Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

These days, with too much time on my hands in retirement, my thoughts went to bad names of players that, if had the name, I’d have to change it.

This came to mind in two contexts.

First, I often serve as a starter for Oregon Golf Association (OGA) junior tournaments where I announce names of players before they tee off.

Second, I was a lobbyist in Oregon for about 25 years and, in that form, came into contact with loads of client names.

Three examples:

• A young man named Hudson Hackwell now plays on the junior circuit in Oregon.  In some ways, it’s not bad name, but I suspect he gets kidding a lot about this phrase – “go on and hack well as you play.”

• In my days as a starter, I had to prepare myself to mention this young player’s name, Oren Shank.  If he didn’t embrace his name, he couldn’t play the game because all his golfing friends know what the word “shank” means.  It is a word you don’t utter on the golf course for fear of coming down with the problem, much like Kevin Costner did as he played Roy McAvoy in the movie Tin Cup.

• Speaking of the word shank, I also had a client in business with the name, Gary Shank.  Needless to say, I never played golf with him.

In conclusion, I thought of the professional golfer, Jason Dufner.  His name comes close to another bad golfing word – duffer.  And, lately, he has played like one – a duffer.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Every so often, a column appears in a newspaper that deserves to be “honored” by being reprinted intact in my blog, which, I guess, could be an honor,

Well, long-time sports writer, Rick Reilly wrote today in the Washington Post in a column that appeared under a headline I borrowed for this blog.

Another case where the man we call president, Donald Trump, goes on lying, cheating, and, I guess, playing golf better than anyone else.

Here is the column.

*********

You people make me sick. Just because President Donald Trump is 80 years old with a pancake-flat golf swing and the chipping skills of Edward Scissorhands, you refuse to believe he could shoot a 70 and hog two trophies a couple of weeks ago at his Bedminster course in New Jersey.

He says he “won” both the senior (over 50) and super senior (over 60) titles by shooting 10 strokes below his age — which is like kicking a 120-yard field goal in snowshoes.

Shame on you. You’re thinking about this all cattywampus. I’ve been tracking Trump’s golf game for 26 years. It isn’t about his golf skills. It’s about his calculator-melting math skills.

Watch the master at work …

This is how many club championships Trump said he had back in 2000.

He and I were playing at Trump National outside New York City. Somewhere between his sixth and seventh mulligan, he declared, “You know I’ve won 12 club championships, right?”

I blinked at him. I was looking at a guy who couldn’t get out of a bunker if he had a ladder. I figured him for a 7 handicap, which was pretty good for a 56-year-old, but wins you a fistful of nothing in club championships. Besides, whenever he’d played on TV — like the Pebble Beach tournament and the Lake Tahoe celebrity thing — he never finished in the top half.

“No chance, Donald,” I countered.

Then he explained it: Every time he buys or builds a new golf course, he plays the first round by himself and declares that the club championship.

I thought, Well, that’s just … pure … genius.

This was the number he was trotting out by 2013. “I’ve won 18 Club Championships including this weekend,” he posted online, then trashing billionaire-and-no-Trump-fan Mark Cuban (“swings like a little girl with no power or talent”).

Eighteen? I looked into it and could find no evidence he’d won any of the six new titles. One time, he’d played a different course and called in the winning score. Another time, he walked in the clubhouse, saw the winner’s name on the wall, and apparently decided, “I always beat that guy,” and declared himself the champ.

Hey, he owns the courses. It’s not like he needs to write a letter to management.

Fast forward to 2024, and by my unofficial Trump Brag count, he had 26. That’s eight championships in 11 years. Which is Tiger Woods-like, except no objective witness would call me back to vouch that any of them were legit. Not the head pro, not the guys he played with, not any of his hardworking caddies, who drop balls for him the way the Easter Bunny drops eggs for toddlers.

He “won” one title — a two-day event — in Florida even though he spent the first day at a funeral in North Carolina. He “won” another that apparently was held while he was in Singapore with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. That’s a trick even Un’s father — Kim Jong Il — never dreamed up, and he once shot a 38.

Here is where Trump set himself apart from any baloney blowhard braggart you’ve ever met. On Aug. 6, 2025, he suddenly posted on Truth Social about having “36 Club Championships!”

