Are you kidding? Flooding in December?

Enough is enough. We've been in the house nearly 6 months now. A little over three months ago, we had the supposed 100 Year Rain and the flooding that resulted. As some of you might remember, we were almost a house-boat at that time. But we managed to get through that and, in the process, make some upgrades (although costly) to the house that would help with extreme conditions. New drain tile system in the basement. New sump pump (1-1/2 horsepower) with a high-end backup system. We figured it would take one heck of a storm -- and perhaps power loss -- to reproduce those results.

We didn't expect to be tested in December.

The previous week or so had provided much snowfall. Five inches here. A couple of inches there. All told, we had quite an accumulation of the white stuff. I had already cleared the driveway numerous times. And we even had snow pile up and block our back doorway (see photo inset later in this story). Driving to and from work was always an adventure. And one "rush hour" evening produced tales of 4-6 hour drives for commuters. Ugh.

That snow was then followed with a below-freezing day on Christmas Day. Our high probably reached about 15-18 degrees.

And then the fun started. Temperatures started warming up. And they kept warming up. And the rains poured throughout the first half of Saturday. Snow piles were melting rapidly and, with the freezing cold ground, had nowhere to go. So the result was flooding. Lots of it. Houses backing to the river were faced with similar problems from a few months ago. The river rose to the backs of these homes. And the snows piled up at the end of the street produced a visual not unlike last September.

The water kept filling the ditch by the roadside until it overtook the ditch, rose over the driveway and partially up into the yard. Again, no river running down the road, but the effect was nearly the same: the pump just kept on running -- trying to keep up. And then later in the evening, the 2nd pump kicked on. And the two worked together for two solid days without a break, trying to push out the water just pouring into the sump system.

Unnerving? Without a doubt. I even pulled a few important items out of the basement. And I just hoped that these pumps would keep the water at bay until the ground could start handling some of it. We barely slept for two nights as we listened for the pumps, continually checked water levels -- and even had a scare when the 2nd pump had stuck and wasn't pumping out the water. I caught that just before it reached the top of the sump pit. Yikes!

Anyway. By Monday, the 2nd pump had dropped off to mere back-up status. By Tuesday, the main pump was finally getting a break, although only about 5 seconds between pushes. The basement stayed dry. The drain tile system held with no water seepage. And the music studio lives on for another day!

Just a few days prior, Su and I had a chance to hop on the huge snow hill at our nearby park. I'm sure glad we took some time out of the day for that. A day later, there wasn't even a snow hill remaining. Just water. Everywhere.

Reportedly, 2008 was a record year for our area, with over 50" of rainfall. I'm really hoping that 2009 doesn't end up being another record year.

Home for the holidays

2008 brought us many changes. New digs. New neighborhood. New schools. New life - sort of. But with the new digs also brought us a new role, or at least one that hadn't been in effect since about 1997: Host of Christmas Present.

With mum feeling a bit under the weather of late and not really having the stamina for the yearly holiday hosting, we agreed to take it on and see where it all goes. It would be the first time that the humble abode would take on so many live bodies (instead of the usual "not-so-live" bodies?) indoors at one time. And with cold, cold weather in the forecast, we knew that it would be pretty cozy and everyone would need to be on their best behavior.

And I do believe it worked. There was much merriment in the household. Music drifted in and out; the aroma of warm food or cool desserts swirled through the kitchen, and the cold beers made regular appearances from the walk-in cooler once operating full-time as a garage. Yep, it was all quite enjoyable. Kids played well together -- with only the occasional "I'm bored..." spewing from the lips of some pre-teens. Nothing that wasn't handled with the click of a TV remote control. Hey, I'm not their parent, right? What do I care if they harmlessly watch some of the tube from the back room.

All in all, a success. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. And grandma went home when SHE wanted to -- not having to wait for everyone to leave, as she would have had to do in past years. Hopefully she found it to be to her liking. And we'll just see what 2009 offers.

And how did Su make out? Wonderfully, as usual. Some of her favorites are shown here. The digital drum set was a fun surprise for her. Cheap entertainment and not much volume. Good combination for beginning drummers.

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The day before (Christmas Eve) was spent out at Anita's parents' place. It's been our 20 year tradition to travel down there for the holiday eve and spend the following day here locally. And it's worked out so well all of these years. Never a conflict in scheduling between parents. Never having to do the "two Christmas" thing like some families. A full day dedicated to each side of the family.

