Bisons vs Louiseville game on Saturday
This Saturday we headed to the Bisons’ stadium for what was essentially my first baseball game! It was a lovely overcast evening, with promise of a thunderstorm later that night. Downtown was deserted apart from the Stadium, which was agog with activity! This day marked my first intro to a taste of nachos with cheese, and the other goodies Rissa cajoled me into trying. We sat down so close to the diamond, I could almost smell the action as the game started. But before that I really needed a primer which Dad, Rissa and Jen provided in ample detail, as Sammy walked lil Ella around.
An all-American baseball game! Hawkers sold peanuts, beer and pop as the game inched on, inning by inning, the balls often being hit all the way to the stands – it was much the way I have read in the books and seen in movies. I often sat agape just taking it all in, and found myself soon cheering for the Bisons who were fighting a losing battle. It was simply splendid watching my Rissa turn into a baseball fan singing along and taunting the batsmen, it was just hilarious to see this side of my beloved.
Thunderclouds rolled in and threatened to put an end to the game as we decided to cap this evening after the 7th inning. The final score? Louiseville beat the Bisons 9-3. Oh well better luck next time.
Happy Fourth of July!
My first fourth of July celebrations here! And what a way to celebrate. Last evening we had an open BBQ and what a spread! Mom and Dad sure know how to throw a party! There was corn, hot dogs, baked beans, relish, and more corn! I went nutsies about them corn, smothering it with butter and salt (a fact I regret now that I look at my midriff). Oh well…
Dessert followed – Jenny’s birthday cake and all American Apple Pie! mm hmm! I of course went for seconds, ignorning the northern Dutch credo. After a hearty dinner we settled in with beer and snacks and watched Sammy light up the fireworks. Oohs and Ahhs followed, it was a splendid display of pyrotechnics, just loving it all. I video’d it all, living up to the name grandma Bee’s given me!
To top off the wonderful evening, Rissa and I set up our tent and our sleeping bags under the starry night. What a wonderful day indeed. We are back at the cottage now and have access to the Interwebs at last. Tomorrow is the big BBQ for grandpa Jess’s birthday, and we just set up the tents outside. In a few hours we’ll go in the pool! W00t.
And hey Namesake, Yaar also means "pal" in our ol’ Hindi! Congrats on your new TV! I am gonna check your blog for pix! And hey Tallytje, Rissa’s exam went well, and we’ve been so busy cleaning up our home and doing small chores around the place. How’s life back in the good ol’ Netherlands?
Blackjack II
We have been scoping the market for a half decent carrier of late, and high and low we searched without success. Had to weigh all options and some carriers offered an attractive package with roll-over minutes, but then the rest of the family is with another carrier that doesn’t offer much in the way of "bang-for-the-buck", "value-for-money" – what have you. Rissa and I finally found the carrier that makes most sense for us, and it’s AT&T. We finally started a family plan with them on the first of this month. By the way of phones we had the natural first choice of an iPhone. But that is a tad out of our price range right now, both in terms of initial and subscription costs. With AT&T making a data plan mandatory for an iPhone, the monthly costs for us as a family would be $129.99 a month. Way too expensive I am afraid.
So I decided to go for a Samsung Blackjack II, a Windows 6 based Mobile, similar in design to a blackberry. So far my experience with the device has been highly positive. My initial worry had been whether it would sync with my Mac. Missing Sync from Markspace came to my rescue with that. It works only with my Macbook Pro. It refuses to work with my Hackintosh installation, crashing my OSX each time. To be quite frank though, it has been rather difficult adjusting to a WM6 based mobile after having owned an iPhone for so long. Oh well, some things I do miss (touch & intuitive interface, native integration with Mac, the apps), and some absolutely not (the keyboard, worrying over the screen and scratching it, abysmal battery life).
But I have a phone at long last!
At the cottage by the Lake
A delayed blog entry this time around. We are Rissa’s parent’s cottage by the lake. Sitting at the table with the girls and Sam working on our wedding invitations. It is an overcast day with the wind blowing and the temperatures dipping. A perfect day for invites! The conversation flows, banter, leg pulling, and snacking from time to time, as lil Ella runs around sharing her chips and giggling.
The setting is picturesque, the lake looks so enormous and inviting and I have been going crazy snapping pictures of the surroundings, especially the pebble beach. It is so peaceful and serene here, the cottage is so open, overlooking the wide, open lake, which could be the ocean for all I know and as far as the eye can see.
We had trouble with the water supply this morning, but Sam and dad were so quick and efficient in fixing the pipes. So we have water again, and things are getting settled in anticipation of the celebrations later tonight. Independence Day baby that’s what I am talking about! Sam and Jen brought up fireworks from IN, and if the weather clears up, it shall be glorious this night. Pictures shall follow.
