I returned Monday night from a really great weekend in Florida with my friend, Chris G. and his family. Aside from a ridiculous trip back home on Monday that involved eight hours of waiting and 2.5 hours flying, the weekend was a lot of fun. Thank you Chris and Amanda for your usual hospitality and a really great time. You guys are awesome.

I arrived in Jacksonville on Thursday afternoon and we just went back to Chris' house. The weather was beautiful and especially invigorating having just come from Maryland where there was still snow on the ground. Friday we got up early to make an 8:50 tee time at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville golf course. I've played on a number of golf courses on military bases and this one is probably my favorite. We were paired up with a couple of old guys, Paul and Bob. Bob was a spry 90-year-old, a good golfer, and when we asked him what he did when he was in the Navy, he said "I flew fighters off of aircraft carriers." He was one of the nicest old guys I've ever met and, although I don't usually like getting paired up with strangers at golf courses (which is a typical occurence), I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Bob and Paul. They were true gentlemen in every sense of the word and I had almost forgotten what it was like to be around people like that. I had the feeling that a whole lot of people learned a whole lot about life and how to live it from Bob. I had a great day for a few other reasons too because 1) I was kicking Chris' ass for at least a third of the time we played (usually he's better than me), 2) I made the best golf shot I've ever made: a 20 yard up-and-down wedge shot over a bunker that rolled all the way across the green and drained into the hole, and 3) although my score wasn't great, I got a birdie. I never get birdies because I suck. Some of the more interesting features of the NAS JAX course are the roaming alligators. The cell phone photo above isn't very clear, but this little guy was sunning himself on the front bunker of a par 3. Not surprisingly, none of use hit the green and we all stayed wide right.