A quick trip turns into fun time for Uncle Frank.
Frank surveys the kingdom
We had such a great time! While Frank was taking in the Desert scene with us here, Sharon was on a separate mission to Santa Fe parts for shopping.
Nothing prepares you for landing in Palm Springs, on a sunny, sort of hot day. The airplane ramps are separated by a kind of “food court” and outdoor sculpture scene along the walkway to the main terminal and baggage claim. People without tickets aren’t allowed out there to meet flights, so Frank was calling to find out where I was, while I was waiting for him by the door.
Relieved that I made it to pick him up, we promptly grabbed seats at the Bar to have a quick draft and get “hydration” back to suitable levels. Franks enthusiasm for “Desert Sporting Life”, was already starting to hit before he finished the first pint of Widmers Hefiwiesn.
I’ll save the long, blow by blow details, but Frank earned his place in the DSL Hall of Fame for sportsmanship with his eagerness to try lots of fun things. We took him to the golf course for a match and he was the official score keeper. Did a great job.
Karen and I tried to have him conserve his energy because of some recent heart issue, but Frank is not one to whine. I think we stayed up every night until at least midnight, and tested some of the fine elixirs stocked on my bar.
Imagine my surprise.
Official driver and referee for the match
When I pour a large shot of “Old Fitzgerald Bonded” in my tumbler at the golf course on the 4th hole, and Uncle Frank asked what I was pouring. I let him have a sip.. He was a little hot anyway and had a towel with ice cubes in it around his neck because it was 103 degrees or more. One sip and he smacked his lips together and declares “Thats pretty good!”. When we got back to the clubhouse at the 9th green, Karen stopped and got him a cup so he could have a few with me. So, we had a great time on the back 9, sipping cold cocktails and watching Karen trounce me in the match. I got to demonstrate a few skill moves that I have practiced over the years like the always dramatic “duck-hook into the pond by the Tee”, which is always a crowd pleaser for the opening act of “Jeff’s Golf Comedy Show.” More feats of skill and concentration were performed and the show concluded with a few towering shots to the nearby condo roofs! You haven’t seen anything like it before as my tee shot flys 200 or more yards sideways to the right, smashing roof tiles and kicking over the house roof top ridge so as to land in the street in front of the house!
Frank tried a few new liquor items in keeping with Desert Sporting Life “Spirit”.
After golf and dinner one night, we started watching some movies on Netflix which was fun, and as the evening was winding down, what better thing can a host offer than some good “Orange-cello”, that great Italian orange flavored liqueor. So we had nearly done the impossible. A full day of Beers, Gin Bloodies, 100 proof bonded Bourbon, already under our “belts”.. I set out for my final assault on senses with a warm up round of some orange flavored grain alcohol. We toss back shots in frozen stemmed shot glasses.
Then I remembered the bottle of Absinthe I had stashed for special “Occassions”.. ha..ha..!
A wee bit o' the green stuff for ye?
I mixed up a batch of absinthe in the traditional way with ice water over sugar, revealing the murky green concoction noted for driving past generations of adventurers to hallucinogenic panics of raving and self mutilation. Now recently legalized for import into America, we savor the goodness before lights out.!
Final day of the first part of the individual tax season. Another fun year.
Its about time it finally got hot around here. Lately the high was only 103-108. Starting yesterday (Friday), it got up to 115 here.
