#also the slope is 45 minutes away and i suck at driving

[guinevereslancelot]

me when i'm definitely incompatible with someone: 👋😉❤️🥰💘😘💕

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Recovering Your Catfish: Touch

Summary- 1.7k Francisco “Catfish” Morales x Reader. You are up early to make that Lemon Layer Cake for later that night and Frankie comes searching you out, wrap you into his arms. There was once a time he wasn’t always this affectionate in his recovery. 

A/N- A self indulgent series I don’t expect anyone to pay attention to. But I just love this boy being so soft for his girl. I am tagging @babiiface95​ cause she helped me with these thoughts. 

Masterlist

The smell of lemon and sugar took over your sun warmed kitchen, the windows open to allow a breeze to flow through before the day got too hot. It was also why you were up early in the morning, before even getting dressed to get this lemon cake made for tonight. 

Confectioner sugar was spread around the counter top where you were making the frosting, the cake sitting next to the oven ready to pop it in as soon as the oven would get to temp. 

Your finger dabbled into the beginning mix of the frosting, bringing it to your mouth to suck the sweetness off in a test. More zest was needed and you got your grater to start taking off some of the peel, humming along softly to the radio Frank had wired in the window by the sink, the antenna only being able to pick up any decent stations from that spot. 

Frankie came down the old wooden stairs in just his boxers, having woken to find you gone. Which was not unusual, but the drive to have contact was strong, it grounded him from all those bad thoughts that regularly plagued his mind. Instinctively he knew you would be in the kitchen, and he was about to cross the threshold when he saw you at the old butcher block you used as your kitchen island. 

Your back was to him, your hair was curled up into a messy bun atop your head, strays of hair poking every which way as you didn't bother to brush it yet, just balling it up off your neck to combat the heat that was already starting. The slope of your neck was tilted as you studied something he couldn't see. Your tank top had ridden up slightly to expose the dip in the small of your back, cute boy shorts covering your bottom, but then from there down was bare legs and feet dancing slightly in place on the old worn linoleum flooring he promised to one day replace. 

You were so perfectly at home that you didn't break from what you were doing when you looked over your shoulder to smile at Frank, your lips turning up almost lazily as you greeted him good morning between your singing along to the radio. 

“What's got you up so early Frankie?” You ask as you tap your grater over the bowl and roll the lemon on the wood to loosen it up before slicing it in half, going to squeeze it in the frosting. You felt heavy masculine arms slide around your hips while he pressed his face into your neck, breathing in deeply. 

It had been a few days since you brought him home from the airport, aside from that hug and grasping your hand, Frank had yet to really let you touch him. Not even in his sleep would he let you press against him as you normally did, cuddling each other in sleep. Every morning you would find him gone, sleeping in his chair in the living room with the television on mute. At first you tried to be understanding, give him his space while he adjusted back to everyday life. He had been through an ordeal, one you couldn’t begin to understand. 

But it continued, day after day the way he kept space, sure to never let his fingers brush with yours or take a step back when you passed him. You could see from his expression that he wanted to, but was holding himself back. 

One night you two were watching tv, on opposite ends of the couch. You could see him looking down at a beer bottle in his hands, rolling it. Not even focusing on whatever was playing. You had spent the time side eyeing him, trying to figure out how to bring this new distance between each other up to him. 

Might as well just do it you finally decided when you pushed up off the couch and approached him, taking the bottle from his hands. “Frankie…” You said in that soft way you always said his name, shifting him to sit back and you straddled his lap. 

His eyes went wide, his hands held away while he stuttered. “Wh-what are you doing Y/N?” 

You slid your hands along his chest and reached to take his hand and place one on your hip, then repeating the action till he was holding onto you. 

“What does it look like Catfish?” You purred slightly with a smile. “I missed you and wanted to cuddle. But is this okay?” 

“Yes… I guess?” Frank muttered, looking a bit lost in how to respond. You could feel how tensely rigid he was, nervous and uncomfortable. 

“I woke up Mon Cherie and you were gone.” Frank muttered against your neck, pressing his entire body in against you like he couldn’t get close enough, you chuckled while tilting your head so he could nibble against the length of your neck.