Christmas Eve always ends up being the more relaxing of the days for me. Anita's family tends to get along really well. It's been that way for several years. None of the same tension that seems to come with my own family gatherings. It almost seems -- dare I say -- normal? Good conversation, good food, and just a lot of fun watching Su play with her cousins.

And sometimes, depending on the Bowl schedules, you even get to catch a glimpse of a Notre Dame football game -- and witness their first bowl victory in what seems like decades.

And the weather cooperated with us, too. The predictions for a snow-filled day and messy travel were squelched and all we really had to contend with were strong winds that reduced gas mileage in the Santa Fe considerably. Other than that, a pretty uneventful trip to and from. You have to like that.

And after a full day of running around, eating, and opening gifts, the drive home was a quiet one. Su was fast asleep within about 10 minutes -- and mom followed a short time after that.

Yep. It can be lonely being dad. Or just quiet. Happy holidays.

From up high

(Part 2 of Sunday activity from 2 weeks ago)

Another pretty cool thing that has developed since making the journey to the Temple each month (see previous blog entry) is the newly found opportunity to actually see bits of Chicago again. As mentioned earlier, the missus and I have not exactly been huge fans of the densely populated metropolis. When we were a bit younger (okay, maybe MORE than a bit...), we would take many a weekend journey out that way to pick up a live concert or comedy show. And there was actually a time when MY own band played out in that general direction. We didn't think much about how irritating the drive was back then. Either the traffic has worsened considerably over the last 20 years or we've just become less tolerant. Or both. I vote for "both."

But since we're now out that way a bit more, we've used the journey as a means of showing Su a little more of what we typically don't see here in the suburbs. Two months ago, it meant a trip to Navy Pier and the Children's Museum. She really loved that one. A couple of weeks ago, it meant:

The Sears Tower

With the exception of about 5-1/2 years, my entire lifetime has been spent 20-40 miles outside of Chicago. And not once in all of that time had I ever ventured into the Tower. And it's been there for quite a while now. But now we're feeling the desire to show these wonderful iconic locations to Su -- and, in the process, also experiencing some of this for the first time. Good fun.

Su was simply amazed. For some reason, she had associated the words "tall building" with much lesser structures like the historic courthouse building in Geneva. Nobody would confuse this building with being tall. As you can see, we didn't get out much in recent years. But this city full of skyscrapers was just so exciting for her. And I have to admit that we enjoyed it a little bit, too. Not the driving. Not the parking. But the view.

So in we went. After paying an almost criminal amount of money to take the tour, we boarded the elevator and found ourselves at the top of the 110-floor building in seemingly no time at all. Not at all what I expected. Remember the elevator scene in the Blues Brothers movie? The agonizingly slow elevator ride accompanied by "Girl from Ipanema" muzak? Sort of what I was expecting. I'm not sure we were on this thing for more than a minute. Just remarkable.

Of course, what was even more remarkable was the view. Su ran from window to window, all the while declaring her disbelief at how far she could see and just how far up we really were. And this was on an overcast day. I imagine that a clear day would just be breathtaking.

Anyway, enough about that. Most of you reading have probably already been up in the tower -- perhaps even more than once. So consider us just a little late for the party. The building was completed in 1973. I just wanted to give it about 35 years for the crowds to die down a bit...

A new and improved path (to the city)

This past Sunday resulted in a trip into Chicago. This is something that we don't do very often. I'm not a "city" person. The missus isn't a city person. And there is little there that we typically consider worthwhile that would motivate us to take on loads of traffic and parking headaches. But we've found a reason now -- and it exists at 4216 North Paulina, the home of the Chicago Nichiren Buddhist Church.

For the last nearly eight years, we've been attending Buddhist services right here in nearby West Chicago. But a lot of additional research and a different focus led to the discovery of this little gem hiding in the midst of a typical city neighborhood. Chicago Nichiren Buddhist Church is the Illinois home of the Nichiren Shu sect. I won't go into the details of what differentiates one sect from another, but the Nichiren Shu philosophy, its view of the Lotus Sutra, and its positioning of all relevant Buddhist teachings scratches us exactly where it itches, to borrow the phrasing.

We started attending a couple of months ago and are completely smitten with the low-key atmosphere, the positive exchanges, the friendly mostly Japanese membership (some Chinese), and the more accurate focus on the legitimate Nichiren teachings, as well as the more universally known Sakyamuni Buddha, acknowledged as the original Buddha. Services are available every two weeks. We are on more of a "monthly" schedule, A) because of travel, and B) because the Chief Priest himself only usually makes the journey once a month from Schaumburg. Might as well make our visits count!

