Sindi Wins

Sindi and I just spent two days at Clearview working on the barn. We got almost half the roof done and stained one side. Today was the shorter day, we only painted for five hours. Sindi did a good job, and we had some fun for the rest of the day. After cleaning up, well kinda cleaning up, we went out and golfed. Sindi didn't want to play so she drove the cart. Was a lot of fun, though I was very sore from being on the roof and ladders for several days. We played about twelve holes and came into the clubhouse. We then decided to go out and fish in the two ponds. Sindi wanted to have a competition to see who could catch the most fish. I agreed (especially since she had been skunked the evening before!).
There are two ponds at Clearview, and we had usually caught fish in the smaller pond. We started there, and Sindi caught a few Bluegills. I wasn't doing well, so I went over to the other pond and literally saw a hundred fish in the shallows. I called Sindi over and we got started. We both caught several Bluegills and smaller Bass. Sindi then caught a two pound Bass and was thrilled. At one point, we were catching fish with every cast. Most were large Bluegills and small Bass. We moved around the pond and caught several more. Later, Sindi caught a very large Crappie, a fish that wasn't stocked in the pond. It must have washed in when the nearby creek overflowed. I don't know if she caught more fish than I, but she did catch the two biggest.
We took the fish back in the clubhouse and Sindi got bragging rights. Everyone was impressed with her prowess. She was very happy despite the fact that we now had to clean all these fish. We went outside on a table and got busy. Sindi got to be head scaler, and she went to work on the Bluegills with a spoon, scraping the scales off each fish. I cut the heads off and gutted them. We worked together and got it done in an hour. It was a messy end to a good day outside. We then offered to cook dinner for Renee and Larry, and we headed up to Renee's apartment to cook.
I breaded and fried the fish, and Sindi made homemade tarter sauce. We made some beans and potatoes, and sat down to a feast. The fish was fantastic, and we just lazed around for awhile enjoying the fruits of our labor. After dinner, we dragged ourselves down to the car for a long ride home. It was truly a great day.

Falling Through the Roof

Been out of work for almost four months now, not counting a month long gig in the Middle East and a part-time course teaching philosophy. I have never been this inactive in my life, at least not since I was eleven years old. I have been applying for several jobs, preparing for the class, and spending more time with my daughters. Still, it's hard facing each day with an uncertain future. I have lived to work, and work has been my life. I am as lost as I can be.
I am hopeful on the job front, and I have been a bit unlucky to date. I interviewed for one position, did well only to find out the school is in a hiring freeze with no thaw in sight. I had a good line on a job in Yemen, but the Saudi entrepreneur isn't sure he wants to bring in a project manager. He could be months making up his mind. I have a lot of time on my hands, probably too much. I think about the economy, thinking about all those other people looking for jobs, with even less prospects. I pray for two things I guess: I pray that those deserving people find equitable employment, and I pray I was never flippant or cruel talking about unemployment or the unemployed, I really do. No one should face this, there are enough issues in our lives to cause us concern and pain - not knowing how you will provide for your family is hell, as close as I will come to it.
Sleeping is very difficult. I tend to sleep for a few hours, then wake only to toss and turn and fret for six or seven more hours. I catch myself starting to doze, and some thought, some worry explodes and I sit up wide awake. This cycle goes on and on until I find the energy to get up. To be honest, I am tempted to use sleep aids, but I try not to, they don't help much and it can't be good to use these things too much. I will never take a good night's sleep for granted again, ever.
I was out at Clearview Golf Club the other day and Larry (the superintendent) asked me if I wanted to paint their barn. I said yes, and very dishonestly told him he could pay me - I will stain the clubhouse and Renee's deck as well. Clearview is a national historic landmark, and I am so proud to be able to help. Sindi (my youngest daughter) and I showed up today and got started. It is a large barn but the roof does not have have a great deal of pitch, and I am glad as we are painting the roof as well. Sindi was a bit tentative about getting up on the roof, but she acclimated well. We spent a good part of the day up there scrubbing and cleaning the surface. It was good to be sweating (eighty-seven degrees today) and finding out how out of shape I am. I welcomed the activity and pushed on throughout the day.
I had to go up and down the ladder several times, and often slipped a bit getting back up on the roof. I was never in danger, but it startled Sindi. It was cute hearing her gasp. We washed and scrubbed most of the roof before I got careless. There were several fiberglass panels on the roof, providing light for the barn. I was working on the last portion of the barn when I slipped and my right leg slid down metal panel and over the flimsy fiberglass insert. I crashed through, my leg going though the roof. Luckily, my other leg stayed on the metal roof and I only went halfway in. I was using a large bucket with a split on the side. As luck would have it, I reached out when I fell and my hand went into the split. I twisted my knee a bit, cut my hand between fingers (ouch) and scraped my arm and elbow. It all happened in a second, and once again, Sindi reacted - she screamed.
Had it not been for her reaction, I think it would have hurt a great deal more. I assured her I was ok, and started to laugh at my own ineptness. I don't bounce as well as I used to. We recovered and finished the roof, made a trip to the hardware store, and came back to patch the roof. Sindi took me inside to "dress my wounds." We went back out and worked on one side of the barn. Tomorrow we will paint the roof.
It felt really good to be occupied, doing something worthwhile. I am so pleased I can do this for the course, and do it with my daughter. This is a really authentic activity, not some sort of diversion tactic to get my mind of the fact that I have been in a world without answers for too long. Not knowing where I will be, how I will provide for my family, has been incredibly hard. I do believe when I get back to higher education, I will make time to help others who are unemployed. I don't know how, just know that I will. For tomorrow at least (and through the next week)Sindi and I will be back at Clearview, painting and watching out for fiberglass panels. I think I will sleep well tonight.

