I’ve only been in Louisville for three full days and it feels like a month. That’s a good thing – at my point in the human timeline, anything that makes time go slower is a plus. It also helps when you’re having fun.

Golf yesterday was glorious. Absolutely perfect weather, a little chilly at 10am but gorgeous after noon. Here’s a picture I took of a path through the woods next to the 15th tee box. I should have taken some shots of the course (Nevel Meade), but I was too busy enjoying the golf. Had one of my better rounds for the year on the glorious fall day.

Speaking of golf, one of my Socal friends came through with reservations to play Bandon Dunes next spring, in late May. Reservations are hard to come by – Bandon has gotten *very* popular – but he won in their lottery system, so off we go. It’ll be my third or fourth visit to Bandon, no small feat as it’s very hard to get to. Remote – 4 hours away from almost anywhere by car. That’s part of the charm – there’s absolutely nothing to do there except play golf on one of the most beautiful settings you can imagine. Here’s a picture from a 2015 trip.

And here’s another, this time from 2018, featuring my great friend Chris who is also going on the 2027 trip.

Bandon is an adventure. You have to walk, they don’t allow golf carts, and we do 36 holes most days. That’s about 10 miles of sometimes hilly walking. My left knee couldn’t handle that right now, so I’ve got 6-7 months to get it healed up. The gang I travel with are all wine snobs fans, so the wine lineup there each evening is world-class. Beyond great. I’ve learned the hard way that I have to pace myself on consumption – it’s a bad feeling paying silly amounts of money to walk around God’s country feeling like shit. Older and wiser now.

Bandon has holes on the ocean, in the woods, up and down hills – an amazing landscape. They now have five (!!) full 18-hole courses there – it’s golf Mecca. Here’s a view on one of the coastal holes.

This trip will be special, because (a) I’ve done it enough to know what’s coming and how to do it right, and (b) it’s very possible it’s my last trip there. You have to be lucky to get the reservation, have the time and money to go, and be healthy enough to walk/play a few days straight. This is not a golf trip you take at age 80. So I’m thankful to get at least one more chance to visit there.

May next year will be a big month. Derby with some friends, done right. Jesse’s 7th birthday. And then Bandon Dunes, one more time.