Super Bowl 46

Super Bowl 46

The Giants versus the Patriots

Who do you want to win the big game?

Lazy Sunday/ I Slept In

Lazy Sunday/ I Slept In

Have a good day everyone.

Watch your favorite football team play ball.

Redskins lost again. So what else is new.

Did You Watch The Preakness?

Did You Watch The Preakness?

Since I just got out of the hospital on Thursday from complications of my leukemia I should have said no when Jack volunteered to find the ingredients and make us Black Eyed Susans to drink while we watched the horse race on TV. Shhhhhh! Don't let my doctors at the Cancer Center at Lake Manassas hear about this.

P.S. I'll post the traditional recipe after I go eat breakfast.

Black Eyed Susan

Over a blend of pineapple juice and orange juice in a glass add equal parts of :

Vodka

Mt Gay Rum from Barbados

Cointreau which is an orange liqueur from Angiers, France

Finish with a slice of lime or orange on the glass rim.

My opinion of this drink. I would prefer a mint julep! But if making it, go very lightly on the booze and let the taste of pineapple and orange juice dominate this drink. It is a strong drink for he-men.

Some More Strange College Mascot Names

Some More Strange College Mascot Names

Akron University: The Zips (Is that short for zippers or zip code?)

College of the Atlantic: The Black Flies

Eastern Arizona: Gila Monsters

Erskine University: The Flying Feet

Ohio Wesleyan: The Battling Bishops

Purdue: Boilermakers

Scottsdale University: The Artichokes

Texas Christian University: Horned Frogs

University of Alabama: The Crimson Tide

University of California at Irvine: The Anteaters

University of Idaho: The Vandals

University of Iowa: The Hawkeyes

University of South Carolina: The Gamecocks (I'm a cock!)

University of Virginia: The Wahoos (Dr. Seuss lived in Charlottesville, VA!)

Whittier University: The Poets (Here come the Poets on to the basketball court doesn't seem fitting.)

The Sweet Sixteen

The Sweet Sixteen!

Look closely at this photo and you can just make out 16 pink tulips.

Are they for the 16 lucky college teams who made it to the sweet sixteen this weekend?

Maybe.

Hope you find time this weekend to watch a game or two.

Jack and I will be hooked to the TV this weekend.

Tonight George Mason's Balloon Has Popped!

Tonight George Mason's Balloon Has Popped!

The Ohio State Buckeyes Are Whipping Them Real Good!

Newsflash: Tale of Miss Muffet

Newsflash: Tale of Miss Muffet In NCAA Men's Tournament

Little Miss Muffet (Morehead State) sat on a tuffet

Eating her curds and whey.

When along came a spider (University of Richmond)

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Final Score: Richmond 65 Morehead St. 48

Wow!

Strange College Mascot Names

Some Strange College Mascot Names

Delta State: The Fighting Okra

New York University: The Violets

North Carolina School of Art: The Flying Pickles

Ohio State: The Buckeyes (Nuts!)

University of California at Santa Cruz: The Banana Slugs

University of Delaware: The Blue Hens

University of North Carolina: The Tarheels

University of Oregon: The Ducks

University of Richmond: The Spiders

Virginia Tech: The Hokies (Castrated Turkeys!)

How would you like to go thru life supporting your college school and saying you are a violet or a flying pickle or a banana slug? It makes a buckeye look good.

We are enjoying watching on TV the basketball tournaments---both the NCAA and the NIT.

We Have Been Busy Outside

We Have Been Busy Outside!

Since the beginning of March on all our nice days we have been getting our yard in shape for spring and summer. We have done all of the the following: raked and picked up leaves and debris, mowed the lawn short to rid it of old grass and inbedded leaves, pruned roses and trimmed hollies and crepe myrtles, fertilized plants and lawn, put down weed preventer in beds and on lawn, edged all our many flower beds and finished putting down 12 yards of mulch.

Whew! A lot of work but the yard looks great now. So we were ready yesterday for some Irish food and beer to celebrate our three weeks of work. Today we should reach 75 degrees! I love it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and has time to watch a little NCAA basketball.

Patriot Center At George Mason University

Patriot Center At George Mason University

Our daughter Jeanine got us tickets to a February men's basketball game between two colonial athletic conference members: James Madison University and George Mason University. Even though Jack and I were under the weather with a cold and the flu we pounced at the chance to see a game at the Patriot Center and we sure had a great time with Jeanine even though her James Madison Bulldogs lost the game.

In this photo you can see the George Mason pep band playing before the game which was a sold out event that Saturday afternoon.

We enjoyed watching this Hard Times Cafe mini blimp being navigated around the arena with lights flashing. It reminded me of our grandson Jack maneuvering his little helicopter around the family room. Too cute.

There he goes!