“I wanted to get this cake done before it's too late. Gotta have something to serve the neighbors when they come over this evening for supper.” You scooped a bit on your fingertip once more and held it up over your shoulder which he took a teasing taste, refusing to let your finger go from between his teeth and a swirl of his tongue. “What do you think?” 

“Open a bakery and I will be your little errand boy for more tastes of that.” he rumbled when he finally let your finger go so that you could return back to whipping your frosting till it was smooth, tinted just barely yellow from the fresh lemon you added. 

The welcoming citrus scent was paired with warm kisses on your neck as Frankie nuzzled in against you, sure to grind himself against you, his tone gravelly, and you were unsure if it was the early morning hours causing it, or the excitement he was building up between you two. 

“How can I entice you to return to bed Mon Cherie?” 

You grab some saran wrap and cover your frosting, slipping from his hold so his hands fell to the butchers block, watching you while you stuck the frosting in the fridge and slid the cake into the now warm oven. 

“You got… 45 minutes before I HAVE to be down here to check the cake.” 

A grin cracked on his face, his hair still askew from waking up and making him look boyish. 

He was so stiff underneath you, his breathing clipped like he was trying to tolerate your touch. You had been pressing gentle kisses on his neck, but you could tell he wasn't enjoying himself and you pulled back. Maybe it was too soon, or maybe… 

Maybe he no longer saw you that way? 

Usually whenever he returned home after being away on a mission, you couldn't keep him off you. Not that you tried. Even during the bad ones. 

This time, it was so different and you were lost about what to do. It was only seconds but the bit of doubt in your eyes matched the sadness in his own. “Im sorry Y/N…” he started and you just shook your head, moving to untangle yourself from him but he grasped your hips to hold you in place, sinking you back onto his lap. “It's not you, I swear.” 

Frank could always read your emotions since the day you met. You didn't try removing yourself again and fidgeted your fingers together. “What is going on Frank?” 

He let his hands fall to the couch cushions, rubbing his palms against them while he worked his jaw, looking for the words to say. “Y/N… I’m tainted. Like after this mission, you deserve better than me. Its killing me, cause I just want to keep you but fuck baby. I don’t deserve you.” 

Your brows arched in confusion, not at all expecting to hear that from him. 

“Frank why would you-” You started and suddenly he was moving to a stand, you sliding from his lap to the couch. “-Where are you going?” You scramble up, but he was so quick, quicker then you could process and he was out the door and off the porch. You rushed to the door, watching as the truck's headlights flicked on, cutting through the swamps darkness and pulling away, more confused than before. 

You laid sweaty on your back, staring up at the lazy way the ceiling fan swung through the humid morning heat. Frank was laying further down the bed, his head laying on your belly, humming satisfied himself as your fingers brushed through his hair gently, letting yourself enjoy the post orgasm bliss. 

“Mmmh, you know Frank that timer is about to go off any minute.” You break the silence and he groans while rolling to his side to look up your body at you. 

“You want me to go check it?” 

Lifting your head from the pillows, you arch your brows with a smirk. “Do you know how to tell if the cake is done?” 

Frank shrugged a bit. “Well… it can’t be hard can it?” 

You shoved at his shoulder with a shake of your head and reached down to grab his shirt from the night before since it would cover you enough to go streaking through the house. “Catfish, you are going to make me burn my cake and have to go get something from the ice box if you had it your way.” You stuck your tongue out at him as you left the room. “And I ain't serving the neighbors no wanna be homemade cake.” 

You sprinted into the kitchen just as the timer went off and grabbed mitts to stuff on your hands. Pulling open the door, you pull out your delicate cake that has raised beautifully. You could already tell that it was gonna be like your Granny's cake that you grew up with, easy to layer and would be a lovely decadence to finish off the night with. 

Frank followed along behind you, just not with as much of a rush. So he happened to catch you leaning over to pull the cake out at just the right moment. 

“I swear Mon Cherie, I will never be tired of seeing you in the kitchen.” He approached again, this time his hands finding your bare hips under his shirt sweeping just over your ass. 

“You're insatiable.” You mutter while checking the cake with a toothpick to make sure it was coming out clean. 

“Only for you.” 

[originaldisneydescendants]

Get To Know Me Uncomfortably Well

Tagged by:

@askvarian-alchemyisforstuds

Tagging: If you want to do it, consider yourself tagged.

