Sunday, June 26, 2016

Vacation in Alabama

After missing softball playoff games the past 2 years due to family vacations, we pushed for an earlier trip this year.  Initially, we planned to head north to hopefully have slightly cooler temps, but schedules didn't quite work out.  So the plan became Alabama in June, and we were ready to face the heat and humidity.  Except that the heat and humidity mostly didn't show.

Our schedule went something like this:  eat breakfast, read a while, visit the pool, eat lunch, read, visit the pool, eat dinner, fish, read, bed.  Quite relaxing.

On the fishing front, I caught a few sun fish using a cane pole.  I'm still squeamish when it comes to hooking the worm and unhooking the fish.  Maybe when I'm older it won't be so scary.

The champion fisherperson in our family was Clara.  She caught a pretty decent sized catfish.  Thankfully, Grandpa was there to pull the hook out it's mouth.
 The pool was a bit chilly.  On most days, we had to swim around to stay warm enough.  Or jump in and out.
 Clara and especially Janny are interested in bugs now.  At home, they catch fireflies.  On vacation, the best bugs to catch were willow flies.  They come in swarms in shady areas (especially the trees near the pool), fly very slowly, and don't bite...
 And often drown in the pool.
 Clara and Janny really enjoy being in pools, but they can't swim like cousins Ricky and Enoch.  Hopefully by the end of summer, they'll make some good progress.

 This is as close to an infinity pool as I've been in.  Note the Tennessee River in the background.  I had planned to swim in the lake, just so that I wouldn't feel like such an urbanite.  But I never actually got in.
Finally, TCBC softball continues to struggle this year.  Our record is now a grim 0-5.  A possible explanation is that we've lost too many quality players in the last few years.

That may be true.  But I dare you to doubt us.  Even if nobody believes in us, we'll still believe in ourselves.  We have the heart of a champion because we are the defending champions (I have the wind breaker that says so in my closet).  We know how to win when it's all on the line.  We are TCBC!!!!!

And now I must go kill some Japanese beetles.