Smile for the camera Jack and Jeanine.

We came away from the game with the distinct impression that George Mason will win a bid to this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. Selection Sunday will be March 13 and one of the sites for the first round games will be the University of Dayton's basketball arena.

Some Happy, Some Not

Some Happy, Some Not

Some folks are happy with the super bowl results and some are not. It depends if you were rooting for the packers or the steelers. And if you are like our son-in-law from Cape Cod, the only team you ever root for is the New England Patriots. I did enjoy the sound and light half time show. Reminded me of an opening olympics ceremonies. How do they do that so quickly and then continue with the game? Amazing.

*

I for one am just happy the super bowl is over. That means we are one more step closer to spring, glorious spring. This couch potato obviously has spring fever. But I can take winter better when we have blue skies like we do today. Have a good start to the work week.

Couch Potatoes

Couch Potatoes

With the cold cold weather and some snow still on the ground Jack and I have become couch potatoes listening to all the news about what's happening in Cairo, Egypt and what's happening down in Dallas, Texas at the frozen Superbowl. Jack did venture out to refill the bird feeders and to babysit our grandson. I've been extra lazy. Doing nothing but taking it easy. Hope everyone enjoys the big game tonight. May the best team win. Stay safe and don't drink and drive and don't have too many dips and chips.

Football Wins To Bark About

Football Wins To Bark About

My college, Miami University, won the MAC title.

Virginia Tech won the ACC title.

Ohio State beat Michigan yesterday.

And..........our local high school, Battlefield, beat Lake Braddock in Division 6 to now play in the state championship game at UVA in Charlottesville.

So Barney start barking.

(By the way, he's wearing a red and white scarf, the colors of Miami University of Ohio.)

A No Hitter Wow!

A No Hitter Wow!

A Cincinnati Reds player said it was like hitting nothng and called him an ace among aces. So I think the angels in heaven were even celebrating Phillies pitcher, Roy Halladay's no hitter game against the Reds. Wow! First post season no hitter since 1956 when Don Larsen did it. And that was 54 years ago. I can still remember my late brother, Harold Gariety, talking about that game.

A Great Distraction: Fall Football

A Great Distraction: Fall Football
My Favorite Winning Teams This Weekend:
Ohio State
James Madison University
Washington Redskins

New England Patriots
Hayfield Secondary in Fairfax County
Battlefield High School in Prince William County

Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY

Cooperstown, New York which is all decked out with American flags and big balls of red begonias looks like Main Street in DisneyWorld Florida. there are tourists walking the street and tour buses parked on sidestreets nearby. We saw lots of parents with children in tow heading to the museum and lots of little league baseball teams traveling as a group with their parents to visit Cooperstown's famous Baseball Hall of Fame.

This beautiful three story turn of the century home was on the market. Would you like to buy it?

Here was another grand home in the town.

Jack and I arrived hungry in Cooperstown so we started a visit to the city with a stop at a local restaurant that served Old Slugger beer and ....

.......hotdogs and chips. What else can you order when you are in a famous American baseball setting.

July 25, 2010 the above three baseball players (Dawson, Harvey and Herzog) were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with about seven other folks connected with baseball.

Here's the front entrance of the Baseball Hall of Fame where we purchased out tickets. We got a double discount for being seniors and AAA members.

I love Yogi Berra. He is my favorite baseball player of all time.There is lots of information to read about each baseball team and each player because baseball is a game of statistics. If you were a true baseball nut you could easily spend hours here. Jack and I who are not baseball nuts covered the museum in about an hour and that included dodging lots of kids and teenage boys.

Of course there were several statues of the Babe!

Harry Thobe I guess was an ardent fan from Oxford, Ohio. I just had to take a picture of this write up because I know a lot of Thobes in Ohio since my sister's husband is Jerry Thobe. Also, Oxford, Ohio is home to my college, Miami University of Ohio.

Statues of courageous men: Lou Gehring, Babe Ruth and Roberto Clemente

I shot this picture of a jewelry case that shows the various club rings the world series of baseball winners get to wear indicating that they were a member of a winning baseball world series.

Had to take this photo for my son-in-law from Cape Cod.

Had to take this photo because Jack's father and family lived in St. Louis.

Had to take this photo for my relatives in Ohio. In this photo Pope John Paul is receiving a baseball shirt from Marge Shotte who at that time was the notorious owner of the Cincinnati Reds.

Pete Rose, because of gambling on baseball will most likely never be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame but that does not mean that his name and jersey and bat and photo are not there.
See below.

They have these various plaques for statistics for all time and active players. Here is where Pete Rose heads the all time hits list. What is interesting is that during baseball season someone must go around daily to update these records as more hits are made by the current players. And of course they must have computers storing all this data.