Creeping covfefe! Trump had jumped up 10 championships in a single year! Maybe he’d built a putt-putt course in the White House basement and was holding secret tourneys? I’m telling you, this man could find a trophy in the 50 percent off box at Circle K.

On Thanksgiving Day last year, in a video call to soldiers, Trump let slip, “I’ve won 38 club championships, and I don’t get to practice much.” Two remarkable things about this:

1. Somehow, he’d won two more “championships” at his clubs despite the clubs’ not posting anything about them. Trump himself hadn’t even mentioned them (but you know how humble he is).

2. Extra points must be awarded for not only bragging about the 38 imaginary victories — all at courses he owns — but also moaning he could’ve won even more. My God, how many trophies can a man hoist? Don’t his arms get tired?

Or 43 or whatever. Which brings us to the recent outing when the World’s Most Self-Decorated Golfer turned in another spectacular performance: the 2-under 70 at Bedminster, which I couldn’t get anybody to vouch for, since it’s a score that would satisfy any scratch golfer of any age. “It’s called TALENT, and I have it,” he posted afterward, “and they don’t!”

Well, actually, what Trump has is caddies waiting out ahead on the course, fluffing up his lies, throwing his balls out of bunkers and picking up eight-foot putts they’ve decided he doesn’t need to make. I talked to an ex-caddy of his, who said, “Everybody knows the deal. He has to win the tournament and shoot the lowest score. It’s your job to make sure.”

So now I have the Championship Cheat Chart at 40 wins, though an onlooker at Bedminster taking a video of the awards said that by his count, Trump is up to 43.

The guy might be right. Heck, by Christmas, it could be 50. By April, he might have won the Masters. After all, at 80 years old, Trump is playing not only the best golf of his life, but the best amateur golf in the history of the sport.

Metamucil for everybody!

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

The number of golf rounds played in the United States is up halfway through 2026. 

That news comes from the National Golf Foundation (NGF), which said this:

“Rounds played in the U.S., through June, have been ahead of or even with every year month in 2025, which set the all-time record.  At the year’s halfway mark, play is about 4 per cent ahead of this same period a year ago.

“The pre-pandemic era record for rounds was set in 2000, but then was topped in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.”

Why? No one knows for sure, but I believe the following is true:  Golf remains a challenging game and it’s fun to be outdoors instead of inside some kind of gym or facility.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If you asked golfers the question in this blog headline, you’d likely get this answer:  Fix the “divot rule.”

What’s that?

Here’s the way GolfWeek on-line magazine put it:  “The issue has long been one of golf’s most debated rules, with players and fans divided over whether a golfer who hits the fairway should be penalized when his or her golf ball finishes in damage caused by another player’s shot.”

Under the current Rules of Golf, a ball in a fairway divot must be played as it lies.  It is not classified as ground under repair, meaning players are not entitled to free relief.

So, as a long-time golfer, I say change it.

In a story in GolfWeek, a writer explains why one PGA Tour player, Michael Kim, says the current rule should stay in place.

“I don’t think you deserve a perfect lie just because you hit the fairway.  Ending up in a divot rarely happens and it becomes tough to determine where a divot starts and ends.”

More from Golf Week:

“The debate centers on the fundamental principle of golf that players should play the ball as it lies.  Opponents of the existing rule argue that a player should not be punished for hitting an accurate tee shot into a damaged patch of fairway.”

Supporters contend that you should “play the ball as it lies.”

“The difficulty for rules officials is determining where a divot begins and ends, particularly when the turf has started to recover.  That uncertainty has been one of the longstanding arguments against introducing a blanket rule.”

So, there you have it.  As with almost any other issue in golf — or otherwise — pros and cons spark the debate.

An example illustrates the problem with the current “no relief rule”

In the 2022 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, England’s Paul Casey suffered a brutal break.  He was in contention during the final round of the unofficial fifth men’s major.

He hit his drive down the middle of the 16th fairway but couldn’t believe his luck when he found his ball had ended up in another player’s pitch mark.  He was only two strokes behind the leader and was only 209 yards from the pin, a tough but normal shot for a pro.

His only option was to knock one down the fairway and play for par, which he did – and lost. 

