Last Rounds

     The weather has finally moderated a little - got into the low 40s today.  So I went out to Occoneechee Golf Course to play what will probably be my last 18 holes before we head north for Christmas.  I got there about 10:45 and the course was still not open, as the green were still "frozen".  The pro estimated that they would open within the hour.  I drove over to Willowdale, which is another course I play, and they were closed too.  I stopped off at a part of Eno State Park that I hadn't explored and went for a short hike.  I decided to drive past Occoneechee one more time.  If it was open, I'd play.  If not, then on to Christmas shop.
    It was open and I played my last round of the year.  Played the first 9 with some regular members - nice bunch of guys - good golfers.  Fortunately I had my best front nine of the year - 43.  One of the guys estimated that he had played over 200 days last year.  Some of those days he would play 3 rounds.  No wonder they were good.  They had another friend join them for the back nine, so I finished up alone - 48 for a 91.  My best round in quite awhile.
    Today was the last day of classes for Duke students and we were invite to a house party at one of Nan's fellow faculty members for a celebration of the end of the semester.  We stopped off shopping first, then on to the party for a round of goodbyes.  I find such get-togethers very interesting. (Probably because I have so little interaction with people down here.)  Had a long talk with a cultural anthropologist from Liverpool (the one in England) who is a fellow at the American Academy for the Humanities in Raliegh(who knew there was such a thing).  He's an expert on Peruvian culture.  Also chatted with Art, another cultural anthropologist  who has just finished a book on the Tiger Woods scandal.  He said that he had been working on a book looking at the cultural aspects of golf, but when Tiger's incident occurred - so he centered on the cultural aspects of that affair (or affairs). Finally, talked with one of Nan's co-worker, a Colgate grad. He has Kyrie Irving in his class and says he's a really classy kid.  Anyway, so much for  making the last rounds here in Durham.