Pickleball Club on Google Maps

While playing Pickleball this Summer we noticed the Google Maps camera-car driving by the park where we play. It made several passes, and during the last one we all waved, and it made the cut! 

I've got the green shirt on, and there's my car at the curb....

We were all waving at the camera!

Flojo

While shopping at Crate + Barrel last weekend with girlfriends, I came across these 26 oz. Weck jars made in Germany. I felt they were economical at $3.95 each :-) and they hold a dozen Snickerdoodles to give as a YUMMY gift!!! I like the idea that my friends will be able to use this cool jar after the cookies are gone....

One idea for use afterwards is reheating foods in the microwave. I like the idea that it has a glass lid so that you wouldn't have to use plastic wrap to cover it while heating. Just remember to leave the rubber gasket and clips off.
Love, flojo!

Jewelry Box :-)

I went to play Pickleball today and one of the guys gave me a gift. He said, "I made you a jewelry box. I made one for my wife and she keeps her earrings in it, go ahead open it up!"

All the guys got a big kick out of seeing me jump. But I didn't drop my gift!
Thank you "Cactus" Jack!
flojo

Keep Your Creative Mind Open....

Photo inspirations come in a flash, and if you don't keep open to them you'll miss them. Now whether the inspiration is a good one or not is another thing. :-) I was heading to bed the other night, way too late again, and I flashed on these candy canes in a mason jar in my kitchen cupboard. I caught this photo as they were, then the designer in me repositioned them and added another big fat cane and snapped away. I came up with some of what I think are fun shots. I added the Merry Christmas greeting and printed some out. I think they make a fun Christmas card, but we'll see if others think the same think when I offer them for sale this next week! :-)

Sorry I've been away from my blog for so long!
Love, flojo
 

Pickleball In Action

Use the following link to see a segment played on KVAL news about our Albany Pickleball Tournament:

http://www.kval.com/outdoors/active/Picking-up-pickleball-is-pretty-easy-168220326.html?tab=video&c=y

Albany Pickleball Tournament

The group of people I play Pickleball with, put on our first annual "Rally In The Valley" Pickleball Tournament this last weekend. Pickleball is a nationally recognized court sport that is growing in popularity very quickly. Here is a quick explanation of the game from the USAPA website:

"Hi, my name is Pickles, the family cocker spaniel of one of the co-inventors of pickleball. I used to chase stray balls and then hide in the bushes, so they named the game after me. I am very proud. Pickleball is a fun game that is played on a badminton court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center. It is played with a perforated plastic baseball (similar to a whiffle ball) and wood or composite paddles. It is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players."

I've been playing in Albany since Fall of 2009, when Bob and Sharon VanderLinden introduced it at the Albany Boys and Girls Club. We play at a local park and sometimes we carpool to Salem to play.

I was asked to be photographer of the 3 day event and take photos of all award winners. Tournament play is broken down by the USAPickleball Assoc. rating system; starting with 2.0 being a beginner and increasing by .5 increments, with 5.0 being the highest skilled player. Currently I am rated a 3.0.

Here are just a few photos of our tournament. I played in the Women's Doubles class and the Mixed Doubles class.

On Friday players came to practice on the courts we laid out on the West Albany High School tennis courts. You can fit 2 Pickleball courts onto one tennis court.

Another person practicing putting some spin on his serve!

Shirley, Adina and I during set up on Friday...

Adina's husband Brian putting up the flag with Linda supporting the ladder.

By 7:15am Saturday morning the hot air balloons were lifting off at the Northwest Art & Air Festival across town.
 

Betty and Linda manning the check-in table.

Shirley and I getting game instructions from the referee for the Women's Doubles 3.0 round. Our matches are best 2 out of 3.

My partner Shirley serving the ball.

 

In position to receive a serve from our opponents.  Shirley and I lost this match. And after moving to the losing bracket, we were sadly eliminated from competition in Women's Doubles.

 I played the next day in the Mixed Doubles 3.0 competition with my partner Frank and we won the Bronze award. He's from Washington State and we had never met or played together prior to the tournament.

My friend Jim teasing me about winning a pin.

My buddy Jack getting ready to referee a Women's Single 5.0 match!

 Of course I had to take a photo of my favorite subject, the beautiful clouds during tournament play.

Love, flojo!

Yes, It's A Kids Toy.....BUT

It's AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

FIREFLY IN A MASON JAR!!!!!!!!!!!  We ordered it from "ThinkGeek," (in case you want one too)... :-)

Just sharing some fun...
flojo

South For A Week

We headed south to our old stomping grounds last month and stayed for 12 days. We went down to wish my aunt a Happy 80th Birthday and to visit with Larry's relatives and a friend from childhood. We took our travel trailer and stayed at an RV Park in Anaheim. We also spent 3 days park hopping Disneyland and California Adventure. The weather was wonderful, and it was nice to hear that the weather at home in Albany was just as nice!

