Category: Fun

Balls first…

When we were preparing for our retirement a few years ago we unloaded a lifetime of accumulations in a three day garage sale. We then downsized to a smaller home with a huge attic in which we placed a few boxes, a couple of shelves, and the Christmas decorations.  Next, we awaited the fulfillment of that ancient and time-proven prophecy…”stuff will accumulate to fill the space available” (or something like that). It’s happening now.

One aspect of retirement that rings true for most of the newly retired is that, like an empty attic, stuff will suddenly appear in one’s life in the space that was previously filled by one’s employer.  We call that stuff activity.

For Helen (adorable wife) those activities have included church, grandchildren, friends, flowers, and jigsaw puzzles. Thence came pickleball…

For the uninformed, pickleball is sort of like ping-pong or tennis played on a modified version of a badminton court. Players use paddles as racquets to move a wiffle ball back and forth over a net in an attempt to score eleven points and win a game. A detailed explanation of most things pickleball are shown on the graphic posted here. However, the graphic does not provide an answer to the question as to where the game (and the name) originated.

Pickleball was created by a family in Washington in the mid 1960’s. There are many stories revolving around the name, but the most popular is that the family had a dog named Pickles and that she loved to chase the ball around and hide it in the bushes after she caught it. Thus, they named their new game Pickleball.  Although the story is often disputed, players love the story as much as the game and they’re stickin’ to it. I’m told that pickleball is now the fastest growing sport in America.

Helen’s involvement in pickleball began when she was in the YMCA one morning in late winter and, as is her usual practice, looking for someone (anyone) to chat with.  She’s such a social animal. As she passed by the gym she spotted her first target.  Priscilla, a former neighbor was in the gym holding an oversized ping pong paddle and playing a game with three other ladies. Helen asked her to describe the activity, which Priscilla did, and then invited Helen to hit a few balls with her. 

Later, as Helen was relating her morning activities to me over the phone, she told me she had been overcome with a newly discovered passion and that she would explain when I got home. Well, not knowing what she meant, I drove home, fully expecting to find my personal belongings stacked neatly in the driveway, and the new “passion” seated comfortably in my recliner. Thankfully, such was not the case. The new passion was pickleball.

I need to provide a little background here. Helen grew up in a tennis family.  Her father was a devoted player throughout his adult life but her mother was a tennis legend.  She was an excellent player with a home full of trophies to prove it. At one time she was a ranked amateur player in the South in both singles and doubles. Helen played club and high school tennis and played it well, so her genes and her past probably helped to stoke the fire in her fingers once they were wrapped around a pickleball paddle.

Three months have passed since her introduction to the game and she rarely misses a match with her pickleball pals. She borrowed a paddle from the Y at first, but Amazon (and Visa) provided her with a new one soon after that. A new roving ambassador for the sport was now out and about trying to convert the unwashed. She started with me.

This week I was challenged to come out and hit with her for a bit before her playing partners showed up for the Wednesday morning match. It was a hot and sticky morning and I gave resistance at first, but soon relented and drove to the courts. Using a paddle from the YMCA we hit the ball a few times and it wasn’t long before I became aware that the game was actually easier than I thought it would be. I played tennis a lot in my youth and during my first assignment in the Army. I describe tennis as a hard game that looks easy, and expected this game to be much the same. But, with a smaller court, and a slower ball, it isn’t nearly as difficult. After getting used to those two elements, it’s all about a smidgeon of athleticism, and smattering of hand/eye coordination. I still have a little of both. After warming up to the game and loosening up the old bones, I reluctantly admitted to Helen that the game was a lot fun.

Soon, Abby and Anne joined us, but the fourth player had to cancel and I was asked to fill in. I agreed with the understanding that I would have to leave shortly to be at a meeting.  Helen and I played two games against Abby and Anne. We held our own at first, but these ladies were very good and we went down to defeat.  My male ego was not fractured, but I am hoping for a rematch nonetheless. More importantly, I enjoyed myself tremendously. As I left for my meeting, I found myself turning to Helen to ask “How much are those paddles”?

If any Easin’ Along readers are interested in having bunches of fun and getting some exercise, I encourage you to give pickleball a try.  Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can.

Eggs next…

As long as we’re on the subject of things pickled, I thought I would share one of my favorite summertime treats…pickled eggs.

Admittedly, they’re not for everybody, but everyone in our family loves them, including my beautiful daughter-in-law from Charleston who is a big fan. With the whole family coming home in a few weeks for a summer gathering I thought it was time to throw a batch together.

I use a recipe that I found long ago in a cookbook that was given to us as a wedding present.  The recipe is simple and calls for eggs, vinegar, onions, garlic, pickle beet juice, and pickling spice.  I modify it only slightly and instead of using all of the water listed in the recipe, I may add some juice from the jars of dill pickles, jalapeno peppers, or something similar because I prefer the eggs to be a little bit tangy.

