Local resident Carl Gilbert considers himself lucky to be alive. Gilbert, an avid miniature golfer, birdied the 18th hole at the LaCucaracha Mini Golf & Pizza Tuesday only to discover that his ball hadn’t been “eaten” by the final hole. “It was just sitting there at the bottom of the cup,” recalls Gilbert. “It didn’t go down the tube. It sat there…miraculously…waiting for me to retrieve and play another 18 holes.”

“It wasn’t a particularly good round for me, but the end was fantastic! Number 18, ‘The Ten Commandments,’ is pretty tricky. Your ball has to go up the mountain and pass through the narrow opening between the tablets, then hit the burning bush just right in order to make it in the hole. It usually takes me three tries to get passed those stupid – I mean blessed and instructional – tablets. And then there it was, resting at the bottom of the cup. That never happens. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for the 18th hole to not eat your ball, so I went back and started over for another 18 holes.”

When Gilbert reached ‘The Commandments’ for the second time, a chill ran down his spine. “Up the mountain, through the tablets, off the bush and in the hole. And there it was at the bottom of the cup again. They don’t call it once-in-a-lifetime for nothing. I was sure at that moment that I was about to be struck down, since I don’t have such a great track record with the real Ten Commandments. That would be more ironic than anything in that Alanis Morrisette song. Which I guess isn’t really that hard to do since nothing in that song is actually ironic.  Maybe irony has a different meaning in Canada?  Anyway, I dropped my club for fear of lightning and ran to my car. I drove to the church at 10 m.p.h. and begged forgiveness for everything I’ve done wrong. I think God was giving me a strong, personal message. I’m taking life one day at a time from now on.”