Overall, it's a relaxed, enjoyable vibe, with the required recitation and chanting, hand-held drums to accompany the Taiko-provided rhythms, and all of the beauty one could possibly hope to see presented in such a humble city dwelling.

Once the service is complete, friendly exchanges take place for a while. Usually a lesson or just an interesting, relevant story. Then this is all followed with a lunch served in the lower level, where Japanese dishes are offered up to any takers, along with some sort of dessert. During our last visit, a Japanese member had just turned 88 and was celebrating, so various cakes were offered up. On Sunday, another member was celebrating an occasion and brought in chicken and other goodies.

No, we don't go for the food. It's a nice bonus, though. We actually had other lunch plans for the day (next blog to come) and had to scoot out of there. But each visit reassures us that this is certainly a welcome place to be and we've been made to feel right at home from the first moments. Su is already quite popular. I guess that's not a surprise. She's not exactly shy!

Our sweetheart

I don't think there's much to say. Six years old and in first grade. Where did the bangs go? The baby face?

Tricks and treats

Believe it or not, one of my early thoughts regarding the move back to Winfield was about what it would mean to Su on Halloween. In Geneva's Randall Square area -- the land of track housing -- pulling in a ton of candy is almost a certainty. Houses are close together and it only takes a walk around a couple of blocks to pull in enough candy to ensure that current students in dental school will have jobs waiting for them when their studies are done.

Winfield, in past years, produced far fewer young ones in costumes parading up and down the streets. Houses are further apart. Most of the south side of the neighborhood lacks any sidewalks, and only a few corner streetlights to light the way. Some years were lucky to produce maybe 15-20 kids at the door. You could peer through the front window into the streets and see the dark shadows lurking, but not many ventured to the door, with parents preferring to stick with familiar houses.

Our current address places us in one of the most remote areas of the village. It takes a lot of work to find us -- and many might not find the journey much of a payoff in candy loot. And such was indeed the case for our home this year. We produced a total of 10 kids at the door. Seven arrived in one group, two came from next door, and then there was one other brave child, willing to ring the bell, set off the ferocious bark of Max, retrieve his treats, and head off into the darkness.

Su and I, on the other hand, did surprisingly well. With a tip from a neighbor, we picked the perfect direction to head out. Houses were far apart and there were many hill to climb, but Su was more than up to the challenge. Running from house to house, she trampled through leaves, hopped over ditches, climbed up and over rocks, and really worked hard for her treats. And houses were very much in the giving mood. It wasn't long before I was carrying the overflow of candy to lighten Su's load. The evening was topped off with one house that was grilling up hot dogs for the kids. Yep, the grill was out in the driveway, condiments and juice available, and picnic benches to rest weary legs. Of course Su said yes to a hot dog fresh off the grill.

So, with me now carrying two bags of candy, the juice, napkins, and the flashlight, Su chomped down her dog as we headed back home. A fitting conclusion to a fun-filled night of treats.

Back again -- and Reunion 2008

Hi! Remember us? I'm thinking that many folks started to wonder what happened to the updates. Since the flood (below), the blogging opportunities went from infrequent to nonexistent. Why? Well, a multitude of reasons, really.

Most impacting was the flood itself. As you can imagine, there was no shortage of things to do for some time. Between chaos and cleanup, the weeks that followed were a bit out of the ordinary. Pumps working overtime. Continued seepage (don't you hate when that happens?). Money quickly getting allocated for unplanned uses.

Added to that burden was work. The day job. Well, the job that became day AND night. And some weekends. Too many hours, too much stress, and not nearly enough energy to even begin to approach this blog site.

Toss in a few surprises like extremely bad back problems, a bout of food poisoning, and several filled weekends with birthdays and assorted family/friend events and you get the general idea. Something had to give. And the blog slipped to pretty much dead last on the priority list.

But at least one of those planned events was worth waiting for. It was even worth fighting off the food poisoning and gutting out (no pun intended) what could have been a miserable Saturday. What would possibly make me pull myself out of bed, get in the shower, and drive 1.25 hours with a headache and nausea?

The yearly reunion at the Zupec's place -- to celebrate with the families from the midwest who accompanied us on our incredible journey to China 5 years ago. Since that life-changing event, most of us eagerly return to Gurnee each fall to spend time together, compare our lives, share tales, wax nostalgically, and -- most important -- watch the kids simply go nuts with each other.

