Rainy Day Bowling

It's been raining in Southern California for the past few weeks.  Unfortunately, my garage flooded and I lost some items I won't be able to replace but I am thankful for what I have.

On this rainy day, I thought it would be a good idea to go bowling and have some fun.  I haven't been bowling for years and I figured it would be a nice place to be since it's a place where people are always smiling.  There's no crying in bowling, I suppose.  Even if you bowl a gutter ball, it's no big deal and the more you can laugh at yourself, the more fun you will have.  Because really, the sport is silly and there is no way you can be serious playing.  Don't get me wrong, there are some serious players out there but on this night, it was all for fun.

I scored over 100 which was a personal record for me, I think.

Spokane, Washington And A Trip To The Lake

I traveled South from my bear free campsite to visit my friend Cat who lives in Spokane.  Cat and I have known each other for a few years now so each time I see her I know it will be a nice and relaxing time.  On this day, she had a group of friends that were going to the lake for the day so I was lucky enough to be here to participate.

I met another online friend, Kari who supplied the boat for the day of fun.  There was waterskiing, wakeboarding and for me, I ventured out for a ride on the tube.  Well, it's more of an inflatable circle mattress with handles to hold on for dear life, which I did.  Lucky for me, I didn't get bounced off of it.  I yelled out to the group on the boat to take it easy on me since I have, "limited health insurance."  Thinking this would be the ticket for an easy ride, the group yelled back, "you, and millions of other Americans!"

I survived the tube and took a back seat on the boat to capture others having a good time.  The weather was hot, the sun was out and the water was surprisingly not too cold.  To finish the day off, Cat coordinated a shrimp boil with the other women at a beautiful cabin owned by a few of the ladies in the group.  I felt very fortunate to be a part of this fun and special day.

On top of it all, Max had his very first boat ride!  He wasn't too thrilled about it or walking on the moving pier.  I took his kennel on the trip so he could hide away if he wanted.  He's not much of a water dog but I think he did have fun with Cat's dog, Bella.

I will be exploring the area for a few days to see what NorthEast Washington has to offer.  I look forward to sharing it with you.

The Long Beach Roller Derby

In the midst of getting ready to leave to drive around the country, I thought it was a good idea to get out for some local entertainment, or how the derby describes it is, "girl on girl traction."  Lucky for me, the Long Beach Roller Derby was having their second bout so I had to go watch this exciting event!  I missed the opening night since I thought it would be ok just to show up.  Big mistake.  For the second time, the event sold out.  I learned my lesson and bought the tickets early.

When I arrived, the line to get in was pretty long.  I snapped pictures of the crowd and this little girl caught my attention.  She was so interested in the roller girl, but hiding behind her parents as she watched her skate away.

The moment I walked in the door, I knew I was in for a fun night.  They had vender booths, food stands, and live music to entertain the crowd as we waited patiently for it to begin.

I walked around the rink and searched for a spot to sit down.  Once the announcer made it clear that it was ok to sit on the floor up to the red line, that's exactly where I went.  I sat on the corner of the red line on the floor next to the seats of the players.  I think I grabbed the best seat in the house, outside of the players seats.

I really didn't know what to expect but I have to say it was fun even though, for the most part, I didn't know what was going on.  I caught up with some of the rules as the night progressed and if you can't follow along, it's ok...you'll still have fun.

I enjoyed taking pictures of the women playing and a part of me was nostalgic watching them out there.  I played college basketball and coached women's basketball after college and I miss the comradery of being on a team. It's so nice to see these ladies out there having a great time, and looking especially put together while doing it.

If you've never been to a roller derby bout in person, I would recommend it.  It's fun for the entire family.  I bet afterwards, you will want to dust off your quads and give roller skating another try.

I have too many photographs to show here...for more of my photographs from the night of roller derby action, click HERE.

Thank you for the fun night ladies!  I hope you are not too sore today.