NBA Finals: Game 1

Time for the NBA Finals. A review as seen thru my eyes.

Prelude: Ahhh, my favorite part of game 1. Dinner at Sea Island. I had the fried catfish and shrimp, Sandy the sirloin & grilled shrimp. Washed down with a nice, cold beer. Point of interest: going to dinner the freeway was typical rush hour bumper to bumper, snail paced traffic. On the way home there were only 10 or 12 cars the entire way.

1st Quarter: After a 7 day layoff between games, I showed a little rust. While the Spurs & Cavs were sluggishly going back and forth, so was I. I went upstairs and fired up the laptop. Dohhhhh, I forgot my Diet Coke, so back down for the soda and then back up. Ohhh, I forgot a snack. Down & up again. Answered a "Go Spurs" pm from Allie and then jumped into the Forums.

Key Play of the quarter: Managed to eat my snack without having to share with the dogs - that was HUGE! Spurs: 20 Cavs: 15

2nd Quarter: Started strong but started slipping after a bit. The soda gave way to bottled water, and that may have proved to be bad judgment on my part. I was trying to play Snood on my laptop, but the bladder wasn't cooperating. My game was starting to slip a bit and I was giving up too much ground. If I could just hang on til half time. Sandy turned on the game and kept cheering which just added to the distraction. Finally half time.

Key Play of the quarter: Holding my bladder until I finished Snood. I was able to score an all time best on the "Evil" level. I had my game coming together. At the half Spurs: 40 Cavs: 35

3rd Quarter: I finally gave into Sandy's request and began to watch the game. It's hard for me to get to worked up about game 1 of any series. With the Spurs it really never gets to interesting until the 4th quarter anyway, so usually I wait. But Sandy kept yelling and being a distraction ......

Key Play of the Quarter: Actually staying awake! The game was getting out of control. The big thing that piqued my attention was that LeBron James (King James according to the media) was having a horrific night - that was cool. I'm not a fan of players that think it's all about them - he be one. After three Spurs: 64 Cavs: 49

4th Quarter: You could hear people all over the neighborhood yelling and cheering. It's a begin thing here to have playoff parties. Kind of a tailgate party thing. Everyone is on the deck or patio, BBQ grill going and the TV moved out for all to enjoy. I personally don't like watching TV sports with a group. Too many people say too many stupid things.At commercial breaks I was running downstairs, making coffee for the morning, letting the dogs out and shutting things down. It was my favorite kind of game - blowout & ending before 11 pm! No anxiety, just the fun of watching an opponent being crushed!

Key Play of the Quarter: Getting the dogs potty break and coffee made in one commercial break. I've got game!

Final Score: Spurs 85 Cavs 76

Jackson's 1 year old!!

Fun in the sun for Jack-Jack's birthday yesterday. BBQ weinnie's and birthday cake were the order of the day. Jack hit the mother lode of gifts, but his fave had to be the little drum Steph got him. Here are some foto's of the fun.

Had some laughs with Carson & Jackson and really enjoyed Aaron's stirring rendition of "In-A-Godda-Da-Vida"!

Lost Maples

The Singles Group took a day hike to Lost Maples last Saturday. Here are just a few shots from the trip.
We had a blast. Lunch at the overlook, played in the pond, and even met a species of Monkey Flower, that tried to kill us and steal our cars.

A "Boy of Summer"; Reminiscing on the Past

Not sure of when I first fell in love with baseball, but my guess is when a friend's parents invited me to a San Antonio Missions (a Cubs Double A affiliate at the time) game at old Missions Stadium when I was in the second grade. I still vividly remember that evening - walking into that stadium with it's green, manicured grass, the orange/brown infield dirt contrasted by the brightness of the chalked batters box and foul lines. We sat in awe as the teams took infield smartly snapping up everything hit to 'em and the sound of the pitchers warming up on the sidelines. I don't remember who won or lost that summer's evening, but I do remember sitting for 2+ hours mesmerized by every play, every sound, every scent. I'm sure that on that May evening in 1959, my life became bound to a sport.