With the relief I would advocate, he might have at least tied for the lead.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

I have tried to imagine:

• Being a staff member who writes speeches for Donald Trump.

• Being a staff member who prepares briefing memos for Donald Trump.

• Being a staff member who writes summaries of what Donald Trump says in public.

I wouldn’t want any of those jobs.  Impossible to work for a tyrant, Trump.

In my professional background, I performed all those tasks for major office holders for whom I worked, or for my clients during a 25-year career as a state lobbyist.

So it is that, with too much time on my hands the other day, I thought of the conundrums listed above.

At the time, my wife and I and 100 others were traveling down the Danube River in Eastern Europe in buses – yes buses – because in what has been labeled an “energy crisis,” the water was too low to allow our ship or any other ship to sail.

So, my thoughts wandered to the above.

Trump is mercurial.  He changes moods or behavior fast and without warning.  With that trait, no one could work for him.  He always knows best, so what happens to come into his head often spews out of his mouth, no matter who is hurt by what he says or does.

So, could a staff member help him?  Sure.  But he never listens.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

My wife and I just got back to Oregon after what turned out to be a “bus cruise” – not a river cruise – along the Danube River in Eastern Europe.

In any endeavor such as this, it can come across as arbitrary to list just one highlight – yes one.  But, after a few days of reflection, I do so because the one highlight conjures up such strong memories for me.

I wrote about this in an earlier blog — here are a few sentences of that piece:

“If a country was ruled by Communism, who would lead an effort to rid the country of that regime and restore democracy”

“Well, in Romania, it was a 15-year-old youth who now, many years later, still lives in Romania’s largest city, Bucharest, and remembers, as if it was yesterday, the overthrow of a hated communist regime.”

I call this a “profile in courage.”

A man named Egmont Pușcașu was the protest leader who still lives in Bucharest now, many years after the fall of communism where he played a major role.

In 1989, photos show him at the forefront of the protest as he chanted for the fall of a dictator who had left him and others in Romania adrift, without adequate water, food or heat as the regime exported everything with no care for citizens.

In the photo, at 15 years-of-age, Puscasu is dressed entirely in black, standing on top of a vehicle and screaming out to protest against the regime.  Just as he did that, a friend, standing just next to him, was shot and killed.  Hundreds of others died as communist leaders called in tanks and guns to deflect the protestors.

Puscasu was wounded, but he was able to carry on.

As for today, so many years later, Puscasu works for Viking Cruises, the proprietor of our cruise ship – or, should I say, the renter of the buses that took us from Bucharest to Budapest. 

Puscasu thought about entering politics and did for a few years, driven by his fame, but found out soon, he told me, that politics didn’t suit him and he could do more in private life.

So, he spoke to us and many others in person, recounting, not only his role, but all the many other roles that turned Romania toward democracy and away from communism.

He told incredible stories of bravery and tragedy, standing as he spoke only steps from the site where communism met its end in Romania.

Beyond stories, Puscasu appealed to everyone to be thankful for liberty, if, in fact, they live in liberty as citizens of Romania now do, and as we do in America.

He said: 

“Don’t lost sight of the fact that liberty could disappear quickly if you don’t support it.  Communism lost in Romania because its leaders took everything from the people.  Now, in a democracy, we have the right to think, speak, and to advocate.  If you live in a democracy, hold tight to that liberty.”

Now back in the U.S., my wife and I remember this “profile in courage” and want to live up to that goal in our lives.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Whenever a group of people from around the world lead music at our church in Salem, Oregon, I come away believing I just had a glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Because, when those of us who are Christians get to heaven, we will see ALL kinds of people who have chosen to place their trust in God – white people, black people, brown people – all kinds of people where color of skin doesn’t matter.  Nor does relative stations in like.

What matters is accepting Christ!

Yesterday, when my wife and I arrived at church, we were thrilled to see that music would be led by about 30 people from Africa who now call Salem home.

They were dressed in native garb, with beautiful colors standing out on the stage.

Multiple languages prevailed.

The group sang in English, Farsi, French, Spanish, Swahili and others.  It didn’t matter for us, English speakers, because it was great to hear praises to God in all the languages.

