First time caddying

Yesterday, I caddyed for my first time. I woke up early, and got to the country club at 6:30 for the draw. Unfortunately, I drew a 25 (out of 27). But the caddymaster set me up for a loop at 1. I went back to the club at 12:30. But lucky me, the loop fell through and I had to wait until 3 to get out. When I finally got out, it went pretty well for my first time out. My golfer was a nice guy, and I had an honor caddy to help me out. I got a $16 tip, which is pretty good, and I made $40 total. I was really glad to finally do it, because I was nervous I would do really bad. Overall, it was good, even though I spent all day at the club.

Doug Bruno Basketball Camp

I went to Doug Bruno girls' basketball camp this summer, and it was my second time. Doug Bruno is the head women's basketball coach at DePaul University, and he has been doing these camps for a very long time. Last summer I did a fundamental camp, but this year I did the shooting camp. My goal is to become a really good shooter. It was great and I learned about how to practice. Coach Bruno said you have to take camp home with you. He not only taught us about basketball, but about how to be succesfull in life, by teaching us the 6 steps to success.
I was very successfull in camp. Our 5 on 5 team made it to the championship. I did pretty good in the 1 on 1 tournament by winning for my color. I got a medal for tying for the most power layups in a minute and a half -- 17. Last, but not least, I won the Gavin Most Valuable Player award for ABL. (The camp is divided into three groups, based on ability. College is lowest, ABL is middle, and WNBA is the highest.)
I had an awesome camp experience and learned a lot. It's a great camp to go to if you love basketball and are serious about improving a lot.

Cubs Game

This afternoon, I got to go to a Cubs game! The Cubs beat the Rockies 6-4, and it was their sixth win in a row! We also got to see a Chicago native make his major league debut for the Cubs! The only thing that wasn't so great about the game was that it started pouring when we left, and since Chicago is in the middle of a real neighborhood, we had to walk probably 6 or 7 blocks to get to our car. Once we got in the car we had to endure what was probably a two hour drive in our soaking wet clothes, while we moved crept inch by inch through traffic jams. But all in all, it was a great afternoon!

Father's Day brunch

Hogans and Tilsons joined Dad for a brunch at the Seasons on Father's Day. Dad has been back home for a week, afer a few weeks away in a hospital and nursing home. He is glad to be back home.

Some athletes missed brunch. Charlie and Joe were at a baseball tournament in Omaha, which coincided with the College World Series. Clare was at Doug Bruno basketball camp. Mary was working at the club where she is a lifeguard and diving coach. Steve, Jane, Will, John, Chris, Margaret and I were joined by Dad's caregiver Ziggy and his daughter, Kasha.

Cicadas winding down, they say

We've had loads of cicadas in our area for about three weeks. The novelty wears off quickly, even if it is only every 17 years they come along. The last cycle, in 1990, I was living in Chicago's north side, near Addison and Western, where we hardly saw a cicada. The cyle before that, I was 14-years old and in the peak of my short golfing career. We played golf courses of the Cook County Forest Preserves, particularly Chick Evans. I've been driving past that course regularly the past few weeks on visits to Dad in the Alden, remembering those golf outings. A beautiful public course that we kids played for a very low rate, and there were lots of cicadas. As you walk through tree-lined streets below the din of cicadas, it's hard not to measure your life in these 17-year cycles. Perhaps next time around I'll be retired with a revived golf career.

I don't suppose relatives in other parts of the country are familiar with cicadas. Don't get caught up in my nostalgia. They are noisy and stinky. Chris said that they're so loud they hurt her ears. My hearing isn't nearly so good. Their song comes in waves. We took a crack at making a recording from our front yard, but I can't say it captures their music. For fun, Clare used GarageBand software to throw in a back beat.