Coming to Indiana - Friday's Doin's

Second Post of the Day

I began my day with Elsie Mae on my lap and Tammo handing her a toy.

That's a really good way to start your day!

Lisa, Curt, and his family came over and we did a lot of talking and playing games.

Flip 7 the Grinch Version (Stink! Stank! Stunk!) is a family favorite. We have several iterations of the game, but it's the "Taco 5" card and the Stink! Stank! Stunk! card that really get us laughing.

Lukie trying out Craig's hat that has fans in the brim. Perfect for the 4th of July bocce tournament!

Sarah had requested that we make stepping stones of Elsie Mae's hands or feet. She has the stepping stones from when JC and Trinity were little, and they have traveled from Illinois to Iowa to Colorado to Iowa again to Montana with her. The JCs^2 and Trinity wanted one for their gardens, and so did I. They have become very important to our family as time has passed.

I started making them when JC & Trin were born, and the tradition grew. Every grandchild has several stepping stones in my garden along with several dogs. 

I counted earlier this summer and there are 33 stones currently in my garden. We have made another 30 or so that reside at my kids' homes, and during this visit, we added another 4. That's a lot of concrete mixing and decorating, but it is a much loved family tradition.

Elsie Mae was so easy to work with, we all got a hand print and a footprint for our stones!

I have an entire tub in the garage devoted to materials for stepping stone production

so I didn't need to run to the craft store and we were able to get to work right away.

Usually we make them outside on the patio, but rain was threatening so we used the kitchen table.

My stone - look at those perfect hand and footprints!

Jayci's finished stone that was ready to be put in the garage to dry.

It's curing well, although the light is poor for photographs.

Gimmee - I am so glad she asked that we do this project!

I will let them cure for two weeks before I remove them from their molds.

Aunt Trinity who is living in an apartment at the moment, but she can keep hers out on her balcony. 

I'll try to get photographs in better light after I remove them from the molds.

The one I made for my garden. I can't wait to put it out!

Next up? The 13th annual family bocce tournament. 

Enjoy this video from the 2016 tournament - Jessica's theatrical background is on full display in her impromptu performance!

Will Lisa repeat her win-it-all performance from last year?

Stay 'tooned!

Another Family Tournament

Second Post of the Day

If you are a Baby Boomer like me, you remember candy cigarettes. Shocking to think about now, right? But when I was a child, the dangers of smoking were not very well known and it was common for adults to smoke. Kids even played a form of freeze tag called "Cigarette Tag" where you called out a brand of cigarettes to protect yourself from being frozen by the tagger. Really.

Anyway, things have changed big time and I haven't seen candy cigarettes in years and years. Basically they were a stick of sugar with an orange colored tip to simulate the flame. 

And yes, we did imitate grown ups with them. The photo in this meme is accurate. I've done it. (Although I've never smoked.)

Anyway, I share that so you understand the opening comment in Music City Son Cole's text below in which he makes a tongue in cheek reference to candy cigarettes and sets up our family NCAA basketball brackets. 

Also, the name of our league, the Bitter Bocce Losers, is named after our 4th of July family tournament. Don't miss the video in that blog post. We may be competitive, but we have fun, too!

Nineteen of us are playing - grandparents, parents, and kiddos, and the first two rounds were this past weekend. 

And he's right, the grands who know nothing about basketball and made their choices based on team mascots last year beat us all!

This year, the grands have again made some interesting choices, and several of them are climbing the leaderboard.

Cowpoke Ian is tied for second!

Surprisingly Mountain Mama Jessica and Hawkeye Todd are at the bottom. As for me, I'm tied with "This is Good" Susie at 15th. (Susie did indeed go for Grand Canyon University who went out in the first round of 64 teams.)

I still have a chance - Purdue has made it to the Sweet Sixteen and I have them tapped as the tournament champion. (Last year they came in second in the tournament. Fingers crossed.) Cambria, too, may make a sweeping comeback as she has Purdue taking it all, too.

I love our family tournaments, whether it's Fantasy Football, the Super Bowl, Bocce, or the NCAA Basketball tournament. While the games are being played, the family text chain is dinging fast and furiously as my family comments and throws zingers at each other. It's a lot of fun.

I may not know a lot about sports, but I love how sporting events bring my family together.

Boiler Up!   

The 2024 4th of July Bocce Tournament

Ah, the annual Fourth of July Bocce Tournament! Held at historic Martin Fields in Irvington (a part of Indianapolis), host Jennifer Martin has been grooming the pitch since the snow melted last spring. That pesky Rose of Sharon bush right in the middle of the field has been removed, too, at the request of the serious bocce players in the group. (Which would be all of us.)

