Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
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A friend commented on the dichotomy of golfers: that those particularly dedicated to the game are focused on playing less. In other words, the more you love the game and the better you become at it, the fewer times you want to hit the ball. I explained that under no circumstances does that apply to me. In fact, during any game except those when I keep track of my score, determined by how I play the first three holes, I may liberally engage in the freedom of “do-overs”. “Do-overs” are not approved by the PGA or utilize...
Brimming with confidence and anticipation, I strolled to the tee box. In one gloved hand, I held my club, in the other the ball and tee. There was no doubt in my mind that the dimpled fuchsia orb atop the tee was about to be dispatched for a soaring and momentous distance. Laser-beam focused, feet firmly planted, hands well- positioned on the club handle, I began to lift and shift and BOOM! A 30 mile-an-hour gust of wind hit me from behind and I stumbled over the tee, knocking the ball to the ground. Conditions were not...
There are times during the planning stages of a golf tournament when there’s a question in the minds of the planners of whether they will survive the process or succumb to the pressures and complaints and run from fairway to fairway screaming “Jesus, take me now!” And then there’s the tournament itself, when most every player wonders why she isn’t home enjoying a tall cold one in the midst of an air conditioned home. That’s only on those occasions when the tournament is held on hotter-than-a-hot-flash summer day when not ev...
Every week or so, friends meet us at the Tee Time Cafe for dinner on Friday evenings. We relax and enjoy an excellent meal while surrounded by the lush ambiance provided by well-manicured greens and fairways. It’s a park-like setting that’s available to golfers and non-golfers alike. Barbara, the cafe proprietress, is also an accomplished chef. She makes everything from scratch. I’m talking about the old time meaning of “scratch”, not the current “if it comes in a box and requires more than thawing out” application o...
Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my friend Ann and I realized that we were at the point where we had to choose between buttoning our waistbands and breathing. We had become sloths. It was the result of too much self-indulgence and too little exercise, common during snowy and cold Ritzville winters. Our husbands were equally slothy. We resolved to solve the crisis! We bought memberships for our husbands and ourselves at Ritzville Fitness. On an evening shortly before Christmas as we enjoyed dinner together, Ann...
I play a lot of golf. My friend, Patty, and I try to play every day when weather won’t blow us across a fairway, drown us, boil our blood, freeze us, or threaten us with a tornado. We celebrate the benefits of exercise, friendly interaction, and fresh air. We also realize the mountain of work required to maintain our golf course. Dan Duff, course manager, can be found on the course daily, grooming every blade of grass, which requires special equipment and training, moving flags and cups, and sprucing up the roughs. M...
The Ritzville lady golfers have officially played their last round for the season. That doesn’t mean that diehards like Patty and I won’t be seen out there as the cold winds blow and the temps nosedive, leaving the cozy warmth of her heated cart only for the time it takes to line up a shot and execute it, and then hurry back to thaw out while the other one plays. I expect there are those who question the sanity of we who play until the snows fly. Only another golfer would understand. Last Monday, the lady golfers gat...
The golfing women of this town drove, pitched and putted eighteen holes with grand style and good humor at this year’s women’s golf tourney. In years past, we’ve endured sweltering temps and accordingly bad things happened such as messed up makeup, uncontrollable hair, failed deodorant, pitted clothing, and attitude. Not this year, however. The day topped out in the low 80’s with a 10 mile per hour breeze, and the greens were so perfectly manicured as to inspire pride. All was well, no visitors complained, and the tourney...
Over here, over there, my ball goes near anywhere, as I tee off with lofty aspires. See it fly 30 feet, must be wind and scorching heat, that messes up my dreams of a par. Then I smack one hard, and it soars into a cart, and the next drive hits a darned tree. Hear me curse, hear me wail, inconsolably aggrieved, as it lands back at my feet, Oh this game, what a shame, it’s the sadist that we blame; for creating a pastime so dire. Players lose all their couth with gambling and naughty words, and that’s nothing compared to the l...
If you golf, you know that the dream, before the one of you winning a PGA championship, is for a hole-in-one with several of your closest golfing buddies watching. That awe-infused moment must be life changing. It’s Babe Ruth hitting his first grand slam, Tom Clancy selling his one-millionth book, Seahawks kicking Bronco hiney in the 2014 Super Bowl, Marie Osmond losing fifty pounds. You get the drift: momentous. Last Wednesday, while playing the daily round of tee-off-at-noon golf for guys, DW stepped up to the tee box on F...
This year’s Ladies’ Golf season has opened and is in full swing. We welcomed several new participants this year. Our first Monday, we enjoyed an excellent brunch at the Fairway Café, which is now under new management. The food is good and Chris, the manager, is creative. Try the burrito bowl one day and you will agree. I am gluten intolerant, and she has produced meals for me that were delicious, and that’s not easy without bread, gravy, ketchup or pasta. She makes an award-worthy potato salad as well as a variety of crispy...
It seems that on Thanksgiving, following the annual carb-fest we call the Thanksgiving Feast, I lost my sanity for a short time. I think massive carbs overload might bring on a momentary deficiency of judgment at anytime, but particularly when the need for all that shopping looms large. How else can you explain Black Friday? We were sitting at the table, contemplating our agony. I remember that I looked at my wine glass and wondered how many hours it would be before I could make room for that last swallow of Merlot when...
In 1943, the City of Ritzville purchased two tracts of land on the west side of Division Street from Theodore W. and Velma L. Pfannekuchen and Alma K. Scott Galbreath for expansion of our golf course to nine holes. The official opening of the expanded course was scheduled for March 15, 1944. Season tickets sold for $15 for city and $10 for rural residents, $7.50 for half-season city members and $5 half season rural members. Greens fees cost 50 cents for 18 holes, 35 cents for nine holes, and 25 cents for six holes. Tens of th...