In response, I point to a number of verses in the Bible that illustrate that being Christian isn’t one kind of person; it is all persons who accept Christ.  So, the word diversity applies.

• Revelation 7:9:  The writer, John, sees a huge crowd that no one can count.  They come from every nation, tribe, people, and language.  They stand before the throne and before Jesus.
• Revelation 5:9:  People sing a new song to Jesus who accepts people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
• Galatians 3:28:  The writer, Paul, explains that spiritual unity in Christ erases earthly divisions.  There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, because all are one in Christ.
• Matthew 8:11:  Jesus says that many will come from east and west.  They will sit down at the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Good verses all!

So it was that, yesterday, we experienced a glimpse of what heaven will be like – heaven which is open to ALL.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

In recent years, I have come to enjoy reading Atlantic Magazine for the quality of its journalism.

So, it is no surprise that, again recently, writers there produced another solid article that appeared under this headline:  “The Once-Shameless President Is Deeply Embarrassed.”

A piece by writer Jonathan Lemire began this way:

“As Donald Trump faces one humiliation after another, he is attacking those he blames.

“One of Trump’s superpowers is his shamelessness.  Most of the time, he demonstrates a singular ability to shrug off — or flat-out lie about — scandals or missteps that would have caused another politician’s career to self-immolate.

• “Get caught on an Access Hollywood video boasting about abusing women?  That’s just locker-room talk!
• “Grow insecure about crowd size? The photo must be doctored!
• “Mistakenly suggest that Alabama was in the path of a hurricane? Someone get a Sharpie and a map!

 “Trump has long been able to shrug off a bad headline and move on to the next news cycle, counting on his base to swallow his claims and never waver in their support.”

The Atlantic suggests that Trump’s shamelessness may be facing a “undeniably bad spot.”  His poll numbers have tumbled, and “Republicans are fearful that they will lose at least one chamber of Congress this November.”

As for Trump, of course, he just moves on.

He is not like any other political figure.  He appears to like controversy, for it enables him to function like the narcissist he is, which is that everything revolves around him, so he says, believe me, no matter facts or realities.

I wish his low standing in public opinion polls would begin to take an effect on him, but I know I’ll be disappointed.

Regarding The Atlantic, it gained fame a year or so ago when its editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, was added to a government national security phone call to discuss U.S. war powers.  He couldn’t believe it and most other observers couldn’t either.

A top journalist on the left was told about war plans!  Incredible.

Abiding by various national security concerns, Goldberg wrote effectively about what was an incredible beach, soon to be called “Signalgate.”

But it was just another example among many about how Trump and his sycophants have made a shambles of federal administration, often by not appearing to care if U.S. citizens suffer, either those in the military or those who are immigrants.

For me, a bottom-line question is whether we can survive almost two more years of Trump’s shameless behavior.

As I reach the end of this blog, I just thought of another shameless action by Trump, which, for me, still ranks as one of his worst actions since he has been in office.  I cannot believe Trump criticized the late Senator John McCain as being a coward because he was captured during the Vietnam War.

“I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said.

How could such an idea even cross Trump’s mind or found its way out of his mouth?

McCain was a true national hero.

Oh yeah, Trump never served in the military – or in any other way.

Shameless!

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If my wife and I would have known we would be stuck on a bus for our trip to Eastern Europe on a bus for the length of the Danube River from Bucharest to Budapest, we would have stayed home.

But that’s what experienced – what I now call a “bus cruise,” not a “river cruise.”  We had planned on the latter.

Before we left Salem, Oregon, about 10 days ago, we knew that, on the first day of our trip, we would be relegated – yes, the word is “relegated” – to a bus.  But, then, we thought we would transfer to our ship, one of Viking’s newest river ships, The Uller.

Two reasons for our relegation:

• First, the river was low, almost as low as it has ever been in history as Eastern Europe is grappling with what been described as an “energy crisis, so serious that there is not enough water to cool down nuclear reactors so they can operate normally.

• Second, our ship ran aground the day we were supposed to board, so the plan “ran aground,” too.

So, the challenge was to make a bad situation better – and, with leadership from my tour guide, my wife, we managed to do that.

First, a lowlight.

