Postponed....

For at least the past four years, when the first of December rolls around, its time for the annual golf trip. Four days and three nights on St. Simons Island for golf on the mostly deserted courses of southeast coastal Georgia. This is a perfect vacation for a golf nut. A long drive across south Georgia to the Brunswick area, the last half of the trip usually in the dark, rushing to make the local seafood buffet at the King & Prince resort.

The next morning we started 3 days of golf in whatever weather there was at the time. A full breakfast buffet at the Sea Palms resort and then 18 or 36 holes of birdies, pars and bogies. Well, mostly pars, bogies and double-bogies actually. But golf in December at a resort community is a wonderful experience.

The last few years we would drive over to Jekyll Island on Sunday for 36 holes on the tracks over there. We usually have the course almost to ourselves - and the deer and alligators. If we can avoid a dispute with the strong-willed waitresses at the snack bar for lunch, its a wonderful visit to a truly historic golf venue.

Dinners in the evenings would range from the locals favorites to the slabs of rare beef at Outback. On the last morning we would squeeze in 18 final holes before the long drive back home. The trip back was almost always quiet, since I would be the only one awake.

Due to conflicting schedules and other non-golf related issues, we didn't make the trip this year. It felt very odd not making that long drive across south Georgia with making it before they shut down the seafood buffet as our goal. Next year, we'll find a way to work out everything and make that trip.

The French Paradox revisited

You may recall a few years ago the shocking reports of how scientists could not explain how the French could enjoy such a high-fat diet and still have a lower risk of heart disease than Americans. The theory was that because the French enjoyed their red wine so much, this off-set the effects of their high-fat lifestyle. Many chuckled about the theory and scoffed at the idea being based on any real scientific evidence. Well now it seems the science has caught up with the theory. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging have published a report implying that a natural substance found in red wine, known as resveratrol, offsets the bad effects of a high-calorie diet in mice and significantly extends their lifespan.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature05354.html

Sounds like its time to enjoy our glass of red wine with every evening meal. You can reduce the risk of heart disease and possibly offset the effects of aging. Looks like those cellar bottles I've been hoarding for years will come in handy.

FINGER FOOD?

Those of you that may recall my trip to Viet Nam a few years ago, may remember the scorpion wine that I brought back. While this was unusual, there is apparently a new delicacy in HCMC:

http://reuters.excite.com/article/20060925/2006-09-25T115345Z_01_N25212898_RTRIDST_0_ODD-VIETNAM-CRICKETS-DC.html

Regular or Extra-Crispy?

Renovated Bryant Denny Stadium Looks Great

After several years of work they finally finished the renovations to Bryant Denny Stadium. It was finished just in time for the first game of the season and hosted the largest crowd to ever see a football game in the state. The stadium looked radically different than it did when I first saw it in 1977. Of course, at that time, the maximum capacity was only 60,000. Now the total reaches 92, 138.

The capacity jumped from 83,818 before the expansion, and you could certainly tell the difference in the number of people in and out of the stadium. Before the first game, the planning people anticipated an extra 10,000 cars in and around the campus for each game. I don't know how they get those numbers, but after attending the first 3 games of this season, I can tell a big difference in the cars looking for parking before the games and the crowd of people wandering around the Quad and walking over to the stadium before the games start.

Now I've already been in the new upper deck section for one game, and the top row is actually higher than the highest seats on either the west stands or the east stands. My seats for that game weren't on the top row, but they were no more than ten rows below it. You can see from this pre-game photo that you have a view all the way down to 12th Street from the new upper section. I didn't walk up to the top and snap a photo of the view back toward campus. If you get a chance to go to a game and sit in the new section, be warned...the steps are steep and by the time you walk up the outer steps to get to the upper deck, its alot higher up depending on the row your tickets are designated. Unlike the East and West stands, I didn't see a ramp to walk up to the upper section, just several flights of stairs.

Of course, if you are fortunate enough to get tickets in "The Zone" section, you get the air- conditioned indoor seating and refreshments for when you are tired of sitting outside in your seats. But those are only available for Tide Pride contributors or those who purchase them for a premium price from the holder. I'm not sure how much more expensive they would be from a scalper.

Overall, you can tell the difference in the increased number of fans in the stadium as well. The noise level is higher as a result of more people and the renovated section that encloses the upper end zone seats. I would think that it could be much more difficult for opposing players to hear signals when the crowd reaches a frenzy. The addition of 2 new video boards and the two ribbons boards on each side really add to the overall appearance.

