Sunday, August 23, 2015

Ponds At Battle Creek

     This evening I went golfing after dropping off my dad at the airport, and it was at The Ponds at Battle Creek, in Maplewood. First time doing full-size golf. It is a 9-hole course, and I finished just as darkness had arrived. I probably looked like a damn fool out there using a Patty Berg putter that I had bought at a secondhand store years ago. There was some rust on it, likely due to being kept in the trunk of my car. There was a swing and a miss often in this outing. I saw a deer running through the  course and into the woods, but I didn't get my camera out in time to get a picture of it. I think it was a good idea that I stayed busy after being at MSP as I didn't want to feel any separation anxiety after Dad's weekend visit. I may have gotten annoyed with him at times, but one must take the good with the bad. To understand some of who I am, one must look at him. We went to church this morning and the fellowship after it, then ate at Chris and Rob's, the Chicago hot dog place. It meant he said 'Chi-Cargo' numerous times while there. I am used to it by now, and it did lead to some fond memories of a visit there when I was young. One of these he shared with me that I didn't recall was seeing a pan-handler after leaving Union Station, as we had taken the Amtrak train from Iowa. The man claimed he had just gotten into town, and we passed him by. Dad wasn't sure what a Spam single was, so we went to the grocery store so he could see one, and he did comparison to the other Spam there while in this aisle. We also watched a DVD I had bought on Amazon, it was a comedy show hosted by Jon Lovitz, who was on Saturday Night Live. A Canadian comic I have opened for was on it, but he liked another comic more. He said Mom liked Joan Rivers, and his mom liked Phyllis Diller I think.
   I probably could have had more of the 'Take charge' attitude as I feel like in previous visits how I could have gained more from the visit. I know I used the word 'Because' a lot this weekend. I am still trying to think of how, without coming across as being rude. I do like hearing people share their stories. It is hard to say how much more I could have done, as I want to give others a chance to be heard. I also know one can't teach an old dog new tricks, so asking for certain things from Dad might be too much. I know I did get some new stories, though I heard some of the old ones as well. Saying it is the sum total is likely the best idea. I liked getting a photo of Dad next to the Snoopy statue at MSP, in the baggage claim section. As I was driving away from the airport, I heard the song 'Dancing Queen' by Abba on my car radio. It will help remember this weekend, it seems appropriate that I would remember an oldie as I heard plenty of older stories this weekend.
   I picked up the pictures from Walgreen tonight that were from the single-use camera, same camera I was given by an office colleague. I was pleased with how well the pictures turned out, some had glare or were too dark but over half of them are fine. It was a leap of faith as it the film expired three years ago, and these were from the day I flew to New York for the writer's convention. It started with waiting for the bus and ended with an advertisement for a concert at Central Park next month.   

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