June 23, 1993: Astros vs. Dodgers
T1: Biggio K, Finley P6, Bagwell F9
B1: Butler 4-3, Offerman F8, E. Davis E5, Wallach 6-3
(Astros 0, Dodgers 0)
In the summer of our first married year, tbKMD and Dolberry travelled out to the Golden State for our California baseball trip. We flew into Anaheim on a Friday afternoon and caught two White Sox games against the Angels. They lost them both by one run.
T2: Caminiti 1-3, Anthony K, L. Gonzalez HR, Servais 6-3
B2: Snyder F9, Karros F7, C. Hernandez 6-3
(Astros 1, Dodgers 0)
On Sunday morning, we drove up I-5 to Oakland where we took in a 4-1 A's victory over the Royals then we headed back to our hotel which was w/in walking distance of the Oakland Coliseum to watch Game 6 of the NBA Finals which pitted the Suns (tbKMD's favorites) vs. the Bulls. That was the one where John Paxson hit a 3 point shot w/ 3 seconds left to give the Bulls the title. Thankfully, tbKMD is the sort of person who won't let something insignificant ruin a good vacation.
T3: Cedeno F9, Drabek 5-3, Biggio 2B, Finley 1B(2-4)
B3: Harris P4, Candiotti 4-3, Butler 1B(SB), Offerman BB, Davis FC
(Astros 2, Dodgers 0)
We spent Monday walking through the Muir Woods where tbKMD lagged behind alot, but Dolberry patiently waited for her to catch up ... gasping for air ... on the uphills. Dolberry was so cheery on that day I was singing "The Hills are ALIVEEEE w/ the sound of MUUUUUSSSSIIIC", until the park rangers came and asked me to stop. Maybe that was why tbKMD was lagging behind. That night we spent the coldest June night ever in Candlestick Park. You know you're in trouble when they rent blankets at a baseball game. The Giants won that one bringing home teams to 4-0 on our vacation.
T4: Bagwell F7, Caminiti 3U, Anthony F8
B4: Wallach 6-3, Snyder 2B(8-5), Karros F8
(Astros 2, Dodgers 0)
By Wednesday June 23rd, we were back in SoCal and headed over to Chavez Ravine to consume some Dodger Dogs from the upper deck of Dodger Stadium. Dolberry had gotten all the tickets in advance by phone or by mail and we generally went for the cheaper seats. We parked our rental car and we're walking up to the stadium when we were approached by someone leaving the stadium. He didn't look homeless, or scary, or like someone from the cast of Doogie Howser, M.D.; so we stopped. Turns out it was "Beach Towel Night" and he had only come to get his towel and he wasn't planning on actually using his 2nd row seats right down the first base line. So he gave them to us. Sweet.
T5: Gonzalez F8, Servais L5, Cedeno F7.
B5: Hernandez 4-3, Harris 2B, Candiotti E6, Butler SF7, Offerman 6-3
(Astros 2, Dodgers 1)
After a day at Santa Monica Beach, we headed down to San Diego for a 4 game set matching the Padres against the Reds. The Thursday afternoon game was the Padres' first after their infamous fire sale started w/ the trade of Gary Sheffield to the Marlins (for Trevor Hoffman, who worked out pretty well for them). The San Diego fans were not in good spirits on that day. Reds won 3 of 4 and Dolberry got one of his worst sunburns ever. Despite that I think San Diego is my favorite city in the world.
T6: Drabek P5, Biggio 1B, Finley K, Bagwell F8
B6: Davis 4-3, Wallach K, Snyder 2-3
(Astros 2, Dodgers 1)
This trip was the proverbial time of one's life. Too much fun. The Dolberry clan has decided to reprise this trip in the summer of 2010, w/ APD in tow this time. Can't hardly wait. Ideally, we'd be able to spend two weeks doing it and maybe work in Phoenix and Seattle but that might be a little ambitious. See this space for more details as they become available.
T7: Caminiti K, Anthony 4-3, Gonzalez F8
B7: Karros HR, Hernandez 5-3, Harris F8, Candiotti K
(Astros 2, Dodgers 2)
With all the recent new parks, I have only been to 8 still-active MLB stadiums. Here's the countdown w/in the countdown of my Top 5 favorites: 5: Coors Field (Rockies), 4: Safeco Field (Mariners), 3: Camden Yards (Baltimore), 2: Wrigley Field (Cubs), 1: Dodger Stadium (Dodgers). It is just a beautiful place. The sort of place that would be pretty even if there wasn't a baseball field there.
T8: Servais 6-3, Cedeno BB, Drabek Sac, Biggio 5-3
B8: Butler 3U, Offerman 1B (SB), Davis 1B (CS), Wallach HBP, Snyder K
(Dodgers 3, Astros 2)
The five parks I'd like to see most that I haven't been to: 5: Great American Ball Park (Reds), 4: Kaufman Stadium (Royals), 3: Fenway Park (Red Sox), 2: Petco Field (Padres), 1: PNC Park (Pirates). I doubt if any of those would pass Dodger Stadium, though. Watching the sun go down on a warm summer's day from field level w/ your favorite person in the whole world w/ that backdrop is about as good as it gets. And it got even better when the Dodgers blew the game in the 9th.
