Professional Pickleball in Charlotte

The PPA North Carolina Open was held for the second year in a row in Charlotte last month. As in the previous year, Jim and I decided to volunteer at the event. Unfortunately the PPA cut out some of the benefits of volunteering this time around, such as no included lunch and no free access to the venue except on the day or days you were volunteering. We liked our volunteer positions last year, and those were only available on Saturday - the semi finals of all events, so a good time to be there. I worked in the VIP section, which was right by Championship Court. I made sure all people in the section had the correct arm bands on, and made sure they had enough to eat and drink and answered questions. It was a great group of attendees, so I was mostly able to watch the pros play.

Jim was down by the Championship Court ensuring that people who had purchased court-side seats had the appropriate arm bands and a place to sit. From last year's experience we knew that they had oversold the seats and Jim had to deal with angry folks who couldn't find a place to sit. That was corrected this year, and there were no problems.

For Sundays finals we had purchased court-side seats. We arrived very early to make sure we would get a good seat, and that ended up to be a good move. Between Saturday and Sunday we met and talked to many of the pros we watch on t.v. or YouTube, and it was quite a thrill for us. There is just something about being able to see them play in person, and the Charlotte audience is very enthusiastic and appreciative of the PPA having one of their tournaments here.

Last year we hosted two pros at our house, but neither one was coming to Charlotte this year. Though I had put it out that we were willing to host, apparently there was a problem at the tournament in Florida recently with misbehaving female pros at a host's home, so the PPA is no longer reaching out to people to arrange housing. That is too bad, because we had such a great experience and were hoping to repeat it again. Hopefully our guys will come back next year!

North Carolina Open 2023

The PPA Comes Our Way

Last week the PPA North Carolina Open was held at LifeTime Charlotte. PPA stands for the Professional Pickleball Association, so that meant that many of the leading pros in the sport would be coming to Charlotte. Jim and I decided to volunteer on Sunday, since it was Mother's Day and we figured they would have a hard time fining volunteers on that day. We also offered to host one or two pros at our house.

Collin Johns & Patrick Smith

Because we have two extra bedrooms and bathrooms, Collin Johns and Patrick Smith took us up on our offer. Both are in the top ten of male pickleball players in the world, and had partnered up for men's doubles in this tournament. They also each played in mixed doubles.

As volunteers we could come on any or all of the days to watch play. Our guys had no games on Thursday, so Jim made them a nice breakfast while I went to my women's league play. Then they practiced on our courts here before heading to the venue to get some practice in on the indoor courts. Friday they played mixed doubles, and we went on a wine bus tour with our neighborhood. This event had been rescheduled from May of last year due to Covid.

Saturday the guys had their men's doubles games, so we spent the day at LifeTime watching. Someone ended up giving us wrist bands to sit in the VIP section, which was a slightly elevated seating area above the championship court. It was amazing to watch the pros play.

some of the winning pros

Our guys did not advance to the finals on Sunday, but we still had to work so we left them slumbering at 7:00 in the morning. As luck would have it, Jim got assigned to the championship court to check that guests had the correct wrist bands on, and I was assigned to the VIP section. Both of us had great opportunities to watch the gold medal matches of singles, men's, mixed doubles and women's play. It is totally different to watch the games live as opposed to on television or a computer. And to get caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd was so fun! I definitely would volunteer to help out again, and Collin and Patrick are more than welcome to stay with us in the future. They were a delight to host. I learned a lot from picking their brains, and watching them play. Paddles up!

Wet March for Babies

St. Louis March for Babies

taken by my photographer
friend, Caren Libby

For the third consecutive year I was a volunteer photographer at the March for Babies in Forest Park. This year, much to my dismay, it rained. Pretty much the whole time I was there. It is bad enough to be in the cool, wet weather for four hours, but add in my expensive camera and I was pretty anxious. I wore my raincoat and threw a lightweight poncho over the top of it. The event organizer lent me a hat, which really helped keep the rain out of my eyes and the wind from blowing my hair every which way to Sunday.