There is so much about this game that I love. As much as baseball is visual it's also a game of sounds, the loud "pop" of horsehide hitting a well oiled leather glove, the crack of the wooden bat making solid contact with a fastball, the cry of the Ump -"Steeee-rike" or the nervous chatter of ball players in the field, the sound of your cleats on the dugouts concrete floor. It's smells - the scent of a new glove, the scent of pine tar, a freshly mown infield, and digustingly enough, the smell of your sweat through wool uniform & hat. On occasion, right after you foul off a pitch, you can even smell a burning odor. And there are even tastes. Super Bubble bubble gum, sunflower seeds, the occasional chaw of Redman, the "Suicide" soft drink after the little league game, the gritty sand and acrid tast of the chalk after that slide at the plate, the chili pies after the game at the concession stand and of course the pizza at the post game team get together.

There are sights that I still carry in minds eye of playing the game. A fat pitch, looking for all the world like a beachball, a sinking liner that maybe, just maybe if I stretch a little more...., a runner barrelling down on you as you wait for the throw, that instant where you arrive at the bag awaiting the umpire's call - safe or out?

But most of all, the camaraderie of teammates. I miss that the most. There is an irreverent humor, a sometimes not so gentle ribbing of everything. Teammates, opposing players, coaches, umpires, spectators - no one was immune. Some of my best laughs have come in those hot, sweaty dugouts. Guys finding humor in the most innocuous things. June bug races, sunflower seed spitting games (distance, accuracy, trying to get them to stick to the back of someone's uniform), taping someones glove to the bench so he can't take the field, bubble blowing contests. Sometimes the game on the field was secondary to the games in the dugout. Like I said, silly things, but they're moments that bond.

I began playing little league at 9 and played or coached until just a few years ago. The game stayed the same. New teammates, new teams, new leagues, but always the game stayed the same. Specific memories? I have so many, but the ones that came to mind first - my first glove (my dad made it out of canvas & packing straw), my first caught fly ball at 9 (we lost like by 33-2, but I caught the ball!!), the first time I got to play catcher (I lunged forward for a pitch & was knocked unconscious), my first allstar game at 11( all-bench baby!), my first JV tryout (made the team), my first Varsity tryout (made the team), my first rebellion against authority (My Senior year we got a new coach and he decided to play all Juniors and build for next year. So I took a roll of tape, marked off a section of bench and marked it "Reserved For Bill Powers - Senior" - he didn't like that much. I asked him "Whattya gonna do, bench me?"), my first dose of reality (after school I played semi-pro for the Longhorn Exporters, 1st game we faced a 50 year old ,overweight Hispanic pitcher who totally screwed me into the ground with his curveball!), my most favorite moment - coaching both my sons into high school.

This has been fun, and I have opened a floodgate of memories here. I think for now I'll end, but I may revisit his subject again - soon.

Bp

Sandy Made Them Cry!!!

Here's my boys!
My grandsons are warriors!!
Sandy was going to take an Easter foto, when for no reason Carson began to cry. Jackson, seeing Carson crying decided "I'm wit' yo Bro" and started crying too. It was hilarious - not that they were crying, but that they were crying together for no apparent reason.

What the Hell is THAT!!

I have 2 blogs. This one (obviously), and the blue one linked to the Forums. I've debated ditching one because I usually just copy from one to the other. But I now find the value of having two. This one isn't really seen by anyone but family, the other by folks on the Forum, so I can rant about emotional or personal stuff while getting to choose the audience.
Cool, an entire paragraph and I haven't even said anything! Now, the point (assuming there is one)of this rant - The Singles Group. (See, how I've italicized for dramatic effect?)Tough call on how or where to start, so we'll go with a "free form" rant.

Yesterday we recieved an email from Lisa informing us that she and Ross would not be attending small group - they were going to NIOSA. Oh, and they were taking Paul with them. And Jennifer. Then Mikki emails saying she wouldn't be there because she wanted to spend some time with her boyfriend Roger (in other words - they were going to NIOSA also.) Kinda aggravating to say the least.