Golf

I started to play golf when I was twelve years old, notice that I didn't say that I learned to play golf, that hasn't happened yet. I didn't come to the game in the usual way, I came in the back door, or more precisely, the kitchen door. My step-father had gotten to know a local golf course owner, and he would sometimes work in their kitchen. Soon my mother was helping as a waitress, and eventually, I would be washing dishes. I think I made $1 and hour. The owner's kids got me out on the course, I loved playing golf. I loved the course - it was a nine-hole public course owned by a Mexican-American family. I sometimes washed dishes, sometimes cleaned the clubhouse, and occasionally helped out on the course. I played a little bit of golf, and romped around the course - it was great. In the evening, we would go out to a pond on the course and wade in barefooted finding errant golf balls. It is amazing, the things I did for fun then that they couldn't pay me to do now! If I hadn't worked there, I doubt I would ever have picked up the game. I kept playing throughout the years when I could, and I still love the game.

Ten years ago, I learned about a local course that was a hidden treasure. It is Clearview Golf Club, the only course designed, built, owned, and operated by an African-American - William Powell. I was doubly thrilled when I found out that Mr. Powell's daughter Renee (the second African-American to play on the LPGA Tour), ran a girl's golf program. I called the course, talked with Renee, and packed my two girls in a car and rushed down. The course was just outside a small town on a lonely road that once was the pathway across the country, Highway 30 - Lincoln Highway. We got to the course, and Renee sat with us for 45 minutes. She was very gracious and excited to see my daughters. Mr. Powell came by and chatted with us as well. I was so honored, I don't think I have been as thrilled to meet anyone before and since. We felt like we were at home.

In the intervening years, I have slowly gotten more involved at the course. I have helped at outings, served on committees and as a volunteer project manager. More importantly, my family and I have become close with the Powell's and it has been very incredible. Sadly, we lost Mr. Powell this past New Year's Eve. He was a remarkable man who always, always treated me with dignity and respect. I will continue working with the course, helping Renee and Larry Powell in anyway I can.

I was lucky that I found golf, or that it found me. It is amazing to get out on a course, walk, talk, swing, swear, and just lose yourself for a few hours. No matter what is in your life when you pull up to the clubhouse, it is gone for several hours. There is no place like it on earth. To be involved with two family-owned courses has been a seminal lesson for me. To watch them love and toil, to provide access for all us to this game we can play all of our lives is truly special. They have created living monuments, something very incredible for those of us who work with ideas and thoughts. I truly envy them.

http://www.clearview-gc.com/