On Sept. 26, the 75th birthday of the Ritzville Golf course will be celebrated with a tournament followed by a barbeque. The fee is $30 per person, which includes the barbecue. Sign up now (at the Club House) for the Best Ball tournament. Following is a condensed version of the History of the Ritzville Golf Course, which was edited and updated in September 2012 by Miles Athey. I hope you find it as interesting as I did. Originally, a six-hole course was carved out of sagebrush hills by M.D. ”Foxy” Thiel and friends near Rit...
Another year, another Puttin’ on the Ritz, the annual Ritzville Ladies Golf Tournament, and this year’s was one of the best. It occurred on August 10. Patty Rueb, my golf partner and dear friend, golfed very well and I owe her hugely because, due to her great talents and powerful slams, we won money. It’s a near miracle and she could be the poster child for Best Friend Ever. Thank you, Patty. Conditions were perfect for our tournament this year: a (comparatively speak...
This article is written to help with man’s endless pursuit to understand woman. Several days ago, during the blazing hot sizzle of mid-summer, Mark and I were in Spokane shopping at Costco. Costco was unusually busy that day. We parked in the back forty and hiked the blistering blacktop, aware that the soothing cool of the air-conditioned store awaited us just ahead. There we bravely maneuvered through aisles filled with crazed shoppers who deftly operated their weapon-carts in a frenzy of shopping mania. At least that was M...
Recently, Mark and I spent four days at the Wild Horse Resort near Pendleton, Oregon. WH is a golf course, RV park, casino, hotel, and all-around good place to spend a few days away. A daughter and son-in-law joined us there. We had booked a package, which included our room, endless golf, a cart, and numerous coupons for discounts here and there in the resort. We had to book tee-off times, which was different for us, but the resort was very accommodating, and there were plenty of options. At Ritzville, certain groups claim...
On a lovely, warm, no-jacket-needed Spring afternoon a couple of weeks ago, we ladies of the Ritzville Women’s Golf Group gathered for our 2015 kickoff. Or sip-off, as it were. We didn’t actually play golf at the kickoff, instead we enjoyed a few bottles of vino, nibbled hors d’oeuvres, caught up on all the vital social news concerning our group, and made essential decisions regarding this year’s assemblage. Most of the loyal players were present, although we did miss a few who were unable to join us in person. We knew th...
I lay my weary head upon the pillow and snuggled into the sofa, hoping for at least a few hours’ sleep. I chose the sofa instead of the guestroom because I was caring for my grandniece, Annie, while her mom and dad were in Spokane giving birth to the little sister who would enhance and change their lives. I wanted to be as close as possible to Annie. I was so tired (played golf that December day) that I felt sleep wouldn’t elude me for long. About the time I drew the blanket over me, I was seized with needle-like pain of dee...
Today, as my friend Patty and I were working our way around nine holes on the golf course, we noted several cars that slowed down enough to make it clear people were curious, some that honked as they drove by, and others that stopped completely for a short time to watch us. The only conclusions we could reach were that people either recognized us as rare and stunning examples of feminine excellence whose effervescence was exceeded only by our athletic grace, or they wondered what kind of insanity would cause someone to be on...
I was at the door of the Ritzville Christmas Bazaar just minutes after it opened. Soon, I spotted a pretty blonde slowly weaving through the growing crowd. It was my niece, Avia, and as she neared I saw a tiny blonde girl, her perfect features framed in fuchsia faux fur and her eyes sparkling with excitement, holding tight to her mommy’s index finger. Avia, Annie and I were there for Annie’s first encounter with Santa Claus. Annie knows about Santa through books, kiddie shows, ads, and the miscellany that accompanies Christma...
This year, we have four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to shop, wrap and ship Christmas gifts for family and friends. It can be daunting of you’re not one of those uber-organized individuals who shops all year long and is finished by now. It’s fun to go into Spokane to soak in the holiday excitement and joyous atmosphere of the season, however that can become a bit stressful if the list is long, time is short, weather is bad, and roads are iffy. I’m thinking that this year, spending my money and time in Ritzv...
(This is for Anita, my friend who is always encouraging.) My husband, Mark, is a provider. As in too-many-to-remember successive years now, he brought home the gutted carcass of another soft-eyed, graceful member of God’s creation, slain by a shell in a rifle carefully aimed at its gentle heart by him. Tasty and nutritious though venison is, the image of a sobbing, scared Bambi and his dead mother always cross my mind when this holocaustic season arrives. So instead of the morbid, I focus on the trip’s positive aspects for...
A couple weeks have passed since our 2014 Annual Women’s Golf Tournament, which is cleverly entitled “Puting On The Ritz”. For four years running (and this is my fourth tournament), my partner and I came in last. This year, that unfortunate and tested friend was Patty. It was her first tournament and, were she a lesser person, could have been her last. But Patty is made of sterner stuff and in fact we remain fast friends despite my contribution to her pitiful tournament standing. The tournament was held in the midst of our w...
I helped a friend of mine with her daughter’s graduation reception. The daughter, Elizabeth, and friend, Caitlin, held a joint celebration and I would guess that about 150-200 people from infancy to lavishly mature stages of life attended. The tables filled quickly, plates were heaped with varieties of homemade delights, and the festive roar of friendly dialogue filled the room. Elizabeth and Caitlin are fine examples why, in a world and culture in which there seems to be little to admire anymore, we can still take pride i...