At 6:30 ( we begin at 7) two ladies that had visited once before arrive, so there goes dinner. It turns out we have 4 visitors attend, Linda & Rick (our coaches) and Kim. Nice. I felt bad for Kim, she had done a lot of prep to teach and the group ditches.
It goes pretty well, until prayer requests. A visitor, Melody, asks for prayer for her son who is struggeling with drug addiction and needs a job to help her with her bills. I ask her to talk with me after small group, because I may have work for him. We have several request for physical healing for assorted aches and pains. It turns out that one of the visitors, her name escapes me for now, reveals to us that she has the gift of healing, and proceeds to start laying on hands and going "pentecostal"! I try to keep an open mind, because I really don't understand how God works in all things. I believe that he does and can use people to heal, I'm just not sure that someone so gifted would brag about their scorecard of healing. What upset (okay - pissed me off) was how shocked & uncomfortable the rest of the visitors were with it. Kim, Sandy & I try to do damage control as everyone leaves, but unfortunately Linda thought the lady was wonderful, so I don't know - we'll have to see.

After group I tell Melody that my work is looking for someone to do the janitorial work and ultimately move into the shop as a hydraulic mechanic. I told her the pay and benefits are good and they don't drug test for that job. "Oh no! He wants to sell. He wants to be a salesman."
Help me here. Your crystal meth injecting, 15 jobs in two years, keeps bailing on rehab son wants to be a salesman? I'm sorry, I miss understood. I didn't realize that he really, really was responsible and that the drug & job thing were just a cover.

After everyone had left, we talked with Kim about how well she had done with her first group. Kim mentions that she also had been invited to go to NIOSA, but had declined the invite. So the group that we've opened our home to and supported to the hilt, just decided to basically dump on us. How freaking wonderful!

I gotta say, here and now, that Sandy & I are really struggling with our commitment to this group, truth is any group. I know all the God speak about service and community and such, but unfortunately I'm still weak in the grace department. A few years ago I would have said "Screw it! I'm done!" but right now I'm just at the "Screw it!" phase. But I gotta tell ya - "I'm done!" is very near. We're supposed to go to Lost Maples as a group outting tommorrow, but it appears Sandy may have a slight concussion and my "give a sh*t" is pretty low, so me may bail. I'm not sure how "warm and fuzzy" we would be towards them anyway. I'm weak.

Pray for us!

Bp

Funding the War

Today is Sunday, April 15. This date souns familiar? Ab-so-lutely, it's typically tax deadline day, but through the miracle of the Julian calendar, we gain an extra day to file. I took off Friday to get mine done because I knew I would owe 'em money. Boy howdy. They're done now, I just need to print, sign, mail & pray! The prayer is for no mistakes. I live in fear of IRS audits the way Jews in Nazi Germany feared the SS. As a matter of fact I believe there are more than a few similarities. The SS did have nicer uniforms though.
Bp

Yeah, This Is Great

How do I get myself into these situations? Jason called 2 weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to help with a video to be used as a sermon illustration for Easter Sunday and, being the faithful servant I am, I answered "of course - I'm honored". I envisioned my self portraying one of the Apostles at the last supper or a Roman centurion at the crucifixion or at worst a member of the Sanhedrin at the trial. Wow, drama. I can honor my Lord through drama. What a humbling thought.

Jason & I talked later and I asked what role they needed me to play. "Uhmmm, we need someone older", he replied. Just curious, what role will I be playing? A big grin spread across his face as he answered "We, uhhhh, we need to film shots of an old guy who is trying to recapture his youth. Trying to be what he's not. You know, with a wig, driving a fancy sports car, working out at the gym. You'll be perfect!" I completely lost it. I started laughing so hard, I couldn't stop! I literally had tears running down my cheeks, I laughed so hard my sides hurt. I was completely ambushed.
The week went by and the whole thing had slipped my mind. I figured they found someone else or maybe they changed their minds about the project. What a relief, I don't mind a good laugh at my expense - thank God or I would've developed a complex years ago! Then last night as I arrived home from work, the phone rang. It was my daughter-in-law Bre. Bre is the videographer for our church, but I didn't think about that at the time. I was hoping she was only trying to find Aaron or needed a babysitter. "You ready to shoot"? Shoot what? "Your video". Damn it!!

Bre came over and off we went to a local car dealership. She took some shots of me checking out a couple of Mustangs and ogling the price tags and such and we were done with that. Back to the house for more. This was where the wig came out. She took shots of me trying to put the stupid thing on, that was fun. She then had me dress up in baggy gym shorts, a very tight t shirt and knee socks and pretend I was pumping iron and riding an exercise bike while she filmed me huffing & puffing. "Annnnnd, that's a wrap"! Thank God! She tried to show some of the shoot, but I just didn't have the stomach for it. Being a fool is one thing, watching myself myself be a fool is something else entirely. I'll wait and watch this sunday. One thing for sure, I'm betting this is gonna be a memorable Easter!

