Golf and Earthquakes

The last two days have been eventful. Kit, Lynda and I did our usual procedure at the Kraft-Nabisco Tournament in Rancho Mirage. We played golf early in the morning on one of the two courses at Mission Hills that the pros weren't using, followed by watching the tournament when we got off the 18th green. The golf was wonderful. The weather was just about perfect, chilly in the early morning in the desert, followed by the temperature moving up into the high 70's with minimal wind. I love this club. The Palmer and Dye courses are beautifully maintained, and after having played Harding Park in San Francisco about a week ago, the greens here in Rancho Mirage were noticeably more smooth, faster, and more undulating. I'm shooting in the low to mid 90's, and by the end of this trip would love to be in the mid-80's. I know it's possible, but as we all know, consistency is always the problem.

We were sitting around yesterday afternoon, preparing to watch the Stanford Women play Oklahoma in the semis of the NCAA basketball tournament, when the house started to sway. It was a slow waving motion, seeming to move slightly more up and down that side to side. Nothing fell off walls or countertops, but it lasted a good 15 seconds. Having been in numerous quakes when living in San Carlos, I guessed this one at about a 6.5. We immediately got on the internet, and discovered its epicenter was in Baja, Mexico, near Mexicali, and was a 7.2. So given our distance away in Rancho Mirage, my initial guess seemed pretty close. This morning at 4:15 we had another noticeable aftershock.

The earthquake was one minor level of excitement, but the Kraft-Nabisco tournament was really fun. Wendy Tseng won, consistent with Kit's prediction after round 3. Suzann Pettersen made it very interesting at the very end, bringing it to one stroke difference with a birdie on 18. But Wendy played the last few holes very wisely, being careful and not making any major mistakes (in spite of a drive into the rough on 18). As usual, we attended on the first 3 days, sometimes sitting at hole 6 near the amphitheater style hill around the green, and at other times following players for a few holes before shifting to others. It's really fun to see them up so close. They're all so young, so talented, and we always marvel at how loose and enjoying themselves they seem.

On the final day, we always watch the end at home on TV. You get to see more players on different holes and see every shot. It seemed that Yani could hardly wait to jump into the pond, and she smiled, and truly seemed the very young, exuberant woman that she is.

We then prepared to watch the Stanford game when the earthquake happened. The game itself was more exciting at the end than I wanted. The Oklahoma team came within 4 points in the last minute, after having been down by 18. They were fighters, but in the end, the Cardinal came through, setting up a showdown with Connecticut. We watched that game with UConn against Baylor after the Stanford game. UConn is truly awesome. As a former basketball player, I am amazed with their absolutely complete game. They are proficient in every aspect, and they never give up. Although Brittany Griner was very impressive, we talked more about her potential in the years to come. She is just getting started, and as her sense of how to use her body and positioning grow, she will be unstoppable.

Between the two games, Kit gave a good example of how to do an absolutely fabulous dinner very simply. We had tortellini with a simple olive oil and parmesan topping and some grilled asparagus. Simple, exceptionally tasty, and serious basketball conversation was flowing with Kit, Lynda, Jim and me. No buffalo wings, no guacamole, just the pasta, veggie, and a little cabernet sauvignon. Excellent!

So yesterday was a very eventful day. Today should be a little more sedate. I'll take pictures in Joshua Tree, and let my slightly tired body rest from 4 straight days of golf. What with moving, retiring, and preparing for this trip, until Harding Park last week, I hadn't played golf for about 2 1/2 months, very unusual for me. So I feel a little rusty and can't wait to hone my skills a little more. But I need a few days of rest, and after all, there are other delights around me, so look forward to a few pictures of wildflowers from the desert.