We get to the Rhode Island course in Charlestown. After a series of adventures that Ken is better at recounting, we end up playing the only four holes that have baskets. Ken points out one difference between us on his blog. I’ll point another: My estimation of the situation is that the course is dying. It’s been around a while and is going to pot. The layout is nice and the signs show that hard work went into them at some point in the foggy past, but no one seems to give a rat’s patootie right now. Ken, on the other hand, wants to categorize it as the course is under construction, perhaps a renovation. Well, that’s nice.

Random observation: Something that was interesting in CT was the random appearance of stone walls in the middle of anywhere. Sure, one can understand seeing a wall near a driveway or along the front yard of some house, but we’re out in the middle of the forest playing disc golf and out of nowhere the beautiful flight of a disc is halted abruptly by a stone wall rising out of the pine needles. Wah? My first thought was, wow, someone went to a lot of trouble to put up that wall for no apparent reason; I certainly would not have done such a thing.

Random observation 2: The course in Amesbury, MA shared a park with a ball field. While we were playing a little league game was in progress. Everytime I see a little league game, I feel better about the world to a degree that is not at all comensurate with the sight. I mean, it makes me feel really good. Now, I played little league as a kid. My parents and other family members will remember 3 years of my sitting on the bench doing awful, 1 year (my last year of eligibility in our areas little league) of my actually doing well (except for that one horrendous attempt at pitching which must have been good for my character), and one year of riding pine in high school. Not a stellar career by any stretch. Yet, there it is, I see kids playing ball, and my chest gets all warm and my throat gets all tight and I stop caring for a moment about the fact that I’ve never lived under a President worth naming and about suicide bombers and people driving foreign-oil-guzzling monster trucks on the highway sporting “support our troops” magnets.

Random Observation 3: If you ever stay at the Fairfield Inn in Lowell, MA, consider yourself lucky if Lauren is at the front desk. In addition to being friendly and efficient, she was fantastic answering questions and giving us info about the surrounding area. I normally don’t like interacting with, well, anyone. But after she gave us free cookies, it did not at all feel unnatural to go to the desk asking for reccomendations for eating and such.

Random Observation 4: Ken may be impressed by the number of Dunkin Donuts here in MA, but I still think Chicago makes it look like a barren donut wasteland.

Random Observation 5: Got an email today that my Harry Potter book has shipped from London and is expected to arrive on the 22nd. Sure, I could have had the book land on my doorstep with a thud Saturday morning, but then it would be that bastardized American version where they don’t think kids can figure out that trainers are tennies and boots are trunks.

At any rate, it’s been a good day. Earlier in the day, we stopped at Target to get supplies, and I was able to keep myself hydrated and filled with energy-goodness so that I actually felt good about my rounds. Also talked to my sister and her husband this evening. The handover of their newly adopted daughter took place last night. While there was stuff done by the hospital that made a tough situation even more difficult, they’re home with Mercy and settling into the challenges that come with being a first-time parent. God be with ye.

Courses: 2
States: Rhode Island, Massachussets
Birdies: 1 (and only 1 no matter what Ken says)
Refills on ice tea: 0

Amesbury Course

1. 5
2. 4
3. 3
4. 5
5. 3
6. 3
7. 3
8. 3
9. 3
10. 3
11. 5
12. 4
13. 3
14. 4
15. 4
16. 4
17. 3
18. 3

Total 65

Drive. About 300 miles today. I need a hero fresh from the fight.

Philadelphia New Jersey SLEEPY HOLLOW!!

Norwalk, CT. Cranbury Park. Mansion. Deuce. Trees. Lots of people in a picnic shelter sounding like a brood of cooing pigeons. Not feeling well. Restorative powers of jelly beans. Stone walls in the middle of the woods. Stop keeping score. Ken 1 over par. New London on the Thames. Sashimi and Samurai Roll. Salty sea air.

These are my impressions of the day. For more detail, see Ken’s Blog.

I did learn something interesting about myself today. I need to pay more attention to what and when I eat. The weather here has not been hot but the humidity is outrageous. When we get done with 10 holes in DE my clothing is soaked, not just damp, dripping. The same in CT. All of this sweating has an adverse effect on me. Around hole 5 at Cranbury I notice that I have no strength. My drives are bland even when I try to crush them. My legs don’t seem to want to lift my feet off the ground as I walk. Around hole 8 or 9, I ask Ken if he has any snacks. He’s mentioned before that he keeps stuff in his bag for an energy burst. He offers me some jelly beans. I take them. Wow. I don’t go back to my good old self, but I don’t feel like dying anymore. Seems those folks at Gatorade have a point. By half way through the round I’d almost drained my water bottle, but the water was doing nothing to balance out my electrolytes. At any rate, tomorrow we’re going to hit a Wal-Mart or some such so that we can replensish supplies. I’m getting some trail mix and Gatorade so that I can play well.

So, tally for the day:

28 holes of golf
2 courses
Delaware and Connecticut

PS: After we get to the hotel, I get some phone calls. Our extra concert tickets sold on ebay, but Sherry had a frustrating day dealing with a watch she bought at the Detroit airport. Hopefully she’ll have a better day tomorrow when the sofa arrives and she gets to see TMBG. My mom called and it seems that all has gone smoothly in the handover of their newly born adopted daughter. We’ve all been praying that that would go well. While there were some snags, it seems that the important stuff has gone well: healthy baby, papers signed, Mercy at home. Yea!