay.  So we have a bit of a wait going on.

The Home Page pic is a new one from the Raptor Course at Grayhawk, taken yesterday.  I should get a better one up today with some blue skies.

Great meals on both Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Italian on Wednesday and seafood last night.  The family's wine currency was $42 at the Italian place.  Rodney Strong top-shelf was $60 last night.  We've stocked the condo with some excellent Cab's for after golf.

We should be done in time today to add some more pics.  Make it a Good Friday.

BCOT

Wednesday

It was a fine birthday celebration for LtPC yesterday.  Lots of greetings, gifts and good-times.  That table at Biaggi's was pretty tame.  Just a couple bottles shared by the five of us.  I had to get home to pack.  Which, of course, I did little of before hitting the hay.  So I need to schedule an extra half hour on my departure glide-path to get that handled.  No prob, he said.

I was a bit curious on why I hadn't received an email alert to check-in for our flights yesterday once the 24-hours-to-departure time frame kicked-in.  I have since determined that using the Cheap Tickets site somehow doesn't key-in that protocol.  Cheap-tickets gives you a Ticket Number, but not a Reservation Number for the airline (at least not for UAL).  It also has a Cheap Tickets Locator Number, but that doesn't seem to go anywhere.  Bottom line; I was able to complete the on-line check-in with the Ticket Number with no problem.  We're good to go.

My Broker-Dealer sent a frozen Surf-n-Turf dinner to me yesterday by overnight delivery (packed in dry-ice in a styrofoam box about two-foot square).  I'm not sure if it was a late holiday gift, or a birthday gift.  I've never cooked lobster, but I guess I'll learn.  Steak, clam chowder and a vegetable also separately included.  Couldn't be cheap.  A statement gift, I'd say.

So I need to get the show on the road.  More here from a mobile platform later today.

BCOT

Tuesday

Well, that sure wasn't the most exciting end to the college football season.  At least for ND fans.  I think our only shot would have been to sneak Johnny Football into an ND uniform before the game.  The good news for me is that I didn't watch much after the first quarter, fair weather fan that I am.  At least they now have an idea of how much further they have to go to get to the top of the hill.

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this here before, or if any of my loyal followers have known that I share this day with The King of Rock and Roll.  Elvis would have been 77 today.  He passed in 1977 at the age of 42.  I was never a huge fan of Elvis', almost a non-fan during his earlier years.  But I had a vicarious interest in his voice, even as he became a caricature of his younger self in the '70's. And I kinda liked his corny old movies.  I never saw him in concert, and he isn't one of the select few whom I would walk across the street to meet.

We have that sublimation thing going on here again.  Snow evaporating without a big "melt" happening.  The piles and coverage just seem to shrink away.  Highs in the 40's today.

Departure for PHX is around 1330 tomorrow.  Thursday is supposed to be a nice day with temps over 70, but Friday and Saturday look to be only in the mid-50's.

I was stunned to learn earlier this week that I have now owned Margret for over 10 years!  That revelation came by way of the Scott County Treasurer who issued me new license plates for the car under their 10-year-replacement program.  Wow!  I recall the trip to Southern Wisconsin to pick up the car, but it doesn't feel like it has been that long ago.  Time does fly by, eh?

All for now.  Busy day to get ready for Arizona.

Thanks for reading.

BCOT

Sunday

So I decided to just add a few pics from 2012 that kinda summarize my year.  Most of these were previously published here, but it was a fun exercise to go through my 2012 picture files and put up several to commemorate a great year.  It was easier to then do a separate posting rather than try to match up descriptions for each pic.  Blogger is just too difficult.

Obviously, 07282012 was the highlight of the year.  3 and 3.1 headlined a wonderful time in Tahoe.  Its hard to believe that we are close to six months after the fact.  2012 was definitely a vapor trail of a year.

1 and 1.1 had the joy and challenge of holding court over a two-child family.  1 did a PR in the TC Marathon in October.

