May 18, 2010

Batter Up!



Last night we took the in-laws to Arlington to see the Texas Rangers play the LA Angels. It was the first professional ballgame they had ever seen. It was a good game with a close score but the Rangers pulled it out. We had great tickets, courtesy of Hubby's cousin who works there. We were on the lower level, behind first base. When Hubby told his mother to watch out for fly balls, she thought he was kidding. None came directly at us, but they were being caught all around us. My plan was to hide behind the big guy in front of me if one came my way.

My little pocket camera is a bit slow anyway, and more so when it is zoomed. I almost got a photo of a home run being hit, but as you can see, what I got was the batter leaving the box. My camera is also blurry when zoomed.



Hubby would like to visit every ball park in the U.S. when he retires. I guess we're getting an early start, we've already been to three: The Ballpark in Arlington (or whatever it's name is this year), Kansas City, and St. Louis. Four, if you count the old stadium at Arlington. We each have a tradition at the ballpark. Hubby eats nachos and I eat a hot dog. You'd think watching young, healthy athletes would inspire us to eat veggies and lean meat, and if they sold veggies and lean meat at the ballpark..... um no, I'd still eat a hot dog. So far Kansas City has the best hot dogs and Arlington has the worst.

During the slower moments of the game, I shopped the stands for son-in-law material. Talk about slim pickins! I can see why Brownie and Lil are still single. There were several guys in front of us I will call mullet guy, weird hat guy, and tattoo guy. They were either betting on the ballgame or on how long it took the people around them to run them out of the park. Mullet guy was wearing an Athletics shirt with "McGwire" across the back. I don't know who he was rooting for, or if he was even rooting for either team. He wore dark sunglasses the entire night even though it had been raining until just before the game started. And the purpose of wearing sunglasses after dark is what? Weird hat guy had a knit hat with a bill, worn backwards of course since we were facing the sun. Tattoo guy was actually the normal one of their group, or was until his fourth or fifth beer.

A group of guys on our row were the instigators of the "Let's Go Rangers, Let's Go" chant and the wave (although they never stood for it). Their leader was wearing an orange bandana on his head and red plaid shorts. He seemed to be single. No surprise there.

People watching is always so entertaining.

When we got home, I glanced into the backyard and saw something just as Hubby pulled up to the garage.

"Back up!" I yelled.

He jerked the car into reverse and hit the gas like a gang of terrorists were coming after us. "What?!!" he asked, looking around.

"Look, it's an owl on the candelabra," I said, fumbling for my camera.

"Good grief," he said in exasperation, "just an owl?"

By the time I got the camera out and turned on, the owl flew away. I thought it was pretty neat. It's the first Great Horned Owl I've ever seen, and this one was perched in our backyard.

Until next time, may you have blessings and entertaining evenings,
Marti

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