Paradise in the Mountains...

Our fabulous home away from home!!! We're on our way to two weeks of peaceful days relaxing and watching the trees grow...no tv, no phones, no computers...just us and the trees and, oh yes, the bears!!! (not to forget Kimberly who will join us for the mid weekend!!!) And just when we're beginning to grow tired of the solitude...friends and family show up for a grand party over Labor Day...ever played the "Name Game"??? With granddaughters, kids, and friends... Let the party begin!!!

See you in two weeks!!!

F-O-R-E!!!!

"Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport in which competing players (golfers), using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes." Wikepedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf

Fore..."is another word for "ahead" (think of a ship's fore and aft). Yelling "fore" is simply a shorter way to yell "watch out ahead" (or "watch out before")..." http://golf.about.com/cs/historyofgolf

Why 18 holes? Credited to St. Andrews in Scotland...around 1764, St. Andrews converted from 22 holes to 18, which in 1858 became the standard according to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. It has been said that this was simply because 18 holes are easier to care for than 22...however, I prefer the theory that it is because a bottle of Scotch has 18 shots in it and therefore, if you take 1 shot per hole, you are done after 18!!!

http://golf.about.com/cs/historyofgolf/a/hist_18holes.htm

Where did the word golf come from? Some have suggested that it was an acronym for gentlemen only, ladies forbidden- NOT!!!- It is simply a derivative from the medieval Dutch and old Scots languages from words such as "kolf" or "kolve" (club), "golve", "gowl", "gouf". The word golf actually came to being in the 16th Century.

http://golf.about.com/cs/historyofgolf/a/hist_golfword.htm

And for a more enlightened History of Golf (or should I say lighthearted), check out Robin Williams version of the history of golf...keep in mind that it is definitely rated RRRRRRRRRR!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8qPrR49gsDc

Photos are from the Desert Refuge for Police Officers 9th annual tournament at Brookside in Pasadena, CA and the South Pasadena Rotary Club's annual Golf Game at Shorecliffs, San Clemente, CA, courtesy of Fon Leong, owner.

Balboa Park...a step back in time...

One of the great perks of attending San Diego State University...way back when...was being in close proximity to Balboa Park. While I didn't visit the park regularly when I attended SDSU, I did slip it into my agenda periodically between classes and the beach...

My favorite even then, was the beautiful Botannical Gardens, which I think surpasses even the brand new Botannical Gardens at the Huntington Library. The lattice work is exquisite...in fact, it is one of the largest lath structures in the world. And the plants? Fabulously luxurious!!! Whenever I go there I find myself traveling back in time...to the scene in an old black and white movie...Humphrey Bogart...or Clark Gable...

Then there's the outdoor pipe organ...a magnificent structure. While there last week I was blessed with the opportunity to listen to the organist practice for his upcoming concert in the park. Fabulous!!!

In 1868, a 1400 acre plot of park land was originally set aside by the Board of Trustees of the City of San Diego for the expressed purpose of developing it as "City Park". The cultural center of the park with the museums and pipe organ were all developed in preparation for two world fairs, the Panama-California Exposition of 1915-16 and the California Pacific International Exposition of 1935-36. The renowned San Diego Zoo was extablished in 1916, during the second year of the World Fair Exposition. The Old Globe Theater was added during the 1935 Exposition. Additional development of the area has continued throughout the decades since.

Balboa Park is definitely a destination point. Plan on a few days, plenty of walking, lot's of sunshine and laughter. Have a lovely day!!!

http://www.balboapark.org/info/history.php , http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/balboa