My First Disc Golf Ace

 It was a pretty muggy day in P-town, but I needed some exercise so I met up with my disc golfing friends at our local course, Bradley Park. Much to my surprise I hit my first ace today on hole 8!

I've been playing pretty regularly since May of 2020 and my skill set has improved to where I'll say I'm now an average disc golfer. 

Recently I've started scoring below par on this particular course for my rounds, but this was my first bogey free round at Bradley Park. Woo-Hoo!

Here's an up close look at the disc which I scored my first ace.

It's made by Prodigy Discs and it's the A2 mold, super overstable midrange. I needed this slot filled in my bag and I picked this one up when the Masters Championships tournament came through town last summer. 

My last day of teaching was about a week ago and I finished my baseball coaching duties just two days ago. What a great way to start the summer!

Thanks for reading and I hope all is well with my blogosphere friends!

A Good Home

 Cats. My wife and I have two cats. 

The "Cat Cave" is meant for one cat occupancy.

Would I call myself a cat person. No.

Holiday. Her favorite follow on Twitter is "cats in places where cats shouldn't be" https://twitter.com/timelinecats

Do they fit my busy teaching and coaching lifestyle? Yes.  

Hugo. Always the helper cat. 

Neither of them demand much attention and if I give them a clean litter box and few cups of food we can head out for the weekend knowing they'll manage just fine.

I have 11+ more years in public education, when my retirement plan fully vests, and then it's dog time. I will work in retirement, but my priorities will be different and some lucky shelter dog will be given a very good home. 

I follow a couple local pet shelters online and my timeline is often full of man's best friend. I'm not sure why I do that to myself. 

Speaking of shelters... My favorite disc golf company will release a new disc in March, named after their shelter rescue Binx, the one eyed cat. The stamp on the disc features Binx and part of the proceeds go an animal shelter. 

Do I need more discs? My wife would say, "No. No, you do not." 

Will I be buying this disc?  Yes, yes I will. It will find a good home in my disc golf bag and get plenty of use this summer. 

Lastly, a bubble mailer from the west coast arrived last week. Fuji reached out and asked if I still still took up residence in P-town. Naturally!

A hefty stack of VOGELMONSTERS were found in my mailbox shortly thereafter and you know they have found a wonderfully good home. 

Fuji, thanks for the cards and for giving me something to blog about. 

Have a great weekend!

Looking to 2021

 2020 has been . . . well . . . let's not open up that can of worms. Let's just say I'm really happy, from a collecting standpoint, with how it's closing out. Here's my latest addition to my Dan Vogelbach collection, which is more than likely the final card I'll be cataloguing before the calendar turns. 

Behold, in all it's grand glory, a white whale!

2020 Panini National Treasures came out a a few months ago, but this one popped up on Ebay about two weeks prior to my winter vacation. I believe this is the cyan printing plate, although I can't find anything on the card to confirm my guess. 

It is a One of One and will be one of the special cards I'll turn to in my Vogelmonster collection when I need a quick pick-me-up. 

Speaking of a pick-me-up, I don't believe I have mentioned it on the blog this year, but I've rediscovered disc golf. I've played on and off the last fifteen years or so, but when things went down in March I really dove back in. 

There are about dozen different courses in the P-town area which I have frequented the six months. It's so great to get outside and meet up with a friend without having to mask up. (It's very easy to keep the 6' recommended distance between you and other players.)

My wife gave me the above bag for my birthday and my parents made some disc golf towels for me. They also gifted me four similar putters so I can practice my short game. 

I actually have this basket set up in my basement and I work on getting at least 100 putts in each day. I'm shooting for 90% accuracy from a certain distance before I allow myself to move to a further distance. My first big tournament, the Ice Bowl, is this Saturday. It's a partner best-disc format over 27 holes, which also doubles as a large fundraiser for two local food banks. Fun stuff. Wish me luck!

So anyway, this is what I've been doing with my free time and why I haven't blogged or traded nearly as much this year. In short, baseball cards have taken a backseat to disc golf. Honestly, it was the right decision for me. I have a huge competitive streak in me and I love being outdoors. It's a win-win.

I know I'm a day early, but Happy New Year, everyone!

Catching Up - Spring Break 2012 - Part I

Laura and I flew out of Peoria and landed in Charlotte to spend 4 days with our good friends Mike, Rhonda, and their 2.5 year old son, Nolan.  Laura attend high school with Mike and Rhonda and they're always fun to catch up with.  They also may be, without trying, the trendiest couple we know.  Oh, and I mean that in a good way.  There are people who follow and mock the trends, and then there's those individuals who somehow set the trends.  I definitely see them as the latter. 

