Pix taken in McMinnville.
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“Growing old is not for sissies.”
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Several days back I turned 66. Anymore, that’s not considered as ancient as it once was - ‘60 is the new 40’ and all that crap. Generally speaking, I don’t feel old but there are times when I’m rudely reminded of my senior status, and those times are becoming more frequent.
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I’ve played pickleball 3 times in the last 6 days and each time I’ve strained or pulled a muscle or 2: my right forearm doing overhead slams, a groin muscle when I rush to the no-volley line after returning a serve. My style of play has always been aggressive but maybe I have to tone it down now. More stretching and warm up exercises will help, no doubt; we’ll see how it goes.
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Pickleball came into existence in 1965 in western WA. I discovered the sport a few years later, while living in Seattle, and shortly thereafter put away my tennis racket in favor of the new game. It takes a fair amount of time and effort to become decent at tennis but not so pickleball: you can pick up a paddle for the first time and be enjoying the game within minutes. Now it’s becoming quite popular with seniors, especially in retirement havens like Phoenix and Tucson. To my knowledge, it hasn’t hit Lake Havasu City yet – but it soon will: yours truly is taking on that mission.
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Trish will be spending time with her daughter today, tomorrow we’ll sit in on a musical performance provided by Carina and her guy, Brian, and Sunday we hit the trail back to AZ. We’ll spend 4 days on the road plus a one day break in Sacramento to visit Trish’s brother Doug and his wife Jan. Doug and Jan are the culprits we hold responsible for our move to LHC; they’ve been going there for years, typically spending the month of February in their 5th wheel RV. Truth be told, they were quite surprised that we decided to move there after only 2 weeks of exposure. Have to confess, I’ve never been one to dawdle when it’s decision time.
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Life’s short. Do it. Now.
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Several days back I turned 66. Anymore, that’s not considered as ancient as it once was - ‘60 is the new 40’ and all that crap. Generally speaking, I don’t feel old but there are times when I’m rudely reminded of my senior status, and those times are becoming more frequent.
.
I’ve played pickleball 3 times in the last 6 days and each time I’ve strained or pulled a muscle or 2: my right forearm doing overhead slams, a groin muscle when I rush to the no-volley line after returning a serve. My style of play has always been aggressive but maybe I have to tone it down now. More stretching and warm up exercises will help, no doubt; we’ll see how it goes.
.
Pickleball came into existence in 1965 in western WA. I discovered the sport a few years later, while living in Seattle, and shortly thereafter put away my tennis racket in favor of the new game. It takes a fair amount of time and effort to become decent at tennis but not so pickleball: you can pick up a paddle for the first time and be enjoying the game within minutes. Now it’s becoming quite popular with seniors, especially in retirement havens like Phoenix and Tucson. To my knowledge, it hasn’t hit Lake Havasu City yet – but it soon will: yours truly is taking on that mission.
.
Trish will be spending time with her daughter today, tomorrow we’ll sit in on a musical performance provided by Carina and her guy, Brian, and Sunday we hit the trail back to AZ. We’ll spend 4 days on the road plus a one day break in Sacramento to visit Trish’s brother Doug and his wife Jan. Doug and Jan are the culprits we hold responsible for our move to LHC; they’ve been going there for years, typically spending the month of February in their 5th wheel RV. Truth be told, they were quite surprised that we decided to move there after only 2 weeks of exposure. Have to confess, I’ve never been one to dawdle when it’s decision time.
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Life’s short. Do it. Now.
Yeah, and it sounds like it's getting shorter. Take it easy on the pickleball court.
ReplyDeleteWe're going to a retreat at our church camp this weekend. Sigh. I hate being improved upon.
Yeah, I hear ya: how do you improve perfection?
ReplyDeleteRemember that song by Mac Davis, "Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble"? Always did crack me up.