The fans seem to really enjoy the atmosphere and despite some lackluster opponents for the first three games of the season, all the games were sold out. The first game was a really hard sell-out, without any tickets floating around from scalpers outside the stadium. You could buy tickets for the next two games, but since the Vandy game started at 2:00 and was on TV there were plenty of scalpers offering the tickets for sale.

If you haven't had a chance to visit, you should drop by for one of the upcoming games.

Last Oppressively Hot Round of the Summer?

There we were, heading out for what we hoped would be the last really hot-weather round of golf for the summer. With Steve back in town from Maine, it seemed like a good idea to head over to Opelika to play the Lake course at the RTJ Grand National facility. No matter that the high was forecast to be in the mid 90's or that the humidity was stifling. It was a typical late summer day. Just what we've learned to expect around here.

Luckily we got on the road without anyone forgetting the departure time, or their billfold or golf shoes. Traffic was no problem and we arrived and got out on the course almost on our scheduled tee time. The course was in really good shape, especially surprising given the paucity of precipitation this summer.

Our swings were rusty, as you should expect, since there haven't been too many chances to get out and play this summer. At least the two of us that are still local were acclimated to the high temperatures, but our friend from the far north did very well considering he was broiling before we even made the turn. In fact, he got so hot, he drained all the color out of this photo.

Sometimes the camera settings get slightly askew and you end up with classic black & white images suitable for framing! Here Steve contemplates which wedge might reach the green from 200+ yards out at #9. Quite a challenge with the uphill green to contend with as well.

The RTJ courses are always good about providing cart service on hot weekend days. This is a very wise move on their part, since the courses would be littered with the bodies of fallen heat-stroke victims otherwise. We also enjoyed the fans installed on the edges of the bent-grass greens, but they would have felt much better with air conditioners attached.

The Lake course has some history associated with our group. Years ago, we had a regular foursome that would get out every weekend. We were hackers then, just as we are now, but with a group of four regular hackers, we didn't seem out-0f-place, and there was no chance of being inadvertantly paired with a single golfer who really knew how to play. But after a number of years, our little foursome lost one. It happened on this particular course, on a fiendish par-3.

There's really nothing evil about the par-3 15th, but it may be the most difficult of the entire trail for our group. The scorecard lists it as a simple 160 yard shot to a narrow peninsula green jutting out into the lake below the clubhouse. The RTJ guide lists this particular hole as possibly the "single prettiest on the Trail." While I don't agree with that assessment, it is clearly a challenge for golfers of our calibre.

But, back to the tragedy. . . We were almost finished with our round, and our ill-fated friend was not having his best day. We pulled up to the tee box, got out with our weapons of destruction and each dropped at least one ball into the lake with our tee shots. Our friend put 2 or 3 in the water, again this was not unusual for our group since we all think we can hit that shot with just 'one more try.' We pulled around to the drop area and he put another one in the water. The next thing we saw was his golf club head flying in one direction and the shaft in the other. He got in his cart and said "I'm through." He went straight back to the clubhouse, got in his car and left. That was it... no more golf. Even today, years later, he doesn't even own any clubs. Sold every last one.

But this week on the "___ Memorial Par 3" the three of us kept each other from coming unglued and local Steve even hit one across the water to just off the green. No melt-downs=success! From there it was all downhill, as we were nearing dehydration, for the round. We finished and survived.

So when does the cool weather get here? December?

End of Summer Vacation

This was the end. While there was one more week before school started, this was the last chance for some type of a real vacation trip. After this long and hot summer, there seemed to be few options better than a nice, cool, slow float down a spring-fed stream. Ichetucknee Springs State Park was the place.

Some 300 miles away, located near Lake City, Florida, this place is really off the beaten path. As you cruise down the interstate, flying past endless Magic Kingdom advertising, you wouldn't ever guess that this hidden attraction even exists. Almost 45 minutes off the interstate, you start to see the inner tube rental places. Make sure you stop and rent one, since the park doesn't have any available on-site. You can get tubes or rafts in all sizes. They will even tie them to the roof of your car, like the Christmas tree sales guys do. Perhaps the best deal is that you don't have to return to the rental place, just leave your tubes at the designated pick-up point in the park and they will get it.

As you drive into the Park, you quickly realize that this won't be any faux-rafting experience. Nothing fancy, nothing high-tech around this place. Even the paved road ends somewhere along the way. You pay your admission, really inexpensive in this Tourist Rip-off country -- $5.00 per person and $5.00 per vehicle, and drive down to the stream. You can either start up at the North Entrance and float down to the end for a 4 hour trip, or simply take the 2 hour float from the mid-way point via the South entrance. Since we had other places to travel on our trip, we opted for the short trip.