We spent Easter Sunday with them and Rhonda's family, enjoyed a campfire, went on a run together, played frisbee golf, and spent some quality time with little Nolan.

Here's a couple of pictures of our visit, with commentary. Enjoy!

Nolan is ready for our campfire!

My decorated egg complete with arms, tail, and hair!

Rocky Mountain Wedding/Vacation

Laura and I left for Denver on a direct flight out of Peoria Thursday morning, picked up a rental car (we will not be buying a Chevy Traverse anytime soon) and stopped by Emily and Steve's house in Golden.  What a cute little bungalow with oodles of character.

We made it to the YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch, just south of Granby, Colorado, by 2 o'clock and the wedding festivities could not wait.  We had a bachelorette party to put on!  After decorating and tracking down food & beverage for the girls I joined a group of 15 other guys. We visited all the bars in Granby (both of them) and then headed up the mountain to a campfire site for some serious celebration.  Stories were told and beverages were consumed.  Good times.

Jed on way up to zip line!

Friday, a group of us went for a 3 mile round trip hike to see a waterfall. It was nothing in comparison to what we saw in Hawaii earlier in the summer, but beautiful nonetheless.  I played nine holes of frisbee golf at possibly the worst frolf course I've ever experienced.  After a nice nap, we went to the zip line!  I backed out.  I had signed up originally, because I'm a chicken I backed out.  The bride, groom, Laura, and Jed all went. It was fun watching, but I value my life and I wasn't climbing that pole!  Next was the rehearsal dinner which featured BBQ ribs.  Over a hundred people attended the wedding weekend from numerous different states and our lodge was soon filled with laughter and appetites.  

John in his wedding attire.

Ruby, the ring bearer.

Saturday morning I went for a run and realized my lungs aren't ready to compete at 8,800 feet up.  Later, Laura, cousin John, and our new friend Marta went paddle-boarding at the lake on the ranch.  I had lost some of my confidence while trying to SUP in Illinois, but I regained it all and more in Colorado.  Thanks, John! . . .   Before long, it was wedding time!

The wedding party.

Life altering event just ahead!

The wedding was really beautiful.  It was western themed and the setting was amazing.  Short, sweet, and heartfelt... my favorite type of wedding.  John and I were in charge of the "photo booth" at the reception.  We had to dress everyone up, and take color pictures that would be printed out from a polaroid type camera.  The pictures would then be affixes to a colorful index card with wishes and congratulatory remarks.  It was fun, and I was glad that I could contribute something to the wedding day.

Watch out for Marta!

Sunday morning featured a wonderful brunch hosted by Sarah and Jed.  We said our goodbyes and headed back to Denver, through the Rocky Mountain National Park to look for moose.  Well, Laura and Marta just wanted to see colorful aspen and beautiful sights.  I wanted moose!  Pictures were taken, trails hiked, and rocks were climbed... but alas, no moose.  We did find a near-frightening photo opportunity of Marta though!

Laura and I had a great time.  We didn't get back until late Sunday night, but we met some really nice people, took part in a beautiful wedding, and saw many the Rockies.  Well worth the trip!

Hot couple in the cool mountains.

Independence Day Weekend

I had nice helping of fun over the weekend.  I could write for ever, but let's just look at the highlights:

- I coached my basketball girls from last winter at a tournament in Monmouth.  We won two and lost five, but it was fun nevertheless.
- Saw the Cubs beat the White Sox on Sunday, never mind that the Sox won the series.

Tom's Favorite: Shoots Flaming Balls!

- Played some yard games and enjoyed a good barbecue at Mom & Dad's. I was ladder golf champion!
- Lit up the sky in Bartonville with the help of Dad and Jeremy.  The cheers and comments from the audience were priceless.
- Survived the frisbee golf course at McNaughton Park in Pekin with Jim and Jane.  Found a lost disc and witnessed an instant classic: Jane's disc slamming into the front of Jim's SUV from over 100 feet away. That course is the toughest in the area and we won't be returning anytime soon.
- Won a $50 gas card while participating in a trivia contest at the Chiefs' game. No worries, I concealed my identity from any Dunlap students in attendance by using a slick Independence Day themed alias: Honest Abe. George Washington (Jim), Betsy Ross (Jane) and Susan B. Anthony (Laura) also came away winners!
- Witnessed my first ever live no-hitter at the same game. Congrats, Austin Kirk!  I don't know how many games I've watched in person at the professional level, but that one will stay with me for a long time.
- Watched the Peoria riverfront illuminate with great company: Jim, Theresa, Jane, Sarah, and Laura. Purportedly, the Methodist Red, White, and Boom fireworks show was the largest in Illinois.

All-in-all, it doesn't get much better.  I hope you had a fun weekend, too!