It's pretty amazing, actually. Most of these kids haven't seen each other since LAST fall, but you wouldn't know it. Almost from the first instant that each kid set foot in the home of Mike and Cinda, the routine from previous years was immediately remembered. Each kid would come in the door, remove the shoes, run down the hall, and make a beeline straight down the basement stairs to the play area, joining those already there. No warm-ups needed. No shyness. Just an immediate bonding -- one that I've never witnessed in any other setting.

The kids all played together, yelled and screamed, ran around, ate, and simply had a spectacular time. And no fighting! Go figure! With each year, the volume level in the house gets louder. The kids get more expressive and the personalities yet more developed. They grow bigger and more beautiful (sorry Colvin and Tristan... that would be "handsome" in your cases) each and every year.

The parents? Well, we get older and perhaps a bit slower. But we seem to enjoy each others' company no less. While we all live very different lives apart, it all comes together for one afternoon and evening. Such wonderful people. We had the pleasure of spending such incredible moments together in a faraway land. And, five years running, we've had the chance to stay in touch, rekindle friendships, and cherish these children.

We're already looking forward to next year.

Next up: The Chinese New Year!

A river runs through it

For the last week or so, I had been hoping to put up some really fun pictures from the previous weekend -- a wonderful 3-days of enjoyment spent on and off at our Winfield Good Old Days festival. Celebrating 40 years since the first festival ("1968" was the theme), it was a splendid time for the three of us -- and especially so considering that we have just returned to the neighborhood we love and it just seemed even more special.

But before I could get around to uploading the pictures, something completely unexpected occurred. Not just unexpected, but unprecedented: Hurricane Ike. Now one might normally think that, being in the more northern part of Illinois, how can we possibly be subjected to the nightmare of Ike? That's all the way down in Texas, right? What's the worst thing that can happen? A little rain?


Yes, a little rain. Followed by a lot of rain. And even more rain. For days. It just kept coming. Sometimes hard. Always steady.

Time to back up for a moment: When we bought our place in Winfield, we knew that the area was subject to a little water once in a while. It is lower-lying area and there is the west branch of the DuPage River to consider. But we didn't back up near the river. And we were houses away from any danger spots. And we were not in a flood plain. Plus, we were in a house that only taken on water twice in 31 years -- both times due to power loss.

So we felt pretty confident that we could handle a bit of rain. Until Saturday morning. Anita woke me up at 6:00 a.m. to say that there was water in the basement. Shocked, I went down and took a look. The sump pit was completely full, with water coming over. And the pump wasn't running. Hmmm... the floater was stuck. Problem solved, right? Turns out that one pump wasn't nearly enough to combat the incoming waters. And we found out the hard way that our backup pump wasn't working.

And it continued to rain.


My brother-in-law Gene stopped by and applied his extensive plumbing knowledge to our problem, quickly installed a 2nd pump and the 2-pump system kept the waters at bay in the basement. But the waters continued to build up outside. By Saturday night, our roads were flooded and we barely made it back to the house following a birthday party we attended. All night we watched the waters edge up the driveway and yard. We watched it creep in over the backyard as well. I kept marking the progress with sticks in the yard.

By morning, our place looked like a house-boat. Water was up to nearly 12' from the front of the house. And maybe about the same from the backyard. And what used to be our roadway now was a fast-moving river. Over 2' of water rushed down the block. Houses east of us completely consumed by water, some basements taking on 7' feet of water. Houses at the other end of the block also entirely surrounded, with water going up and over the foundations.

And we were pretty much stranded. No vehicles coming in or out. Nothing to do but nervously wait it out. Stocked with food and water, we just hung on for the rain to end.

By the time the rains ended -- about 4:00 p.m. on Sunday -- the area was a disaster. But our home, along with about 3 others, were spared the flooding nightmare. Somehow, we were just high enough in elevation to hold off the water. Instead, the current continued on down the road, leaving us stunned and in utter disbelief.

Along with a neighbor, I waded from house to house checking to see who might be in need of a hand. Pumps were emptying out basements. Cars abandoned at roadsides and filled with water. But all were doing pretty well. Most had managed to move furniture to higher ground and had 2 to 3 pumps working overtime to solve the water problems.


