
<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858848354_002129344e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Bumblebee Family">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858848354_d83b6c90f3_t.jpg" alt="Bumblebee Family"/>
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This month the offspring took some huge steps forward. Literally.

I went away for eleven days at the beginning of the month, and my son, who, when I left, had not yet figured out how to pick up one foot and put it in front of the other when standing up, had advanced to being able to walk very fast holding on to two hands, and pretty well (for a drunk) holding onto just one. He seemed pretty proud about it, too. So we have officially entered the backbreaking stage where we have to bend over (some of us more than others) to help him get the hang of this bipedalism gig. His sister was in that phase for six whole months. Let's hope this one goes quicker. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12693110375_6d64bc3203_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Saturday morning snooze">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12693110375_0d095fd74c_m.jpg" alt="Saturday morning snooze"/>
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Nora was very pleased to see me upon my return from the States. She even tried to get out of going to school the day I was due back, so she could be there to greet me. Luckily she didn't end up winning that battle, because my flight ended up being redirected to Madrid, and I had to take a bus for the final leg of the journey, arriving home at 10pm rather than 2pm. Ugh.

Much of this month has been spent in preparation for Carnaval. Nora's school is dressing up as bumblebees, which has been their theme this semester, studying beekeeping and learning about honeycombs and beehives, etc. I mean, she learned the word "apiculture", for honey's sake!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858430135_4d287b3098_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Bumblebee Family">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858430135_0abe39afd5_z.jpg" alt="Bumblebee Family"/>
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For the latter half of the month, Ian has been ill with a bronchial infection, which causes a rather terrifying rattle in his chest when he breathes, as well as some horrible coughing fits where he just can't stop coughing. We've all experienced that, and the poor little guy, once he gets the coughing under control, lets out a little heartbreaking whimper.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12766290985_176295efc2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ten months old and Ian's phlegming. I got the sick baby boy blues.">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12766290985_05d4e348ec.jpg" alt="Ten months old and Ian's phlegming. I got the sick baby boy blues."/>
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Being sick sucks. Wanna see how bad it sucks?

<iframe src="//instagram.com/p/k4S0TVr9F3/embed/" width="505" height="606" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>

Heartbreaking!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858327555_ab98fd6161_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="BabyHALER">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858327555_dcfca81cc1.jpg" alt="BabyHALER"/>
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The doctor prescribed him this BabyHalerâ„¢, which we have to [hold over his mouth for ten seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzKlUIxUwrw) three times a day. Needless to say, he hates it, but it does seem to clear up his cough a bit.

He's been going to the doc every three days, and the doctor assures us that he's getting better.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858713984_509756ab47_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Gamer Boy">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858713984_1092c4187c_n.jpg" alt="Gamer Boy"/>
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<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858358743_a66e2d106e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Gamer Boy">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858358743_f53982de8a_n.jpg" alt="Gamer Boy"/>
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"Where do I swipe?"

Ian sure is a curious lad. He's very much a boy, too. If he sees some kids playing soccer, he becomes utterly engrossed in the action, and complains if you try to take him away from it. He also loves smashing toys together.

Here you can see him brutally bashing plastic cups together.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VSkSLY9Avgg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

We went to Mondragón this month for my sister-in-law's birthday.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858735784_8e3c42704c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Walking With Ian">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858735784_deafca82fc.jpg" alt="Walking With Ian"/>
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Walking with Ian.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858324685_ced4e0f1e9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Eating Cake With Chloe">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858324685_c0b1135e32.jpg" alt="Eating Cake With Chloe"/>
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Nora got to see her cousin Chloe, who is a few months younger than her. They are both pretty shy, but once they broke the ice, they were inseparable.

Now that Ian can stand up, we were able to take our first bipedal family portrait.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858043755_f47c1c0eb6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Family Portrait">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-28-state-of-the-offspring-address-february-2014/12858043755_f52774586e_z.jpg" alt="Family Portrait"/>
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The state of the offspring is strong!


State of the Offspring Address - February 2014


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487565103_249845c81f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487565103_199d827f21_t.jpg" alt="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen"/>
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Something truly special happened during my annual February golf trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this year. Normally we have pretty good luck with the weather, but this year we had some fairly heavy rain on Saturday, February 8, 2014. We were playing one of the nicest courses we've ever played, over the decade we've been going there, [TPC Myrtle Beach](http://tpcmyrtlebeach.com). Fortunately, most of us have pretty decent rain gear: water proof pants, jacket, shoes and gloves that both keep your hands warm and also somehow don't slip on the club grip. Golfing in the rain is considerably less fun than golfing in the sunshine, but, if you have the right attitude and equipment, it still beats most activities. It rained pretty steadily for the entire front nine, and began clearing up on the back.  I was playing with my father, Paul, and our friend Dennis. Some of the less avid golfers in our group gave up after only a few holes, so our friend Jeff, who had been in a threesome behind us, joined up with us to make a foursome for the back nine. By the time we got to the seventeenth hole, most of us had taken off our outer waterproof layer of clothes.