T9: Finley BB, Bagwell K, Caminiti 1B, Anthony HR, Gonzalez 1B(SB), Servais K, Cedeno F8
B9: Karros BB, Piazza 3-6-3 DP, Harris 4-3
Final: Astros 5, Dodgers 3
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, August 10, 2008
What I did on my blogging vacation (part 2)
Whoa, ho, I've been busy. Too busy to blog that's for sure. What have I been doing? Hmmm. Lots of stuff. Let's see what I can remember. Bear w/ me a bit, here.
Well, let's see, there was yesterday. Yesterday, I played softball. It was the State Church Tournament. 12 teams. We lost our first game, then won the next two, then lost the last one. I was 8 for 15 on the day which is about what I always do. It was a lot of fun, as always.
Before that ... I remember I worked a full week. That was tiring.
Before that ... we went on vacation to Emerald Isle w/ most of the Dolberry family. That was a lot of fun. Maybe even more than softball.
Before that ... I went to Colorado for work. That was fun and tiring. I drove into Rocky Mountain National Park which was a cool experience. If I was a better blogger, I'd have written about it and taken some pictures.
Before that ... we went to Louisville, Boone, and Evansville. It was really cool to see all the people we saw. Oh, and it was fun and tiring.
Well, let's see, there was yesterday. Yesterday, I played softball. It was the State Church Tournament. 12 teams. We lost our first game, then won the next two, then lost the last one. I was 8 for 15 on the day which is about what I always do. It was a lot of fun, as always.
Before that ... I remember I worked a full week. That was tiring.
Before that ... we went on vacation to Emerald Isle w/ most of the Dolberry family. That was a lot of fun. Maybe even more than softball.
Before that ... I went to Colorado for work. That was fun and tiring. I drove into Rocky Mountain National Park which was a cool experience. If I was a better blogger, I'd have written about it and taken some pictures.
Before that ... we went to Louisville, Boone, and Evansville. It was really cool to see all the people we saw. Oh, and it was fun and tiring.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Sayonara Sarasota (after 2009)
The Goodyear (AZ) city council approved $33 million to expand the spring training facility they're building for the Indians into one that will house the Reds and the Indians. This probably signals the end of our annual pilgrimage to Sarasota.
I know as a blogger I'm expected to bloviate knowingly that either Sarasota or Goodyear elected officials screwed things up royally, but I think only time will tell. Sarasota's mayor indicated that there was doubt on whether the Reds were just posturing ...
Dolberry is just a fan but it seemed clear from the beginning (2-3 years ago) that the Reds were looking to improve their position. I do think it was a good move on the part of the Reds. Ultimately, it will save them money, maybe enough for them to sign an extra early-round draftee or two next year. People in Sarasota are talking about maybe the Orioles moving into Ed Smith, but I'd give 50-1 odds on that ever happening. Peter Angelos simply isn't going to pay to play in a older, even if refurbished, park when other towns are paying teams to play in new stadiums elsewhere.
The Reds are pretty sure they'll be in Sarasota next year, but they have until August to exercise their 2009 option. I wonder how many years of cheesesteaks I can fit into that extra duffel bag I'll be bringing next year.
I know as a blogger I'm expected to bloviate knowingly that either Sarasota or Goodyear elected officials screwed things up royally, but I think only time will tell. Sarasota's mayor indicated that there was doubt on whether the Reds were just posturing ...
"There has been a feeling in the community that the Reds would not leave, that they were simply threatening the city of Sarasota and they weren't going anywhere," she said. "Well, now reality has set in. They are going."
Dolberry is just a fan but it seemed clear from the beginning (2-3 years ago) that the Reds were looking to improve their position. I do think it was a good move on the part of the Reds. Ultimately, it will save them money, maybe enough for them to sign an extra early-round draftee or two next year. People in Sarasota are talking about maybe the Orioles moving into Ed Smith, but I'd give 50-1 odds on that ever happening. Peter Angelos simply isn't going to pay to play in a older, even if refurbished, park when other towns are paying teams to play in new stadiums elsewhere.
The Reds are pretty sure they'll be in Sarasota next year, but they have until August to exercise their 2009 option. I wonder how many years of cheesesteaks I can fit into that extra duffel bag I'll be bringing next year.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Vacation Review - Spring Training 2008
Hey, as always, we had a great time on our Spring Training trip. For those that weren't there, here are the highlights:
Wed: There was a little anxiety getting ready for the trip as APD was sick, having missed school on both Monday and Tuesday. By Wed, he was feeling well enough to travel and apparently to infect perfectly healthy members of the traveling party (see Dolberry, Sunday). We had an easy trip down to Sarasota when the first of the more-than-usual vacation bugs bit ... I'd booked a different Comfort Suites than I had the past straight 5 years. Oh well, not a huge deal. Drove an extra 10 miles or so, but accommodations were just as nice. Also, I walloped APD and the beautiful KMD in our annual putt-putt game by an embarassingly (to them) large margin.
