That's
the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to
Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball.
~Bill Veeck, 1976
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
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| We couldn't miss capturing Bryce Harper. Kinda makes me feel old that some baseball players are now YOUNGER than my kids. How did THAT happen? |
Baseball is indeed magical - making friends of sisters.
Only at baseball games can we eat burgers and fries, sausage dogs with onions and peppers, peanuts and cotton candy, wash it all down with Coke (in a souvenir cup) and not feel one bit guilty.
Sadly, despite perfect weather the day was less than perfect. Noticeably absent was daughter #1 who was not yet on spring break and couldn't miss her Friday classes to join us for our day trip. I also couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the spring trainings of years past. This was just our second time since we started our Spring Training tradition (16 years ago?) that we haven't spent the night at Grandpa Ned and Grandma Aurel's house and the second time we haven't taken one of them to a game with us.
Historically, our family would take in one game and then we'd spend the night at the Mack Bed and Breakfast. The guys would leave mid-morning for game #2 while the girls would say behind with Grandma and play cards, go shopping, ride around in the golf cart or, if the weather was on our side, take a swim in the pool at the clubhouse.
For so many years, this trip defined our spring. Sadly, time has taken it's toll. Grandpa is no longer with us, Grandma isn't making the trip to FL and able to say alone, and the kids' college schedules don't mesh. We've seen the last of spring break trips as a family visiting grandparents - and I'm not exactly taking the change well. Kevin leaving home was difficult enough. This trip, while fun, only seemed to magnify the changes our family is undergoing.
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| Cherishing the time we have left with the girls before they fly the coop. |
Oh my friend, I SO understand! I'm late to the party (as usual), but sending you waves of empathy and support! Some of us seem to just be wired to feel these changes, while some folks don't even seem to observe them. For those of us who feel it, it seems like there's a little bit of mourning in every trip or get together when our kids hit this age. Joy, too, of course-- in being together and doing things we love to do... but still with the bittersweet... xoxo!
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the baseball pics! Look at the colors, the sunshine, the "summertime" and "home" of it all!
Micki, thanks for empathizing. The emotions have all been a bit more intense than I expected them to be.
DeleteYou know, I dream of some day meeting up with you all for a Spring Training game - Sox vs. Cards would be ideal.