1. What is you middle name? Jeanne

2. How old are you? 22 3. When is your birthday? July 10 4. What is your zodiac sign? Not into Zodiacs 5. What is your favorite color? Pink, blue and purple 6. What’s your lucky number? N/A 7. Do you have any pets? A husky mix named Olivia NJ after the singer and a budgie named Azul 8. Where are you from? Originally: Concord, California 9. How tall are you? 5′2.5” 10. What shoe size are you? 8 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Um... six I think? Probably another pair or two hidden somewhere in my closet. 12. What was your last dream about? My mom and I escaping some weird lady who was chasing us. At one point I was riding behind her on a motorcycle and she popped a wheelie. 13. What talents do you have? I've been told that I'm good at singing, art (painting, drawing, sculpting etc.) and writing (prose/poetry) 14. Are you psychic in any way? No, but I have had prophetic dreams of God just making me aware of what's currently going on in my life 15. Favorite song? A million songs is all it's gonna take, a million songs for the playlist I'm gonna make! 16. Favorite movie? Prince of Egypt, Coco 17. Who would be your ideal partner? The video is pretty cheesy but A Man of God like the one described in this one song 18. Do you want children? Yeah, someday 19. Do you want a church wedding? And I was my pastor to officiate it 20. Are you religious? Let me put it this way, Jesus died for me. How could I do anything less than live for Him? 21. Have you ever been to the hospital? On a field trip 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Not to my memory, no 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Define 'met' then define 'celebrity'. I've MET people who are well-known but not exactly celebrity status and asked a question at a Q&A with someone who I guess could be considered a minor celebrity? 24. Baths or showers? Showers and long ones 25. What color socks are you wearing? N/A 26. Have you ever been famous? Voted 'Most Artistic' freshman year at High School, does that count? 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? HAHAHAHAHAHA no 28. What type of music do you like? Most kinds as long as it's not screamo or too folky and even then I may have an exception or two 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Maybe when I was a little kid? 30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Lots 31. What position do you usually sleep in? On my stomach or curled up 32. How big is your house? My mom called it a 'cracker box' house 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Muffins, crepes or waffles 34. Have you ever fired a gun? I'm probably the only person in my family and the whole state who hasn't 35. Have you ever tried archery? In High School P.E. yeah 36. Favorite clean word? Shoot! 37. Favorite swear word? I generally don't swear. I could probably count the number of times on my hands. If you ever hear me swear... run 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 24-48 hours? I don't remember 39. Do you have any scars? Everywhere 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Define 'secret' 41. Are you a good liar? I don't think so, I try to avoid lying as much as I can 42. Are you a good judge of character? I think so? Not if I have a crush on them though unfortunately 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? A few, I'm not sure how many 44. Do you have a strong accent? I guess? I tend to pronounce my Ts as Ds like people in the area do 45. What is your favorite accent? Scottish and French, maybe British as well 46. What is your personality type? ISFP last I checked 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? An outfit that my grandmother bought for my last Easter with a black boat-neck top and a poofy black and white skirt 48. Can you curl your tongue? Yup 49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie 50. Left or right handed? Right 51. Are you scared of spiders? I used to be very arachnophobic but I think I'm getting a little better. I think it would be a lot easier if they didn't bite or move so fast. I'm gonna have to get used to them because my mom now lives in a rural house and they have orb-weaver spiders EVERYWHERE 52. Favorite food? Honey-walnut shrimp, rotisserie hot dogs and pizza 53. Favorite foreign food? Ethiopian stew and call me weird, I like calamari and kim nori 54. Are you a clean or messy person? It fluctuates 55. Most used phrase? “LORD help me.” 56. Most used word? Cool 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? I am slow so it takes forever 58. Do you have much of an ego? I try not to? 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? When I'm not just letting it sit in my mouth, I gnaw like an animal chewing on a bone 60. Do you talk to yourself? Of course I do. I have a lot to say and few people willing to hear me ramble 61. Do you sing to yourself? When I'm home alone 62. Are you a good singer? I got a four out of five score in my High School's solo and ensemble competition and I believe I have improved since then 63. Biggest Fear? Very venomous things 64. Are you a gossip? I really try not to but sometimes some nameless gossip slips out of me 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Besides Prince of Egypt, The Case for Christ actually had me crying through most of it 66. Do you like long or short hair? Both have pros and cons. Short hair doesn't get knotted or tangled but you can't do the braids you want and if you go to sleep with wet hair you will wake up to a monster on your head that you can't get rid of 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Here we go... California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Alabama, Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Nebraska, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Wyoming, Mississippi, Louisiana, Utah, Michigan, and here are the rest that I got from the Animaniac's song: Indiana, New Jersey, Delaware, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Kansas, Iowa, 68. Favorite school subject? Art and Creative Writing 69. Extrovert or Introvert? Usually an introvert but I have extroverted moments 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope 71. What makes you nervous? Public speaking 72. Are you scared of the dark? I was when I was a kid 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? ...I have a habit 74. Are you ticklish? Don't touch me 75. Have you ever started a rumor? If I have it was unintentional and I was unaware of it 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Does backstage security count? 77. Have you ever drank underage? Depends. Does that include church communion? 78. Have you ever done drugs? I drink a lot of caffeine 79. Who was your first real crush? Hunter from Kindergarten, he had curly hair and dimples and to this day that remains a weakness of mine 80. How many piercings do you have? I don't even have my ears pierced, not that I have anything against it, it just never happened 81. Can you roll your Rs? The ability comes and goes 82. How fast can you type? I took a whole class on typing and I have no clue 83. How fast can you run? I ran a mile in 12 minutes and I think that was me at my fastest 84. What color is your hair? Brown 85. What color are your eyes? Dark brown 86. What are you allergic to? I may have a slight allergy to the adhesive in band-aids depending on where I put them 87. Do you keep a journal? I've tried repeatedly but it always gets neglected 88. What do your parents do? My mom is a caretaker for the elderly and my dad is a retired under sheriff/paramedic who now drives the city bus and teaches driving 89. Do you like your age? I'm in the prime of life yo 90. What makes you angry? My brother taking a whole box of food, eating half of it and throwing the rest away without touching it... 91. Do you like your own name? Yeah 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Not the most unique but I like Luke and Matthew for boys and maybe Akina for a girl? 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? See above 94. What are you strengths? Spirit. 95. What are your weaknesses? *Opens book* *Ahem* chapter one... 96. How did you get your name? My name means hillside/slope and I was named after where my dad proposed to my mom... also a perfume company 97. Were your ancestors royalty? Not that I'm aware of 98. Do you have any scars? Didn't I already answer this one? 99. Color of your bedspread? Cream with gold stars 100. Color of your room? Way too light to be beige and dull? I'm not sure...

