SA Times – Page 34 – rakeeter.com

Set point

Tuesday evening we got to enjoy one of the best volleyball matches we’ve watched since Abigail started playing. The opponent was Lubbock Coronado and the match was played in Tascosa’s Old Main (original) gym. The Mustangs took the first game 25-16 and the Rebels had to work hard to get it that close. The Mustangs didn’t play with a lot of power but it was difficult to get anything past them. They just made fewer mistakes the first game. The second game the two teams played neck and neck until Coronado started to pull away. Chloe went on a run with her serve and the rest of the girls started backing her up. Chloe, if she gets going, can dismantle a lot of teams but not this one. She was hitting zingers but they were digging them out so it was a team effort to win the point. The Rebels pulled back even and then away for a solid win. It came down to the third game and neither team had any quit in it. It went back and forth until the Rebels opened a lead and got to 24. The Mustangs had a hitter of their own and she got her team to 22 before the Rebels put them away. Fittingly it was an Abigail set for a Chloe smash that finally sealed the win. They had been running that successfully throughout the match, in fact all season. Abigail had several smashes of her own. She’s learning to use her height to good effect. Since one of their teammates was called up to the A team, Abigail doesn’t come out of the game and I think that is helping her to improve. She’s getting pretty good in all phases of the game. Continue reading “Set point” →

Drip

by rakeeter

Although it dripped quite a bit this week, it did rain at time for the place to accumulate nearly two inches of much needed moisture. Combined with the cool temperatures, it was a beneficial wet spell. There was speculation over the last six or more weeks of dry weather whether the grass would green up again if it got some rain. The answer is yes, yes it did. I think I’ll mow in the coming week. The grass in most places is tall enough. Maybe that will be it for the season. Continue reading “Drip” →

Rain, finally

by rakeeter

We have been dry as a bone on SA for going on two months, but that changed Saturday afternoon, thanks to Kari. It always rains when she tries to have a party, especially a birthday party. It was Li’l r’s birthday party that triggered the deluge. Six or seven little girls showed up anyway and the puppy-themed party, originally planned for outdoors, was confined to the house. Joyce, Barbara and I were invited and we braved the shrieking for some hotdogs and cake. I think the little devils, uh, angels enjoyed themselves. At least it sounded like they did. Kari was wise to limit the time to 4-6. When it came time for parents to pick up their children it was raining still so Chris stationed himself at the gate and called Abigail when a parent drove up. Abigail and I teamed up to escort each little girl under an umbrella so that they were delivered to their parent reasonably dry. We have learned to avoid letting people drive down to the house, especially when the ground is wet.

Saturday morning Joyce, Barbara and I attended the Wildcat Bluff Nature Center fundraiser. It was a cooking competition among half a dozen local restaurants. The chefs were supposed to use at least some ingredients that might be found at the nature center, such as wild plums, prickly pear leaves and/or fruit, lizards and toads, and so on. The neighbors and the Lopez clan also came so our family had a pretty good showing. We were expecting small samples but were presented with entrees. I paced myself to I could visit each booth and sample everything. The chefs really outdid themselves and their offerings were delicious. Oh, some appealed to different tastes better than others. Chris liked the roast dove but I found it too gamey. There were pork ribs, grits, biscuits, gelato, jalapeño thingies, and some very tasty deserts. I tried to find out what was in the various dishes but I don’t remember much of what I was told. I do remember I liked everything I tried. There was a panel of judges that awarded a trophy to the winner they selected and the attendees also voted on their favorite. This was the first fund raiser of any kind for the Bluff since the hiatus and the weather was cool and a little rainy. Nevertheless, we had a good crowd and, hopefully, raised a little money. I suspect I am not the only one encouraged to visit the restaurants represented there. I plan to seek out even the establishment serving coffee. These are people trying to get a coffee shop going and maybe they’ll offer a good alternative to the chain stores.

Joyce and Rebecca weren’t there when I got home Friday evening. They had gone to fetch some dinner and returned about the time I emerged from a much needed shower. The rest of the Zbindens were in Lubbock watching Abigail and her mates demolish the Lubbock Coronado team. I spent the week on a tramp that took me to Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Parks. It was a good trip. Everything fell into place and the attractions met expectations. I will expand on this in a coming post.

Trip to Garland

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It was hotter than blazes in Garland when we visited the Wylies, et al, and thus we hunkered down under the AC, mostly. We did, however, attend the funeral of Joyce’s friend Joyce Johnson. Mrs. Johnson had cancer and it finally got the best of her. While Joyce had attended one or two black funerals, it was my first. The presiding pastor announced it was a homecoming celebration rather than a time for mourning, or some such thing. Like the air conditioning in the small South Dallas church, the PA system didn’t work very well. There was a large and participatory group of celebrants. Recently there has been a black couple attending the church service Joyce and I go to and I’ve wondered how they felt among a congregation of palefaces. At this funeral, the white folks could be numbered on the fingers of one hand but I didn’t feel as though I stood out, even though I’m sure I did. Anyway, there was a lot of back and forth between whoever was speaking and the attendees. The piano player was imaginative and enthusiastic, and though she meandered around, I think she stayed in the same key. Continue reading “Trip to Garland” →

Labor(less) Day

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Friday evening the neighbors had a weenie roast. The guests were Abigail’s volleyball teammates and their parents, at least some of them. The occasion was, well, there wasn’t one. Kari said each family is supposed to host a “dinner”, which means there will be a lot of dinners since there are 12 players. Kari drew the short straw, I guess, and had to go first. It was really a nice evening. There were some clouds in the west that kept the sun off early on and the evening was comfortable, just about right for an outdoor get-together. Another mother organized the whole thing and people chipped in with drinks and dishes, so Kari didn’t have the whole thing on her shoulders. Joyce and I showed up for hotdogs and left when it was smores time. Continue reading “Labor(less) Day” →