the original photo, taken Thursday, 6/25 at 12:04 PM. It was a beautiful sunny day.
an updated photo taken Sunday, June 18 at 4:54 PM. It was raining.
Yesterday on the way home from Loaves and Fishes, I was listening to the Astros baseball game. They were behind 6-5 in the top of the eighth inning.
The Detroit Tigers made a pitching change which didn’t work out for them. The Astros clawed their way back into the game with a couple of hits and a little misfortune on the Tigers part. While I was listening, my mind wondered and it found its way to a book I read a more than a dozen years ago, Imperfect, an Improbable Life.
The book was about a baseball player, Jim Abbott, who was born with a partially formed right arm who taught himself to play baseball. It’s an inspiring story and I wrote about in this blogpost – Saturday Morning – late April – published April 28, 2012. And I went back to read it. As I have discovered with many older posts, my writing has changed and the links I added, no longer worked. So, I did a little revising to the links.
This morning’s post was about book lending and it took me back to the book I had read about Jim Abbott and his journey from Flint, Michigan to Yankee Stadium and beyond.
I lent that book, Imperfect: An Improbable Life, a few times before I lent it a final time. I haven’t seen that book since, or that person for that matter.
It doesn’t matter, I could (and probably should) lend more of my books and never get them back.
Beth’s post sent me on a rabbit chase of sorts where I discovered a video about Jim Abbott that was produced by ESPN last summer. I missed it, I was busy with other things. The trailer below is about how he learned t play baseball one handed.
Jim Abbott overcame an incredible amount of hardship in his life. Much of it through his own hard work and determination. But baseball, like life, is a team sport.
Nine players on the diamond to play a game.
Every player has to be all in for it to work.
before editing
after editing
Today is going to be a great day, especially when I go down a rabbit hole in time. Like every day, I have a lot to do and today is no different. I am watching the grandies in a little over an hour and as usual I am behind on the things I thought I’d get to this morning.
Rabbit holes.
So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, even when I am diving into rabbit holes.
When was the last time you dove into a rabbit hole?
NOTE: I posted this unedited versions of the sign on Sunday and only noticed the mispelling after a commenter noticed it. I went back Sunday afternoon and the error had been corrected. As always, I was reminded that some times my most effective proofreading comes AFTER I press publish.
It’s Father’s Day and I received my gift several week’s ago when my kids ‘surprised’ me with a trip to Wrigley to watch the Astros play the Cubs.
When the day came, it really wasn’t a surprise, but there was a surprise involved.
my Father’s Day gift was early! Best day ever!
A couple of weeks before the game, I called my daughter on her way to work and shared that the Astros were going to be in town and asked if she wanted to go. There was a silence on the other end and then an answer,
“You didn’t hear this from me, but I’ve been watching for tickets…Father’s Day is coming”
A few weeks before, she asked me if I had any baseball trips planned for the summer. I told her,
“No, all the good weekends are taken.” I said.
“What do you mean?” she replied.
“Well, all of the games I’d like to see are weekend when I can’t go. Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, my brother’s visit, Race Weekend, weekends when I can’t go.” I explained.
I finished my bucket list last August when I watched the Astros play the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. With that game, I had made it to all 30 of the baseball cities and 33 baseball stadiums.
With that milestone, I needed a new bucket list item! So, I added a new item to my bucket list, it’s a updated version of the original bucket list item – to see the Astros play in every stadium. Presently, I am at 17 cities where I have seen my team play.
It had been a while since I had been to a game with my daughter – it was 2018 before the Astros cheating scandal when she stopped rooting for the Astros.
ready for the last baseball game with my daughter – Astros at home in April 2018 and the last picture of the two of us with my mom…. April 2018
I wrote about a trip to the park almost a dozen years ago,Β Weekly Photo Challenge: Between June 2014. I had to go back and edit – the link to the seventh inning stretch was broken, but I was able to find the video and update it!
A couple of days before the game, I found out the rest of the surprise – my son and his boys would be joining us! I was so excited. A baseball game with the grandies!
I was even able to find a photo! April 7, 2017
It had been even longer since I had watched a game with my son – I think it goes back all the way back to April 2017.
Anyway, Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. Friday afternoon, I listened to the finish of the game in my classroom after school and the Astros won 4-2!
Saturday morning I was up early and excited.
My son had borrowed my car the night before and the grandies loaded and ready to go.
The drive into Chicago went smoothly until we reached the city and got bogged down in lower Wacker traffic. IYKYK!