Once you get into the parking lot, you walk down to the tram stop -- water shoes are a nice item to take since the gravel can be a little sharp and

rough on tender feet -- and wait for the tram to take you up to the mid-point start. You have to lug your raft or tube down to the tram stop, but then you toss it on the trailer and ride up to the put-in spot. We had a raft, since Billy is still just learning to swim, and it worked out better than two tubes. Once you debark from the tram, you follow the path down to the stream and try and step in the raft without flipping over. You really want to acclimate yourself to the water temperature since its 73 degrees year-round, and if you hit the water as you start, you'll let out a loud scream that shatters the calm wilderness surrounding the stream. Luckily we didn't tip over and eased out into the middle of the stream into the slow-moving current.

The area around the stream is lush and clear of any development, since the State of Florida owns all the property. Plenty of calming earth-tones abound and the canopies of the overhanging trees provide shade from the sun. We saw plenty of birds and fish. The water is crystal-clear running from a few feet deep to 10 of more feet in spots. From the midpoint downstream, the stream bottom was grassy, not sandy. From memory of my last visit when we started at the head of the spring in the North entrance, the bottom is sandy at that point. The trees were criss-crossing the stream in places and you could climb them and jump into the water at some points. Since we visited on a Friday, there weren't too many people floating down with us, but the teenagers that were visiting were loud and silly as you might expect. The weekend crowds can get the silt on the bottom of the stream stirred up and this clouds the water downstream. In fact the Park limits the admission via the North entrance to the first 750 each day to cut down on the environmental impact.

You don't have to paddle or swim to move downstream. The current flows just enough to keep you moving, although you will have to correct your direction to keep from being swept under some low branches and against a few swampy-looking areas of the bank. There are no food or containers allowed on the water, so plan ahead for hydration, although the water is cool enough that you won't feel overheated at any point. We didn't see anything that resembled an alligator and that's a good thing. There are so many people in the water during the season that most gators wouldn't be happy around the Park area.

You can swim along with your tube or raft, and there were a number of people that just used a Noodle to float along. I hadn't thought of using one of those, but next trip I may choose that option. Years ago on my very first trip to the Park, I was decked out in my scuba gear, but its not really deep enough to do that. In fact, unless you are a beginner, even bringing a mask and snorkle won't add much to the trip. The best way to make this trip is simply to kick back and enjoy the float. When you reach the end, there's no chance you'll miss it. There is a barricade and signs warning you to exit the water. I couldn't help but wonder what lay beyond this point. The map seems to indicate that the stream flows into the Suwanee river somewhere further downstream. Perhaps those gators lurk down in those areas.

We pulled ashore and lugged the raft up to the return area and then took the tram back to the station where we started. There are rest rooms at the end of the stream and at the mid-point area, as well as a refreshment stand for those that make a day of their visit. You can cookout in the park, and there are areas with picnic tables and grills. The tubing season from the north entrance will starts on May 27th and the tram service operates from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. While this seems like a short season, as cold as the water stays, you really don't want to float on it during the fall, winter or spring seasons.

The Park is open year-round, but unless you're looking for an out-of-the-way spot for a picnic, there's not much reason to visit in the off season.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/ichetuckneesprings/default.cfm

All Star Game Returns After 34 Years

Yes, I can remember some of what was happening back in 1972. But I can't recall the last time the Southern League All Stars played a game here. Of course I was living about 50 miles away back in '72 and I have no specific recollection of the Rebels during that time. In fact, it was 1979 before I even made a trip to Patterson field to see a game here in town. The Rebels left town not too long after that and until the Biscuits arrived three years ago, there was no real minor league baseball in town.

But with the Biscuits success, the league decided to allow them to host this year's event. Just under a week following the 4th of July it was time for the game. Now billboards have been up all over town for weeks, and the promos have been running during the regular season games and on the radio, but no one really knew how the locals would support this event.

Since the game tickets were not part of the season package, I had not planned ahead to make arrangements to get my tickets, so I ended up with seats on the grass in the outfield. As it turned out, this wasn't too bad, since it was cooler on the grass than in the stands surrounded by sun-backed concrete and steel. When the gates opened at 5:30, it was only 98 degrees with the sun still brightly warming the crowd. That allowed for a mere 90 minutes to kill before the scheduled start time.

Once the blanket was set up just behind the foul pole in right field, it looked like it would be a long, dull wait while we basted in the heat. But the home run derby cranked up and soon we were dodging baseballs landing all around us. It wasn't too bad sitting out there with a slight breeze blowing across the field.