[chriscoleman]

Enchantments Trip Report

The Enchantments are a part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. The 20 mile trail begins just outside Leavenworth, about 3 hours from our new house in Seattle. Julia and I took 4 days leading up to Labor Day to explore this alpine paradise.

Day 1 began at 2am for a dark drive over Snoqualmie Pass to the Snow Lake trailhead. I booked the Leavenworth Shuttle to drive us to the Stuart Lake trailhead, about 15 miles away. Even though we were 1 hour early … we missed the shuttle. In my defense the booking agent told us to look for a black SUV and a white van was apparently the vehicle we should have sought out. Quickly rectified by flagging down the right vehicle on it’s return trip - a short delay. The punishment was listening to awful talk radio while the driver expertly navigated the rough mountain road.

Hiking the first mile was fabulous. We instantly understood why people flock to this area in droves. It’s one of the most popular trails in Washington State. Hundreds of people hike to Colchuck Lake every day, although only a handful are permitted to camp. Breakfast under the first bridge at mile #1 was quick as the chipmunks begged for crumbs.

Scratch is the chipmunk we named on this trip. He was super friendly - obviously fed by other campers (we didn’t). Scratch followed us all along the hike. Always there at camp and even showed up on hard sections of trail when we needed a moral boost. Definitely just 1 chipmunk, not multiple that looked/acted alike.

Colchuck Lake at 11am was an aquamarine blue gem. A tough climb from 3500 to 5500 feet elevation over 4 miles. My pack was 31 pounds and Julia’s pack was 21 pounds at the beginning of the hike - very reasonable for a 4 day trip, yet still a burden to carry up the mountain. Half a mile down the lake we found a perfect campsite with a log table. Water access was a bit sketchy over/under logs and a steep bank - but worth the sweet lakeside beach we had all to ourselves. A nap after lunch was necessary, then lounging by the lake until a dehydrated bison dinner.

