Tuesday, July 20, 2004

8:03 AM “Missionary Carpet Golf” report: Our team (Harry Bollback, Randy Faulkner, Doug Bagg, and me) did pretty good, I think. We scored 30 for nine holes. I don’t know if we won because we left before the winners were announced. They have several holes where you have to hit the ball 25 yards down a long hallway covered with a thick rug. Every single time I hit the wall, which was a one-stroke penalty but since it was “best ball,” none of my shots counted. I redeemed myself with a miracle putt on one hole that went past a chair leg, between two soccer balls, and then rolled into the cup. We cheered like it was the final hole of the U. S. Open. On the next hole you had to hit the ball into a plastic funnel that ran across part of the swimming pool. My ball missed the funnel and found the water. One onlooker (who had heard me shouting about my miracle putt) said, “Pride goes before a fall.” Doug was the best at those long putts down the hallways, Randy sank several big putts, and Harry kept up a constant commentary of jokes and friendly insults to the other teams. Everyone loves Harry. He’s the patriarch of Word of Life. And at 80, he has more energy than most 40-year-olds. 7:59 AM Rain, rain, go away. Something like Noah’s Flood hit Schroon Lake about 11:30 PM and lasted all night. We had massive thunder, bright bolts of lightning, and at least three power failures. Those poor folks who are in tents at the campground must have gotten thoroughly soaked. The rain continued all night and didn’t end until an hour or so ago. So far we had rain on Sunday, sun on Monday, and rain last night. We’re all hoping for a few days of sunshine so we can dry out, but right now it looks like the rain may resume at any moment. 7:59 AM Today’s entry in the Crosswalk weblog is called When the Fig Tree Does Not Bud.