Cal State Fullerton Baseball

To give Holden a feel for real baseball, the boys and I attended a Cal State Fullerton baseball game against the Cal State Long Beach Dirtbags. Yeah, that's really their name. The CSUF baseball seats are great, as you can see, and the price is reasonable.

Tessa Got an Earthquake for her Birthday

Riley got to ride in a limousine for her friend Tessa's (pictured) 13th birthday party. It will be unforgettable for all the girls, not only because of the limo ride, but because they were all at Tessa's house when the earthquake hit. A gaggle of 13 year old girls screaming about an earthquake. I can only imagine!

Balls In! Coming Down!

"Balls In! Coming Down!" can only mean Little League is underway. It's the call the catcher makes to his defensive team after his pitcher is warmed up. It tells the outfield to throw their practice balls into the dugout and tells the infield to get ready for a practice throw from the catcher to second base.

Holden is #5 for the Detroit Tigers. He plays Right Field, Left Field, and Second Base. He is hitting .500 but not if you don't count at bats due to opponents' defensive errors. The coach likes that he isn't afraid of the ball and he throws straight and true. Holden wants to try pitching but he will really have to put in hours of practice per week, so we'll see. I hope he does it!

Little League is different now than it was when I played. Kids have their own bats and batting helmets. There are two umpires officiating the game. The field is really nice with an electronic scoreboard and a separate scorekeeper who tracks every pitch. There is no defensive chatter any more. The rules are very much like real baseball except you can't lead off.

Earthquake!

The 5.1 earthquake underneath Brea was strong but didn't last long. It was also the shaking type and not the rolling type that makes you feel like the floor dropped beneath you. We lost a couple picture frames and two glass candlesticks but that's about it. Some neighbors up the hill had cracked walls and ceiling damage. This wasn't The Big One, I guess.

Riley B. Talented and Logical

Riley just had her Winter concert for Brea Junior High Band. She played trombone so that makes two instruments she can play in band. The other is the clarinet. I was surprised how good they sound. Even though she is in the seventh grade she is in the Intermediate band. Next year she will likely be in the smaller, better Concert band, -- hopefully with her clarinetist friend, Karen.

Besides playing instruments Riley is also presently addicted to logic puzzles. These are like lumosity.com pre-Internet.

DJ's Been Working Out

This is his pose of the main character of Taxi Driver which is this month's famous movie that DJ is a living parody of. Previous movies were Drive, Apocolypse Now, Schindler's List, and Raging Bull. Next, I predict DJ is going to cut weight to look like Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club. Well, it's better than looking like Jared Leto. DJ has been eating a certain way and working out daily for a few months now. These are the results. Keep it up DJ!