And about the wig. I'm at complete peace with what God has given me, but there have been occasions where I've wondered what it would be like to have a full head of hair again. This episode took care of that. I looked ridiculous! My granddaughter, Abby, and the dogs would have nothing to do with me while I was wearing it. Abby kept telling me to take off the hat and dogs just stayed across the room from me. Now maybe a fanny tuck and face lift, but no wig!

We'll see how the video turns out Sunday. I'll probably post the review here, next week. Pray for me.

Boom Boom - Out Goes The Dog!!

Last evening, SoTex was visited by its typical spring storm. Like most spring storms these include very heavy rains and a thunder & lightning barrage reminiscent of "Shock and Awe". We used to love these storms, something about laying all cozy in your bed with the wind blowing, rain falling and even the thunder. But then came Millie.

We have two dogs - Lacy the Cocker Spaniel & Millie the DNA cocktail. Lacy is now almost 14 and going deaf. She spends her days sitting in front of the 'fridge waiting for food, or sleeping. Lacy doesn't hear the thunder - this is good. Millie is now seven and is the most gentle, loving dog we've ever owned. Millie hears the thunder - this is bad.

I guess I need to give a little background on Millie. Our youngest, Aaron, found her when he stopped at a convenience to get some gas. While filling up he heard some whimpering from a box next to a dumpster. He went to investigate and found a puppy, covered in ticks, shaking and crying. That was Millie. He brought her home, to my considerable objections, and she was ours. My oldest was going to school in Abilene at the time and asked if he could have her, cuz he always wanted a dog. Absolutely!! That settles that. two months later, he moves back home! After Jason got married, we re-inherited Millie because by then her & Lacy had become inseperable.

Okay. That brings us back to last night. I'm not sure what doggy nightmare she relives when it lightning and thunders, but it renders that poor pup a complete mess. She shakes uncontrollably and pants like a diesel engine. And she trys to crawl inside your skin the whole time. I mean, she is on you like white on rice. We try & hold her, talk soothingly to her until the storms pass. Unfortunately when the storms happen in the middle of the night, her act is more than a little annoying. This is my Saturday to go into work and her shaking & panting were so bad the entire bed shook and neither one of us was able to control her. I finally had to put her out of bed. She was so fear struck that she crawled under our bed, but we were able to fall asleep at long last!! I was awaken at 4 am by a noise I couldn't identify in my sleepy little mind. I shook the cobwebs loose and listened....still no clue. I began to wonder if maybe the storm had blown a door open. I drag my hiney out of the sack when I hear the noise again. "Millie"?? Again the noise, but this time accompanied by the sound of her tail thumping on the floor. I looked around and finally found her half under our bed - stuck! I attempted to help her out but she was s-t-u-c-k. No amount of pulling or tugging was freeing her.I finally managed to lift the bed ( with Sandy still soundly asleep in it) just enough to free her and she bolted down the stairs. I hurried down, opened the backdoor and out she flew for the world's longest potty break. The whole time I could not stop laughing, and she knew it was at her expense. She avoided all eye contact until I finally got us back into bed. Then she rolled over and gave me a big wet one on the cheek! What a girl! Perhaps doggy earplugs.....hmmmmm!

Such is life at the Powers' house!

Bp

Sleep Deprivation

For the life of me I can't understand this sleep deprivation thing. I will get up at 4 am to hike the entire day and never feel the effects. On weekends, when I can sleep in, I'll awaken at 7 am on my own with no ill effects. But Mon - Fri when the alarm goes off at 7, I'm completely comatose. And if it's a day like today, where I had to arise at 6:15 to be at work for a safety meeting, well, I'm zombi-esque!!
I'm sure that as the day wears on I'll perk up, but for now I'm running on...coffee I guess! Days like this are "zero tolerance for stupid" , and it started poorly in that regard. You pull my a** out of bed early to sit in the shop and listen to someone say "Okay, we need to work safe. Any questions?". I'm sorry, but I think I would work more safely if I would be allowed to sleep longer.
I'm sure research would prove that most violent acts are commited bt people who didn't get enough sleep. Imagine if Charles Manson had just been allowed to sleep in that morning. Would Pearl Harbor been avoided if the Japanese had been able to get more sleep - probably.
I'm getting tired just typing this. I think I'll grab some more coffee and walk around the shop and hope, no pray, that I can avoid dumba**es for awhile. But then I do work with Juan, so that diminishes that hope. Later!
Bp

Ahh, Spring is here!!