Day 2 began with instant coffee and oatmeal at 7am. 8:30am we were at the base of Asgard Pass - the hardest mile of trail I’ve ever hiked. 2200 feet of gain in 1 mile is bordering on climbing status. The boulder field at the bottom was short, followed by one final stream crossing where a few groups were filling up before the big push upwards.

Step by Step. Stacks of rocks called cairns marked the optimal ‘trail’ up. Any time we strayed from the cairns the path became harder. Constantly looking for the next marker was the key to success. After 1 hour we drifted left of the tree island and took a quick water/snack break. After another hour we were up at the waterfall just below the pass for another break. 11am, after 2.5 hours of climbing, we gained the top of Asgard Pass. Considerably easier than I had psyched myself up for pre-trip. Hooray!

The Core Enchantments is like another world. An alpine zone with very little life/green surrounded by snowfields/glaciers. Tranquil Lake was the first water we passed and multiple groups were resting along the shore. We hiked on past many other small unnamed lakes. Eventually found ourselves hiking down a steep gully. Unsure if it was the correct path - we continued cautiously. Inspiration Lake, our intended home for the night, was at the bottom. 1pm we found a campsite along the northeast corner of the lake tucked away in a stand of trees.

Water duty is a daily activity when backpacking. After establishing camp we would take our bottles, bladders, and filter down to the lake shore to purify our drinking + cooking water for the evening. Along Inspiration Lake we were able to swim after filtering the frigid water. 3 hikers from SoCal stopped to ask about how their LifeStraw water filter works, as they were out of water and unsure how it functions. We offered to fill their bottles with our Sawyer filter instead (LifeStraws suck - don’t ever buy one) and they were very thankful. They said we saved their lives, so I’d consider that a solid good deed for the day. A guy without shoes also passed us, twice, which I still have no idea his full story.

The main lake activity on Friday was watching hikers descend the gully. It was pure entertainment as group after group fought the steep slope to ultimately arrive at the lake. This was about halfway for hikers doing the entire Enchantments in 1 day (as most people do without camping permits). Watching groups come past us at 2pm, 3pm, and even 4pm was concerning. Knowing that they would be finishing their hike in the dark was obvious, I didn’t envy their position.

Day 3 began with GOATS. Exiting the tent at 7am one adult goat was already in our campsite. Rangers instruct hikers/campers to pee on rocks in the Enchantments. This is because goats have learned that human pee contains salt, which they crave. Peeing on rocks prevents the goats from eating the fragile vegetation. The result is goats licking rocks - it’s hilariously nasty. Adult and baby goats flowed through our campsite all morning seeking out the rocks we went on the previous day, and they were miraculously accurate. 10 goats came through, licked pee, and left by the time we cooked breakfast and packed up camp. Then more goats on the trail as we hiked towards Perfection Lake.

Perfection Lake was aptly named. One of the most serene, beautiful, majestic, and overall wonderful places in the entire Enchantments. Then we moved on to Leprechaun Lake where Julia got lost on a bathroom break. 45 minutes later we were reunited and began the search for a night 3 campsite. Leprechaun wasn’t on our radar in pre-trip planning, so we were cautious to get excited about calling it home. We traversed a side trail on the east side of the lake until a dead end. Best campsite of the trip (ever?). It was secluded, next to the water, wind sheltered, 360 degree views, shade, flat, and everything you want from a backcountry site. Hiking only 2 miles gave us plenty of time to swim, eat good food, hydrate, and RELAX.

Day 4 was our final day in the mountains. Time to leave the Core Enchantments and descend from 6900 to 1300 feet over 11 miles. Knowing our path ahead was strenuous - we started at 7am ish. Hiked fast up to Lake Viviane where we encountered a technical downhill trail. Exposed areas where a fall could easily mean death. Big steps down requiring hand holds, sometimes going backwards for safety. Walking across large granite rock slabs was wild. Cairns were our trail markers again through this rocky terrain.