Thurs: Always fun to celebrate the beautiful KMD's birthday ... walking on eggshells all day not to mention a certain number (this year, 46); or use any of the following terms: "grizzled veteran", "retirement home", or "ol' lady". We picked up El Cueto and Grandma Cueto at their usual flea-infested hotel in Tampa and headed down to Sarasota for a Reds-Yankees game. APD got a ton of autographs: Eric Davis, Edwin Encarnacion, Dusty Bakey, Jeff Keppinger, and others. The Reds scored 6 runs in the first on an EE grand slam en route to a 12-8 victory. The picture at the top is from Day 1. We then retired back to the hotel (where there was another snafu upon registering) and had a lovely dinner w/ Angela and the Twins. Fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Fri: El Cueto had us out of bed at 5:15a to go play golf. It was the least fun round of golf I have ever played thanks to: a) my complete inability to hit a golf ball in the proper direction and b) a course starter who had apparently taken customer service training from a WWII German cable company. Dolberry thinks only Eliot Spitzer has gotten more grief on an recent investment than my $130 outlay to get scolded by a bitter Florida retiree. The game against the Pirates was far more pleasant. The Reds burst out to a big lead again on a Brandon Phillips bomb & we got to see Johnny Cueto (the next great starting pitcher) absolutely dominate 10 Pirate hitters over three innings. Got to meet our favorite Florida State House Democrat for dinner and APD had a blast playing w/ the Twins in the hotel pool (approximate pool temp ... 73 deg ... brrrrr.)
Sat: Dolberry had a weird episode in the morning packing hotel bags. My back locked up quite painfully. I guess it was a back spasm. It did get me out of carrying bags down to the car which was nice. Apparently, taking 126 golf shots in a 3.75 hour period can wear your back out. Then, we drove down to Ft. Myers to watch the Red Sox play the Marlins. Interestingly enough, Josh Beckett came out to pitch before, he too, was felled by back spasms. The Fish won 5-2 despite a Jacoby Ellsbury HR. APD got Hanley Ramirez' autograph which was very cool. We drove back to Clearwater that night and actually checked into a hotel uneventfully. Had shrimp linguini at the Bahama Breeze which I will mention more about in the Sun section.
Sun: Around 2a, Dolberry spent his first moments of 2008 Daylight Savings time participating in the fun experience throwing up a full plate of shrimp linguini. I bet I was one of the first Americans to vomit in Daylight Savings Time this year. So, I have that going for me. Of course, Dolberry's first thoughts were not for himself, but for the the annual Phillies game Philly Cheesesteaks I was planning to enjoy in less than 10 hours. I devoted myself to a cautious but arduous set of stomach-relaxing techniques to prepare my digestive system for the meaty bliss of a La Spada's cheesesteak. After watching BP in the outfield, and catching a ball thrown up by a shagging outfielder (the other kind of "thrown up"), we settled into our seats. BTW, it was extremely cold in Florida the last two days of our visit. Disturbingly cold. Colder than it ever has been in past vacations. Cold and windy. Cold enough, that I think the Florida House should do something about it. Of course, like all good blog entries this one has a happy ending. I ate one cheesesteak (they're even better when their warmth warms you) and then devoured another one a few innings later and I didn't get sick the whole 11 hour ride back to Raleigh. Dolberry has the strength of 12 men.
Great vacation as always. Due to the people we spent it with (excepting that starter), I give it 5 stars.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
What I did on my blogging vacation
Yo yo bloggafficianados, what is happening?!?
(awkward silence)
Right, this isn't an interactive medium. A little rusty here.
It seems we all have only a finite amount of energy to spend in a day. We make choices as to how we expend that energy. Obviously, Dolberry hasn't been investing his energy on the DCV (or any other blog, for that matter). Most of my energy seems to be going to work lately, which seems strange to say. Anyway, almost all of my projects are going well (i.e., almost finished), so hopefully that devotion will be on the wane shortly.
Also, I've been trying to get in shape. Have been exercising a lot and eating less, but I haven't dropped much weight. Think there's some sort of muscle-to-fat thing going on ... yeah, let's go w/ that. I did do an unintentional daylong triathlon on President's Day, running 3 miles at 9p on Sunday night, swimming 1 mile at 9a Monday, & biking 15 miles at 1p Monday. Anyway, this exercising thing seems to take more out of me than it used to take (and certainly more than the sitting I'd grown too accustomed to doing).
I've been following the election somewhat closely. Either way it turns out, I think we'll have a really good President. There are multiple good choices. I was thinking about making the DCV a purely political blog. Here's the sort of priceless witticisms you would get on a political DCV.
What else ... of course it's the time of year where I start to work (& it is work) on fantasy baseball preparation. I'm in a Diamond Mind league where the draft has started and we're only a few weeks from El Cueto's and Dolberry's O'Jimmies draft. So, over the next few weeks I'll be blogging on the upcoming 2008 NL season ... that way I'll be blogging and doing the necessary legwork to be ready for Rotisserie. In Michael Scott, terms that is a win-win-win. So, Atlanta Braves you are up tomorrow.
Anyway, I hope all you guys are doing GRR ... GRR ... GRRRR ... ate.
(awkward silence)
Right, this isn't an interactive medium. A little rusty here.
It seems we all have only a finite amount of energy to spend in a day. We make choices as to how we expend that energy. Obviously, Dolberry hasn't been investing his energy on the DCV (or any other blog, for that matter). Most of my energy seems to be going to work lately, which seems strange to say. Anyway, almost all of my projects are going well (i.e., almost finished), so hopefully that devotion will be on the wane shortly.
Also, I've been trying to get in shape. Have been exercising a lot and eating less, but I haven't dropped much weight. Think there's some sort of muscle-to-fat thing going on ... yeah, let's go w/ that. I did do an unintentional daylong triathlon on President's Day, running 3 miles at 9p on Sunday night, swimming 1 mile at 9a Monday, & biking 15 miles at 1p Monday. Anyway, this exercising thing seems to take more out of me than it used to take (and certainly more than the sitting I'd grown too accustomed to doing).
