Snow Fence
Well, yes we did get more snow. The good news, if you can call it that, was that we did not get the 10-15 inches that was predicted, but this time of year, 8 inches or so is more than enough. I remember late winter storms like this. Cripes! This time of year, I had already spent hours working a ball into my Jimmy Piersall-model glove. My brother and I walked the floors of the house pounding a Rawling's ball into leather. We lugged our gloves to school and spend recess with many friends bouncing a ball of the wide brick wall at St. Joseph's School. Our first games of spring were usually played on the tarred parking lot out back of the Canal Bank. It was cleared off and after-bank hours afforded us plenty of space for bases and a pretty good size outfield. After a few games there and more spring melting days, our 'field' was whatever and where ever cleared off first. The grassy, lumpy meadow behind Leo's, the dirt playground in front of the old Morrill's School, the small parcel of grass in Baxter's Woods, we weren't proud. If we could imagine a ball field and it was clear in late March, we could play ball. Today, kids spend days preceding the true season on a gym floor, almost mocking the game. We just needed cleared grass, dirt or a brick wall, and it was time to have some fun.
Play Ball!
Playing baseball outside in Maine in March? Birdman, you need to look again at your old diaries. Snow in March was very common then.
ReplyDeleteWell, our dad used to cut the grass in our back yard once a week so that we could set up a baseball diamond. Never forget we could not hit to right field because of of the bushes and thick growth so that was considered a foul ball. We had limited use of left field because it was someone else's land. We hit straight away over the rolling hills and everyone aimed at Mr. Bustin's Apple trees because if the hit cleared the trees, it was considered a home run, into the trees a double, and anything else you had to "leg" out the hits. No catcher so we had a plywood board which worked out great until Mrs Thompson told us the the "thud,thud,thud" gave her a headache......well, great memories and I will stop here.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. Fine memories. That plywood allowed us to practice our endless curve balls. hahahaha
Delete....Post script....I can remember about this time of year that I wanted to play baseball so badly that I went out to our home made baseball diamond in our back yard and actually started removing ice and snow from the ground so that it would be play ready faster...silly, as I ponder and look back, but what did I know then, when you are 8/9 years old, you just want to "Play Ball"!
ReplyDeleteMore snow? Enough already!
ReplyDeleteThe good thing about snow in March is it melts quickly. :)
ReplyDeleteI sure loved backyard baseball games--across the street at the neighbors' place. After the snow, after the drying-out.
ReplyDeletewe spent recess playing kick ball and tether ball! or sometimes, one of the 6th grade teachers, who was a surfer, would let us all in his class room during recess and teach us the "wipe out" dance! such fun!
ReplyDeletemy little guys are supposed to have their first practice saturday but it's calling for rain. the schools don't like to get the fields torn up in the mud.
calling for snow here on sunday night/monday...isn't it spring?!
nice memory of the 'ballpark'. :) love that scene, though.
ReplyDeleteI love your photo even if you had to endure one more heavy snow to get it.
ReplyDeleteIt has just started to snow again here!
ReplyDeleteReally???
ReplyDeleteWe got more rain. No chance of such a gorgeous shot!
That's a vivid memory. We had no place nearby to play baseball but we did play softball on a big blacktop yard in a local park. The bases and foul lines were painted in yellow. I suspect kids today would rather just sit in front of their X Box.
ReplyDeleteAmazing shot.
ReplyDeleteFantastic picture !
ReplyDeleteWish you to get some sunny days soon !
Love the look of that fence. Something so simple with rustic elegance.
ReplyDelete