Eventually the game started, although it was half an hour later than scheduled. Looking around, you could tell the place was packed. Later the attendance was announced as a record crowd of 7,454. It seemed like the actual crowd was a little smaller than the inaugural opening night crowd when the stadium first opened two years ago, but my vantage from the outfield was different than it was from the regular seats at that first game.

There was plenty of entertainment between innings with the comic antics of Reggie, Myron Noodleman (remember Jerry Lewis as the "Absent-Minded Professor") and the Famous Chicken. We even caught sight of Big Mo late in the game walking around the outfield.

The game moved along at a good pace and in the end, the

North All Stars soundly defeated the South All Star squad. It didn't matter to the remaining crowd, who were waiting for the fireworks show to start.

Once those ended, we headed home. We had been down at Riverwalk Stadium for almost seven hours, including our visit to the Fan Fest late in the afternoon and dinner at the Montgomery brewpub http://www.montgomerybrewpub.com/ before entering the stadium itself when the gates opened. This made for a long afternoon/evening and might have almost exceeded the tolerance limits for a 7 year-old. But in comparison, it wasn't any longer than a trip to Tuscaloosa for a football game, and it was cooler than several afternoon games in Bryant Denny have been in the past. So, the time wasn't too bad, and it was all here in town with no long drive to enjoy the event. Not too bad.

4th of July

Since the weather around here's been so oppressively hot, we decided to celebrate the 4th of July with a cookout. Nothing like reveling in the heat and humidity. The planning for the event has been in the works for several weeks. The patio area needed some major preparation and this included the Fountain.

Now this fountain has not been used for some time. I think it was last in operation about 7 years ago, and I won't go into the amount of work that was required to actually get it up and running. Its a concrete basin with a small pump to circulate the water. Once I had it cleaned out and

spent too much time working on the drain, it was functional once again. I had some help with the cleaning out part, nothing like something that looks almost like a pool to lure offers from a 7-year old.


We started late afternoon with Margaritas and fired up the
grille. Strategically-placed fans on the patio helped with the heat and the nearest indoor space was essentially supercooled to provide almost instant relief from the outdoor blowtorch temperatures. The menu was an assortment of sausages with cool salad and an assortment of chips, sauce and cheeses.

Everyone drifted outside to the patio and ended up back inside after darkness fell and the neighborhood fireworks started echoing up and down the street. Not that anyone around here would have been involved with something that illegal, mind you. But certain nameless persons eluded detection after rockets went hurtling through the trees and over houses. Those scortch marks in the middle of the road will disappear if it ever rains again and there was no apparent damage to a certain leased vehicle, that could be seen in the darkness.

In all, the bug repellants worked well and there were enough ice and libations available for everyone to enjoy. There was some speculation as to whether we were eating bratwurst, polish sausage, chicken sausage with

basil or tex mex, since once they go on the grille, those things are difficult to distinguish without tasting. The fruit salad and cupcakes were a nice finishing touch that helped to cool everone down.

I recall conversations about Jacksonville, condos in Maine, Coco's name and how in the world young Justin could have played the Judge course that morning in the stifling heat. Sometimes you can almost kill yourself with golf, and that didn't seem like the best choice to challenge in the heat wave, but then, when would be a good time for that layout?

So this was something that we should do again. Perhaps when it cools down a little. In fact, the chiminea, would be much more comfortable on New Year's eve instead of 4th of July, but since it started almost by spontaneous combustion this time, its easy to explain how that happened.

The "Name" or "What are you talking about in the middle of summer?"

So RH was saying he didn't "get" the name. That makes sense, since many people don't remember back in the 70's and 80's when Joe Dean was one of the people on the SEC basketball TV broadcasts that used the phrase often. It was his catch-phrase and I heard it many times. Over the past several decades, I've easily been to hundreds of Bama basketball games and watched hundreds more on TV. Its not difficult if you go to most of the home games and always try to attend the SEC basketball tournament every year - Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, Lexington, Orlando, Memphis, Birmingham on some type of rotating basis. An exciting road-trip and three or four days of college basketball all rolled together.

Now historically these road trips have always been eventful and packed with humorous stories about the participants. But until I can think of a way to create aliases to mask the true identity of my fellow travelers over the years, then I'll have to hold off on recounting these tales. But there was always at least one truly entertaining or outright hilarious tale that we'll always remember. This would hold true for the bowl game trips as well as the basketball games since things always seem to get wilder on the road. Many tales from Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando and other locales will have to remain confidential to protect the identities of public figures.