I've been following the election somewhat closely. Either way it turns out, I think we'll have a really good President. There are multiple good choices. I was thinking about making the DCV a purely political blog. Here's the sort of priceless witticisms you would get on a political DCV.
- The Democrats say they want to bring the troops home next year, but say that McCain is ok w/ them staying for 100 years. Now Dolberry is not a military strategist by any means, but I don't think those troops are going to be particularly effective when they're 125. I side w/ the Dems on this issue. Once you hit retirement age, you should be able to come home.
- I side w/ the Reps on this one, though. If I understand it, the surge isn't working because the goal of it was to buy the fledgling Iraqi legislature time to take the necessary steps to form an effective working government. Hillary said they've taken small steps, but they've haven't shown enough progress to warrant the U.S. staying there. Dolberry is just thankful that there's no stabilizing third-party basing their support to our country based on the productiveness of our representatives in D.C. (Roger Clemens hearings notwithstanding).
What else ... of course it's the time of year where I start to work (& it is work) on fantasy baseball preparation. I'm in a Diamond Mind league where the draft has started and we're only a few weeks from El Cueto's and Dolberry's O'Jimmies draft. So, over the next few weeks I'll be blogging on the upcoming 2008 NL season ... that way I'll be blogging and doing the necessary legwork to be ready for Rotisserie. In Michael Scott, terms that is a win-win-win. So, Atlanta Braves you are up tomorrow.
Anyway, I hope all you guys are doing GRR ... GRR ... GRRRR ... ate.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Why I'm posting more lately ...
One reason ... more T-giving food for me.
I noticed last year during the holidays that many of my conversations w/ assorted family members were shortened because of the advance notice on all-things-Dolberry provided by the blog. As a result, I was able to eat about 15% more than usual because of the less time wasted w/ unfilling small talk. So, w/ T-giving coming up (T minus 10 days), here's some additional Dolberry-related stuff. I will not be repeating these next week. Thank you for your consideration.
Dolberry has been very busy & has not had a chance to follow college football at all this year. I will not be prepared to talk at all about this next week, so there's no sense even bringing individual teams or games up.
I do expect to be able to follow college basketball though. That was really funny that UK lost to Gardiner-Webb. I will gladly entertain any conversations about how a team that lost to UNC by 53 last year could stomp UK at home. That is, as long as we're in line for more food. Not when I'm eating, please.
Work is fine. If you're a Republican, rest assured EPA is doing all that we can to ensure that all those aging hippies and wannabe Socialists don't ruin the American economy through some sort of sensible global climate change action. If you're a Democrat, rest assured EPA is doing all that we can to combat global warming by creating numerous and conflicting groups, divisions, and offices to design and promote sensible climate change action.
Softball is over. We won the championship. Dolberry will talk about this as long as you want. In fact, I'll go ahead and bring our scorebook. We can go at-bat by at-bat through our 15 game regular season and three-game tournament sweep. We can do this while the underlings are doing the dishes.
APD is fine. As far as I know, he will be available for questions. All he eats is bread anyway and he talks w/ his mouth full, so it's not really an issue w/ him.
I'm not on speaking terms w/ our dog, Cherish. I took her out for a run this Saturday over to the Lake. She ran about 0.25 miles than sat down and refused to take another step. Even a step back toward the car. I had to carry the stupid beast all the way back to the car. The beautiful KMD hypothesized that it was her dinner time and that she didn't feel like running as a result. Once home, she was running around like normal. BAD DOG!
The beautiful KMD is more beautiful than ever, but you'll be able to see that yourselves, so there's no sense going on about it.
I like lots of new music and bands, but I do not expect you to be interested in them. Rest assured, Dolberry is NOT interested in any new music, bands, movies, blogs, etc., that you may find interesting.
Dolberry has not followed the NFL much either. Certainly not last week or the first week of the season. No sense discussing.
If you have any other topics you'd like to pre-discuss in advance of the feeding frenzy, go ahead and post a comment. Otherwise, for your own safety, please do not get between me and the turkey. (Not Dad, the edible turkey.)
I noticed last year during the holidays that many of my conversations w/ assorted family members were shortened because of the advance notice on all-things-Dolberry provided by the blog. As a result, I was able to eat about 15% more than usual because of the less time wasted w/ unfilling small talk. So, w/ T-giving coming up (T minus 10 days), here's some additional Dolberry-related stuff. I will not be repeating these next week. Thank you for your consideration.
Dolberry has been very busy & has not had a chance to follow college football at all this year. I will not be prepared to talk at all about this next week, so there's no sense even bringing individual teams or games up.
I do expect to be able to follow college basketball though. That was really funny that UK lost to Gardiner-Webb. I will gladly entertain any conversations about how a team that lost to UNC by 53 last year could stomp UK at home. That is, as long as we're in line for more food. Not when I'm eating, please.
Work is fine. If you're a Republican, rest assured EPA is doing all that we can to ensure that all those aging hippies and wannabe Socialists don't ruin the American economy through some sort of sensible global climate change action. If you're a Democrat, rest assured EPA is doing all that we can to combat global warming by creating numerous and conflicting groups, divisions, and offices to design and promote sensible climate change action.
Softball is over. We won the championship. Dolberry will talk about this as long as you want. In fact, I'll go ahead and bring our scorebook. We can go at-bat by at-bat through our 15 game regular season and three-game tournament sweep. We can do this while the underlings are doing the dishes.