4 pulled the trigger and jumped the shark with the nothing-guaranteed move to NYC in March.  Her achievement to a spot as a network-level news-writer/producer is a home-run.

And 3 took a big step up in November with a new executive position at Augie.

Everyone merits hearty "Congratulations on your 2012 successes!"

I feel good about the year from my own perspective as well.  Not only do I get to share in the positive things that happened to my girls, but I also was able to enjoy a wide variety of other personal experiences.  There were a few other shots that I could have added from San Diego, Chicago and elsewhere to reflect a year on the move, but the drift is evident:  lots of things done, places seen and wine consumed.  With family and friends.  My new goal is to make 2013 even better.

(Interestingly, the Firefox browser gives me picture-posting options not available on Microsoft Windows.  Firefox opens the portal to my picture library.)

More here later.

BCOT

Sunday - 2012 in Pictures

Friday

This is a good week to get completed.  There's still a lot of holiday schedules this week, so commerce for 2013 will really get underway on Monday, the 7th.  Of course, since the Boy's Golf Trip starts on Wednesday the 9th, 'bidness for Criterium won't hit a normal stride until the 14th.  Which is basically another month on the March to 60.

The PGA Tour starts today in Hawaii.  I haven't figured out why they have a Friday first-round (compared to a normal Thursday tee-off), but it probably has something to do with TV and the fact that they can show live golf in early prime-time hours.  Pretty sure that they'll get the golf done on Monday before the BCS game with ND - 'Bama.  As far as TV sports-viewing is concerned, I kinda like the Sunday afternoon, final round broadcasts.

I finally met my tertiary RCL on Wednesday.  Due to 2's furnace problem, The Winniferous was spending the morning on Maplecrest, and I thought I would move her back to 2's before the RCL arrived.  But the RCL schedule is always a bit fluid, and she was already there when I stopped by for The W.  This gal really struggles with English, but she was very pleasant.  And she liked W.  Turns out that she, or a friend (I couldn't interpret!) has two Cairn terriers.  If my regular RCL were to get out of the business, this gal would be a great replacement.

I failed to put my 0900 Friday spin class on my Outlook calendar, and made the mistake of actually scheduling a business meeting for 0900 this AM.  Bummer.

I'm giving 3 the year's first Daughter of the Day designation.  Although her timing was off slightly, her thank-you note for Tahoe was Memory Wall material.  Thanks, Kiddo.  (This is a repeat pic, I know, but that's due to a Blogger snafu this AM.  They aren't letting me get to my photo albums on my computer, just the ones previously published.)

I made the annual change-of-calendars in my downstairs bathroom this week.  I mean, it is a new year.  The tale of the tape of my old calendars reveals that 2012 was my 10th full year on Maplecrest.  Hard to believe that Margaret passed away nearly 12 years ago. 

Daddy used to keep a calendar book in the barn (and later at the house when the milk cows were sold) with very brief, but daily, entries on any notable events...haying, calving, etc.  I think we tossed those books when we cleaned-out the house after his death in 1994.  I wish I had kept a couple of those for posterity.

OK.  I need to get down to biz.  Hope its a Good Friday.

BCOT

Wednesday

That Rose Bowl pic was a loser.  Let's take it back to the fun times at Tahoe!  This one would have been taken with my iPhone last July 29th on my Death March up Mt. Rose, looking back toward Reno.  (Not exactly a fun time, but a great view!)  I'll look on the laptop later to see if I have one with a little wider view.

More IRS notices today.  Their protocols have changed and they apparently no longer send a tsk-tsk second request letter if they haven't received and processed a response from the taxpayer in the time frame set in the initial letter.  The second letter is now a Notice of Intent to Levy.  Definitely an uptick in the threat-level.  But remember, the IRS is a kinder, gentler organization than the one your father knew.  Yeah.  Right.

More "who-cares?" football tonight.  Who's even playing?

I'll pick up on this from the couch later.

BCOT

Tuesday...UPDATED

Don't be alarmed!  The LtPC is alive and well in River City!

