Lens-Artists Challenge #97 – Pastimes

GREAT DAY FOR GOLF, KIAWAH ISLAND

“God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”

Anne Frank

This week we are happy to have Sue, Mac’s Girl guest hosting with her challenge “Pastimes“.  I gave the subject quite a bit of thought, as I am involved in so many things – not the least of which is photography. I decided instead to focus on an activity which is among my favorites for many reasons, golf.  There are those who might say (and I used to be one of them) it’s simply a dumb game. But I’m here to tell you it is SO much more than that! First and foremost, especially now, it is a wonderful opportunity to spend a few hours among some of nature’s most glorious scenery.  Exhibit A, Kiawah’s Cassique Golf Course shown above after a storm, is one of my favorite images of nature’s beauty.

GIRLS RULE, LPGA GIRLS GOLF

“Winning has always meant much to me, but winning friends has meant the most.”

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Golf is a wonderful opportunity to meet people, to make friends and to have fun. My husband and I have made many good friends, both here and around the country, after being paired with them on the golf course. The image above features two of my favorite people, both successful female golf professionals in our area.  I made the image as a photographer for the LPGA’s Girls Golf.  It’s an important annual event for young girls, many of them on golf scholarships. I brought along some colorful props and the kids had a great time hamming it up for the camera – as did the staff apparently 😊.  It was a nice way to “give back” for a good cause as well as to practice my portraiture skills. Interestingly, it also started me on the path to blogging, as I was asked to do a blog for the kids and their parents. After the tournament I created the first Travels and Trifles – the rest, as they say, is history.

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, SCOTLAND

“It took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”

Hank Aaron

Typically my husband and I do not golf when we travel to other countries. The exceptions are Scotland and Ireland, both meccas for golfers. In Scotland we enjoyed some truly world-renowned courses. But one of my favorite memories was the day we played a small course on the North Sea in Stonehaven, Scotland. The course, founded in 1888, is famous for having been bombed during WWII. Turning lemons into lemonade, the bomb crater later became “Hitler’s Bunker”, between the 1st and 2nd fairways. It was a beautiful, peaceful little spot – at least until a typically Scottish thunderstorm drenched us to the skin and forced us off the course 😀.

WINDY DAY AT DOONBEG, IRELAND

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”

Heywood Broun

Speaking of thunderstorms, for the most part we’ve been very lucky with weather when we travel. We did run into one of the most violent rainstorms ever during a round at the Doonbeg Course in Ireland. Yep, that’s me a few years back with my formerly long, formerly brunette hair blowing in the wind and my rain jacket puffed up over my normally svelte self  😊! Doonbeg is located on the Atlantic Ocean, which it borders on 16 of its 18 holes. The fact that they have clothes dryers in the locker room tells you all you need to know! Perhaps the wettest I’ve ever been, I refused to give in until I finally took refuge in a shepherd’s hut and called for transportation back to the clubhouse. At least I gave it a good effort!

BE THE BALL, .STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA

“If at the end of the day you can’t shake hands with you opponents and still be friends, you’ve missed the point.”

Payne Stewart

During the pandemic we’ve been fortunate that some of our courses remained open. We push our golf bags on our own carts, walking 4+ hours with friends in the sunshine. It’s fun, good exercise, a terrific mental challenge, a healthy dose of Vitamin D, and a wonderful opportunity to socialize while maintaining distance. Keeping a good attitude despite the usual errant shots is a never-ending challenge, and one on which I’ll admit I could use a bit of improvement.

Thanks as always to our followers who very creatively responded to last week’s Cropping the Shot challenge, and a big thank you to Sue for hosting this week. Please visit and link to her original challenge post here, and as always, remember to use our Lens-Artists Tag in your responses. We look forward to learning about the pastimes that bring you pleasure over the coming days, and hope you’ll join us next week as we return to our regular schedule with Ann-Christine’s Challenge #98. Finally, remember whether locked-down or set free, above all else Stay Safe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: FRIENDSHIP

• May 17, 2020
• Golf, LENS-ARTISTS, Nature, Photography, Travel
• 94 Comments