The Weekend

Sunday, July 09/17

So I finally got to play some golf yesterday and the topper was that I got to play a new course, I knew all about but had just never managed to play yet.

The weather so far this summer has left a lot to be desired what with the constant rainfall that has seen some of my kids soccer games cancelled in order to protect the fields from damage and my own home course closed several times due to flooding.

It was so bad at Stittsville Golf that there was flooding stretching from the 2nd fairway across the 15th, 16th, 17th, and the 8th that pretty much left members scrambling to get any games in.

Now I didn't play last weekend due to Canada Day and wasn't really sure I wanted to play this weekend as I've been wrestling with some things in my life and decisions I need to make but when my buddy Brant called around noon to ask if I was interested in playing I decided to give it a go and told him to find us a teem time. He managed to get a 2:20 tee of at The Marshes Golf Club in North Kanata and we agreed to meet there for 2pm.

Marshes was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, and has to rank among the top 3 courses in Ottawa and plays like it. When I got to the course and loaded my bag onto the mandatory cart Brant told me to enjoy the course as my score would be a lot higher than I would like and laughed.

He wasn't kidding as the course plays like a monster and I shot my worse round of the last 3 years coming in at a solid 106!!!!!!

But I really enjoyed the round, high score and all, as it was something new and made me think about every single shot. The fact that there was a constant wind blowing probably made the course play longer than the listed 6,400 yards we played from the blue tees. Now that 106 is kind of misleading as I did manage 1 par and 6 bogeys but also had 4 shots go out of bounds that led to 8 strokes alone.

I've never seen a course with greens that had so much undulation in them. How much you ask? Well I managed to hit my ball about 9 feet past the hole on the par 3 third and than 5 putted to score a wonderful triple bogey as my first putt didn't hold the crest and slowly slide past the hole all the way back to the front of the green, leaving me a 20 foot uphill putt, which I preceded to short hit and watch slide right back down to my feet, I over hit the next one past the hole and somehow got lucky with my fifth attempt and read both the break and speed perfectly and felt pretty damn lucky to escape with that 6.

As we walked off the green towards our cart Brant looked at me with a raised eyebrow expecting me to let loose a stream of profanity as he knows I actually take pride in my putting and that little shit show had to piss me off to no end. I smiled at him and said it really was a nice course and I was going to enjoy every moment on it today.

The rest of our round was pretty much dead even and he came in a with a 104 to my 106 and we both agreed it was one of the hardest courses we've played but that we'd be back again as there is no way any course is going to kick my ass that badly without me coming back for a 2nd chance.

I got to talk to my son last night and hear about his new summer job working as a camp counsellor, so far so good and he said he'll be saving the majority of his earnings to buy text books this fall, his decision and one I appreciate since the RESP's his mom and I have set up will cover off tuition and incidental fees for the next 3 years.

This morning was about going to watch my grandson at his swimming lesson followed by breakfast with my daughter, her fiance, and the sleeping baby Jack :)  Swimming is exhausting when your are only 7 months old lol

Over breakfast they filled me in on the wedding plans and advised me that the resort in Mexico has a golf course so I should plan on getting in some January rounds, you've got to love it when the kids think of the old man and his addiction.

When they told me the location I did have one moment of reflection and didn't think it showed but as we were leaving the my daughter leaned into me and asked me what crossed my mind when they mentioned Mexico and I admitted I wished I was going with someone as it seems like a good trip to do with a partner. In all honesty I did think of someone in particular but didn't mention her name as I've really got to get over her and continue moving on with my life, though it's easier said than done, especially when FaceBook brings her up in my profile as someone I might know and I get to see her smile and twinkling eyes again in a new profile picture.

My daughter hugged me and said I just have to be patient and open to the possibilities out there.

Love her optimism but don't think she realizes how hard dating gets the older one becomes.

I took Moki for a long walk when I got home and let her off leash for most of it as I'm working on her discipline when she comes across people. Have to admit she is doing really well and several people commented on what a wonderful dog she is and how well behaved she was too.

I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and sat on the deck this afternoon with my iPad to do some reading and enjoy a glass of wine, a chilled Pinot Grigio if you must know. Now that last part is really out of character for me as I rarely drink but it just seemed like the thing to do at that moment. Doing it also made me think of better times when I shared a glass with C and would watch as Moki curled up in her lap.

My life isn't quite where I hoped it would be but it really could be worse, a lot worse, so instead of complaining about the bed being unmade maybe I should remember who messed it up in the first place and it's up to nobody else but myself to fix it. The unmade bed being a metaphor for the ruins I've made of my love life these past 2 years for those wondering.

My name is Marcus and I'm a work in progress. No clue as to how long the work will take but the ride should be interesting and I invite you to come along and participate in it vicariously.

Today's musical suggestion is "Right Now" by Haim.  Please don't read too much into the lyrics and try and associate them to today's blog entry as though they are good, it's really the tempo and instrumentals that caught my attention.