Kickball et al

Kerry & Hugh had their 3rd annual kickball tournament/pool party/riverfest/cookout extravaganza in their community in the Northern Neck of VA on Sat.

We went to the first one, 2 years ago, but it was so stinkin' hot and humid that no one wanted to play kickball or even be outside. We spent most of the time inside their log house, which they built from a kit, with the help of many family and friends. The 2nd year we attempted to go, but got caught in a horrible traffic jam on 95, and since I was sick anyway, we finally turned around after 2 hours and drove home.

This year, things couldn't have been more perfect! We left earlier and didn't run into any traffic jams to speak of. The weather was incredibly delightful. It was sunny, about 75 degrees, with a light breeze. Not too hot, not too cool - it was just beautiful.

When we arrived we had sandwiches, chips and drinks. There was a bounty of food, and this was just the lunch. We met some new people and visited with many friends from before. There was plenty of room to mix and mingle at the pavilion area where the food and tables and pool were located.

Then it was time for kickball. We mixed the children and the adults and formed 2 teams. Since it had been fully 150 years since I'd played kickball, I asked for a quick refresher on the rules, and then we got to kickin'. The competition was light, but the fun was abundant. One of the funnier moments was when a female player lost her shoe - 3 times - trying to kick the ball. The final time a player caught her shoe then tagged her with it! Another funny but less obvious highlight was when it was my turn to kick. As I ran toward the ball on my approach I heard from the sidelines "Jazz hands!" (Uh huh... I heard you.)

After the kickball game ended, many of us walked a short distance to the river. A friend of Kerry & Hugh's house backs to the river so we used his dock. There was a large water trampoline bobbing against the end of the dock, and many of the children enjoyed jumping on it and into the water. Unfortunately that was short-lived when some others began to spot jellyfish in the water.

Not long afterward we smelled the beguiling scent of grilled food! There were 3 charcoal grills with hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, chicken breasts, and corn-on-the-cob halves sizzling to perfection. I was amazed how quickly they cooked all that food, and it was delicious. We had a feast fit for a king, and enjoyed more conversation and fun.

Knowing we had a 3-hour drive to get home and a full day the next day, we left shortly before 7pm. Once again we had no bad traffic, despite the many warnings about the road closures related to the Woodrow Wilson bridge project. It was a fantastic day!