APD is fine. As far as I know, he will be available for questions. All he eats is bread anyway and he talks w/ his mouth full, so it's not really an issue w/ him.
I'm not on speaking terms w/ our dog, Cherish. I took her out for a run this Saturday over to the Lake. She ran about 0.25 miles than sat down and refused to take another step. Even a step back toward the car. I had to carry the stupid beast all the way back to the car. The beautiful KMD hypothesized that it was her dinner time and that she didn't feel like running as a result. Once home, she was running around like normal. BAD DOG!
The beautiful KMD is more beautiful than ever, but you'll be able to see that yourselves, so there's no sense going on about it.
I like lots of new music and bands, but I do not expect you to be interested in them. Rest assured, Dolberry is NOT interested in any new music, bands, movies, blogs, etc., that you may find interesting.
Dolberry has not followed the NFL much either. Certainly not last week or the first week of the season. No sense discussing.
If you have any other topics you'd like to pre-discuss in advance of the feeding frenzy, go ahead and post a comment. Otherwise, for your own safety, please do not get between me and the turkey. (Not Dad, the edible turkey.)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Hey, sorry I haven't blogged in a while
Not really that much to say ...
We had at lot of fun at the beach w/ the Burbach crew. The temps were nice & hot (at one point the heat index was a crazy 125F) & the water temps were pleasantly cool. And of course the company was nice.
I still feel great satisfaction upon tinkling in the newly restored toilet. More pride than I've felt peeing since I was two years old ... ok three .................. all right seven. Are you happy?
We were helping the beautiful KMD w/ the dishes tonight (a very rare occasion) & I was washing, Alex drying, & tbKMD was putting away. I was telling Alex how when we were younger, Aunt Kathy always washed, I dried, & Kristin put away. I said I thought drying was the easiest job. Alex agreed & then added why did you have the easiest job being the oldest ... implying my skills should have been applied in a tougher role. The beautiful KMD & I both laughed out loud.
Softball's started this week, but it's been a strange bummer. Our first opponent forfeited & the team we played tonight was the worst team I've ever seen. They had trouble catching the even the easiest pop flys. We scored 21 runs in only 3 innings before the mercy rule was invoked.
Hope all readers are doing grrrreat.
We had at lot of fun at the beach w/ the Burbach crew. The temps were nice & hot (at one point the heat index was a crazy 125F) & the water temps were pleasantly cool. And of course the company was nice.
I still feel great satisfaction upon tinkling in the newly restored toilet. More pride than I've felt peeing since I was two years old ... ok three .................. all right seven. Are you happy?
We were helping the beautiful KMD w/ the dishes tonight (a very rare occasion) & I was washing, Alex drying, & tbKMD was putting away. I was telling Alex how when we were younger, Aunt Kathy always washed, I dried, & Kristin put away. I said I thought drying was the easiest job. Alex agreed & then added why did you have the easiest job being the oldest ... implying my skills should have been applied in a tougher role. The beautiful KMD & I both laughed out loud.
Softball's started this week, but it's been a strange bummer. Our first opponent forfeited & the team we played tonight was the worst team I've ever seen. They had trouble catching the even the easiest pop flys. We scored 21 runs in only 3 innings before the mercy rule was invoked.
Hope all readers are doing grrrreat.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Holiday from Blogging
Hey, a lot's gone on since I last blogged ... here's a quick update:
June 1: Mom, Dad, Tim, Kris, & Mojo came in from Louisville for trip.
June 2: Went to Carowinds w/ TCC youth group. Much fun. It rained on us despite my assurances to all that it would not (for about three hours). Saw the Newsboys which is always nice.
June 3: Headed to Emerald Isle w/ the extended Dolberry clan. Caught up to the tail end of former Tropical Storm Barry. Swam in the pool in the rain. Ocean was a churned up.
June 4: Am sure we had fun on this day. Can't remember exactly what we did.
June 5: I'm gonna say we went golfing on this day. None of the golf was that memorable. APD and Sparky impressed at times. Scott & I hit a (curiously stupid) fish with our drivers.
June 6: Maybe we putt-putted and go karts on this day? I remember I lost at putt-putt. G'Ma won.
June 7: More fun at beach. I think I clinched the pool battle royale between KMD & I on this night. 3 nights to one.
June 8: APD and I made a cool sand stadium that got wiped out by a rising tide, despite numerous Dolberry forecasts that it would not.
June 9: Sad goodbyes to beach clan. What a great, relaxing, fun trip. Blow was softened by returning to a softball game. We only had 8 players and got pounded. I'm too out of shape to play OF in a 3 OF alignment.
June 10: First game of Apex tournament. We lost to #3 seed (as #2 seed) 14-9.
June 11-12: Two crazy days at work. Catching up from a week off & trying to prep for three more days away.
June 13: Headed out to Boulder/Denver for conference. Got to see Aunt Jane, Uncle Mike, and Jeannine, Shannon, and Michelle (and families). It was very hard to see Aunt Jane so sick. Was so glad to hear she was able to be returned to Louisville & hopefully will be transferred to a rehab center soon. As sad as it was to see Aunt Jane, it was equally happy to get to see all the (former) Fitzgerald cousins and their families. What a great group. I'm proud to be related to 'em.
June 14: My day to lead the conference and give two talks. Think it went well. Ate dinner in downtown Boulder. Boulder is always nice ... even the time I went out there for a job interview at NCAR and totally bombed the seminar I gave. Once the bombing was complete, I went and drove into the mountains which saved the trip.