For this batch, I peeled two dozen medium eggs.  I have learned to check the dates on the egg cartons because the older the eggs, the easier they are to peel for some reason. This batch was somewhat difficult however, but we got it done. After the eggs are peeled, it becomes a simple matter of throwing all of the ingredients together. I use a large dill pickle jar I found at Walmart and added the juice from two cans of beets; saving the beets in a refrigerated container (I love pickled beets too). Next go the eggs, then the vinegar, onions, garlic, and spices. I put the jar in a spare refrigerator we have in our garage, but I’m really not certain that refrigeration is necessary. I have a friend who leaves his eggs at room temperature.

That’s all there is to it. The most difficult part for me is waiting two weeks for the eggs to marinate to tangy perfection. For anyone interested, the original recipe is posted on the EA Facebook page.

That’s it for this week.  I’m going out to practice my serve so…I’ll be Easin’ Along. See you next week.

This week’s activity involved planning more activity.

Readers may remember that we launched Easin’ Along last August as we hit the road for an extended trip along the East Coast (see August and September 2015 posts of Easin’ Along).  Well, that trip was so much fun we decided that we would venture out on another trip this August – this time to the Heartland of America.

In earlier times, we had passed through St. Louis and Kansas City, but did not have the time to explore either one. I drove through Iowa and Nebraska once on my way to Jackson Hole where I spent a fascinating evening at a truck stop in Ogallala, NE but, once again, I was just passing through. I have never been to Minnesota, Wisconsin or the Dakotas and it was time to do something about that.

Taking that trip last summer taught us a lot about how to prepare for extensive travel by car. Without a doubt, the most important thing we learned is that you can’t do it all. When we were in the early portion of our trip we would try to take in every attraction we passed and punctuate those events with food and drink at every pub or restaurant that looked interesting. By the fourth day of a five week trip we had reached a saturation point. Nevertheless, America is a place of staggering beauty with a multitude of must see places along the back roads and byways so we knew we had to change our approach if we were going to make it to the end of the trail.

We decided somewhere between Beaufort, NC and Norfolk, VA that the best way to attack the problem was to study ahead of reaching the next stop and to pick out one attraction and one good spot for food and drink for each day.  That plan got us into a rhythm that carried us successfully through an incredible experience. Helen (adorable wife in charge of research) would read the travel books while I drove. She would pick out the activities for the next stop and then go to Trip Advisor for the restaurants. It worked like a charm. With that plan in mind she made a visit to the AAA Travel Office earlier this week and stocked up on all the books and maps she could carry.

Our plan for this year is to take off sometime in the middle of August and point Heidi (adorable wife’s car) in the direction of St. Louis, MO and work our way north from there.  Stops include Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Grand Forks, ND, and points in between all of those. Once we reach Grand Forks the plan is to go to Winnipeg then work our way back east along the lakes of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.  We will make our way through International Falls, Duluth, and Green Bay before we arrive at a destination we’re really excited about.   

As stated before, I am a retired Army officer and we have the wonderful opportunity to stay at guest lodging on military bases as we travel.  This year we have booked two nights at an inn operated by the United States Coast Guard on Lake Michigan known as Rawley Point at Two Rivers, MI. There is a lighthouse adjacent to the inn and both sit a few hundred yards off the shore. I have placed a picture below.  The setting looks very cozy and inviting. This stop should give us the opportunity to explore Green Bay and travel through Door County, WI where we expect to fill up on a bowl of whitefish stew.

After Rawley Point we need to be in Chicago where our home away from home will be the Great Lakes Naval Training Center for several days. As luck would have it, the Cubs will be in town for a series with the Giants and we were able to secure two tickets in the upper deck of historic Wrigley Field. Talk about excited…

So far we have nailed down most of the plan but we still have a way to go to get in final format.  Hopefully we will be able to work our way up to Mackinaw City, and over to Mackinac Island, but that portion of the trip is still a work in progress.

I have placed a picture of the map showing the details of the trip we have worked out up until now. That route is highlighted in yellow on the map.  As is evident, there are a few breaks in the yellow line and this is where we need help from Easin’ Along readers.  We would love to have your suggestions for places to visit and places to eat along the entire route and especially along the upper portion of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan from Chicago to Mackinaw City. We know there are some well seasoned travelers out there and we would be forever grateful for your input. I hope you will share your advice with us in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

We’re counting the days until once again…we’re Easin’ Along.

It’s been one of those weeks. I had to prepare for some meetings at the church. Helen (adorable wife) had been in Charleston with the grandchildren and left me with all the housework (just kidding). Other than that there wasn’t a lot happening and I needed some activity to report to the thousands of Easin’ Along readers eagerly anticipating this week’s post.

On Wednesday there was a report that a movie that is currently being filmed in Knoxville was planning to film a few scenes in Market Square downtown. The movie is titled “Dog Years” and stars Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, and Chevy Chase. As anyone could imagine our Scruffy Little City is all atwitter about this, so I thought I would drift up to Market Square to see if I could spot a few stars.

As a side note, there was a casting call for this movie several weeks ago and anyone interested in being an extra was invited to come to a shopping mall on a Sunday afternoon and apply. Well, I couldn’t resist an opportunity for my big show biz break so I went.  I was certain that they would pick me out of the crowd as a perfect stand-in for Burt.  The line was three hours long. When I got to the end of the line, the production crew took my picture and my phone number. They smiled and said “Don’t call us. We’ll call you.”  They must have lost my number.

