Vitamin D

I made some Vitamin D today. I can see the freckles on my arm hatching. Or is that carcinoma. Oh well, it's still damn nice to be in the sun.

Yesterday was the typical "travel day" thrash. TSA rifled my bags...but apparently nobody found anything subversive or worth stealing. I dropped into PHX about 10:45 PM and was at my resort by 12:45 AM. Not bad considering I have never been here before and had to navigate in the dark.

The resort is not exactly posh; but it is certainly seviceable as is the golf course. They have a half-assed gym so I had a half-assed workout this morning. The golf course is very attractive. I damn well ought to be able to break a hundred on this course...it's really flat...not many water hazards...and generally friendly.

I was out on the range for a couple of hours today and played nine holes in the late afternoon. It was really S L O W - I played behind two foursomes who had just finished their second day at the John Jacobs Golf School located on the premises. I was tempted to get impatient; but I've done the same gig three times myself! So I chose to laugh instead...besides - I could be shoveling snow.

I drove into Casa Grande this PM to pick-up a bottle of wine and some snacks. It appears to be basically a working class town. There are a couple of beverage bottling plants and maybe some other agriculture related processing plants. The population is largely Latino. Doesn't seem to be a big retirement town and I haven't heard of any other resorts in the area. I didn't see a lot of latte emporiums or restaurants of note.

The area reminds me a lot of of the golf school in the San Juaquin Valley that Alison, Doug, and I went to a couple of years ago. Except it's drier and will be a shit-pile hotter here directly.

Had a decent BBQ supper at the resort and now - here I am.

My internet connection is quite spendy and not secure...so I will probably be posting every other day or so.

I CAN say that this is the first day since I retired that REALLY feels like I'm retired. It feels good. I've posted a couple of pics from the resort.

Be safe out there gang!

Elmo

Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet and Watch

Actually, I don't own a watch. But everything else is present and accounted for... Plus a fully-charged credit card - the Swiss Army Knife of modern travel.

Going to go have a workout and then lug my gear to the airport. Weather looks fine everywhere...supposed to be 80 degrees in Phoenix today. Heh. Heh.

Next report: DATELINE CASA GRANDE!

TallyHo!

Elmo

Martha Stewart (OUR MARTHA STEWART) Gets National Press

This isn't a travel blog item...but some things just can't be ignored.

My good friend Martha Stewart (Hi Martha!) was quoted in a recent Robert Novak article regarding Alaska Senator Ted Steven's earmarks. Martha is the lobbyist for the University of Alaska in Washington D.C.

From Mr. Novak's February 23, 2008 column:

A footnote: The Stevens newsletter also defends his Alaska earmarks, including a Defense Department appropriation for research into hibernation genomics of Alaskan ground squirrels. Martha Stewart, the University of Alaska's federal lobbyist, is quoted as saying: "We have a number of ground squirrels that are in various stages of hibernation in Fairbanks."

Among the University's more quixotic research projects is attempting to understand the mechanism for hibernation in ground squirrels. As I understand it from my former boss, Commissioner Karen Perdue, also a University personage these days, the notion is that there may be some application in the field of human anesthesiology. Instead of getting the gas...perhaps you could hibernate during surgery.

I have chuckled about this for several years...the picture comes to mind of being strapped to a gurney with a ground squirrel strapped to the gurney next to you and various tubes running between the rodentia and homo sapiens. And maybe the "counting sheep" of mattress commercial fame standing around in surgical garb. Damn I wish I was a cartoonist!

Hey Martha, do the squirrels get per diem? Health benefits? If I was a ground squirrel living in Fairbanks some nap-time in the lab might be a pretty attractive proposition in the winter...

I will be smiling the rest of the day. And thanks to a sharp-eyed Dougie for the link to the column.

Elmo's Retirement Victory Tour: The West Coast Swing

APPOINTMENTS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR PHOENIX, PALM SPRINGS, LAUGHLIN, PORTLAND AND SEATTLE

It's not too early to book lunch, dinner, golf, or other fun activities with Elmo on the West Coast Swing. The basic itinerary is as follows:

February 27 - March 7
Casa Grande, Arizona
Juneau Golf Club Tournament

March 8 - March 10
Palm Springs golf with friends

March 11 - March 17
Laughlin, Nevada and Sedona, Arizona (tentative)

March 18 - March 22
Portland, Oregon

March 23 - April 15
Seattle, Washington

Book Now!