Below is the one thing Pete Rose doesn't have but still yearns to have at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A bronze plaque like this one for Cal Ripken Jr. that indicates that he has been inducted into

The Baseball Hall of Fame.

To learn more about the Baseball Hall of Fame go here: http://baseballhall.org/

Everybody Watched. He Did It. The Nats Won!

Everybody Watched. He Did It. The Nats Won!

Take That Pacifier Out Of His Mouth!

Give Him A Big Hand.

Let's Give That Rookie A Hi-Five!

Stephen Strasburg Set A Nats Record For Most Strikeouts In A Nats Game.

His First Pitch----Just 97 Miles Per Hour!

The Score: Nats 5, Pittsburgh 2

Just learned on MSNBC this morning that the Nationals organization took in 100 million dollars last night at the baseball stadium. This rookie Strasburg looks like the goose that lays the golden eggs. Or is he the Mark Zuckerburg of baseball. Mark Zuckerburg at age 21 created Facebook and became the world's youngest billionaire. Will Stephen Strasburg at age 21 creat the Great Washington Nationals. Stay tuned this summer for more Strasburg news.

New Young Kid On The Mound For Nats

Tonight's the Night!

There will be great excitement at Nationals baseball park in Washington D. C. tonight. A new young kid is going up on the pitcher's mound and his name is Strasburg. I wonder how he will do? Over 200 press passes have been issued for tonight's big game that kicks off this kid's major league career. Probably more passes for tonight's game than were issued for when President Obama threw out the first ball for the first game of the season back in April. Pitcher Strasburg is just 21 and he hails from San Diego State in California. The game is sold out but the team has now issued 2000 standing room only tickets for tonight's debut of Stephen Strasburg at the mound. How would you like to stand for 9 innings to just say someday that you were there in the ball park when Strasburg began his major league career? And guess what! There is a town in Virginia named Strasburg. It wants to rename their town Steven Strasburg, VA for a whole week if the rookie does well tonight.

Oooooooooo.......the excitement is building for today!

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On another note, today is primary election day in a lot of states including Virginia. Are you going to take time to vote today? Just heard on TV that those who vote in off year elections are usually older and whiter. Hmmmmmmm.....that description fits Jack and I.

Another Good Non-fiction Book To Read

Another Good Non-fiction Book To Read

Spring is the beginning of baseball season and I decided to read Roger Kahn's book, The Boys of Summer which as the cover states is "the classic narrative of growing up within shouting distance of Ebbets Field, covering the Jackie Robinson Dodgers, and what's happened to everybody since." I knew I would like this book as soon as I looked at the index. Here were the names of a lot of the ball players my three brothers, Paul, Carl and Harold would talk about with my father in the fifties and sixties: Red Barber, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Leo Durocher, Gil Hodges, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Pee Wee Reese, Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider and Casey Stengel. Just reading these names brings back memories of baseball games behind our house on the farm.

This book includes in most chapters an interesting quote. Here's one Roger Kahn used for the end of the Interlude between Book I and Book II that i really like:

Did I ever dream

I should pass this way again

As an old man?

I have lived such a long time---

Nakayama of the Night.

written by Saigyo in Japan over 1000 years ago

Of course the book's title, The Boys of Summer, comes from the writing of Dylan Thomas:

I see the boys of summer in their ruin

Lay the gold tithings barren,

Setting no store by harvest, freeze the soils.

Hayfield Secondary School

Hayfield Secondary School

in

Fairfax County

Our daughters attended this school for grades 7-12.

The school opened in January of 1969 and was renovated around 2002.

When you enter the front doors you are greeted by this sign and soaring hawk.
When our daughters attended this school it was a big, big school with over

4000 students in grades 7-12.

This a view of the entrance to the big football stadium that is now named after J. Victor Lutz who was the head principal when our daughters attended school there. Mr. Lutz was a very nice man.

This is a view of the Hayfield School program auditorium. This is still the biggest school auditorium in all of Fairfax County's 25 high schools. The Cappies spring event used to be held here in June because the auditorium could hold so many people. Now the Cappies spring event is held at the famous Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. We came the other weekend to see Hayfield's Cappies production of Curtains which is a play within a play complete with three murders. This is Hayfield's orchestra pit and yes, this orchestra pit actually raises and lowers the musicians.

Final Comment
Hayfield will be getting a new principal in July. Dr. Oehrlein who became principal after Mr. Lutz has been at the school as principal since June of 2004. At that time Hayfield still had a tremendous student population--over 4000 students and over 57 trailers filling the school yards.

Now Hayfield is a much smaller high school because the South County High School was built in Lorton, VA. I always enjoyed the fact that many of the students from Franconia Elementary where I was the school librarian for 14 years went on to attend Hayfield. Those that didn't went on to attend Edison High School on Franconia Road near Springfield Mall.