Andy and Megan gave me a clear plastic sleeve to go over my camera as a Christmas gift, and I used it for the second time. In theory it is a great idea, but from a practical standpoint it is difficult to use with a zoom lens on the camera. And I have to use my zoom because I can get much more candid shots when people don't know their picture is being taken. (Which sounds kind of stalker-ish when I write it that way.)

To me it seemed as if the crowd was much smaller, though they have had their best ever attendance during a year when it was a constant downpour. The mood of the staff, volunteers and attendees was still upbeat though. The disc jockey kept the music lively, Margie Ellisor of Fox 2 did another fine job as MC, and the a cappella rendition of the National Anthem was delivered flawlessly. This year's poster family gave a presentation - a family blessed with two sets of twins. Both pregnancies resulted in premature births, but all four of the children are doing well.

I have to say that the hit of the event this year was the bubble truck. Located at the end of the walk, both kids and adults had a blast running and dancing through the bubbles. They were already wet, so what the heck! It was great fun to photograph, though I kept getting rain drops on my lens.

I went through all the pictures and did some selective cropping and had to lighten quite a few because the day was so dreary. Then I burned them onto a DVD (at the March of Dimes request) and dropped it in the mail yesterday. Another March for Babies in the books - I hope it was successful for them.

this is why we March for Babies

Shooting Good Times!

Missouri Botanical Garden

With the return of warmer temperatures, I have been able to get out and shoot some photographs. My forehead finally healed enough to let my bangs hang down and cover up my icky looking surgical sites. My first couple of trips were to the Missouri Botanical Garden, which is my all-time favorite place in St. Louis. This time of year things change so rapidly that I try to get there once a week.

On my first trip I went by myself as it was during the week. When I am out photographing, I really don't mind being by myself. It is nice to be able to take my time and not worry that I am holding someone else up. My second trip was with Jim, as we hurried to the garden to try to capture the snow that fell on a recent Sunday. Unfortunately the garden barely got any snow, so we mostly ended up with raindrop shots. Those can be pretty, too.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Last Friday my photographer friend Caren Libby invited me to go to the Missouri Mines State Historic Site in Park Hills, Missouri. A photography meet-up group had scheduled a visit there, and she took me as her guest. I had no idea that this place existed. The Missouri Mines State Historic Site was until 1972 an active lead mine. Missouri's lead belt once produced 80% of the nation's mined lead. The 8,244-acre tract of land was donated to the State of Missouri in 1975. The mine's former powerhouse has been turned into a museum that interprets the area's lead mining history. The decaying buildings are fascinating to photograph. I just wish the day had not been so gray as I think the photos would have been better with a more interesting sky. By the time we reached Kimmswick for a late lunch at the Blue Owl Restaurant, it was 10 degrees warmer with bright blue skies.

Missouri Mines State Park

On Saturday I was the volunteer photographer for Bunnies on the Loose, a 5K race put on by the Webster Groves/Shrewsbury/Rock Hill Chamber of Commerce. This was my first time at this event, and I had a blast. My niece was one of the runners, so I got to spend some time with her as well.

Bunnies on the Loose

Soon after I got home from the run Jim and I hopped in the car to make our way to Kampsville, IL, final resting place of the once-grand Goldenrod Showboat. We stopped for lunch in Grafton, which was a good thing as Kampsville is north of Hardin, IL. And in fact the boat is a few miles north of Kampsville. It was quite a trek!

circa 1946

Built in 1909 for $75,000, the Goldenrod was moved to the St. Louis riverfront in 1937. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967, and became a dinner theater in 1975. The City of St. Charles purchased the boat in 1989, and in 1991 it was moved to the St. Charles riverfront. Ten years later the city decided to sell the boat, and found no takers so the Goldenrod was moved to Kampsville. It has been deteriorating ever since. A non-profit group was formed to try to raise money for restoration, but they are finally throwing in the towel. On April 1, the boat will be sold for scrap.