We didn't come out entirely unscathed, though. The event pointed out some problems. For example, we didn't have a pump strong enough to push out the water. And our backup never worked. It had been improperly installed and seized up. And worse, we don't have a functioning drain tile. Whether it be collapsed or deteriorated, it was useless. Water came in (and continues to do so) through walls and floor. While the pumps held, the water found other areas to enter.

So we are still a couple of days from possible cleanup. Two attempts to try to suck up water have resulted in more water entering in from the walls to fill back up again. So we wait until the ground is dry. Then we evaluate the damage. The basement studio is now in the dining room and living room. I am reluctant to place items back down there again until we can feel confident about the water flow. And if work is required to jack-hammer the concrete to add a new drain tile system, that would certainly ensure that nothing is placed down there for awhile.

It wasn't all humorless. While stranded at home on Monday, myself and a neighbor tried chasing down some stray carp swimming down our street. Yep, fish were all over. Some snakes, too. All probably lost and trying to find their way back to the river. Actually, they probably assumed they were IN the river.

And as the waters recede, more and more fish are left beached in yards and on driveways. Small-mouth bass. Large carp. Hoses. Debris. Wood from the neighbor's woodpile. You name it. If it was not bolted down, it floated downstream.

We're pretty much fine. Some major expense coming, but it could have been a lot worse. Su didn't miss any school. I missed one day of work. And we have quite a tale to tell for years to come.

Later, I do promise to put some pictures from Good Old Days. Thanks for reading.

You can put it on the board...YES!

Well, it wasn't all a celebration. Our first White Sox game in several years didn't produce the outcome we had hoped for, but we had fun nonetheless.

A couple of home runs by Jermaine Dye (Anita's favorite player), a perfect game through 5-2/3 innings by Javier Vasquez. Then the wheels came off and the game spiraled out of reach. Bases loaded. No outs. A series of walks and hits. Suddenly 3-0 became 5-3.

But we enjoyed some tasty beers, some decent food, a great, rowdy crowd, a couple of home runs that produced exploding fireworks from the scoreboard, and a fair amount of time spent at ground level in the picnic area.

We hope to do it again soon. And better results are expected.

Note: The Sox did rebound on Sunday, with a 9th inning, come-from-behind effort that led to an eventual victory.

Go Sox!!

Some images from the game below...

First grade jitters

This past Thursday was the start of the new school season for Su. First grade. Yep, she's officially a "student" now. Full days. Lunches. More homework. But it was also the first day for Su in a new school system. Su's preschool and kindergarten time was spent in the Geneva school system. She had already developed a certain sense of comfort with her old routine. She had made a few friends along the way. And she just LOVED riding the bus. So the world was a safe and predictable place.

But with our move back to Winfield, it not only meant the start of a new school year, but also all new faces. Of course, a huge reason for trying to get this move accomplished this year was to get Su into a new school system before she really developed any lasting friendships. Our view was that kindergarten, while fun, would be forgotten soon enough. But getting into the school system that would take her from grades 1 through 8 was more important.

We also knew that, with Su's personality, she would have no difficulty at all making new friends and fitting right in. Heck, it's only first grade, right?

We were so surprised by what started to take place as the school year crept closer. Su was actually NERVOUS. And the nervousness eventually gave way to fear. And her last night of sleep before the first day was not easy for her. The look in her eyes and the fear on her face showed through. This continued through to the next morning, breakfast, and the walk to the school.

I had decided to start later at work so I could accompany Anita and Su on the walk for her first day. I tried to joke and keep her mind off of her fears as we walked the .3 mile distance to her school. But to no avail. By the time we got there, she was deathly silent (not something that happens often!). And she clung to me in line while fighting tears. It was so tough to watch. Even when her new teacher came over and introduced herself, it did nothing to ease the fear.

All we could do was wait and see how her day concluded. We had a feeling that all would be just fine once she was settled into her classroom. But the wait would be tough as we hung on to hear the verdict on Day One.

Of course, it's as we expected. She came home wired and happy. She loved the first day. And she loved the second day, too. She really likes her teacher. And she's starting to talk to a few kids. The fears are gone. Anxieties forgotten.

And now nothing left but reading, writing, and arithmetic. Hmmmm... Does it get much better than Day One? Seems to me like it would be all downhill after this! :-)

But seriously. This should be a great year. Being back in the old neighborhood, closer to work, Su in school, and everyone extremely happy.

