Sleepover

On Monday, Jamie wanted to invite his friend, Parker, over to play. When we called, we learned that Parker already had plans. Jamie was bummed so we put on our thinking caps and came up with an even better plan...invite Parker over on Tuesday to play and sleepover.
Parker came over after lunch and both boys immediately put on their blanket sleeper PJ's (the one's with the feet in them!). I sent them out to play and they came in after a few minutes saying that it was too hot to play outside. Yes, it was warm but I suggested that they might be more comfortable outside if they had on weather appropriate clothing (ie: take off the PJ's). They took the PJ's off and went back outside in only their underwear!!! Gotta love boys!! They eventually put on clothes (shorts & t-shirts) and played until we went to the Center for Restorative Programs annual picnic. Diego & Alonzo were at the picnic so Jamie & Parker had lots of fun playing tag and running around. They were ready for stories & bed when we got home. They put their PJ's back on but as soon as they crawled into their beds, the PJ's came off again. It took them a while to settle down, but that's what sleepovers are all about, right?

Dodgers take Third

The baseball tournament continued on Thursday evening, with the Dodgers first facing the Rockies. Both teams played well and the Dodgers won, 12-6.

We played the Yankees next and the Dodgers came out on top of another close one, 12-11. On the other field, the Phillies were taking care of the Blue Jays, setting up a semi-final rematch between the Dodgers & Blue Jays.
The Phillies were another stacked team, compiled of what seemed to more than their fair share of older & bigger kids. They were undefeated in regular season play and were the team to beat in the tournament.

The Dodgers had a practice on Friday afternoon and the boys all decided to show some team solidarity & spirit...they decided to shave their heads into mohawks and dye their hair blue for the game against the Blue Jays on Saturday. Jamie was so funny, after I shaved his mohawk, he just could NOT get enough of himself. He was posing and admiring himself in the mirror. When I pulled out the camera, he could not stop making silly faces and posing!!

We got up this morning, before his 9:15am game and sprayed the temporary hair color into his hair. It takes a LOT of dye to color black hair! Jamie talked Bill (Dodgers head coach) into coloring his hair too.

When we got to the field, most of the boys had done the blue hair color but only a couple others were brave enough to do the mohawks. Still, it was very cute and we got lots of fun comments from the other teams & parents.

team photo
back row (L-R): Coach Solomon, Cole, Jared, Coach Bill
middle row (L-R): Case, Zachariah, Jamie, Jordan, Andres, Enrique
front row (L-R): Isaac, Blake, Jason

Pizza party at SLV Pizza Company

So, let me just say that both the Dodgers and the Blue Jays played an excellent & exciting game. My frustration with our LOUSY Parks & Rec department continues to grow, however, and it's a shame that the kids got a bum deal. EVERY game of the regular season and tournament has been played at Sunset Field. Today's games were played at Lee Field. The bases at Lee Field are 5 feet further (total base path is 20 feet longer!) than they are at Sunset. In other words...Sunset Field is set up for Little League, while Lee Field is set up for adult leagues. WHY???? Why, in the name of baseball, did the idiots in charge decide to move today's Little League games to an adult field at Lee Field????? The kids from both teams were thrown off by the larger infield and by having the outfield further away. It was reflected by the increased fielding errors and also in base running. At Sunset Field, a hit into the outfield is a guaranteed double...not so at Lee Field.
And then there's the whole scoring thing...they limit each team to 5 runs per inning...UNLESS your team is behind, then you can score enough runs to lead by one. So, the Dodgers scored 5 runs in the top of the 1st inning (with NO outs!) and had to come off of the field with two runners still on base. The Blue Jays come up and they are allowed to score 6 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. We would've only been allowed to score 5 runs in the 2nd inning, which would only give us a four run lead. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!! Theoretically, this has been the scoring policy all season but when we tried to get it to work in our favor during a couple of regular season games, we were told that we were wrong. Again...the idiots at work!
It's a mute point, however, because the Dodgers failed to score 5 runs in the 2nd inning. The Blue Jays scored their 5 runs in the 2nd inning, although we did have to remind the umpire that they had reached their five run limit. We scored 3 more runs in the 3rd inning and then had to plead with the umpire to end the game and not let the Blue Jays needlessly run up the score (AGAIN!) in the bottom of the 3rd inning. We lost to the Blue Jays, 11-8.
Bill & I have discussed, several times over the season, the scoring policy. There just has to be a more fair way to do this. I am going to do some internet research, probably just for my own good, because the idiots at Parks & Rec don't listen to any ideas that might be helpful. They are quite belligerent that way, which infuriates me even more! No, they are very content to make up their own STUPID rules and expect everyone to follow them without questions.
Enough of my ranting...I do have serious issues with our Parks & Rec department. But, the kids all did great! They played hard and they had fun, which is the most important thing, especially at this age. The Phillies outlasted the Blue Jays in 5 innings, 6-2, capping off a perfect season.