June 15: Left Boulder at 3:15a local time to get back for our softball tournament that night. Plus, I was able to catch a show from a band that a YG member drums for. The key to good softball is waking up 2000 miles away, flying coach most of the morning, going to a smoky bar for loud music, than playing ball from 8-11p. I was 4-4 w/ two walks and flawless SS defense in two St Andy's wins (17-12 and 19-6).
June 16: Unfortunately, Catholic Blue team ran up against Baptist Blue and they beat us again. 9-6 this time. I had a chance to get us into a tie in the 5th, but flew out w/ 2 outs & a runner in scoring position.
June 17: Fathers Day was nice. I was treated to Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch & we had a TCC picnic that evening. Started to itch from poison ivy contracted presumably from yard work the day before.
June 18-21: Everything basically settling down. Over this month I applied for my own job and got it. So, I'll be switching over from NOAA to EPA sometime in July. It's only a slight raise, but is good to be actually working for the agency I've always done work for (if that makes any sense). The humorous bureaucratic thing is that I'll be on a 1-year probation (again) & they're doing a background check on me. I told HR that if there was anything worth stealing; I'd have stolen it already ... which they didn't think was funny. I itched profusely over these 4 days and moaned unceasingly to KMD and APD.
June 22: Went to doctor and got steroids. Immediate relief. Went swimming w/ APD and KMD. Very much fun. Hung out w/ some friends that night.
This weekend was fine. Went to Harvest Crusade w/ youth group. Other than that, just relaxed.
There! You are now all caught up on the tediousness that is Dolberry!
June 1: Mom, Dad, Tim, Kris, & Mojo came in from Louisville for trip.
June 2: Went to Carowinds w/ TCC youth group. Much fun. It rained on us despite my assurances to all that it would not (for about three hours). Saw the Newsboys which is always nice.
June 3: Headed to Emerald Isle w/ the extended Dolberry clan. Caught up to the tail end of former Tropical Storm Barry. Swam in the pool in the rain. Ocean was a churned up.
June 4: Am sure we had fun on this day. Can't remember exactly what we did.
June 5: I'm gonna say we went golfing on this day. None of the golf was that memorable. APD and Sparky impressed at times. Scott & I hit a (curiously stupid) fish with our drivers.
June 6: Maybe we putt-putted and go karts on this day? I remember I lost at putt-putt. G'Ma won.
June 7: More fun at beach. I think I clinched the pool battle royale between KMD & I on this night. 3 nights to one.
June 8: APD and I made a cool sand stadium that got wiped out by a rising tide, despite numerous Dolberry forecasts that it would not.
June 9: Sad goodbyes to beach clan. What a great, relaxing, fun trip. Blow was softened by returning to a softball game. We only had 8 players and got pounded. I'm too out of shape to play OF in a 3 OF alignment.
June 10: First game of Apex tournament. We lost to #3 seed (as #2 seed) 14-9.
June 11-12: Two crazy days at work. Catching up from a week off & trying to prep for three more days away.
June 13: Headed out to Boulder/Denver for conference. Got to see Aunt Jane, Uncle Mike, and Jeannine, Shannon, and Michelle (and families). It was very hard to see Aunt Jane so sick. Was so glad to hear she was able to be returned to Louisville & hopefully will be transferred to a rehab center soon. As sad as it was to see Aunt Jane, it was equally happy to get to see all the (former) Fitzgerald cousins and their families. What a great group. I'm proud to be related to 'em.
June 14: My day to lead the conference and give two talks. Think it went well. Ate dinner in downtown Boulder. Boulder is always nice ... even the time I went out there for a job interview at NCAR and totally bombed the seminar I gave. Once the bombing was complete, I went and drove into the mountains which saved the trip.
June 15: Left Boulder at 3:15a local time to get back for our softball tournament that night. Plus, I was able to catch a show from a band that a YG member drums for. The key to good softball is waking up 2000 miles away, flying coach most of the morning, going to a smoky bar for loud music, than playing ball from 8-11p. I was 4-4 w/ two walks and flawless SS defense in two St Andy's wins (17-12 and 19-6).
June 16: Unfortunately, Catholic Blue team ran up against Baptist Blue and they beat us again. 9-6 this time. I had a chance to get us into a tie in the 5th, but flew out w/ 2 outs & a runner in scoring position.
June 17: Fathers Day was nice. I was treated to Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch & we had a TCC picnic that evening. Started to itch from poison ivy contracted presumably from yard work the day before.
June 18-21: Everything basically settling down. Over this month I applied for my own job and got it. So, I'll be switching over from NOAA to EPA sometime in July. It's only a slight raise, but is good to be actually working for the agency I've always done work for (if that makes any sense). The humorous bureaucratic thing is that I'll be on a 1-year probation (again) & they're doing a background check on me. I told HR that if there was anything worth stealing; I'd have stolen it already ... which they didn't think was funny. I itched profusely over these 4 days and moaned unceasingly to KMD and APD.
June 22: Went to doctor and got steroids. Immediate relief. Went swimming w/ APD and KMD. Very much fun. Hung out w/ some friends that night.
This weekend was fine. Went to Harvest Crusade w/ youth group. Other than that, just relaxed.
There! You are now all caught up on the tediousness that is Dolberry!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
APD's Outer Banks Trip
Taking a break from the countdown to briefly describe APD's 4th grade OBX trip. Thanks to KMD's dedicated service throughout the year, I was fortunate enough to be a chaperone.