Eventually we reached Snow Lake where we were able to move fast along the flat trail. Passed many campsites along the manmade lake. Break time to refill water bottles gave me a final chance to swim. However the mud was feet thick and I got stuck a few steps from shore. Luckily I escaped just as Julia saw a goat eating/drinking on the opposite edge of the lake. Back on the trail we continued the downhill march. It became sun exposed most of the remaining 6 miles. We crested a valley, descended to the bottom of it, then repeated 2 more times. Not a technical section but the long + hot trail beat me down.

Done at 2pm on Sunday, such a relief to finally see the car. We took a bird bath with a stashed water bladder and changed into clean clothes. The town of Leavenworth, a Bavarian themed village, was packed with tourists walking the pedestrian downtown area. Dinner at Ludwigs German restaurant was a treat - especially the Schweinshax’n (roasted pork knuckle).

Overall the trip was a huge success. Everything went better than planned. The hiking didn’t kill me while the campsites were out of this world. The crowds were nowhere near as crazy as I expected either. After trying for 8 years to get an Enchantments permit - the wait was totally worth it! I can’t wait to go back again in another 8 years!!

Links

WTA: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes

Photos: https://imgur.com/gallery/rYYRH7r

[golfwi52]

Round 34 – Eclipsing Par(tial)

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Par 72, White Tees, 6,654 yards, 71.9 rating / 131 slope, 18 holes riding, $175 charity scramble Monday, August 21st, 2017, noon, 75 degrees, 5 mph winds, partly cloudy, partial solar eclipse

The Fisher House is an organization that provides temporary housing for military veterans and their families as the vets go thru medical treatments in nearby hospitals or other facilities.  This organization hosts a great charity scramble which I’ve been fortunate to participate in over the last 4 years.  This event moved from the River Club in Milwaukee to Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva last year and the event has now grown to over 250 golfers.   Grand Geneva is a gorgeous resort and golf course and in my opinion on par with the Geneva National Golf Course. My brother-in-law Adrian is a retired Navy Captain and I always invite him and other family members to join me in this special event to help out our military vets.   Adrian’s daughter Kelly serves in the Navy at Pearl Harbor and Adrian’s father was a decorated Navy Captain serving on the destroyer USS Evans during the battle for Okinawa. During this conflict for which he earned the Bronze Star, the senior Captain Adrian’s ship shot down 19 kamikazes and was hit by four planes.   Wow.  I had diarrhea for a week straight and lost 10 pounds during a business trip in India a few years back.  Not even close.  Maybe a very small Brown Star.

Adrian, Tom, and Don - major golf scramblers

Joining Adrian and I today were my ex-neighbor Don and his son Tom, who also joined me in round 30 and at an awesome Brewers tailgate outing a few weeks back.  My family only lived in our Fox Lane house for four years, but the friendship and fun with Don’s family will last forever.  I was lucky to snag these three guys as this outing is pricey at $175/golfer and many potential golfing buddies were dedicating this particular Monday to viewing the huge solar eclipse event.   Our foursome was fine with balancing the 85% eclipse viewing with golfing and covering the high donation cost.  Gotta love high roller golfers – it truly is the sport of kings.  And the outing provided each foursome with viewing glasses and a glow-in-the-dark ball so we were all set for a great round and eclipsing say, 9 under par?

The special rule for this scramble was that the worst score per hole would be par.    That sounds great for scoring low but I hate that rule.  Part of the strategy in a scramble is avoiding bogeys and sometimes forgoing a chance at birdie to just save par (see Round 31).   And making a clutch 4 footer second putt to avoid a 3-putt bogey.    This special par rule speeds up the game up but I’d rather have it slow down a bit and be more challenging – especially for $175.   And there weren’t any mulligans in play which also took away from the strategy equation.  Even giving everyone just one mulligan per nine adds a great element of strategy to the mix and just slows thing down by maybe 15 minutes for the whole round.  On one of the par 5’s there was a dice roll where you could shave your yards to whole all the way down to 100 yards.   Anther bad idea!  Where’s the fun in getting a double eagle from just 100 yards out on a par 5?  I’d rather shoot for a “pure” eagle from the 500 yard white tees.  Fortunately our 4 dice rolls sucked and we did hit from the white tees – and pared because we also sucked at 50 yard wedge shots.  But I did pay $175 for the right to suck on my wedge shots.

