Arizona part 1 - baseball

Say "Arizona" to me and the first thought that pops into my mind is baseball. It's my favorite game and I love sitting in the park watching the games and the people. Every March the major league teams gather in either Florida or the Phoenix area for Spring Training. (I have not been to the Florida - or Grapefruit League - training.) Fifteen teams form the Cactus League and they all play in the greater Phoenix area. To me there's nothing better than leaving the still cold and snowy Alaska to spend some time in a baseball park, basking in the warm sun and watching some major league baseball with good friends.

Early last winter (you have to plan early to get good tickets) my friend Bonnie asked if I wanted to go to Spring Training. I jumped at the chance. In fact, I had planned my retirement for March 31, but when I found out a request for 2 weeks leave that close to retirement might not be approved, I moved my retirement date to Feb. 28. The trip would be my retirement present to me.

I arrived at the Phoenix airport about 10:30 a.m. on March 17 and Bonnie and her husband Junior were waiting for me near the baggage claim. They had arrived on the 16th and went to a game that afternoon. Over the course of the week, I saw 8 games in 5 days. Three of the days we had both afternoon and evening games.

We stayed at a Residence Inn. Their courtyard was a perfect place for morning coffee at 6 a.m. I certainly didn't miss the snow!

We saw a few games that were runaways, with lopsided scores. We saw some very close games and some that were reversals, when a team with a good lead lost the game in the closing innings. We saw some very well-executed double plays, some home runs, close calls. We saw some great baseball. Even though a couple of days were scorching hot, there's still no place I would rather have been.

Here are a few shots from the games:

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

We had a wonderful time, enjoying the games, talking with former major league stars and I was able to chat with Bryan Price, manager of the Cincinnati Reds, briefly. Bryan played summer ball in Fairbanks when he was a college pitcher. It was good to see him.

 

 

 



 

While I hated to see the week end, we had big plans for the following week as well. So we regretfully said goodbye to Phoenix and headed north for our next stop at the Grand Canyon - a major item on my bucket list. My next update will cover that portion of the trip.

 

The boys of summer are back! 

 

 

Catching up - retirement

I haven't updated this blog since 2013! I had good intentions, but it all got away from me. The past 3-1/2 months have been full and the thought of getting caught up simply stunned me. But now I have some time and will do my best to cover what's been happening to me since Dec. 29, 2013. I will do it in installments, so this doesn't become too bogged down in details and somewhat disjointed since my experiences are varied.

I spent January and February cleaning out my office of personal effects and cleaning up the files. Monday, Feb. 24, I was presented a Superior Civilian Service award and my retirement certificate, as well as several commanders' coins. The presentations were done at the end of staff meeting, and - to my enormous surprise - my daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters came in for it. I didn't know they had been invited and was totally surprised when they walked in.

The garrison commander asked my granddaughter Maddy (age 9) to pin on the award.

 

 

Thursday, Feb. 27, I was honored by firing the cannon at the Retreat ceremony, when the flag is lowered and folded for the day. I was nervous about it, because I was afraid (a) it wouldn't fire and I'd fail in my mission in front of a crowd or (b) I'd fall in the snow and not be able to get up, again in front of a crowd. My supervisor had invited a large group of garrison employees to watch and a lot of them came. It was nerve-wracking as I don't really like being the center of attention, but at the same time, I was excited. Not a lot of people have the honor of participating in this ceremony and even fewer fire the cannon. My supervisor said it was because over the past 30 years I've been on the receiving end of a lot of telephone calls complaining about the noise generated by our training on the ranges. I was also presented a flag that had flown over the post.

Friday, Feb. 28, was my last day as an employee. I cleared post and drove home lighthearted and happy.

In addition all that, my staff told me they were preparing a potluck luncheon for me - just our office. What a potluck! They had prime rib, baked potatoes, salad and tiramisu. I miss those folks. We had a great staff and a good time working together.

Since then, I've been busy. I plan to downsize and get rid of a lot of things that I no longer use/wear. I've made a slow start, but there's no rush. I started water-walking to exercise and it seems to help my back as well. And I took a trip to the Southwest. I will cover the trip in subsequent posts, additional installments. I shot more than 1,000 photos on the trip, so I'll break it out into the various activities and locations.

For now, the geese are coming back, the snow is melting and I'm loving retired life.

Happy spring everyone.