We met at his school at 6:15a Thursday and got on a really nice bus.
1st stop was at Fort Raleigh. Very interesting site. The colonization of America didn't get off to the best of starts.
2nd stop was Roanoke Island Festival Park. That was really cool. The kids got to "work" as if they were part of the first colony. They worked on a ship, w/ a blacksmith, & learned some dances.
3rd stop was Jockey's Ridge State Park which is a series of tall natural sand dunes. It had been raining all day & was about 59 degrees, so there was some doubt as to whether the kids would be able to do this part, but we went ahead & did it. Because they didn't want sand in the kids shoes, we all did it barefoot. The kids loved it & I got off my best line of the trip, remarking to another chaperone (re: the barefoot slogging uphill in a steady, wind-driven, cold rain) ... "This isn't a field trip. It's a hazing." Ha. I'm pretty funny.
After that we went to Pizza Hut (no link, I'm supposing you've seen one at some point) and retired for the evening at a church's gym. The kids played basketball & rollerskated from 8-10p, then crashed for the evening. Sleeping on a basketball floor is something I can going another few years w/o doing again. We ended the day w/ a really nice talk from his teacher about how God had blessed these kids w/ so much and it was up to them to do something w/ those blessings. It was powerful. The second best part was after that when APD's teacher (who is outstanding) was on his last frayed nerve after all day w/ that many 10 yr old boys & 10-15 minutes of mayhem in the dark said "the next one that talks of gets up is getting the air let out of his air mattress." That quieted them down.
On Friday, we started out at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It had stopped raining, but was still cool and very breezy. At the top of the monument hill, it was probably sustained 30 mph which the kids loved. There were pictures taken. One of me & APD, if it turns out, I'll post it. Pretty cool up there as you can see the Atlantic and the Sound. The museum itself was solid w/ a really nice presentation. The kids got to run along the paths of the first four flights. APD was able to beat the plane on it's first three flights.
The last stop was in Washington NC at the North Carolina Estuarium. It was cool. Featured a museum and a nice walk along the Pamlico River. We saw a muskrat and some baby ducks.
We ate dinner at a Golden Corral & got back home at 8p. (In time for me to get to a 9p softball game where I threw two runners out from LCF, but we lost.) It was just a really special time to watch APD as a member of this big group of kids. He cares so much about his friends. It's cool to watch.
We met at his school at 6:15a Thursday and got on a really nice bus.
1st stop was at Fort Raleigh. Very interesting site. The colonization of America didn't get off to the best of starts.
2nd stop was Roanoke Island Festival Park. That was really cool. The kids got to "work" as if they were part of the first colony. They worked on a ship, w/ a blacksmith, & learned some dances.
3rd stop was Jockey's Ridge State Park which is a series of tall natural sand dunes. It had been raining all day & was about 59 degrees, so there was some doubt as to whether the kids would be able to do this part, but we went ahead & did it. Because they didn't want sand in the kids shoes, we all did it barefoot. The kids loved it & I got off my best line of the trip, remarking to another chaperone (re: the barefoot slogging uphill in a steady, wind-driven, cold rain) ... "This isn't a field trip. It's a hazing." Ha. I'm pretty funny.
After that we went to Pizza Hut (no link, I'm supposing you've seen one at some point) and retired for the evening at a church's gym. The kids played basketball & rollerskated from 8-10p, then crashed for the evening. Sleeping on a basketball floor is something I can going another few years w/o doing again. We ended the day w/ a really nice talk from his teacher about how God had blessed these kids w/ so much and it was up to them to do something w/ those blessings. It was powerful. The second best part was after that when APD's teacher (who is outstanding) was on his last frayed nerve after all day w/ that many 10 yr old boys & 10-15 minutes of mayhem in the dark said "the next one that talks of gets up is getting the air let out of his air mattress." That quieted them down.
On Friday, we started out at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It had stopped raining, but was still cool and very breezy. At the top of the monument hill, it was probably sustained 30 mph which the kids loved. There were pictures taken. One of me & APD, if it turns out, I'll post it. Pretty cool up there as you can see the Atlantic and the Sound. The museum itself was solid w/ a really nice presentation. The kids got to run along the paths of the first four flights. APD was able to beat the plane on it's first three flights.
The last stop was in Washington NC at the North Carolina Estuarium. It was cool. Featured a museum and a nice walk along the Pamlico River. We saw a muskrat and some baby ducks.
We ate dinner at a Golden Corral & got back home at 8p. (In time for me to get to a 9p softball game where I threw two runners out from LCF, but we lost.) It was just a really special time to watch APD as a member of this big group of kids. He cares so much about his friends. It's cool to watch.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
DCV Top Bands of the 80's: #8
#8 The Police:
My favorite memory of the Police was when the Dolberries all loaded into the Volare sometime during the summer of 1983 to drop Dolberry! off at the Naval Academy for some summer program while the rest of the family vacationed at Ocean City. I do not remember why I went along w/ this idea. Anyway, I had a decent enough time in Annapolis. I got some good brooding in while listening to U2's amazing War album on my walkman while running around the Naval Academy's track from which you could see Chesapeake Bay. I also had some fun learning about coastal engineering w/ sand dunes and stuff in the USNA wave tank. Very cool. Anyway, I probably would have gone to the Naval Academy but for three reasons: 1) the call of the Billiken, 2) I was pretty sure that I'd never get the hang of that strange thing the cadets have to do w/ their shoes whenever they turn a corner, and 3) I think you needed a Congressional letter of recommendation & we were Larouchies at the time. Anyway, from what I've gathered over the years, the rest of the family had a miserable time at the beach w/o me, and vowed never to be away from me ever again. This summer were all going to the beach as a family and so far no one has signed me up for Camp Lejeune, though I'm going to grip the door handles tighter this time as we pass. As they say ... fool me once ...
