Not Taking Off Clothes Pickle Balling In Texas

I saw that which you see here, yesterday, on Facebook, and wondered why anyone would want to do this.

Or watch this.

The Pickle Ball fad has made its way to Texas. I doubt the clothing optional version has made it to Texas.

My Arizona sister and her first husband are avid Pickle Ballers. I am almost 100% certain my Arizona sister and her first husband have not participated in a clothing optional version of Pickle Ball.

Way back in January of 2018 I was in Arizona for 21 long days. Mom and I got her a transit chair to wheel mom around on. My sister and her first husband were playing in a Pickle Ball Tournament, in, if I remember right, Mesa. Mom and I were spectators, which was rendered doable due to that transit chair.

Watching Pickle Ball is entertaining, even with the Pickle Ballers properly clothed.

Arizona Morning Driving Miss Daisy To Pickle Ball & Dad

This morning's Arizona adventure, after a night of imaginary air-conditioner malfunctioning, was driving Miss Daisy, I mean my mom, to Dobson Ranch Park to see my sister, Jackie, playing Pickle Ball.

We managed to eventually find one of the Dobson Ranch Parks, in Dobson Ranch, somewhere in Mesa. Well, I am fairly certain it was Mesa, and that we were north of Chandler.

Eventually Miss Daisy and I found ourselves lost in a maze of cul-de-sacs.

Calling sister Jackie was our go to rescue. Jackie then directed us to the particular Dobson Park Ranch where Pickle Ball is played.

That is Jackie you see above, the Pickle Baller in blue. I watched Jackie's team win one game, 11 to 0. And then it was time to return to Miss Daisy who I had left behind in the vehicle, with no shade. And no window down. I understand this is a bad thing to do when the temperature gets into, or beyond, the 100 degree range.

Leaving Pickle Ball, Miss Daisy and I drove back home to Sun Lakes where we foraged various freezers til we found frozen lasagna. Lasagna is on tonight's dinner menu. Last night it was barbecued steak with cheesy cauliflower, jicama, pineapple, watermelon and broccoli salad.

I have consumed more beef in one week in Arizona than the past five years in Texas.

Yesterday dad had a great day, was liking his new hearing aid, was actually having a conversation with Miss Daisy without painful confusions, with the previous painful confusions often coming from the Miss Daisy vicinity.Yesterday both mom and dad had their hearing aids in working order, thus enabling the good day.

Today we arrived to find dad quickly telling us he needs his hearing aids put in. I find them in a drawer. I tell Miss Daisy I will go find someone to install them. Mom did not want me to find someone to help. Why? I do not know. So, I got a hearing aid installer who had trouble installing. Dad kept saying it hurt. Eventually the left ear was okay. But we gave up on the right ear.

These are custom made hearing aids, designed specifically for each ear, plainly differentiated. But the nurse trying to install them did not know which one was supposed to go in which ear, or that the button on the aid had three settings, easily accidentally pushed, I assume, when struggling to insert the things.

Mom insisted sister Jackie would take care of the problem. I returned to the lobby where my computer is located and called sister Jackie to inform her of the latest episode in the Days of Our Lives. I am now awaiting hearing from Jackie about when the hearing aid helper, Jennifer, will arrive, if ever.

I really never thought I would say such a thing. But, I miss Texas....

Visiting My Neighborhood Caribbean Libertines Before Playing A Hot Arizona Pickle Ball

Due to too many days lately of precipitation precipitating precipitously I had not had myself much outdoor endorphin inducing aerobic activity.

Til today.

I opted to push my way through the wet wool blanket of hot humidity and make my way to my cool Caribbean neighborhood.

I entered the Caribbean today via Haiti. Soon I headed south via Barbados, where I have frequently admired the artwork you see here, at the southeast intersection of Haiti and Barbados.

Those Haitian Barbados natives are quite the free spirited libertines.

Soon I decided the Caribbean was providing me way too much aerobic stimulation so I head back to the Circle Trail where I soon saw the big lonely tree you see here.

I doubt you can see the one big white bloom on the above tree. It is blooming on the upper right part of the tree, with its whiteness blotted out by a cloud. That one big white bloom indicated to me that this is a Magnolia tree. My mom used to call these Tulip trees. We had a Tulip tree in our backyard in Burlington, Washington, til one day it died due to a failed plumbing pipeline.

I should be seeing my mom in a couple days, sometime late Thursday afternoon. I may remember to ask about that long ago backyard Tulip tree. But my mom tends to forget stuff. I do absolutely need to ask my mom about something which has long vexed me, which I always forget to ask about. As in how did mom make her way across the country, all the way to New York City, to meet my dad who was returning from France, where he'd been stationed whilst in the Army. I know my mom did not fly to NYC. I can't picture my mom traveling alone across the country via bus or train.

After mom met dad in NYC they toured the town, then bought a car, which they then used to take a long tour of the country on a slow trip back to Washington. Mom and dad sort of repeated that trek the year my dad retired.

Continuing on on the Circle Trail I soon saw a result of the past few day's deluges.

Holliday Creek in Holliday Gorge turned into a roaring rapids, with an egret hoping to do some successful fishing.

Holliday Creek is the creek which got dammed long ago to create Lake Wichita.

I am bringing my laptop along with me to see my mom and dad. I do not know how much Internet connectivity I will be having. So, I may be not quite as connected, as is my norm, for the next couple weeks. I also learned today that I will likely be engaging in something called Pickle Ball. An activity conducted outdoors in the extreme Arizona heat.

It is probably healthy to get disconnected every once in awhile, but maybe not whilst one is extremely hot...