Creede Theatre

Yesterday, I went with my P.E.O. sisters to Creede. Creede is one of the little known treasures of the San Luis Valley. It is a beautiful place, located in the San Juan Mountains, plus they have an extraordinary theatre that is world renowned. The Creede Repertory Theatre is a professional theater company and each summer actors/actresses come from all over the US to perform 7 to 10 different plays in repertoire. Bill & I used to buy season tickets and go to every show but haven't gone since Jamie came along. I had forgotten how much fun it is to see live theater and also just how great the productions at the Creede Theatre are. We had our monthly P.E.O. meeting at Sharon Meyer's cabin (between Creede & Lake City) and then we came back to Creede to shop and attend The 39 Steps, a Hitchcock spy-thriller spoof. It was amazing!!

(photos from CRT's facebook page)

If you are visiting the SLV in the summertime, a visit to the Creede Repertory Theatre is a MUST!!

Tournament Time

The Alamosa Little League tournament started on Tuesday. The Dodgers were the 3rd seed going into the tournament and played their first round game against the Pirates. I felt sorry for the Pirates because they didn't win one game all season but was happy that Jamie's team advanced to the second round of the tournament. Their second game was against the Blue Jays, a team that they had lost to twice during the regular season. The Blue Jays are good, seemingly stacked with big, athletic boys. I think they have more than their fair share of 9-year-olds on their roster. The Dodgers played them hard and close but were not able to pull off the upset. The loss put the Dodgers into the losers bracket and they will play again on Thursday night.

The team donned their "rally caps" and did have a late 4th inning rally but it was not enough to fend off the mighty Blue Jays.

The game was closer than the scoreboard makes it appear. For reasons beyond the control of the intelligent spectator, the Home team (Blue Jays) was allowed to bat in the bottom of the 4th inning, even though they were already winning, 4-2. The IDIOTS that make up the "rules" for this league hold fast to the determination that each game will last for 3 innings and/or one hour. Apparently, after 3 innings, we had not yet hit the hour time mark so we played the 4th inning and the Blue Jays were allowed to come back for the bottom half of the 4th inning and run up the score with 5 more runs.
Great way to encourage good sportsmanship, right?
Yet another point of contention I have with our local Parks & Rec department!!!
(...don't get me started...)

Oh Brother...

My brother came up to visit before we had to head back to Alamosa. We hadn't seen him since Christmas break and he looked different with all the fur on his face. He looks good but, apparently, I can not have my photo taken without closing my eyes!

me & Owen

me, Owen & my mom

4th of July

I found out on Saturday that my cousin, Esteban, was in Albuquerque from Los Angeles so we met at Satellite for coffee and conversation. It was a random happening that we both were in ABQ at the same time...I miss seeing my cuzzy bro!

We did the "traditional" cook-out for lunch, burgers & hot dogs. Bill was the grill master and he had the FULL attention of both Brandi & Ginger.

Brandi was clearly FOCUSED on the plate of meat!

Bill caught a little nap after lunch while Jamie & I went to Toys 'R Us to spend the remaining balance on his Christmas giftcard. We went to Gram's for dinner, her neighbors were hosting a block party with a cook-out and tons of food.

Esteban, hanging out with the little girls in the pool

We got back to my mom's in Rio Rancho in time to walk over to the mesa and watch the Balloon Fiesta field fireworks.
It was a lazy, relaxing day.

Happy Birthday USA!

Happy Independence Day from Albuquerque, NM!

I've been in NM since coming back from the reunion. The original plan was to catch a ride to Farmington and meet Bill & Jamie there for a volleyball tournament on the 3rd. We couldn't get enough people to commit to a team so we made other plans, which included Bill & Jamie coming to Albuquerque for the 4th and to pick me up. It just happened that the Isotopes were also in town so we decided a night at the ballpark was in order. I have many fond memories of going to this ballpark, back in the day, when the Albuquerque Dukes were here. The Dukes were my first baseball experience and why I fell in love with the game. They were the AAA team for the LA Dodgers and I've always been a Dodger fan because of this. (It's really hard to be a Rockies fan and a Dodger fan at the same time, especially when they are both in the NL West.) My brother also worked for the Dukes in the late 1990's so I've always felt a connection to the Dukes. The owners sold the Dukes in 2000 amid controversy over stadium renovations and such and Albuquerque was without baseball for 2 years. A new AAA franchise, affiliated with the Florida Marlins, moved into Albuquerque in 2003 and the city was going to build them a brand new stadium. Long story, short...they ended up renovating the Dukes stadium, which is what the former owners wanted to keep the Dukes in town. Boo! Anyway, the team name came from an episode of the Simpsons (of all things!) and in 2009, they became affiliated with the Dodger's organization. So, basically, after all of the hassle...it's the Dukes with a new name and a renovated stadium. This was the first time I'd been back to the stadium since before the Dukes left. I miss being able to drive into the outfield area and setting up a grill for a cook-out while watching the game, that was such a unique experience. That area now has berm (grass) seating and a pretty elaborate kid's play area. It's a nice stadium, comparable to the newer spring training parks in the Phoenix area, but I just can't wrap my head around the "Isoptopes"! We had a fun time at the game, though, and the fireworks afterward were awesome. After the fireworks, they let the kids run the bases. Jamie had a blast with that!