A photo of Mt. Shasta as we drove down Interstate 5.

 Our first night was spent at the RV Resort that we stayed at back in April. Chowchilla, Calif.

 The RV Resort has a beautiful setting with a lake in the middle.

 We headed down Highway 99, and as we approached where 99 merges with I-5, north end of the old "grapevine," we saw smoke ahead and had fire apparatus passing us.

 Looks like the fire had started from the edge of the highway and worked its way up the mountain.

 After passing the smoke, I shot a photo of my FAVORITE California scenery. Rolling golden hills...

 A look at the RV Resort that we stayed at in Anaheim, just a block and a half from "The happiest place on earth!" :-)

Larry enjoying my Mint Julep in Disney's New Orlean's Square....

 Yeaaaaaa!!!!

 We met up with Larry's friend Howard Okumura and his family. Larry and Howard grew up together, attended school and Cub/Boy Scouts together and in High School Larry work with Howard at Howard's Dad's business Samo Wheel and Brake. This is Larry, Kenny and Howard.

I surprised Larry when I said I wanted to ride the ferris wheel. We even chose to ride in the cages that are not stationary, they slide on a track and swing back and forth. Here's video of our ride with Kenny and his Mom, Kim.....

On one of our days, we visited Howard at what is now his business, "Samo Wheel and Brake." We walked around the shop and Larry and Howard pointed out all the equipment that was there when Larry worked there in the 1970's. (Most all of it was not being used anymore, but was still part of the inventory!)

 Larry said these lockers were there when he worked there..... I know it's silly, but I was entertained by the idea of the things that were there when Larry worked there... then again, I'm easily entertained...

On another day, we went to Hawthorne to visit with Larry's cousin Dave and his family. Below is a photo of beautiful lemons before we picked them.

 This is Larry's Aunt Leila, his Mom's sister. Dave and Brenda made a wonderful BBQ dinner that we all enjoyed. Their two daughters and a grandson came over too, and we had a really nice family gathering.

 The next day we did some sightseeing in downtown LA.  We ate lunch across the street from the LA County Museum of Art where the lunch trucks line up on Wilshire Blvd.

 This is an installation at the museum of 202 cast iron lamp posts from around the LA area that were collected up and luckily stored away when they were replaced by newer lighting. The artist restored them all and now they are on display. I enjoyed walking through the middle of them, taking photos.

 This is a brand new installation named "Levitated Mass."

 Across the street is the Peterson Automotive Museum. We spent a couple of hours walking through it. The photo of the Helms Bakery Truck below was one that caused us to pause and talk about our memories of those little trucks coming into our neighborhoods to sell pastries. As kids we'd hear the driver ring a bell that sounded like a trolly and we'd beg our parents to let us buy a doughnut! Inside the truck was a wall of wooden drawers that the driver would pull out to show off his delicious cargo. As we were walking through the museum, I mentioned to one of the security guards that they should pump in the scent of doughnuts over in the corner that the Helms truck was in! He got a big smile....

 This it the corner that the gas station sat on that Larry worked at as a teen. He was even robbed at gunpoint while working there. Now it is a Starbucks. Larry said, "The corner is selling a different kind of fuel now."

Every night at 9:30pm Disneyland shot off fireworks for 15 minutes. Ever since Albany stopped having the 4th of July "Timber Carnival" in 2000, a good fireworks show in our town has pretty much gone by the wayside. I told Larry that I've now caught up on like 8 years worth of fireworks shows! I'd sit outside on the lawn next to our trailer and watch a wonderful show.

 One last day and night at Disney's California Adventure. This was taken in "Cars Land," a wonderful new addition to that park. At night "Radiator Springs" was all lit up in neon.

 We left LA and headed out on Highway 395, a route I had never been on. We met Howard and his family for lunch (they were returning from a weekend at Mammoth Lakes) at a little roadside stop that had a Subway Restaurant. It was WARM, getting out of the truck was like walking into an oven. I loved it!

 On Highway 395 we passed Mt. Whitney. Larry climbed this mountain, the tallest in the state at 14,494' a couple of times as a teen.

 For those of you who know about my love of Maple flavored things.... I had to get a fun shot of this motel sign in Bridgeport, Ca.

 Our sweet ride..... :-)

 And when we got home I had some wonderful fruit to juice, thanks to Dave and Brenda!!

Lemons to make fresh lemonade, lemon ice, or maybe some lemon drops! :-)

 Orange Juice

Thanks for reading!!

Love, flojo