We had to travel from Bulgaria through checkpoints to get into and out of Serbia.  It was a challenge.  We had to traverse only about 500 yards to get through the checkpoints, but it took five hours to do so.  Yes, five hours!

One reason is that Serbia is not part of the European Union, so border crossings are a huge challenge for us and everyone else.

Second, on to three highlights.

• In Bulgrade, Bulgaria, our small tour group of six was treated to a wine tasting and food in a deep cave.  Our host did a great job of describing each of six wines – and he kept pouring our glasses higher and higher.  No problem, someone else was driving to get back to our hotel.

• In Budapest, Hungary, on the night before we left to head home, we got an Uber ride to a small church where we listened with rapt attention to a strong orchestra which played for us for more than hours.  It was up close and personal.  I was tempted to use my standard golf phrase in response – they “played well.”

• In Bucharest, Romania, early on our trip, we were treated to a lecture by one of citizens who lead a revolt in 1989 that got rid of Communism and turned Romania into basically a Capitalist system where people get to act, think, and speak without fear of reprisal.

Our speaker, now about 40 years old, was one of the leaders of the revolt at age 15, even as he watched some of those who were with him only a few yards away be shot to death by the Communists.  By the photos we saw, the communists even turned tanks on those who revolted, though, in the end, those who revolted won and the communist leader was executed along with his wife.

So, the leader’s message for us was this:  Treasure your liberty because you don’t know long it will last.  Good point.

As I write this, it’s good to back home in America where we currently enjoy liberty.

Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If you had told me several weeks ago that my wife and I would be on a bus tour down the Danube from Bucharest to Budapest, I would have opted to stay home.

But that’s what happened.  We went on a “bus cruise.”  Not a “river cruise.”

A day or so before we left our home in Salem, Oregon, we were told by our cruise company, Viking, that water in the Danube was low, which meant our first day would be by bus.  But, then, we would get on the ship.  At least that’s what we thought.

No.

The day we arrived in Bucharest, we were told the entire trip would be by bus.

So, on to the headline on this blog – Making the Best of a Bad Situation.  That’s what we did.

Below is a summary of a couple highlights to illustrate our approach, though, I add, quickly, that the leader of our enterprise to find something good out of something bad is my wife, Nancy, who also is my tour guide on international travel.

Without her, I’d be lost.

First, I cannot help myself, so I’ll cite a bad situation.  It involves the country of Serbia, which is not part of the European Union.  So, when we came to the border to get into or out of Serbia, it took us, on our bus, about five hours to make the transit over what must have been about 500 yards – yes, five hours!

No reason was given for the long delay.  Just a waste of time.

But, on to the highlights.

FIRST HIGHLIGHT:  In Belgrade, on a private tour, our guide took us and two other couples to a cave where we had a feast of wine and food.  Everything was very good.  Not everyone gets to do this and it was an evening to remember.  First, we had to walk down a dark path to get to the station for our wine and food, a path that, without phone flashlights, would have been difficult to navigate.  

The wine – we had at least six tastes – was great.  So was the food paired with the wine.  Lucky we didn’t have to drive back to our hotel.

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT:  I covered this in a previous blog, but just a note here to say that it was stirring to hear how residents of Bucharest, Romania rose up to get rid of communism about 40 years ago.  Selfish communist rulers had left residents high and dry. 

Literally.  Little food.  Little heat.  Little water. 

In communism, the saying from the government was this:  “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine, too.”

The residents who risked their lives to get rid of the tyrants deserve lasting praise.

AND, A THIRD HIGHLIGHT:  In Budapest, we attended a concert at St. Michael’s Church given by a seven-member string orchestra.  Up close and personal, it was impressive to see the supreme talent by all those who played for an hour before a crowd in a small church.  

I won’t list all the musical selections the orchestra played, but it was clearly a highlight for us as we listened with amazement and appreciation.

So, this bottom-line point:  It is possible to make the best of a bad situation if you set your mind to it.  Again, my wife led this successful effort.

Even as I write this, we are planning our trip home and it will be good to get to the United States and our home in Salem, Oregon.  There, as we learned in the last 10 days in Europe, we need to treasure our freedoms because we there is no guarantee how long they will last, even in America.