Sunday, July 20, 2008

Yankee Stadium



If you grew up in the 50's and early 60's there were only half as many major league teams to root for as there are today. The only TV games were on Saturdays billed as "the game of the week". I don't remember who the play-by play man was but I do know Dizzy Dean was the color commentator and he really added color to the game. There is no one like him today. It seemed to me the game of the week meant the Yankees were playing.
If you were a young kid back then playing in the back yard or the playground as the game was starting, you yelled out which major leaguer you wanted to be. In my neighborhood the first name usually called was "Mickey Mantle". If you weren't first then you had to be someone else. And then some other Yankee, "Yogi" or maybe "Roger" would probably be called out. Regardless if you picked someone on the Yankees you had chosen a real good player. Probably a Hall-of-Famer. Most guys I knew dreamed of playing for the Yankees or at least seeing Mickey hit one out of the park to win another World Series.
In the early 60's I had the pleasure of seeing the Yankees play a double header in Kansas City and number 7 hit three home runs. This summer I finally got around to going to a game in Yankee Stadium. We got there via the subway about 3 hours early. After walking around the outside and seeing several players arriving at the park, we sought out a place to eat before entering the stadium ourselves. We were guided by a security person to the Yankee Tavern about a block away. Like most everything in that part of the Bronx it was old and a little rank, but the food and drink were good and plenty. One of the above pictures is a mural from inside the tavern. Our seats were high down the third base line near the foul pole. You can see the pole in one of the pics. It was cap night for the first 1800 through the gates and I think we were in the first 18. Up to 45 minutes before game time you can parade through Monument Park where many of the former Yankee greats are immortalized. We took our turn along with several thousand other folks. This is the last year they will play in this old Stadium that Ruth built so that makes the trip even that much more special.(Click on collageto enlarge)
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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Blueberry Pickin' in Maine

Don't forget to click on poster for an enlarged view.
It can get pretty hot in Maine in the summer and the last few days were just that. Muggy, high 80's, no AC except a dip in the lake. Fortunately, a fast moving front blew through last evening and today was a bright shiny day, cool and breezy. Where to go, what to do? The suggestion of a hike had us packing the knapsack and off to Streaked Mountain near Paris. This peak isn't that high, but it pays off big time with great westerly views of the White Mountains after a short hike through the woods to granite outcrops. The problem today was that the magnificent view had to compete with a mountain covered with blueberries at every step. We were prepared and had our berry picking pails on neck strings. The heavy winter snows and a wet spring produced a bumper crop. Now our problem is should we make a pie, a cobbler, muffins, pancakes, a buckle or just keep eating them by the handful's? There's still plenty out there, so we'll just have to get more.
Then there is an exciting follow up activity; CEOFT - Checking each other for ticks.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Evan's Hike on Mt. Washington

On July 2, 2008 Grandma, Papa, and Evan hiked the Alpine Trail to Tuckerman's Ravine Trail and on to the summit, then along the Nelson's Crag Trail back to our car. Mt. Washington is the highest peak in New England and is known for the worst weather in the world. We lucked out and had a wonderful day for hiking. This video was created and narrated by Evan and edited by Carol June. Senior director was Papa.