WEEK OFF (AFTER MCDONALDS)

Monday: Week off? Not quite. Some little event called the U S Open qualifier took up most of my day. We teed off at the Hunt  Club at 8:05 and it pissed down rain for six holes and as usual, it was not in the forecast. Played the round in even then headed to Woodholme for our second eighteen. Dina " lost her legs" late in the round but still managed to make it. Finished with a total of 150 with 152 going into a playoff. See final results here.

Plans gone awry; Dina figured she was well prepared for the Hunt Club after accumulating a pile of notes from her sister but you have to be able to find them before teeing off. She didn't, but it didn't make any difference. That's what I was there for.

Don't make 'em like they used to; Chris McCalmont worked for Sylvia Cavalleri and as he pulled the rain cover off while going to the 14th tee during their first round, the shaft of her driver snapped just below the head. Not deterred in the least, she finished the round adding a couple birds, picked up another Ping driver in the pro shop at Woodholme and qualified easily.

As it should be; Siew-Ai Lim was one of the 'play-off ten' for the two remaining spots and made it, surviving a three hole ordeal finishing in total darkness, along with Moira Dunn. It was sweet justice, cause she burned up the Hunt Club with a stellar 69 only to falter badly with 83 on the Woodholme course.

Tuesday: Drove up to Rochester through Corning to drop off the Sunday bag Lisa Kiggens lent to Dina. Visited for about an hour and off I went. Settled in at the Dorkat Motel, a caddie abode for many years, and ran into Shadow and Scraper (loopers extraordinaire). They'll be spending a few days here also.

Wednesday: Went down my "to do" list straightaway. Laundry, banking, haircut, wash n wax my car and finalize my flight to Evian and The British. You read that right. Picked up a bag for Evian through the caddie network but still have to find a loop for The British. I was planning on going all along so getting work was an added bonus. This will be my first and maybe last time there. A nasty rumor was going around last week that the "Comish" ticked off the sponsor and they were thinking of pulling up stakes. Hope it was just a prevarication.

• Herr Steffler update; Jeff arrived in Amsterdam without a problem and is taking advantage of the local brew. Everyone there hates the Germans so Costa Rica was the overwhelming favorite in the opening game.

Went into a bar to watch Ecuador vs. Poland and, even though he had $20 on the Poles, had to root for Ecuador as the place was filled with their compatriots. Way fun.

It's way too hot and the prices are insane. 50 Euros for a ten minute red light district "roll in the hay"  is the going rate.

Thursday: Thought we were going to get hosed on the hotel for The British but I stumbled on this travel site and got a good deal at The Langdales Hotel.

• Not so fond memories; While sitting on the business end of a pair of Supercuts' clippers yesterday, chatter among the two ladies doing the shearing gravitated to the first haircut performed by each. A man with a full beard was the unlucky victim of stylist number one as she trimmed  his sideburns right down to the nub! He was left with a startling transition of a white patch of skin before the start of his beard.

Stylist two had a gentleman ask for a "buzz cut" but failed to notify the rookie about the mole hidden beneath his locks. OUCH! We have a bleeder!

That was a dozen years ago so I was not overly concerned.

• Sing me a song; Looks like we have a true celebrity in our midst. Robyn Rossi (looping for Michelle Ellis) was once part of the Livid Kittens. Got a mention in a The St. Pete Times article.

Friday: Nice to have some time off. Just taking in the tortuous display of golf at The Open and, if this is any indication of what we should expect, it's going to be a long week in Newport.

• Reach out and touch someone; If you don't know about Skype, and wish to call internationally on the cheap through your computer, you're missing out. Multiple calls to England in search of that illusive hotel put me out a whopping $1.44. You do need a microphone (mine is built in) and a minimum $10 credit card deposit.