And on this side of the golf cart ...

On my recent twelve day tour of duty to the Indio area (68F is rough duty -- I even had to wear a jacket in the evenings), I was was taken to another world called Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, CA. I knew that I was in for a rough time when I approached the club house and saw a car that I had no idea what it was but it looked expensive ( I found out that it was a Maserati). I walked into the richly dark stained wood office area and was invited to wait for my host who turned out to be my own daughter Heidi! OK, relax Martin. No one will know that you once had a Vega and you made your children drink powdered milk. Heidi and I had a great afternoon. She introduced me to her boss then we headed out for a golf cart and a nice afternoon of visiting and me saying "wow, look how beautiful this place is." We are pleased that Heidi can work so close to home and with a group of good people. It also doesn't hurt to be associated with the members of the board that, shall we say, have very influential backgrounds and contacts.

A tour starts with a good tour guide. She shared fun facts about the area, the people (no names, just info), and as always it was fun to talk business. We can always find something to talk about and business is often the default subject. She did a good job driving and we only got lost once but that is the same place she got lost last time she was out so she is batting, er, swinging, 100.

The front nine holes are landscaped as you see below although this flower display was the largest that I saw. The back nine is a desert landscape (dead looking is a more descriptive term for this old mountain boy). However, in defense of the Tradition Golf Course, these wasn't a "dead" twig or grain of sand out of place. The care of the grounds is truly spectacular. Between holes 9 & 10 there is a little restaurant where one can get some refreshments. I am not talking vending machines folks. Two people were ready to help so I helped myself with some ice cream then noticing that they had sandwiches, I had a laks (i.e., salmon) sandwich. Very good!

Heidi told me that there are more sand bunkers on two of the holes than are found on most 18 hole courses. They were covered in beautiful white sand that were waiting to swallow some innocent golf ball. By the way, that isn't a motel at the other end of the fairway, there are some very nice homes lining the course.

Yours truly is standing on one the beginning of fairway #17 (I think). How about that for a view -- the course, not me. This is not a course for a beginner but if you had the $$$ and no golfing experience, I guess the resident golf pro could get you some help. Off to the right is the beginning of a man-made stream that cascades down the mountain to the fairway where it is pumped back up the mountain (see the photo below).

I did have a good time with the Risks. There are a wonderful involved family. Water polo, science fair projects, etc., keep them busy. Reagan's and Tre's projects are shown below. Madison's and Joshua's projects were just as nice. Congratulations to the group for earning the right to advance to the next level for your science fair projects.

A thank you to the family for having a "birthday" party for me on the last night I was there. The lemon meringue pie (umm, Eagle Brand filling with graham cracker crust) was a wonderful treat.

Out with the old, in with the new ... floor

"Oh, don't worry Martin, you can do it yourself." That encouragement from neighbors sounded good so I decided to save the $1020 bid to remove the old floor and install the new laminate. After looking at 10-15 samples, we decided on one and our neighbor gives a "neighbor" discount (I knew the prices and it was a discount) so I placed the order and committed myself to do the job.

Jared was a great help on day one where the carpet was removed from the dining area (10 minutes) and the old wood was removed ONE PIECE AT A TIME with a chisel and hammer (12 hours total). Last look at the "old".

I saved some of those few sections that came up 4-5 pieces at a time. I am going to mount them on cork and use them as glass coasters.

We didn't actually mean to have it look like Utah but that's the way it happened as the last section was coming out.

Mike who sold me the flooring was very helpful. He came over when I first started and gave me several helpful hints on getting things lined up to make sure the area started off right. Dennis D loaned me his table and chop saws that were the core of the tools but others were borrowed from two other neighbors. I asked Mike how long it would take an experienced installer to do the job and he said likely one long day. Oh it was one long day allright --- to get the first eight boards installed! It took me five days to get the job done but at my wage it was a good deal.

The biggest challenge was in the bannister area in the entrance hall. I cut the piece below but couldn't get it around the post so I had to cut it (the cut piece, not the bannister) in one place. It still came out looking quite good. The entrance hall and dining area put stresses on the area by the coat closet so I had to glue some boards (it is an interlocking and free floating floor) to each other to get them to stay together.

As with many remodeling projects, once you start it there are areas that need to be also updated and this is no exception. I purchased 400 feet of baseboard moulding that now needs to be stained and sealed to complete the job. Having done that type of job in the basement, I can do that without too much problem.

For now, we are pleased with the new look. I think it will suit us just fine. Louise is finishing off the decorating with selecting some rugs to give it a completed look.

Let's see, where should we go with that $1020 we saved? Not to worry, it will be spent.