Goldenrod Showboat

The main reason I was interested in seeing the Goldenrod one last time is because back in 1979 or 1980 my family went to the dinner theater. We had purchased tickets for my mom and dad as a Christmas present, and since their anniversary was in January it seemed like a good way to celebrate. My brother Joe was in town for the holiday in addition to my folks, and my sister and brother-in-law had moved to St. Louis by this time. So the seven of us piled into my dad's Cadillac and drove downtown. The Goldenrod was moored on the St. Louis levy at that time, and it was icy and freezing cold that night. The boiler had gone out in the boat, so it wasn't much warmer inside. The area on the second floor where we ate wasn't too bad, but in the theater it was cold! We sat near the front in seats on the main floor, and you could feel the cold through your shoes. My sister remembers soaking her feet in a tub of warm water when she got home. We all kept our coats on during the performance.

Before the show began, there was music and the band director joked around with the audience. We had told them it was mom and dad's anniversary, so they put the spotlight on my mom and started singing, "The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be..." My mom had a wonderful sense of humor (fortunately), and she got the biggest kick out of that. I don't recall the name of the play, but it was one of the old melodramas where the audience was encouraged to boo and hiss at the villain and cheer on the hero and heroine. At one point in the performance one of the cute actresses came down the steps from the stage and got my brother to take him backstage. Now, you would have to know my brother, but he was extremely shy back then. We were all so shocked when he actually went with her and had a small part in the play! After the show we slip-slided our way back to the car, which was parked on the levy. After we all got in the car, the windows immediately fogged up, aggravating my dad who shouted at all of us to, "Stop breathing!" We knew better than to laugh, but really???

At any rate, seeing the Goldenrod took me back to a time when my family was able to get together and share some laughter. Now, like my parents, the Goldenrod will be put to rest and remain just a memory in the minds of those who loved it.

The Farewell Tour

Each year on the night of graduation, the parent's group for the graduation class puts on an all-night, free graduation celebration at Webster University. For the four years the students are in high school, fundraisers are held to cover the cost of the party, contributions to teacher wish lists and scholarships for needy students. Our parent group raised over $120,000 in four years, and we provided $19,000 in scholarships this spring to students in the Class of 2009.

Last summer the graduation party committee selected the theme "Farewell Tour '09", which enabled everyone on the committee to play off of the music and/or band theme. I have to say that the moms of our class never cease to amaze me. The decorations were unbelievable! Spotlights and signs greeted the students upon arrival, 45's complete with each senior's yearbook photo in the center decorated the walls, 33 rpms dangled from the ceilings, and a full rock band set provided a backdrop for photos with friends. To keep the students entertained for six and a half hours, entertainment included swimming, a casino, bingo, air brushed tattoos and nail painting, a live band, ping pong tables, Guitar Hero, a photo booth, a giant inflatable play structure and segways. And, of course, non-stop food and drink all night. Every student went home with at least one prize, and each had a ticket to place in the hat in front of their favorite big prize - a t.v., Ipod Touch, portable dvd player, a Wii, Guitar Hero, a hot air balloon ride, etc.

At 3:45 a.m. they called all the students into the gymasium to award prizes and show the dvd that Pam and I had worked on in addition to all the photo boards. I have to confess that I simply got all the photos to a staff member at the high school, Pam's daughter provided the music to him, and he actually put it all together and had 300 copies made so each attendee could have one. Since I had a houseful of out of town guests, I did not work at the party that night. But I understand that the students really loved the dvd. Even if it is not something they are interested in right now when their major thought is getting out of high school and on to new things, I think in the future they will enjoy looking back at this time in their lives. So, as my final swan song as a 19 year parent volunteer, I think I went out on a high note. Farewell...