Gary McDonald "inRefinement" by A. McPope

After spending two months self isolating at home I am in the worst springtime physical condition I can recall. The back, hips and knees will not cooperate. They don't bend or recoil as they were intended by the almighty. I've been watching videos by Adam Bazalgette all winter with the thought that this season would see a breakthrough of sorts. A backswing at Emirates G.C. in Dubai Dec. 2019 I've watched and practiced the grip, plane, downswing and follow through in the apartment and at the Emirates driving range. Because of Covid-19 I allotted no time to workout. Now I'm paying for it. On the Brampton Golf Club with an electric power cart I've played two nine hole games and one eighteen hole game with a lack of quality results in my shots and of course in my score. The nine hole games were meant to be eighteen holes but I ran out of steam and begged off the course with my pals' complete understanding. I'm playing Fridays with Hurley, Coole and Hasti...

This blog focuses on refinement. What does that mean and why has it become important to me?  Maybe it's a waste of time but hindsight is 20 - 20 and absolute honesty will be applied in looking at my successes and failures in my life. A North American Black Duck decoy carved by my friend Tom Dowling But stop. This beautiful decoy arrived on my doorstep this week. Tom shipped it to me via Fedex from Logan Lake British Columbia. Inside the box was a personal letter and photocopies of various stages of its creation using a block of Ontario hardwood. Tom has carved and sculpted 70 different decoys and has offered one to me as a sign of our friendship which has lasted for 70 years.  Moreover, the group of friends I speak of still meet every year for a week-long fishing, golfing and card playing extravaganza. The ladies stay home. Once again, these men did not a College Graduate make. We have three home builders, one Pipeline supplier, a Shipping Container executive, an adv...

The title of this post could lead me in many directions. I read this recently, "The higher number of super-rich people in the world are people who flunked school. Of course, they all had some form of schooling but they knew when to quit school." The quotation comes from a writer who wants his readers to realize that higher learning does not necessarily lead one into 'wealthy circles.' The importance of wealth is not germane. In life, experience is king. This gentleman is an artist painter from Tanzania So here I am at 78 years with face paint (see below) applied by local Zulu face painters who were invited to come on board the Azamara Quest January 2020. I digress. This photo is only meant to introduce this post on this website; it has nothing to do with my quotation in the first paragraph. During my teenage years 1954 - 1960 every one of our male friends and relatives of similar vintage would not advance to University or College let alone graduate -- save ...