We had decided to park remotely, instead of attempting to park near the stadium. A WIN because it was free and much easier!
We parked, loaded the bus, and finished with a short walk to Wrigley.
loaded and ready to go….
… where are we going? and this hat!
loading for the ride to Chicago
the bus ride to Wrigley…
Always wants to see where we are headed…
The Astros were up 2-0 Β in the second inning when we got to our seats, but it didn’t matter. We were there to enjoy a day together at the ballpark.
the view from our seats… in the shade
My son had brought snacks and drinks for the grandies and they were happy to watch and take in the game. I got ballpark food the kids and me and got a free peanut (for the photo) from the couple behind me!
I even tried a peanut photo….
… and it was too dark, or it went straight to the mouth!
We had a great time and the Astros were able to tack on another run in the fourth inning.
When the seventh inning came, we were all in and sang “Take Me out the Ballgame” with gusto.
It was a fun game to watch, but to be honest it was just fun being at the ballpark sharing the game I love and spending time with my kids and grandies.
After the game, we let the crowd go before we left our seats… and we let the grandies play before we packed up and headed back to the bus and home.
anther Astro fan behind one of the grandies
On the way home we checked in with mom (my wife, B) and organized an outdoor pizza party to finish the day.
And now, I have a new bucket list item – watch as many baseball Β games as I can with my grandies!
It was an amazing day and I’ve been waiting to share ever since. It’s Father’s Day and I am blessed with two amazing kids and a couple of grandies to boot. Today is going to be an amazing day. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, being father since 1998.
Any Father’s Day memories?
Oh and BTW, Β the Astros won the game 3-0 and swept the three game series with a win Sunday.
We could not have made it very far on our Europe trip without these signs. London, Paris, and Amsterdam are HUGE cities, and they have remarkable transit systems. Chicago has a good system as well, but I donβt travel to the city often. Even with the train, subway, tram, and buses we averaged 20k steps each day on our trip.
Paris
paris
Paris
Paris
Boston
This past weekend in Boston I used Bostonβs transit system and found it as easy to use as those in Europe. I was two stops from Fenway and used it to get to the airport with ease. Even still I averaged 14k steps over the weekend.
I live in a world with transit, but it is not practical from me. Last night at Loaves we had a bus drop off and pickup for a couple of clients and we have ride share clients as well, but the suburbs are car reliant. I was grateful for transit when I need it.
Next school restarts for another year, my twenty-seventh. Last night at Loaves and Fishes I ran into a fellow volunteer whoβs I daughter I had in my first class in August 1999. We reconnected a few years ago when I recognized her name in the Loaves and Fishes newsletter. Since then, Iβve run into other volunteers whose kids I had or were former students. Serving others is universal and it makes our world smaller.
Today is going to be a great day, but I am going to rely on my car and my feet to get where I need to go and be. So, Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Today could be a million and six times better than yesterday. Making the Days Count, one day at a time making time to move with a purpose.
Is there reliable transit available where you live? Do you use it?
This past weekend I completed one of my bucket list items – I made to Boston and Fenway Park to watch a baseball game and my thirtieth MLB franchise. I have been looking forward to this game since last season. It was a great weekend, and I watched all three games between the Hoston Astros and the Boston Red Sox before flying home Sunday night. It was a full weekend.
Boston Logan peaks at me through the clouds
Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the major leagues and has been used by the Boston Red Sox since 1912. The Chicago Cubs home Wrigley Field is the second oldest having been in use since 1914.
Every ballpark is different. Each ballpark has its own traditions and routines, but in the end itβs that brings us all together. All the fans I interacted with over the weekend were friendly and fun to talk with during the game. They knew the game and enjoyed baseball and were passionate about their team.
Singing βSweet Carolineβ is one of the traditions at Fenway. It is sung in the eighth inning, and it is sung with gusto. I remember learning to play βSweet Carolineβ in seventh grade band. I was so excited to play something fun and upbeat, and my trombone part included playing the tune, rather than in the playing in the background which many of the scores we played had for the trombone.
Where it began I can’t begin to knowin’ But then I know it’s growin’ strong
I didnβt last long in band and quit when high school started. Like many of my peers, I was drifting and wouldnβt really find myself or my place until my junior year.
Sweet Caroline Good times never seemed so good I’ve been inclined To believe they never would
I took an early flight to Boston and landed before noon. I had hoped to use public transit to get to the hotel but was confused and chose a ride share to get to my hotel. It wasnβt until I left Sunday that I realized my mistake! Next time Iβll get it right.
