I was still pooped when my cell phone alarm woke me at 8:00 am Thursday. Given my long day on Wednesday, it didn't feel like a vacation that early in the morning. The big activity of the day was golf with Brad and his son Max. We had a 9:45 tee time at RedGate Golf Course.
We arrived at the course a bit early. It was still fairly cool but was shaping up to be a warm and sunny day. Although I had toted my golf shoes across country, I had to rent clubs for the day. By this time I was in the mood for golf.
The front nine was fun. The course was certainly proving itself challenging, and I was my normal inconsistent self, chalking up my usual bogeys or double bogeys through the first five holes. Then finally on
the par three sixth hole, something magical happened -- unfortunately, it didn't happen to me. Max hit a 9-iron to a few inches from the hole for a tap-in birdie -- his first ever. It was truly a thing of beauty.
Although I didn't necessarily score much better as we wrapped up the front nine, my swing was starting to come together and I was putting more confidently. I finished the front side with a consistency-free score of 52.
The back nine played out much differently for me. I was hitting fairways, making approaches, and making tap-in two putts. Along with a par on 11, I had one stretch through holes 13 (par), 14 (birdie), and 15 (bogey), where I played par golf -- including holing a 10-foot putt from the fringe for a birdie on 14. Things were looking pretty good for me at that point. I was staring at an easy back-nine score in the low to mid-forties when I confidently stepped up to the sixteenth tee. That's when things got strange. I don't really know how it happened, but I do remember what happened. I hit a low liner off the heel of the driver that disappeared into the underbrush to the left of the ladies tee. Absolutely hideous. Two shots later I finally made it back to short grass. Two more duffs, then a shot to the top of the hill, then... Never mind. I won't bore you with anymore play-by-play. Let's just say I still had another shank and even a water ball before two-putting to save a THIRTEEN! Ouch. It was sometime during that hole where the fun officially ended for me. I did manage to get it together enough to finish the last two holes in single digits, but the end couldn't come quickly enough for me. How quickly one hole can change the face of a round. I finished the back with a 50. Sometimes golf is like beating your head against a wall -- it feels good when you stop.
One other interesting thing happened... Max had another first. He beat his dad for the first time. He was proud of himself, and had every right to be. At least someone had a round worth remembering.
After lunch and a few errands on the way back to Brad's, it was nap-time for me. The Holtz family dog George joined me for an afternoon snooze. Following another nice dinner, we closed the night lounging around the television. I ended the evening a bit late watching Lance Armstrong win another stage of the Tour de France.
Friday I was finally able to sleep in, rising just after ten. Following lunch, Brad's assistant Melinda gave me a lift to the
Bethesda Metro station so I could go downtown to the
Smithsonian's
Museum of American History.
The Metro trains are great for getting around the D.C. area. The trains are clean and not crowded, and seem to come every 10-15 minutes. The multitude of stations make it very convenient. I got off at the
Smithsonian station and found myself emerging from the station right in the
National Mall directly across from the Museum.
A short line and another metal detector later, I entered the museum. The first thing I saw was the three-story high American flag that was draped over the Pentagon wall on September 11, 2001. Goose-bump time indeed. I realized it was going to be another long day.
Among the exhibits I saw during my six hours there were:
In addition I also saw several other exhibits:
- Television Icons
Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs, Carol Burnett’s costume, Fonzie’s jacket, Mr. Roger’s sweater, Groucho Marx objects, Howdy Doody, and Oscar the Grouch.
- The Manhattan Project
This exhibit included old documentation, memorabilia, and relics from Hanford -- including an original reactor control panel.
- Science in American Life
Explores the ever-increasing role of science in modern society, on issues from genetics to the atomic bomb
I could have spent another day or two and still not seen everything there. And to think, this is just one of several different museums that make up the Smithsonian.
Early evening I left and took the Metro back to Bethesda where Bob picked me up. After a short stop at Best Buy, I was back at Brad's for a late dinner. I capped off my last night in Bethesda by organizing the dozens of new digital photos I'd accumulated.
Saturday I got up mid-morning and packed for my journey home. Brad and I met Bob for coffee and lunch before heading to the airport. It was a nice morning to sit outside, sip our coffee and eat our lunch. (Note: There are plenty of pretty women out and about in Bethesda on warm Saturday mornings)
My journey home was to take me through Denver. The airports and flights were uneventful and allowed me to get two weeks worth of people-watching and reading done in a single day.
The only major hiccup of the entire trip occurred at the Spokane airport after my last flight touched down -- my luggage was nowhere to be found. It turns out that it never made it onto my original flight out of Dulles, but it was at least on the way home.
Sure enough, Sunday morning my luggage showed up in Spokane, and was delivered right to my door.
Looking back at it, this was an extremely productive trip both from the standpoint of work and play. I look forward to my next trip there. Maybe next time I can squeeze in some theater too.