Beautiful landscaping on The Brute course

So we started off with a goal of 9 under par given the special par is worst score rule.  I had warned the guys that I was still suffering pain in my right chest from round 33 on Saturday a few days ago and they shouldn’t rely on my help too much.  Don wanted his money back when he heard this.  But Don’s a lawyer so I knew the money wasn’t a big thing and I knew he’d enjoy watching me suffer in pain during the round.   What are friends for?  I was hoping my chest had heeled in a few days but I’m an idiot and was wrong.  I could tell with my first iron approach shot that my chest was going to kill me today.  Of course that shot landed within a few yards of the pin on the first green and helped us to a lead-off birdie – so I was going to have to suck it up to help the troops today.  Of course a boatload of BENGAY, a few Advils, a beer, and some stiff whiskey drinks would assist me along the way.  

Spectacular views in space and on the ground today

I was looking forward to the special air cannon hole that this event always provided.  The air cannon each player held on his shoulder would shoot a special finned golf ball around 350 yards to a par 4 green and give you the opportunity for a birdie putt.  The sound the cannon made was awesome - in a military/guy sort of way.    A big whoosh sound.  Boys with guns thing.  And after playing the hole, listening to the next group’s incoming shots whizzing down to the green was also very cool.   The awesomeness of the cannon greatly outweighed any issues I had with it bending the  scramble rules.  But unfortunately the cannon was not part of this year’s event.  Someone probably hurt themselves with it last year.  Argh.  Boys with guns thing.  

Around 5 holes into the front nine we did witness the 85% eclipse with our special sunglasses.  The eclipse would pop in and out of the clouds, but what we could see with our glasses was VERY cool.   At 85% eclipse it didn’t get very dark at all and would have been a non-event if one didn’t have the glasses.  It would have been cool to experience the whole totality thing but I’m not sure driving 6 hours south would have been worth it.  Unless there was a golf outing down there.  Hmmm, maybe in 2024…

Partial eclipse pokes out from the clouds.  Where are those glasses?

So we shot a rather disappointing 6 under par for our round, playing each nine at 3 under.  Don and Tom thought we shot 7 under but they drank much more than Adrian, who was keeping official score, so I have to go with the 6 under.  Fortunately Adrian was driving very well and the rest of us were filling in from the tee whenever he did falter.   None of us had a great approach game so we weren’t giving ourselves many makeable birdie putts.    We were especially bad at 50 yard wedge shots and could never stick those close.  Don chided me on one par 5 for saving us with a long  220 yard second shot, BUT leaving us at the dreaded 50 yard mark.   Don also gave me grief for leaving every putt of mine short on the front nine.   Ok, that criticism was spot on as you should never leave birdie putts short on a scramble, ESPECIALLY where par is the highest score you can take.  Unforgiveable.  But I did get better on the back nine and drained 2 birdie putts.  One of those birdies was the result of finally using my lob wedge on one of those 50 yard approach shots.  Normally I would shank long lob wedge shots but now I have a new safe lob wedge swing method (aka NSLWSM) that I perfected on my Friday driving range outing.  Even at 59 years I can learn something new about golf.  And like playing with severe pain.  Did I mention that I’m still wearing my knee brace from my soccer injury 6 weeks back?  I am a pain train wreck.

Thank you Captain Adrian for your family’s service to our country!

Final Score:  6 under for the team.  2 lost balls.  Playing time 2 hours, 45 minutes.    The Fisher House group provided a very polished and enjoyable outing on this excellent Grand Geneva course.  The lunch and dinner food was great, there were plenty of attractive auction items, and the golfing atmosphere was fantastic.   One of Milwaukee’s biggest sports talk celebrities and now a Fisher House board member, Bill Michaels, did a fine job again of hosting the after-dinner awards and silent auction festivities.  The highlight for me with this event is always listening to a veteran speak on how much the Fisher House has done for his family.   This year did not disappoint as a young man who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan told us of how the Fisher House took care of him and his family during his long recovery from an awful IED explosion.  Even with the IED tearing up part of his leg he was able to become only the second disabled veteran to ever climb Mt. Everest.    Wow, so many real medal worthy heroes out there.  Now where was that pain that I was just whining about…