1. I dropped by Byrdman's house in CdA around 11:30 and we buzzed up to Bayview, ID to visit Kim and Tim's handsome, multi-level house perched above Lake Pend Oreille. Stephanie (Mrs. Byrdman) is house sitting while Kim and Tim are on a trip. Byrdman and I arrived, toured Kim and Tim's house, admired their spectacular views of the lake and the surrounding mountains -- the Green Monarchs, I think.
Stephanie fixed us a very tasty lunch featuring grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, making delicious use of leftover Easter Day ham.
Byrdman and I settled down in front of ESPN's broadcast of the Par 3 contest at Augusta National Golf Club. The contest is a relaxed competition, giving the participants an informal contest in which they can goof off with each other, include family members in the contest, and compete for a trophy.
Little did Byrdman and I know that we would be watching a nearly miraculous golfing event. The first miracle was that Tom Watson, age 68, won the competition and ESPN gave a ton of air time to Watson and the other two golfing legends he played with, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. We loved seeing these players we've been following for over fifty years make brilliant shots and some long putts while savoring one another's company. My mind swirled with memories of watching Watson, Nicklaus, and Player play scintillating golf back when I was a teenager and on into my twenties and thirties.
So watching these legends was awesome enough. Then, on the ninth hole, Jack Nicklaus invited his fifteen year old grandson, GT, to take a break from caddying for him, and strike a shot from the ninth tee.
In blue tennis shoes, wearing his white caddy's jumpsuit, GT struck a gorgeous shot that soared high over Ike's pond, landed on a downslope and spun back slowly, surely toward the pin and, WOW!, dropped in the hole. GT aced the ninth hole! A miracle hole in one! He did it in the company of three of the greatest golfers ever and his feat moved his grandfather, The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, to tears.
I have to write a few words of gratitude to the chilly, damp weather we experienced in North Idaho today.
Had it been sunny and a little warmer out, Byrdman and I might very likely have been tromping around on some trail in nearby Farragut State Park and would have missed the thrilling 2018 Par 3 contest, surely the most memorable in the history of the Masters Week at Augusta National.
2. Byrdman and I headed back to CdA and agreed to make a one beer stop at Slate Creek Brewing. Slate Creek closed back in October, but one of its former employees, Danica Gilbert, along with another buyer, Andy Neels, who lives in Alaska, bought the brewery and have reopened it.
I loved being back in the cozy, concrete, and very friendly confines of Slate Creek again. Right now, Danica Gilbert is doing everything at the brewery: she brews beer, runs the taproom, pours the beer in the taproom, and keeps the building and the glassware clean. Her brewing capacity is limited right now, as is her time to brew, so she serves Slate Creek beer only as it is available, but the guest taps were awesome, including offerings from 12 String, Mad Bomber, Radio Brewing, Post Falls Brewing, Icicle Brewing, and others. She also has four ciders on tap, a tap open for Rainier Beer, and she sells wine.
I was happy that she is continuing the Slate Creek tradition of making peanuts available to all customers, on the house, and that the shells still go on the floor.
So, I ordered a pint of 12 String's malty and warming Tremelo Scotch Ale, continued yakkin' with Byrdman, and enjoyed that Danica Gilbert took a few minutes to update Byrdman and me on what's happening in these early days of her co-ownership and running of Slate Creek Brewing.
3. While out with the Byrdman, I was happy to receive some text messages and photos from the Deke. She and Adrienne and Josh visited District 96 Beer Factory in New City, NY, not far from Nyack. The Deke's pictures of the beers this brewery serves were gorgeous. I would have enjoyed ordering a Hazy IPA back here in North Idaho and joined the Deke from across the USA sipping on a similar style of beer, but, alas, no Hazy IPAs were available at Slate Creek and I'm not even sure, at this point, what brewers in the Inland Northwest have begun brewing this emerging style, so prominent back east.
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