I've actually started an entry each of the last couple of days, and have been distracted away for different reasons.  Then, once it got to the evenings, my schedule kept me mostly off the computer.  There was also some wine involved, but what else is new?  I'll do better the rest of this week.

The Home Page pic is a one-day offering.  Isn't New Year's Day about some football?  Is there a more recognized game than The Grandaddy of the Bowls?  (Never having been there, the reports that I have heard suggest that the seating at the Rose Bowl is a little flat, and the viewing therefore not the best.  However, my guess is that it is a little warmer there than here in the Midwest, which is a big plus today.)

Has there been a bigger charade pulled on the American public than The Fiscal Cliff?  My vote is to "throw the bums out!"  All of 'em.

Props to 1 and 1.1 and family for hosting an All-Star Christmas on Harvest Path.  And to 3 and 3.1 for arranging the discounted room rates at the Sheraton.  I hope that our future Christmas meetings are as equally successful.

I had that Winter-driving pic up as the Home Page image for one day to recognize that the trip back from Woodbury was pretty exciting road-conditions-wise.  That extra couple of inches of snow that came down in Minnesota on Thursday night produced slick, snow-covered roads for over half of the way to Bettendorf.  I was the guy blasting along in the left lane.  Sorry.

Here's just a couple more pics of 1.01 and 1.02 from our Christmas FFF on Harvest Path.  First, we have 1.02 mooching pizza from 4.  He needs to protect his share from the family scraps-vacuum.  Then we have 1.01 in the hotel pool with 3.  This one is a little blurry, but she doesn't exactly present a still object.  I see swimming lessons in her future.  She had a blast in the pool and shows no immediate fear of water.  (Then again, her Auntie M didn't show any fear either, as I recall!)

And the party pic was also a one-hit-wonder.  Sounds like 2 and 4 carried the family banner for New Year's Eve parties.  Very quiet at my end with The Winniferous.  My pals Pete and Cal each stopped by for a while, but I wasn't motivated to get to the party at Geneva (its not the evening to be having a couple of cocktails and driving) and there was a sinus virus at my pal Ron's house.  Plus, I'm old.

In other boring news, I took the down-time last night to pack three bags of clothes for Goodwill, most of which had not been off the shelf or a hanger for over a year.  And a separate bag of shoes.  If there's a 6'2", 180 lb. person-in-need at the church door on Thursday, he could find a decent wardrobe in those bags.

(I have clients who annually claim hundreds of dollars for used items like those in my bags, that in reality have a street-value of near zero.  I mean, if they're giving the stuff away, how much value can a few used shirts have?  It has always amazed me when generally well-meaning people think that fudging on their tax return is okay.)

Okay.  The games have started.  I'll get back to this later today.  Fo' sure.

Now Later....As promised.

I used New Year's Day to begin the task of  inventorying and sorting the various boxes, piles and shelves of "stuff" that have accumulated in the 10 years that I have called Maplecrest "home".  (Actually, there are also a couple of boxes that date back to Mother as well, but after a brief survey of those treasures, I decided that they could wait for another day.)

Most of the stuff had found its way to my second bedroom, which gets no other use, so I began there. Progress was made, but Rome was not built in a day.  One motivation is that I want to get that room fully organized as a future game room for visitors from Harvest Path.  It won't be the Mecca that exists on Century Heights, but there 'll be enough to occupy young minds while we light the grill on my famous driveway.

Is there any market out there for used paperback beach-trash (or airline) novels?

Looks like 2 will have a furnace man in her future.  I gave it a shot, and got a reading from my pal Ron, but it looks like there's a defective part in play.  Its one of those electronic-ignition furnaces, and its taking an automatic shut-off route.  Is there a Murphy's Law at work when the problem develops on the coldest day of the Winter?  Over/Under on a repairman being available tomorrow?

And how 'bout those Big Ten super powers, eh?

OK.  Hope the Peanut Gallery has a great 2013.  Resolutions coming later this week.

BCOT