Surviving the "Revival"

It was some party. Things ran pretty much without a hitch.

Everyone who registered showed up to play. The "cookie brigade" came through like gangbusters, the cookies were a hit, and the extras went to club on Wednesday night (where they disappeared).

I don't know about anyone else, but I loved having a masseuse on site. Got the first game running and treated myself to a massage while the players was busy and I was not. It was nowhere near long enough, but still a nice reward after the long push to get the tourney up and running.

Lots of nice feedback this week while I was doing the wrap up chores. Even managed to get caught up on my sadly neglected cardbox.

WPA vs. WVA coming up soon, but most of the details are already handled and my co director there is a pro. Since the group is small, we should both get to play as well as direct.

And then, on to Dayton ....

"High Noon"

is the name of this variety of tree peony that is growing in my back yard. It is a delight to the eye, and it smells good too. A couple of unpromising looking twigs when I planted it several years ago in December, this spring it had sixteen blossoms and is finally large enough to fill the space I planned for it. Now I can put ferns and hosta under it, and the nice little plant community I originally envisioned will be real at last.

Spin, crash, and burn

Third year in Charleston, WV, where I began my tourney career. Good to see the "old familiars" and meet some new folks. Took as many opportunities as I could find to talk up the approaching Pittsburgh event.

Saturday: 7-1 and leading the division after eight games. Played pretty well with adequate (but not stellar) racks. Probably donated the last game to my opponent out of fatigue. Felt like I'd been digging ditches all day when the games were over.

Sunday: 0-4 to finish out of the money. No awful losses, just a combination of cranky racks, foggy (sleep deprived) brain, and the kind of drawing that hands you the Q, the last S, and the last blank as your last draw from the bag with nowhere on the board to do much with them.

Back to studying and practice, but I'll be wearing my director's hat for the next event and sharing other folks highs and lows vicariously.

Going for three in a row

Won my division at last weekend's Richfield, OH tourney on spread.

Won the small (unrated) tourney run by one of our club regulars yesterday on games.

Unfortunately, while I was in the library yesterday winning games, some yoyo was out in the parking lot putting a major ding in my car. It will probably cost more than both weekend's winnings to repair it ....

Looks like I'll have to do well and pick up some more money at the Charleston, WV event this coming weekend.

Running amok with the camera

Got rained on and bug bit, but I had beautiful weather to shoot at the ocean, and two overcast days to shoot at the swamp.








Wood Storks conversing



A Willet in the surf





Cypress knee

Cottonmouth sun bathing


Releasing a newly banded warbler


and .... (drum roll please) green air (yesssssss!)

Visitors at the park

The nice weather yesterday sent me off to the park with my camera. Where I found a flock of Canada Geese on a rest stop during their northern migration.

One antidote to Interstates

My son and I will soon be driving to Florida to visit my mother, a trip we make several times a year. It's an 800+ mile drive that we do in two days, and most of it is on interstate highways at 65 or 70 miles an hour. Since Eli doesn't drive, he's in charge of keeping the driver alert. And although he's pretty good at that, the road still gets old.

However, there are compensations. This time of year we will be driving into spring as we go south. When we come down out of the Blue Ridge into North Carolina everything will be green and blooming. And by the time we return to Pennsylvania, spring will have arrived here as well.

And then there is the chance to stop at Francis Beidler Forest (^) in South Carolina, (both coming and going if I can manage.) It's such a relief to go from 70 miles an hour to a walking pace in a place where the air smells good, the sounds are soothing, and no one is in a hurry. On our return trip I have scheduled a five hour window to go to the swamp early in the morning with my camera and take pictures of whatever presents itself to intrigue my eye. Several of the staff will be mist netting and banding Prothonotary Warblers, there might be otters, and if I'm very lucky I'll come home with a picture of "green air."