Not quite the babe

As a follow-up to the zoo, my second day off of work really featured just one plan for the day: fishing with Su. With another great day of weather on the horizon, it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to take Su out for some fishing at nearby Blackwell Forest Preserve. Su had been pressing me to go fishing for many months now. I realized that this was something that she really wanted to try -- and not just a one-time declaration. So it was with a bit of confidence that I purchased Su her very own Princess fishing pole for her past birthday. I really wasn't sure what she'd think when opening up the gift, but was delighted that she was actually quite excited about the whole idea! In the last days of our Geneva house (pre-move), Su spent many days actually practicing her "casting" down the hallway or tossing accurate attempts from the family room into the kitchen.

So there really was only one thing left to do: get my fishing license. A few weeks ago, I picked up my license and the nearest Wal-Mart and then crossed my fingers for some good weather. As luck would have it, that day would come on Friday, my second day off. So after my morning run, I returned home, cleaned up, and announced to Su that we'd be going fishing. She was just thrilled! We gathered up our poles, gear, and mosquito repellent and made our way to the lake -- first stopping off for some bait (WORMS!? They're SQUISHY!) and some beverages.

While not exactly conjuring up any comparisons to legendary fisherman Babe Winkelman, we still managed to get a few "hits" now and then while soaking up the morning sunshine. And, as luck would have it, about 1 hour into the day, Su latched onto the big one! After watching that bobber go under the water and stay under, it was time to walk it in. After spending the first hour of the day stressing the importance of "patience," she now was seeing the fruits of her labor.

It was quite a battle. Her little Princess pole bending under the strain of the classic tug-of-war, Su managed to lure the giant shark -- err, fish -- up to the shore and, using all the might she could muster up, hauled the giant sea creature up for all to see! A triumphant moment and a testimony to the sheer will of the little 6-year old girl from Winfield.

OK. Maybe a bit over the top. But you can see for yourself what counted most: Su was just thrilled and was beaming from ear to ear.

We didn't catch a thing the last hour. We mostly just lost a lot of worms. But the experience left a great impression on Su -- and I suspect we'll be doing this again very soon.

And, yes, we threw the little guy (or gal?) back into the water.

The Babe would be proud.

Talk with the animals

I had an opportunity to take a couple of much-needed vacation days this past week. With good weather in the forecast, we thought it would be a great opportunity to work our way to Brookfield Zoo, a destination we had not visited since a bit before Su entered our lives. We had taken her to smaller zoos over the last few years, more in line with the attention span of a young one -- not to mention the greater amount of walking that would be required to take in a larger zoo like Brookfield.

As mentioned, we had beautiful weather on this particular Thursday and we headed out for a day at the zoo. All told, we spent a good 4 hours or so walking the zoo grounds, taking in a little bit of lunch, and an ice cream treat when nearing the end of our day. With over 3+ hours of walking during the day, Su was quite tired and even succumbed to the calls of the sandman while driving home.

Just a few shots below from our day.

Bowling night out

One of the perks from having a good realtor relationship is finding out that you're appreciated -- even beyond just whatever commission amount you may have helped toss over his/her way after the transaction is complete. We've used the the same realty company now for 3 different occasions: a sell in 2004, a buy in 2005, and a sell AND buy in 2008.

But what has been enjoyable is the continuing relationship in between (and after) these different moves. Our realtor Joyce Courtney (Re/Max Home Court) has made a point of continually offering up customer appreciation events over the years. Kane County Cougars baseball games, bowling events, evenings out with high-caliber food and raffles, and assorted other ways of saying "thank you."

Well, this year was a family bowling night at St. Charles Bowl, in St. Charles, IL. It was a Friday night out, where the whole alley was rented out and reserved just for Joyce's customers. And because it was a "family" night, we were able to take Su along and have a wonderful time together. It was unlimited bowling, pizza, snacks, and drinks (well, aside from alcohol -- although I didn't mind throwing a few bucks toward a couple of cold ones during the evening).

We had a really great time. Su, with the benefit of some "bumpers" along the gutters, bowled a whopping 70 by her last game -- even learning to put aside the standard 2-hand roll method and adopting the 1-handed delivery -- all plenty impressive for a 6-year old.


Anita and I, both former league bowlers, each looked like we hadn't bowled in about 6 years or so. But we still had a great time watching Su toss the ball out there and then come running back each time with arms flailing. I'm not sure whose form she adopted. I doubt it was something displayed by Pete Weber or others on the bowling circuit. But whatever the influence, it was working for her.

And for us. A wonderful night out together.