Family and friends gathered for a potluck lunch before heading out onto the hot and humid playing field. Grigsby tried to persuade participants that it was far better to remain indoors and socialize with him. 

Of course, we recognized that as a ploy from Jenny to cut down the competition and increase her own chances of winning. (Note to self: ask judges if playing in the tournament that you are hosting is a conflict of interest and suggest that Jenny should be barred from future competitions.)

Jenny also seemed to be using Grigsby as an intimidation tactic. He perched above the display case and stared at Leslie for quite some time. As you can see from Leslie's face, clearly she was rattled.

But Jenny's cheating tactics did not work, and friends and family gathered on the field to await their turns to compete. (We even played the national anthem which earned us some crazy looks from dog walkers on the sidewalk that borders Martin's Fields.)

As usual (and even without my other kids and their spouses there to add to it), the competition was FIERCE.

It pitted sister against sister

against sister.

Mother against daughter,

brother-in-law against sister-in-law,

and niece against aunt.

Our family bocce tournament even features "instant replay,"

"video feed" of incredible shots (two reds by the pallino; black's going down!),

fair and honest judges who have a tape measure and know how to use it, 

and the occasional whiner "passionate" player who contests the impartial judge's call and asks that a new tape measure, still sealed in its plastic wrapper, be used. 

All in the hopes of winning the fantabulous Bocce Ball trophy

 and having their name carefully "engraved" in perpetuity on the year's annual winner's tag and added to the chain.

That trophy is pretty impressive and it is a true token of honor and skill to win it. (Although you do have to pass it on to the next year's winner.)

Having said that, even placing in the top four of the competition is very exciting.

Even winning fourth place can make the athlete ecstatic and is truly a feat of luck skill.

Although perhaps some do go overboard in their celebrations a little; something the judges may need to address next year.

But good sportsmanship is also on show, even when your aunt, after three very tough rounds, edges you out for the championship at the very last toss.

Good sportsmanship means smiling, not smirking, when you win the trophy for the second year in a row

and still hugging your second place niece and saying, "I love you, loser sweetie."

The 2024 Bocce Tournament Winners are the Martin sisters and their niece/daughter.

Congrats, ladies! I'll get out my Sharpie and "engrave" the name of this year's winner on a gold disk and add it to the chain right away!

As soon as this rain stops, I am going to go outside and begin practicing for next year. After all, I made the podium this year - next year's my year!

Summer Gathering, 2023: The Bocce Tournament

We are a week into our summer gathering and still going strong.

My kitchen counters are covered in water bottles, paper products, snacks and more. The front hall has a bajillion shoes, sandals, and backpacks on the floor, and folding chairs are spaced all around the living room and the dining room.

Most of us are bleary eyed from the busy days and late nights as we make the most of our time together.

Wizards, Skip-Bo, Pass the Pandas, Scrabble, and Sky-Jo are just a few of the games we have played and we have plenty more to go. But not all games have been indoor.

The tenth annual bocce tournament was held on the 4th of July at my sister Jenny's home in Indy.

Eagerly looked forward to all year long (Kyle and niece Trinity),

we take our bocce seriously. (Curt and Cole.)

Especially when the call is close.

We bring out the measuring tape to determine who won.

See what I mean?

And even though family members are pitted against one another (Trinity and her mama, Sarah),

Rick against Kyle with Cole judging and Jenny observing, it's all in good fun.

There is a separate competition for the Cowpokes and Pony Pals, too. This year we learned that it might be a good idea to give them some training before they play. See that twist as Susie prepares to roll? 

Instead of going straight, all her rolls went wild and had us dodging out of the way. I didn't move fast enough and got whacked by a rogue pallino (the white ball), but no harm was done and all who were present still have their teeth (and maybe a bruise or two.)

Leslie is this year's champion with Cole second, Rick third, and Nancy (a family friend) fourth. Pony Pal Susie won Rookie of the Year. (She has vowed to win the whole tournament next year; I have vowed to make sure she gets some training.)

But we weren't done! Since it was our tenth year, we pitted all the champions against each other in a Tournament of Champions. 

Sarah won the Champions competition beating out her dad (a two time champion), and both her aunts.

By that time, the tournament had been going on for several hours in 90 degree heat and we were all ready to go inside and cool off. And, we needed to head back to West Lafayette for fireworks.

I think I enjoy the bocce tournament more than anything else on the 4th of July. (Well, maybe not as much as the Texas Sheet Cake...)