November 5, 2009 — I am still lazy so what follows is my posting on Facebook of yesterdays events.
St. Augustine Florida and The World Galf Hall of Fame
Yesterday we toured the oldest city in the country St. Augustine, Florida. It was established by the Spaniards in 1565. In 1763 the British took control of the city and the Spaniards fled mostly to Cuba to return to control the city starting in 1784. In 1821, with Spain having trouble controling it's colonies, they lost interest in St, Augsutine and the Adams-Onis Treaty peaceably turned control of the city over to the United States. These facts are from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine,_Florida.
We toured the old city area which is full of historic spots mostly related to various buildings. It is all very quaint and interesting. There is of course a lot of the usual tourist stuff one has to put up with. It all made for some good photos that are posted separately.
After seeing the old city it was off to the World Golf Hall of Fame (WGH). I have been seeing the promos by Arnold Palmer and Gary Player on the Golf Channel for several years now and when they say "...You just got to go" I found out why yesterday. The place is fabulous! The entire first floor is a tribute to Bob Hope who gave so much to the game of golf. A golf club in his hand became a central prop in his tours to visit troops during many Christmas seasons. I had the pleasure of seeing one of these shows in 1969 while I was deployed with my squadron to Southeast Asia. Mr. Hope and his troupe brought home to us all at a time when we needed it most. The WGH paid tribute to this and many other aspects of Bob Hopes life.
The second floor of the WGH is full of displays about the game from it's very beginning to the most recent (this past Monday) induction ceremony. It is a wonderfuol display of actual equipment, photos, video, and the placques of all the members of the hall. There is an impressive display and documantation of Bobby Jones famed Grand Slam. As an amateur, Bobby Jones was the greatest golfer of his time. He never turned professional. In 1930 he won all four major tournaments and is a feat not yet repeated. He retired from competition at the age of 28.
And so my dream was fulfilled and it was so worth it all. Golf to me is as my golf idol Arnold Palmer has said: "Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated....It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening — and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." If you play the game you know what he is saying here. It is a great game.
Well the road trip ends to day. I will depart Jacksonville at 1 p.m., go through Tampa, and then on to Austin arriving home at 5:15 p.m. if Southwest is on time. I am anxious to see Karen, MollyB, and Boots. I am grateful for the time I have spent with my niece Tamara and her dog Daisy Jane. We have had great fun together...it's what really matters.
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