The First Blush of Fall

The days are still warm - though far from saunistic - but we've been noticing the first blush of fall around town. A dab of autumnal color here and a wink of autumnal color there. And pumpkins have been appearing in the stores and in the fields, along with aisles full of Halloween costumes. The corn is being harvested, and the tobacco is being dried. It's time to really enjoy the trees in their leafy gowns, because all too soon the gowns will be gone, leaving only stark and gaunt remnants of their summer glory. The insects and frogs are still serenading the night, but soon their songs will fall silent. The last few fireflies weave a path of dying embers. Change is in the air.

Here's the first blush of fall in our backyard:

Wildcats Beat The Boys

In our third game of the season last Saturday, the Wildcats came up against the Fireball Cobras, which is a boy's team. Yep, the girls against the boys. And, guess what? The girls won! It started poorly for us, with the Fireballs making two quick goals, and probably thinking they were going to have an easy go of it against us. But our defense tightened up, our girls stopped being too polite (backing off the ball and letting the boys bull their way into our end of the field), and Mallory scored two goals to bring us even with the Fireballs at the half, 2-2.

The Cats really showed their grit in the second half. With Wendy doing an outstanding job at goalie, stopping everything that came her way; with Linda playing a superb defender, neutralizing their top offensive threat, Bongo; with Mallory chipping a shot right over the head of their goalie for another score, and Blayne smacking two more balls into the net; with everyone playing their hearts out, we came away the winners, 5-2. I was certainly proud of the girls.

So, we're still undefeated, with 3 wins and no losses. Our next opponent Saturday will be The Heat. Check back to see how the Cats do.

I didn't have much chance for photography, but here's a few shots I managed to take (click on the photo to enlarge):

Sharon talks to the team in our last practice before the Big Game:



The teams prepare before the game:



Wendy chases down one of the Fireball Cobras:



Blayne takes off:



Ah, sweet victory:

Avi Comes To Murray

Last Friday, September 19, Avi - a noted author of children's fiction who has penned such perennial favorites as Poppy, Ragweed, The Secret Show, and the Newberry Medal winner Crispin: The Cross of Lead - came to Murray to give a talk and a reading at the University, and to sign books afterward. Wendy's reading class happened to be reading Crispin right now, and they were lucky enough to be invited to attend (the only fourth-graders at Murray Middle to do so.) And I was lucky enough to be able to go along as a parent-helper and an "official photographer".

Avi talked about how he had become a writer, what a writer does, how he came to be known as "Avi" (it was the name his younger sister called him when she was very young), how he chooses his books and characters, how long it takes to write a book (his quickest took one day; his longest took 40 years!), and so on. The kids loved it, and I loved seeing their uncensored excitement at being able to hear and meet a real, live author.

It was a great time.

Here's a small sampling of the photos I took:

Ike Pays Us A Visit

Kentucky is a long way from Texas, so I didn't think we'd be feeling any effects from Hurricane Ike. I was wrong. Last Sunday, September 14, what remained of the storm swept north of us, and my did the wind blow! Gusts in the area were reported up to 70 miles per hour. We lost power for 2 or 3 hours, and as the trees in our yard were dancing like dervishes, I used the opportunity to tell Wendy about the time John Muir climbed a 100-foot high Douglas fir - atop a high ridge - during a terrific windstorm, lashed himself to the top, and hung up there for hours, whooping with joy and reveling in the power and grandeur of the tempest as the tree was whipped this way and that.

I don't know if anyone in Murray climbed a tree during this Big Blow, but fortunately, we suffered no tree damage in our yard. Some of our friends, though, were not so lucky. We learned that one family had part of a tree fall smack on their truck, while another family we know had a tree crush their garden, and still another had a falling tree smash their playset. There were trees and large branches down all over the city. By afternoon, as we went shopping at the Wee People sale at the university (the biggest used kid's clothing event of the year), all was peaceful and still.

The storm had passed.

As I was driving around our neighborhood later in the day, I snapped a few photos of the zephyr's aftermath:

Wildcats Win Again!