the stadium

berm seating...where we once used to be able to drive in & park to watch the game

pretty sunset

the NM version of the Milwaukee Brewer's Sausage Race

(salsa, taco, red chili & green chili race)

advertising a Dukes Retro Night with induction of Tommy Lasorda to their Hall of Fame

(this made me happy!)

amazing fireworks

crossing home plate

Bad week for tires...

Bill was supposed to drive down to Albuquerque on Friday night after he & Jamie got home from their 3-day camping trip. When he called at 8:00pm on Friday night, I knew they weren't going to make it.

On their way to the campground on Wednesday, he ran over a screw and got a flat tire. He changed the tire, using the little donut spare tire. Coming home from the campground on Friday, he ran over a pair of pliers (seriously??) and ruined the donut spare. He was out of cell range and Tony, who had also been on the camping trip, had left in front of him. Bill & Jamie walked to the next campground and talked to a woman camping there who let them borrow her truck to take the first flat tire into Monte Vista for repair. So, when he called me on Friday night, they had just gotten home from their adventure.

Now, the dilemma is...trying to either find a place to buy another tire to fit on the donut rim OR find a place to buy a rim, buy new tires for the Pilot and put one of the old ones on the new rim to use as a spare. And, the trick has been to find one of those options available on a long holiday weekend. So far, we've not had any success. Wal-Mart had nothing and the tire stores in Alamosa were closed on Saturday. Bill drove to Albuquerque on Saturday and got in at 5:30pm, after the tire stores here were closed.

I don't know what I imagined when Bill told me he had run over a pair of pliers, but this certainly was not the picture in my head! O. M. G!!

Gregory Family Reunion

I just spent the past week with my mom, traveling to Oklahoma to attend a family reunion. The Gregory's are my mom's mom's side of the family and, although I have done some genealogy research, I have little information about this particular branch on my family tree. Bill & Jamie were not able to go because of other commitments. We stopped in Amarillo and picked up my niece, Shelby. She is 12 but is already a teen-ager, for all practical purposes. I think she had fun but is too cool to actually admit it! We stayed at my uncle John's house in Ada and drove down to Lake Texoma on Saturday for the reunion. About 30 people showed up for the day and they are already talking about doing it annually and possibly making it a three-day event. I hope so because I'd like to bring Bill & Jamie next year, they would have a blast!! It was fun to meet cousins and spend a day together at Steve & Melissa's lake house.

Let's talk about this lake house...OMG! It was like a museum with all of the antiques and such! And, right on the lake with a boat dock. Amazing! Shelby and I devised a plan to hide out in one of the closets (there was totally enough room!) and just stay there!! There was lots of yummy food and, later, they took a couple of the boats out on the lake for some fun. It was too windy to do any skiing or wake-boarding, which would've been cool to watch, but we did go swimming when we got back to the dock. I was amazed at the water's temperature. Unlike any lake in Colorado, the water was not cold at all...it was very comfortable and felt really, really good on such a hot Oklahoma day!

mom, checking out the old photos in one of the bedrooms

barber chair in one of the bathrooms

one of the hallways

some of the Gregory's sitting on the deck

the back of the lake house

the boat dock

Shelby & me with boat hair!

on the lake

mom, Shelby, me, aunt Jean, uncle John

Like I mentioned, I do not know much about my Gregory line. My mom's mom was the daughter of Mack Gregory and Georgia Moore Gregory. Georgia died when my grandmother was six years old. Mack remarried Annie and had more children...this reunion was mostly for the Mack & Annie descendants. I have been researching my genealogy for some time, hoping to find the link to my Native American heritage. My family history is full of rumors of Native American ancestry but, so far, I have not found any documented proof. My great-grandmother Georgia was supposedly a full-blood Choctaw but, since she died of tuberculosis at a relatively young age and since Native Americans were not recognized as citizens, there is no information about her. At the reunion, everyone kept saying stuff like, "oh yeh...grampa Gregory married the Indian woman that died of tuberculosis before marrying our grandma." I did get some information at the reunion, though, that hints of a possible Choctaw link with Mack Gregory. I need to find the information I have and see where that tidbit fits in. I want to be able to enroll with the Choctaw tribe as that is the tribe that Jamie will be enrolled...I think it will be neat to have that connection!