Boston is one of the oldest cities in America, but its history pales in comparison to the cities I had visited in Europe β London, Paris, and Amsterdam. I spent Friday afternoon walking the historical areas in downtown Boston before the game Friday. It was a lovely afternoon, perfect for walking and exploring.
the Boston massacre Memorial on the Boston Common
‘The Embrace’ a memorial the Martin Luther King, Jr and his wife Coretta Scott King
The 54th Massachusetts Memorial – an all black regiment with fought in the Civil War, led by Bostonite Robert Gould Shaw
Benjamin Frankin was born in Boston
the Old City Hall
the memorial to visitors of the Irish Famine 1948-49
the old South Meeting House where the ‘Good Trouble’ began the original ‘resist’ movement
the site of the Boston Massacre, memorialized
I had great seats for Fridayβs game β 7 rows behind home plate and on the aisle! There was a family behind me; the grandpa and I talked baseball throughout the game. Sadly, the Astros lost the game in extras 2-1, but it was the best game of the weekend.
the view from the ‘Green Monster’ the 37 foot high left field wall
pre-game view from my seat
the classic peanut photo….
And before I knew it, Friday melted into Saturday morning. Saturdayβs game was a 4:10 start and I wanted to arrive early enough to walk the ballpark and take it all in, so I decided to go visit the Boston Museum of Fine Arts which has a special exhibit I wanted to see.
Yes, you guessed it Van Gogh. The exhibit highlighted the artistβs work in the south of France in the last few years of his life. He painted a postal worker and his family while living in the yellow house. I enjoyed the exhibit very much.
yep, it’s me
the postal worker – Joseph Moulin
the famous bedroom
another Van Gogh selfie..
and another selfie with a selfie
Joseph Moulin’s wife, Augustine
another Van Gogh selfie.. they are all very different
Joseph Roulin, the postman
Augustine and her newborn daughter, Marcelle
Saturdayβs original plan was to go to the game directly from the museum, but I needed to return to the hotel before the game, and it worked out as I befriended a couple at the tram stop near the hotel. We ended up having a beer before the game.
I tried to connect with my favorite player, but was too late and batting practice was over when I arrived, but I did run into the Fridayβs eveningβs usher who recognized me and he exclaimed,
βYouβre back!β
to which I replied, βYouβre back, too!
And we laughed. The grandpa from Friday night had mentioned that he and the usher had gone to high school together and I mentioned it to the usher, and he said,
βYes, but he went to Harvard.β
I asked where he went, and he replied,
βWilliams.β
I smiled and Β I replied,
βWhich is better?β
and he replied,
βWilliams!β
And both we laughed.
Then I was off to Saturday afternoonβs seat. I decided to sit in the right field bleachers for Saturdayβs game. I found my seat and talked with the usher, Ed, about Fenway and baseball. It is always fun to engage with folks at the ballpark.
Saturdayβs game was fun, but like Friday my team ended up on the short side of the score 7-3.
Fenway is on the national Register of Historic Places and there are plaques and markers throughout the park
pre-game photo from my seat
scouting Sunday’s seat on Saturday
a great sign and good advice, and I love the colors of the wall it makes the sign standout, much like to colors in an art museum…
The game ended around 7 PM and I decided it was a nice evening for a walk back to the hotel.
Sundayβs game was an 11:35 AM start and I needed to cleanup, pack up, and checkout of the hotel before going to the game.
I was able to write a few postcards before checking out and taking the tram to the game.
I chose to sit along the first base side in the right field stands for Sundayβs game. I had scouted the seat Saturday and decided Β where I was going to sit the day before.Β There were two seats available β seats 12 and 13. I am funny about the number 13, so I chose seat 12. I also, thought (secretly hoped) no one would purchase seat 13. I was wrong, but the person who bought the ticket never showed up; nor did my team and they lost a third game in a row, 7-1.
another sign, filled with great advice
Sunday’s game view
another peanut photo for the collection
seen on the way out – we all have different name. An excellent 70th birthday gift for a baseball fan…
Sweet Caroline Good times never seemed so good I’ve been inclined To believe they never would, oh, no, no
Thatβs baseball. The season is 162 games long, which is a long time. The season begins in late March and finishes at the end of September followed by a month of playoffs ending in the World Series and a serasonβs champion. Itβs a long haul, much like my bucket list journey. It started with my first game in the 1970s and I added a second stadium in 1986, then a third in β87, a fourth in β88, and many more finishing in Boston. It has been fun; and Iβve enjoyed the travel, the people Iβve met, and the games Iβve seen.
a view of Boston Harbor on the way home…
Today is going to be a great day and it could be a million and six times better than yesterday. So, Iβd better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, looking back and savoring the experiences, but with an eye on the present.