The Wildcats won their second game of the season, defeating the Mustangs 4-0. Wendy scored two goals, Blayne scored one, and Sarah scored her first goal ever! Way to go, girls. Here's a few shots from the contest...the Wildcats are in white. You can click on any photos to magnify.

Here Sarah gets off a good clearing kick. That's Wendy at goalie.

"Good game. Good game. Good game".

Wildcats Win Their Season Opener!

On Saturday our soccer team, the Wildcats, won the season opener against the Bulldogs, 3-0. And it really is "our" soccer team, since Wendy is a player, Randy is the Coach, and Sharon is the Assistant Coach. It was an exciting, well-played game. Mallory, Blayne, and Linda scored goals, and Wendy made some excellent plays at defender and goalie. And, hey, so far....we're undefeated! Our next game will be Saturday against the Mustangs, who also won their first game.

I snapped this photo of the girls right after the game. Looks like a great team to me!

Crazy Clothes Update - Wendy Wins!

When I picked her up from school yesterday Wendy was a disappointed little girl. Not because she hadn't won the Crazy Clothes contest, but because they hadn't announced a winner. I told her that with all the kids in this school, her chances were pretty slim anyway, so don't fret over it.

When I picked her up from school today, though, Wendy came out of the building with two things besides her usual book bag - a big smile, and a check for $50. She had won the Crazy Clothes contest! She had certainly been attired whimsically yesterday, but given all the students in this school (grades 4-8), and all the wacky outfits I glimpsed yesterday, I really didn't think she had much of a chance to win the Grand Prize. But on the school news broadcast this morning they announced the Honorable Mentions for each of the five grades, and then said "and the Grand Prize winner is.......Miss Wendy Waltrip!" I wish I could have been there to have seen her face when she heard that. She said her whole class screamed with excitement when the announcment came through. Her good friend Sarah rushed up and gave her a big hug.

I took her Dairy Queen for a celebratory Blizzard



and here she is breaking the news to Mommy:



and holding up her Grand Prize check and a drawing she made of the Big Moment on the school newscast:


So, what d'ya know? Wendy's a winner!

Crazy Clothes Day

It was Crazy Clothes Day at the middle school, and Wendy got all decked up in suitably wacky fashion. Here she was this morning before leaving for school - without and with the pacifer!



That wild hat is actually an official Munchkin hat, worn in the Flagastaff Light Opera Company's 2005 production of "The Wizard of Oz". Pretty nifty, eh?

She was having second thoughts as we pulled up to the school, worried about what the older kids would think of her as she walked into the building:
But lots of the older kids had crazy clothes on, too. We climbed the stairs up to the fourth grade rooms, and what a gleeful spectacle it was, with kids in every manner of crazy get-ups! She posed in front of her classroom door (without the pacifer):

And then disappeared inside for a day of learning and merriment. (Those pants she's wearing, by the way, are my swim trunks, and that's my Route 66 tie around her neck.) Sure looks like fun. Now why don't I recall ever having a Crazy Clothes Day when I went to school?

Simply Saunistic

The hot, steamy days continue here in western Kentucky....temperatures in the mid-90's with buckets of humidity. Two years ago, during my first summer here, I coined the term "saunistic" to describe these days. As hot and steamy as a sauna. The term still applies. I never knew how easy I had it - climatically speaking - growing up in southern California.

To beat the heat I've been going out for runs at dawn, when the temperature is about 75 degrees, and the humidity is about 88 percent.

We're still seeing a few fireflies in our yard at night. Wendy calls them "fairyflies".

Sometimes, when I step outside at night and feel the touch of hot, humid air, I think of Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride, not the movie. I think of it because for many years that was my only experience with sultry, southern air.....at least until Sharon and I were marooned in Guyaquil, Ecuador for 6 days once, after I had fallen into an open manhole.

Last Sunday morning the family enjoyed a bike ride amidst the corn and soy fields:



Wendy decided to snack on a few of the soy beans along the way:



Notice she took along a little passenger, too:


And here's a bonus image:


That's it for now. Have a keen and adventurous day.
Randy