But since its summertime and there's no college basketball and no football, this has been mostly golf. So unless local Steve and Young Justin get too scared of the 90 degree days to get out on the golf course, it will likely remain that way for a little longer. So, there's your answer RH - a basketball blog name that at least was unique and raised a question as to the origin.

Ah yes, Memorial Day, the start of summer. This is the chance for everyone to ease into the season. To get your feet wet in the cool lapping waves at the beach. To relax floating down a clear stream astride an inner tube. Sounds wonderful doesn't it?



But this was not the choice for this year. instead we celebrated

Memorial Day perched alongside a hillside in Autauga County overlooking the Alabama River. This was the Capital Hill RTJ facility. More specifically, the Legislator course. As the temperature soared into the mid 90's, we spent about 5 hours hitting and chasing a little white ball. Make that lots of hitting with a fair amount of searching, followed by some moarning several prematurely drowned golf balls.

The four of us gathered in Prattville that morning: transplated Steve, local Steve, young Justin and myself, to celebrate transplanted Steve's visit from the far north. A brief respite from the rigors of working on a ladder for the previous 72 hours for transplanted Steve. Nevermind the flesh-withering humidity, it was time for golf. Actually, it was a delayed start for golf, as transplanted Steve, minus his beloved mini that was stranded somewhere in the far northland, had to make his trip to Prattville in a 3rd hand-me-down car that was somewhat unwilling to start that morning. Once he arrived we rushed to the first tee, ignoring the snide remarks from the starter about being late for our tee-time, and began another adventure in golf. Of course, with this group, every round is an adventure.



Transplanted Steve discovered that his driver wouldn't fit in his travel golf bag, so he was forced to compete with his 3 wood. The lack of distance off the tee, didn't seem to hurt his game very much, since he finished solidly in second at the end, with a match and 2 greenies. Young Justin did very well and locked up the final match with a clutch putt on the 18th hole. Luckily there were no major problems during the round, no wrecked carts, no one fell into the stream, no alligators nipping a young Justin's heels. Just a very hot start to the summer season on the course.

Of course, transplanted Steve is on a mission to find golf in the far north, within close proximity to fresh lobster, for us to visit sometime later this year. That should be an interesting outing for all.

The beginning. . . .

So, about the name. Those of you that recall the old TV broadcasts of SEC basketball games, should remember that Joe Dean was fond of this particular phrase. Since I have a fondness for Alabama basketball, then the phrase seemed like one with a connection.

Since this blog should be good for some ramblings, then let me start with saying that I enjoy golf. Its not an obsession, although it once was consuming. But its one of the few outdoor activities that I actually participate in, instead of being a mere spectator.

One advantage of being in Alabama is that we get to enjoy golf year-round. Not as much as our friends in Florida, but its readily available and comfortable 10 or 11 months each year. Some would quibble with that, but except for the warmest days of July/August and the few bitter windswept periods in January, its great the rest of the time.

A true treasure for golfers is the Robert Trent Jones golf trail. High quality facilities at very reasonable prices, the Trail is remarkable. It never ceases to amaze me how many people from other states travel all the way to Alabama to enjoy the RTJ facilities.

As an example, the other day I had a few spare moments and found myself in Opelika with my golf clubs still in the back of my car. The weather was great -- sunny, a light breeze and 72 degrees. I dropped by the Grand National facility

http://www.rtjgolf.com/courses/grand_national/

with the intent to play the short course. Two hours of shotmaking fun! But when I arrived, they told me that the short course was closed for maintenance. As an alternative, they sent me out for 9 holes on the Lake course for the same cost. ($24)

I set out by myself and after five holes, I caught up with the twosome ahead of me, as they waited behind a couple of foursomes ahead. They said we were all going to proceed at the same pace and invited me to join them for the next four. I agreed and they told me they were on a golf vacation spending 3 days playing different RTJ facilities around the state. One was from Arizona and the other from Indiana. They'd never been to Alabama before, but made the trip simply because of the Trail. They had already played the new Ross Bridges facility in Birmingham the day before, and were headed to Anniston/Gadsden to play the Silver Lakes courses the following day. They were impressed with all the facilities and it sounded like they were planning to return on another vacation in the future.

As we finished up, a twosome pulled up behind and they invited them to join them for the rest of the round. This twosome was from Southern California and were on a six-day golf vacation, playing 36 holes a day at different RTJ sites. They too were headed to play Silver Lakes the next day. The Californians were experienced RTJ vacation fanatics and said this had become a regular weekly vacation trip for them. I told them I was envious of their vacations, as I parted company with them and headed back to the clubhouse.