Do you have a bucket list? If so, what is it?
“Sweet Caroline”
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who’d have believed you’d come along
Hands, touchin’ hands
Reachin’ out, touchin’ me, touchin’ you
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I’ve been inclined
To believe they never would
But now I…
…look at the night
And it don’t seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin’ runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holdin’ you?
Warm, touchin’ warm
Reachin’ out, touchin’ me, touchin’ you
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I’ve been inclined
To believe they never would
Oh, no, no
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Sweet Caroline
I believed they never could
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Written by Neil Diamond
a great sign and good advice, and I love the colors of the wall it makes the sign standout, much like to colors in an art museum…
Itβs Sunday morning and I am starting the day in the summer office. Itβs cool for the moment, but todayβs forecast calls for afternoon temperatures to reach a high of 93 (34C).
The Arizona weekend began with an early Saturday morning flight to Phoenix, renting a car, grabbing a bite to eat on the recommendation of a friend before finding the right spot for my βsignature pictureβ which I share with my brothers and a few friends. Itβs a silly picture, but fun.
St. Louis – July ’23
the first ‘bad picture’ Seattle – May ’23
on the way to Sunday’s game, Phoenix October ’23
I had to find the ‘right’ cactus, Arizona September ’23
My hotel was within walking distance to the stadium, and I paced myself in the heat. Chase Field has a retractable roof, the first of its kind when it opened in 1998. The roof was closed because it was 100 degrees (38C) late in the afternoon before game time.
The Astros won Saturday nightβs game 1-0 (nil) and clinched a playoff berth as did the Diamondbacks with a Chicago Cubs loss. I walked home and grabbed some tacos for dinner at the hotel.
Sunday morning, I woke early and planned the day. The hotel I was staying was architecturally cool. It was constructed in the 1930s and had been a bank before being converted into a hotel and legend had it that the penthouse was once inhabited by Alfred Hitchcock.
coffee Sunday morning in the hotel lobby…an impressive Art Deco building from the 1930s
I had a breakfast date with a fellow blogger, Ingrid from Live, Laugh RV: Our Next Chapter. She and her husband were originally from Chicagoland not far from where I love before moving west, then retiring and deciding to live the RV life. Ingridβs posts left yearning for travelling in retired RV lifestyle from one location to another while exploring and enjoying being outdoors. Her photographs were always stunning. It was wonderful to meet Ingrid in person, and we were never at loss for something to say over breakfast. After breakfast, we took an βussieβ and I headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready for the last game of the season.
Ingrid and I after meeting for breakfast, October 1, 2023
On the final day of the season, all baseball games begin about the same time Sunday afternoon. I arrived when the gates opened found my seat behind the Astros dugout in hopes of seeking out my favorite player, Maurico DubΓ³n.
Summer break, my annual audition for retirement began yesterday after I finished getting my classroom cleaned, organized (that might be a stretch), and stored for the summer cleaning and learning season.
most of my work is done on my mobile device, but I had to work with this one on my desktop…. a color vision is posted at the end of the post
This yearβs edition is seventy days long. It will be filled with family, grandies, travel, baseball, creativity, and dogs. I canβt wait.
TRAVEL and GRANDIES This summer my wife and I will be traveling to Europe for a two-week vacation starting in London, then Wales, back to London, then to Paris, and finishing in Amsterdam before returning home. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. This trip is similar to the one I took fifteen years ago to take my fatherβs cremains home, except this time we will return our step-mother’s cremains to where she wanted to spend eternity. Like that trip to honor my father, I plan to blog along the way.
seven months old and growing by the day… soon they will be crawling.
Summer would be summer without a few weeks as the lake. Β This year we will host our grandies for the first time. We are excited and looking forward to the summer with the family.
It has been a long time since my last post, rumors of my passing are greatly exaggerated as Mark Twain said or wrote. I havenβt been writing much, though Iβve had ideas and photos Iβve wanted to post, but I have been keeping up with other blogs.
from “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and Horse”
Since my last βrealβ post in August (Day 64 β Dog Days) Iβve gone back to school (twice), our grandies – a phrase copied/borrowed/stolen from Beth at Β I didn’t have my glasses on… -have arrived, and my wife has recovered from her hip surgery, and so much more.
