summer skiing

after getting 800+ inches of snow this past season, squaw is going to be open for skiing over the 4th of july weekend.  according to the press release, this will be "the ulimate independence day weekend," with "five lifts... pool parties, live music..."

excited about the skiing, but more exciting about getting burned at the pool, yours truly performed some due diligence on the world wide web.  turns out, the pool at high camp (elevation 8200 feet) transforms from this,



to this...

...  a dj pool party where only pale people are allowed.  i am happy to know that i will fit right in.

but really, how come there isn't one tan person in that photo?

photos from onthesnow.com

a wrinkle in time

--
course played:  ocean course at half moon bay
holes played:  1 through 18
balls lost:  embarrassing
balls found:  2
score:  114*
--

at 9:10am pdt last sunday, i teed off at the ocean course at half moon bay.

the course was quiet; the air was still.  the sun hid behind a dense layer of fog.  about half an hour into play, notes of a highland folksong spread across the manicured grass.  a bagpiper stood at the top of a hill, playing his instrument, while we continued playing our game. 

bagpiper is the little figure at the top of the hill


while the bagpiper was playing, a group of golfers walked by us on the next hole...  dressed in knickers tucked into knee-length stockings, tweed vests and flat caps.


no cart?  no problem.  these knickers are made for walking!  
{click image to enlarge}

for a few brief moments, i forgot about all the balls that i had already lost and was transported to another place in another time. 

* this time, i kept score.

patience rewarded

--
course played:  old course at half moon bay
holes played:  18
balls lost:  5
balls found:  2
--

with a smile and a wink, the starter at the club house informed me that arnold plamer designed the old course that elliot and i were about to play at half moon bay.  being the golf neophyte that i am, i had no clue what that meant.  9 holes in, i still hadn't figured it out.  the course was all kinds of slope-y and ran through the back of quite a number of houses.  around the 10th hole, i got trapped in some trees where it took me no less than 5 swings to get out.  each of the first four swings sent the ball into yet another tree, where it would bounce backwards and almost hit me.  had it been appropriate, i would have called 'fore!' at myself, on my own shot. {meta - gasp!}

as we played the back 9, i couldn't help but notice the wind picking up.  either a storm was brewing or we were getting close to the ocean.  since patience is a virtue, i held in my complaints and kept playing.  hole by hole, swing after swing, i felt colder and became less virtuous.

just when i was about to add some cheese to my whine, we reached the 18th hole.

old course, 18th hole

encouraged by the waves crashing against the rocks and the pacific wind in my face, i hit the ball.

half moon bay

escaping the 'groundhog day effect' that is otherwise known as 'living in san francisco' (65 with a chance of fog), i am taking my golf game to half moon bay for the weekend.  watch out water!  my balls are coming for you.

photo credits:  golfnow.com

roaring for rory!

rory-i'm a 22 year old sensation-mcilroy (and my 2nd favorite golfer), made history a few moments ago.  he has just become the first player in the history of the u.s. open to get to 13 under par.*

photo credit:  ap photo

* tiger woods just got dethroned.  he was the previous record-holder, being at -12 in the 2000 u.s. open at pebble beach.