What does this have to do w/ The Police? I'm getting to it.
If you've been a reader of the DCV since day one, you'll know I was once upon a time a great countdown buff. Now, I hardly ever count stuff down (at least not quickly). 1983 was the golden era of countdowns & somehow I was able to talk Mom & Pop into constantly scanning the radio to see which song would be played the most during our car ride. Looking back, I can't imagine how annoying this must have been ... to listen to 5-10 seconds of every song before searching for another one. It certainly appears to indicate some guilt on the part of the parental units in dropping their only son off at military school while they went to the beach. The most-played-song contest came down to two songs: the horrific Sergio Mendes ballad "Never Going to Let You Go" and (here comes your payoff) The Police's "Every Breath You Take". As we entered into Kentucky heading west/home on I-64, EBYT was trailing by two plays, but aided by better knowledge of which stations were likely to play the Police and staying away from Mendes-favoring stations, Dolberry was able to engineer a victory for Sting, Stuart, & Andy.
The Police had a lot of great songs. "Roxanne" is pretty good, but if you've never had the pleasure of listening to it w/ accompanying falsetto from Dolberry, you haven't experienced it in full. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" was always a Trinity cross-country favorite which was sung when someone would try to run too close to you in practice. I love the fact that the Police were able to work this guy into a song so seamlessly. "Synchronicity II" was a pretty amazing song as well ... as the lyrics to that one pretty much summed up how I felt every day fighting the traffic home in Chicago.
Another working day has ended
Only the rush hour hell to face
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race.
Sting's solo career was sort of a disappointment for those of us who enjoy rocking out on occasion. Guess he was doing was he wanted to be doing though, so bully to him. Hope their reunion tour goes well this summer. They're playing at Churchill Downs at some point. I guess Louisville has Giacomo to thank for that.
Best Songs: Every Breath, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Message in a Bottle, Synchronicity II, Roxanne
Worst Song: After a while I got tired of "King of Pain", but it was ok.
My favorite memory of the Police was when the Dolberries all loaded into the Volare sometime during the summer of 1983 to drop Dolberry! off at the Naval Academy for some summer program while the rest of the family vacationed at Ocean City. I do not remember why I went along w/ this idea. Anyway, I had a decent enough time in Annapolis. I got some good brooding in while listening to U2's amazing War album on my walkman while running around the Naval Academy's track from which you could see Chesapeake Bay. I also had some fun learning about coastal engineering w/ sand dunes and stuff in the USNA wave tank. Very cool. Anyway, I probably would have gone to the Naval Academy but for three reasons: 1) the call of the Billiken, 2) I was pretty sure that I'd never get the hang of that strange thing the cadets have to do w/ their shoes whenever they turn a corner, and 3) I think you needed a Congressional letter of recommendation & we were Larouchies at the time. Anyway, from what I've gathered over the years, the rest of the family had a miserable time at the beach w/o me, and vowed never to be away from me ever again. This summer were all going to the beach as a family and so far no one has signed me up for Camp Lejeune, though I'm going to grip the door handles tighter this time as we pass. As they say ... fool me once ...
What does this have to do w/ The Police? I'm getting to it.
If you've been a reader of the DCV since day one, you'll know I was once upon a time a great countdown buff. Now, I hardly ever count stuff down (at least not quickly). 1983 was the golden era of countdowns & somehow I was able to talk Mom & Pop into constantly scanning the radio to see which song would be played the most during our car ride. Looking back, I can't imagine how annoying this must have been ... to listen to 5-10 seconds of every song before searching for another one. It certainly appears to indicate some guilt on the part of the parental units in dropping their only son off at military school while they went to the beach. The most-played-song contest came down to two songs: the horrific Sergio Mendes ballad "Never Going to Let You Go" and (here comes your payoff) The Police's "Every Breath You Take". As we entered into Kentucky heading west/home on I-64, EBYT was trailing by two plays, but aided by better knowledge of which stations were likely to play the Police and staying away from Mendes-favoring stations, Dolberry was able to engineer a victory for Sting, Stuart, & Andy.
The Police had a lot of great songs. "Roxanne" is pretty good, but if you've never had the pleasure of listening to it w/ accompanying falsetto from Dolberry, you haven't experienced it in full. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" was always a Trinity cross-country favorite which was sung when someone would try to run too close to you in practice. I love the fact that the Police were able to work this guy into a song so seamlessly. "Synchronicity II" was a pretty amazing song as well ... as the lyrics to that one pretty much summed up how I felt every day fighting the traffic home in Chicago.
Another working day has ended
Only the rush hour hell to face
Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race.
Sting's solo career was sort of a disappointment for those of us who enjoy rocking out on occasion. Guess he was doing was he wanted to be doing though, so bully to him. Hope their reunion tour goes well this summer. They're playing at Churchill Downs at some point. I guess Louisville has Giacomo to thank for that.
Best Songs: Every Breath, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Message in a Bottle, Synchronicity II, Roxanne
Worst Song: After a while I got tired of "King of Pain", but it was ok.
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