Yes, the seasons first mosquito. The little bastards assailed me today as I BBQ'ed burgers on our deck.
I really enjoy our backyard. I really do. But somewhere, some how the little beggars lurk, waiting to ruin my evenings. They seem to prefer me over Sandy. We will sit outside on a cool summers evening and I will be swarmed and Sandy will get nary a bite. I have given this much thought and the best I can come up with is this: skeeters are drawn to carbon dioxide. Of course we exhale c02 when we breathe, also the fermentation process in beer produces carbon dioxide as a by product, ergo beer and breathing produce higher concentrations of co2. The next time I Que, I am going to attempt not to breathe. I've tried not drinking beer while I bbq, but that is a direct violation of the BBQ Act. I think not breathing will be easier.
I really need to figure out how to handle this problem. Pesticide sprays only work for a few days and are rather pricey. The big skeeter traps aren't as effective as I would like, and too, they cost a butt load of money. Maybe I'm just doomed to dousing myself in a gallon of OFF and wearing a mosquito net while I cook. Certainly there is a better way.

Hamilton Pool & Wild Goose Attack

Saturday was to be my work in the yard day, but as I sat around trying to get started I decided I would rather go hiking. Sandy & I had been wanting to get out & see the wildflowers and make a trip back to Hamilton Pool up by Austin. So, we did just that.

An uneventful trip up this time, and we arrived at the Pool around 1 pm. Even that late, there were only a few other cars in the lot. The hike to the pool is really fairly simple, a steep downhill walk, hang a right for a quarter mile and voila, there ya be! It was very pretty and for the most part ours. We spent an hour just wandering about and Sandy got some great photos.

We finished the hiking by heading back for the 1 1/2 mile hike to the Pedernales River.

It's a beautiful hike almost reminesent of the Fern Lake hike, but the payoff is weak! The Pedernales is just a brown trickle right now. I'm sure after the spring rains it'll pick up.

Having worked up a hunger we decide to head back into Austin for some grubbage. Our favorite spot is Crabby Jack's right on Town Lake (it's the Colorado River - but I guess they didn't like that name). Because of it being right on the river, there is a gaggle of geese that hangout in the parking lot, begging for handouts. We went to the river edge looking for foto op's. Sandy spots a momma goose sitting on her nest and decides to grab some photos. As I stand just taking in the Austin skyline, I become aware that the geese have surrounded me in hopes of getting fed I guess. I'm awed by how tame they seem. Without warning one begins pecking at my shoe strings. "How cute". Apparently the leather shoe strings weren't very satisfying because without warning they decided that wanted human flesh! Bam! One got me good, right on the inside of my thigh. Holy Crap - that hurt! I want to turn and run, screaming like an old woman, but notice that the deck is full of diners and they all seem to be looking our direction. Gotta be cool, so I try to just laugh it off, but the damn carnivores won't stop!! I'm finally able to beat a retreat while saving my dignity but did manage to lose some flesh in the process.

Inside for some Corona's and a nice fish dinner (I was tempted to order goose) . It was a great afternoon, sitting on the deck overlooking the river. The weather was incredible! Temps in the 70's, gentle breezes, kayakers out on the river and a gorgeous view of the Austin skyline! I could've sat there all day. Like the old Eagles song - "Peaceful, Easy Feeling". Finally it was time to go, so off for the house. It had been a great day (goose attack not withstanding) and we had a lot of fun!

And so it begins........

I'm now the proud publisher of two different blogs. This one and the one on the RMNPForums. I don't have that much to share, but the Forums blog is a closed audience. I thought I might enjoy posting some stuff the fam could interact with. Jason & Aaron are both Master Bloggers (ooooh, sounds nasty) and I look forward to jackin' around with m'boys!
Since I'm inherently lazy, I'll probably just copy entries back and forth, but hell, it's my blog - I'll do what's I want!
So, with this post I do hearby launch the good ship "Poppy's Page"! May she rule the seas!
Bp