Back at Market Square, the movie crew had moved on and the stars were somewhere else doing star stuff. I was disappointed to be sure, but I was also hit with a blast of blogger’s good luck. Today was the day for the Farmer’s Market on Market Square and the vendors were setting up for a big day.  It was a little early, but I thought I would hang around and see what would be in the offing. That decision produced a lot of fun.

There are three basic types of vendors at the Market. There are the produce farmers who bring in the fruits of their labor from the farms in the area. There are vendors who bring in food products to sell like baked goods, honey, sauces, and salsa are a few examples. Then there are the retail vendors (jewelry, clothing, art) who always have interesting wares. Each vendor has a space that is approximately 10’ by 10’ or multiples of that as one bakery there did on this day.

It was a bit early so I walked through the middle of the market to see what looked interesting.  I made a note of the large cookies being offered by one of the bakeries, and some great looking bread by another. I also noticed some beautiful beets and onions on display by a vegetable farmer. Later, when I looked at the picture taken I noticed that “beets” was misspelled on his sign. Oh well, bloggers need to spell beets not farmers, and I can assure this farmer that growing them pays better.

I took a seat at an iron picnic table at one end of the market and waited for the crowd to gather. A couple of street musicians that went by the name “Outlaw Ritual” were warming up nearby. The tip jar was empty, but the music was good. The tall tattooed lady playing the bass was really getting into her art. I gave her the name Tallulah…

My seat gave me a front row view of all the action going on at the fountain between Tallulah and me. Things were slow at first, but not long after I sat down, two little boys walked cautiously up to the fountain. Their Mom was standing to the side in rapt attention and very quickly, with no prompting; one of the boys ran headlong through the fountain – clothes and all. His brother followed. It was such a joy.  I took pictures as quickly as I could focus the camera and one of them is featured at the top of this post. The Mom was good enough to give me the boy’s names so, to Trip and Raylin, thanks for the show…I loved every minute.

By now the office workers and downtown residents were filling the market so I decided to walk through the crowd to see what was selling. Tallulah and her Outlaw were being splashed by a couple of energetic youngsters the fountain. They decided to go make music somewhere else.

I walked slowly back toward the other end of the market. Cookies seemed to be selling well and I decided that I better dive in before they were all gone.  I bought two large chocolate chip and two chewy ginger cookies. The ginger cookies smelled great and I couldn’t resist.  I got Bob the Baker to pose for the camera. He was kind enough to permit me, but he was being swamped.

 

 

 

Dogs aren’t allowed in the market unless they are marked as service animals or are small enough to be carried by their owners. Several service animals were around and well behaved but, there was one small Pomeranian that captivated everyone. I got his young owner to calm “Foxy” long enough to have his picture taken. It seemed that Foxy would have preferred an air-conditioned kennel over the hubbub, but his owner wasn’t ready to forgo the attention.

I arrived at the other end of the market. Tallulah and company had set up there and brought in another Outlaw to play the fiddle. Casting a quick glance at the tip jar, I determined that it would be a while before they took a lunch break.

The crowd was getting large and I wanted to make one more pass before heading down to the Tourist Bureau and the WDVX Blue Plate Special (featured in an earlier post). Passing by the bread vendor, I was eager to learn about a variety named German Lager Bread. I asked the pretty lady about it and she explained that it was a combination of wheat and rye which gave it a little firmer texture than sandwich bread. She spoke with a European accent that sounded German though I couldn’t be sure. However, I was sure that she knew how to bake bread and picked up a loaf. She was a little reluctant to have her picture taken, but in the end she was a good sport.  The bread was delicious.

Back at the fountain, the kids in bathing suits had taken over and were having a grand time, and I was sweating enough to consider joining them, but common sense prevailed.  Besides, I wasn’t wearing my best boxers on this day.

On either side of the Square the pubs, cafes, taverns, and craft breweries were opening (if anyone knows the difference, please tell me in the comments section below) and beer and burgers were being consumed en masse. I love a good brew, but never before five o’clock and that was still five hours away. Nevertheless, I noticed at least one rather large gentleman who may be on a schedule different from mine. I grabbed a quick snap of his T-shirt. You can be the judge.

 

 

It was time to go.  I hustled down to the Blue Plate Special in time to catch the second act and what a treat it was.  Normally, the Blue Plate Special features what is called “roots” music, meaning the music that is so prevalent in our area…country, folk, bluegrass, and southern gospel. On this day we would be treated to a group named the Anderson String Quartet who would open with a classical piece by Haydn. It was beautiful. The group consisted of the Anderson Family.  There was Mom (Lisa) who played violin. Mom was joined by violinists Lydia 15, Garren 14, and cellist Anna 11.  Their music was outstanding and I captured a short video which I posted on the Easin’ Along Facebook page. Please take a minute and check it out.

Well, I didn’t get to meet Burt or Chevy, but hopefully they put on some dark glasses and came through the crowd at the Market. If so, their day would end up being as lucky as mine was.

I’ll be Easin’ Along.