After nearly 17 years of not wearing a wedding ring, my wife decided this was the year she would give me one. I had a plain gold band when we got married, but that has long been too small for my finger and has resided in our safe all these years.

In general, I don’t like having anything on my hand or wrist, so I had some requests. I wanted to get something that was smaller, had smooth edges and would be compatible with my computer work and athletic hobbies. We needed a specialist.

Soren Priede is a wonderful custom jewelry designer from Saint Paul who has sold me items for Colleen in the past. We decided to work with him to custom design a new ring for me.

The process started in June with a request for all of the features mentioned above, plus a desire for a design that reflected the waves of the North Shore. The result, which we picked up yesterday, is pictured above.

I’ve very pleased and highly recommend Soren if you need custom jewelry.

Last week we visited Phalen Golf Course in St. Paul for the first time in a few years. Course manager and golf professional Nora McGuire said her new course superintendent has made great improvements this year with course conditioning and business has been good. Nora has also been a great supporter of the Women’s Tapemark Golf Event, which was held earlier this week at Southview Country Club.

Phalen first opened in 1917 as a nine hole course and was later expanded to 18. Don Herfort did redesign work in the 1970s and the current par 70 course measures 6,092 yards from the tips, with a rating of 68.4 and a slope of 118. While Phalen lacks length, it makes up for it with tight fairways lined with large, mature trees.

I was a little surprised to find that the grill is closed on weekdays, but they make a mean turkey sandwich to order while you wait.