[![TPC-Myrtle-Beach-17th](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12796509694_d8d2ed30f4.jpg "TPC-Myrtle-Beach-17th")](http://www.golftripper.com/tpc-myrtle-beach/ "View 'TPC-Myrtle-Beach-17th' on Flickr.com")

The 17th is the signature hole on this Tom Fazio course. We were playing from the white tees, making it a 138 yard par 3, with a water carry.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487577763_a98cdd80dc_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487577763_38230e5b2a.jpg" alt="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen"/>
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Paul teed up his ball and hit his hybrid 4-iron.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487930324_c81518d176_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487930324_73690224c1.jpg" alt="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen"/>
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The ball took off with a beautiful trajectory towards the green, headed just left of the flag. It landed on the front of the green and rolled towards the pin, following the contour of the green, which was bending it back to the right, towards the hole. As it slowed by the flag stick, the tension grew on the tee, "It's going right for it!" someone commented, excitedly. And then, just as the ball was slowing to a stop...

**_...it disappeared!!_**

Jeff, Dennis and I let out an enormous roar, which our friends five holes away told us was heard throughout the golf course. Hugs were shared, before we got in the carts and drove up to the green.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487565103_249845c81f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487565103_199d827f21.jpg" alt="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen"/>
</a>

The most beautiful image to a golfer is a ball in the hole with the pin still in, because it means that you hit it in from off the green. You should _always_ take the ball out with your hand before removing the pin, because the rules of golf state that if you pull out the pin and the removal of the pin pops the ball out of the hole, the ball doesn't count as being in the hole.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487916404_6c6c21db1c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487916404_20952b6f42_z.jpg" alt="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen"/>
</a>

Jeff proudly holds the pin steady while Paul removes his yellow ball.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487455685_ed3a627b34_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-26-paul-rasmussens-hole-in-one/12487455685_7d72c2f372_z.jpg" alt="Hole In One - Paul Rasmussen"/>
</a>

Yep, that's it!

Watching a hole-in-one is a very special experience, because they are so incredibly rare. It's even more special when you can see the ball disappear; many times you don't have a clear view of the hole to see it fall in. One of the myriad things I love about the game is that, unlike in many other sports, every once in a while an amateur can perform a feat that is better than the most hardened tour pro. Tiger Woods could hit that 138-yard shot a hundred times and never knock the ball in the hole...

But my dad did.


Paul Rasmussen's Hole In One


![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-17-myrtle-beach-time-of-year/2.jpg)Earlier this month, I took my annual vacation – remember: traveling with children is a "trip", and traveling without children is a "vacation" – to North and South Carolina for our annual golf tournament that my father hosts, called the Myrtle Beach Classic. This year we played a novelty golf course called [World Tour Golf Links](http://www.theworldtourgolf.com), which has recreated many of the most famous golf holes from around the world. It's a clever gimmick and I'm glad we played there, but it's probably not worth returning there in the future. As expected, we had a really great time and I got to see some friends that I only see once a year, every February. I am forever grateful to my wife and in-laws for carrying my parental burden during these trips.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-17-myrtle-beach-time-of-year/12487601503_2c9934245a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Swilken Bridge, World Tour Golf, Myrtle Beach">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-17-myrtle-beach-time-of-year/12487601503_73a5b7f210.jpg" alt="Swilken Bridge, World Tour Golf, Myrtle Beach"/>
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A replica of the [Swilcan Burn Bridge](http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/5690353413) at St. Andrews.

Aside from golf, we have a really good time making music together, with a few of us playing the guitar, a few play the harmonica, and others are pretty fearless with percussion. This year my father and I Lennon-McCartney'd a song together called _Time Of Year_, which we performed a few times in our condos overlooking the Atlantic ocean.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-17-myrtle-beach-time-of-year/12589781733_807e168957_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Myrtle Beach Panorama">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-02-17-myrtle-beach-time-of-year/12589781733_ef038bc523.jpg" alt="Myrtle Beach Panorama"/>
</a>

Before I left to come back to Spain, we did a one-take recording to preserve the creation for posterity.

### Time Of Year

2014 Myrtle Beach Classic song

Time Of Year ---- Well there's snow out, and I go out But the course is closed 'cuz it froze Bring my sticks in. Pour a tall gin And let my balls thaw out while I wait to feel my toes

But I can't rest, I got the big test Gotta practice, gotta play best It's that Myrtle Beach time of year.

Well we leave town, and we drive down Adding an axe and a harp on the way Play the World Tour, where I'm quite sure We'll lose a few balls before we head to where we'll stay

In the condos, with the bongos Making music, with my honchos It's that Myrtle Beach time of year.

They come from hither. Come from yonder They come from thousands, of miles away From Michigan, scratching that itch again Comes the big man Dennis; always ready to play

With Phil Shirley, don't call him Shirley He sings good, and picks purely It's that Myrtle Beach time of year.

From Colorado, with his big shadow Hemphill's the best of 'em all Erik's close. But _adiós_. Keith is more likely to make the big man fall

Will he do it? Well, hell, screw it! It's not golf that, brings us to it It's that Myrtle Beach time of year.

So let's go now. Let's go grow now Let's have the best goddamn time of our lives We'll play poker. Roll and smoke her Drink and swear all day, but at night we call our wives

We love 'em. They're a femme gem Cuz she let's me be who I am It's that Myrtle Beach time of year. It's that Myrtle Beach time of year.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tbUwOZRbDuY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


3 posts from February, 2014