Annual In-Law Golfing Weekend

The week was filled with weather checks for the Gaylord area, phone calls to various golf courses to check on early bird prices. We decided we'd play Michawye the first day since no other golf course would answer their phones. The price - $30 all you could play with lunch and cart. Getting back to the weather forecast, the day of the outing, the high was to be 45 degrees, sunny, with 30 mph gusts of wind. But, we were ready to play and the only thing that would be keeping us back was snow.


Thursday while checking some news online, I read that a forest fire was spreading by 4 Mile Bridge near Grayling and had jumped I-75 and several vacation homes were destroyed that were in the path of the blaze. As we passed the area on Friday on our way, there was still smoldering and the smell of the charred timber was in the air. It was eerie to say the least.

I scheduled two tee off times, one for 11:20 and the other for 11:30. It was cold to say the least, but as seasoned golfers, we were ready, all except Debbie. I had urged her to pack articles of clothing that would keep her warm, including a pullover cap, gloves, scarf and wind pants. You know, something that would keep your body warm since she wasn't playing or moving around, only drinking. Like usual, she took my words of wisdom as meaningless babble. The bitching and complaining started as soon as we left the cabin and continued all the way to the golf course and then in the cart to first tee box. She told me about how idiotic it was to be out there in this type of weather and I could see that she wasn't going to stop. So, I politely asked her to return home and let us play what I called a 'Bitch Free' round of golf. On the way out of the golf course, Deb turned the wrong way and instantly became lost in the massive wooded sub-division that surrounded three other golf courses. But, the Golf Gods were with her and she found her way out of the forrest and back to the cabin an hour later. I of course, got blamed for telling her to make a right when she left the golf course. What I said to her was, "You're going straight home, right?" And of course, she claims I said "At the end of the driveway, turn right." Blame me, I don't care. It's like that at home. Her favorite line is, "I didn't do it, so who's left? and my normal respose to that remark is always, "I guess it's me and I don't really give a sh-t."

It was cold and the girls only played nine holes and after the free lunch (drinks cost) the girls went back to the cabin and Nick and I continued to play the second nine. I was dressed for the elements and Nick, being young, didn't seem to mind the Artic climate. We were thinking of playing the next day, but when I got out of bed, I couldn't walk and politely declined to go out again. Besides, Nick gave Uncle Jim a lesson. But remember, I have a back injury or so I told him. I told him, once the weather warms up to at least 70, we'll go out again and maybe it will be a little different. Doubt it, but maybe he'll be ill or something. Maybe next year the Weather Gods will be a little more kind.