Christmas Iβve been on break from school for the past week and the week has screamed past. I have been busy, and it was Christmas the first with our grandies. Our daughter and her dog have been home on break, too and it adds to the festiveness as well. We hosted Christmas Eve afternoon and attended Christmas Eve service, it was a good service with the traditional candle lighting and singing of βSilent Nightβ to close worship. I cannot sing ‘Silent Night’ without thinking of my last Christmas in wifeβs hometown ten years ago. For Christmas our daughter roasted the prime rib and for the first time ever, it was perfectly done even though it was almost an hour behind schedule. We enjoyed it at the table before exchanging gifts with our son, his wife and the grandies. I expect the coming week and New Yearβs will be as busy and pass as quickly as this past week had.
W^2 orΒ W squaredΒ for Wordless Wednesday, September 11, 2024
I am back at school, sort of.
It is good to be back at school. To be teaching and learning with kids and helping them see things from a new perspective. To have a schedule and do something productive. To be with colleagues who share your passion. To be growing with a purpose.
But sometimes you must be step back and take care of things at home. Since this past Monday, Iβve been at home taking care of things here. Itβs my turn to be the caregiver. Itβs hard. But itβs where I need to be. Forty years and almost thirty-three of them, married. I am thankful.
At school, my kiddos at school are in great hands. These are the same hands that took care of my kiddos when I had my second knee replaced in December 2018 and the same one who stepped up at 2 AM when my son had his motorcycle accident, five years ago. Sheβs been their countless times when I needed to be somewhere else, or when I was too sick to be at school. I am thankful.
Iβve been talking to her and hearing what my kiddos have been doing with her at school, while I am at home taking care of home. I am thankful.
This past summer was a whirlwind of sorts. heck, this past year!
summer’s last sunset (and a beer) Lake Margrethe, Michigan, August 31, 2024 8:03 PM
Summer finished at the lake with all of us – W, O, and B at the lake to close it down for the season. Thatβs the first picture. Continue reading W^2 β indecisive→
I could hear the gentle rain tapping on the roof this morning when I got up before Ivy. Yesterday the weather made a turn. Itβs cooler today after several days of warm, sometimes hot, muggy stillness of the dog days of August.
Later this morning, we will be going home. It is both exciting and bittersweet.
Ivy was a puppy when I first started blogging, now sheβs a senior dog, the senior dog. She doesnβt move like she once did, which is a blessing because I can remember many times trying to find her when she wandered away from the cottage and took off into the woods. Weβve learned a few things since those early days, but Fern is a lot like Ivy, but she will return when you call her. We have an Invisible Fence at home and both dogs know the boundary. At the lake weβve been using a training collar, but that doesnβt contain either of them, especially Fern who has been known to return home with a deer leg, or two. It is bittersweet watching Ivy age, but it’s heartwarming seeing how Fern interacts with her. (NOTE – edited, last sentence added after publishing)
Fern and her deer leg from our trip here in April ’24
Itβs Tuesday and time for another edition of Tuesdayβs Tune. A couple of weeks ago, I went home for a brief visit. Down Thursday, home Sunday.
the original ‘peanut photo’ taken June 2019
WARNING: While my trip how was brief, this post is not. Itβs a long read.
Home is Texas, Sugar Land, to be precise. Sugar Land is a town southwest of Houston, though itβs hard to tell the dividing lines between the two these days.
The stars at night Are big and bright Deep in the heart of Texas The prairie sky Is wide and high Deep in the heart of Texas
It was a business trip of sorts, my stepmother died in January after a brief illness. She would have been ninety, ten days ago on the thirteenth. When she died, in January, we sorted through her apartment Β and dispersed what remained of her belongings. In the end, I Β packed several boxes full of pictures, letters, family memorabilia and shipped them to her niece and nephew in England. What we couldnβt keep, we donated. I decided I wanted a cedar chest which had belonged to my paternal grandfather. At the time, I tried to have it shipped home, but I couldnβt find a cost-effective freight forwarder or another way to do it, so I placed it in the storage locker and planned to come back during the summer to pick it up.
Fly down, rent a car, and drive back. I wrote about the return trip, or at least a part of it last week in my W^2 β farming post.
There is a lot to process when you lose a loved one. Saturday was the fifteenth anniversary of my dadβs death in β09. His death, and my grieving, is part of why I started blogging in the first place. Therapy of sorts, I am work in progress. Continue reading Tuesdayβs Tune β Deep in the Heart of Texas→
