I had to take two physical education classes to complete my degree in music composition. Absolutely. Makes total sense. So I chose the ones taught in air-conditioned buildings: yoga and bowling.
Of course, I went to Baylor University, a (somewhat) Baptist school, so yoga was renamed “Stress Management And Relaxation” and beer was not consumed in the bowling alley. Which is like hockey without Canadians or baseball without steroids. I rest my case.
Jim Gaffigan doubts that bowling is even a sport in the first place. If you can eat nachos while playing it, he reasons, it’s not a sport.
Well, Jim obviously hasn’t studied the matter.
Bowling well, and not just to pass the time while your nacho cheese cools, requires a great deal of skill. For an entire semester, for three hours every week, I received instruction from a professional. I learned the proper stance, wrist position, foot position, release, strategy. I memorized the names of half a dozen splits. There were written exams, people.
And a high score of 190. Not bad. A solid B.
But that was…a certain number of years ago. I may not remember some any of what I learned back then. Good thing I’ve got a five year-old to school me.
Did I mention he’s never bowled before, never seen bowling before, and can’t say the word “bowling”? Humbling.
Thanks to Jaymar Family Entertainment Center in Franklin, TN for letting kids bowl free all Summer. No, really, thank you from the bottom of my self-esteem.
What free or affordable stuff is there for families to do in your neck of the woods this Summer?
I think affordable is a luggable term when your spouse just got laid off… Again!
We have a kiddy pool.
Really? Luggable? LAUGHABLE!
I was wondering if that was a word. Should be. Saying it feels good. Definition?
I can relate, sister! Mine became unemployed in March just as he told us he was leaving our family. He hasn’t yet found work. Our income was cut by half, and would have been cut by half anyway with his departure. It’s been rough and a blessing all in one. God is good.
WTG!! I just love to see posts of him and hear stories about him… brings a smile to my face!
This summer’s affordable activity for the kids and I is geocaching. Gets us out and about, hiking, running, biking to caches in our area, sometimes by car if we’re going that way anyway… and it gets us seeing places that we wouldn’t see otherwise.
It’s free once you have either an old handheld GPS or a $10 phone app from Geocaching.com.
Other than that, purging, packing, and prepping the house to sell. That’s free too, and at some point, it might become entertaining. Still waiting on that last part.
The boys in Third Day are nerds…I mean they geocache ; )
I’ve been told it’s addicting. One day, when I have a grown up phone…
I’m not sure what impresses me most, the fact that you got such amazing pictures or the fact that you actually got instruction in your bowling class. Oh yeah, or the fact that he bowled a strike!!
I took bowling too and I met the instructor exactly twice. The first day of class we showed up for instruction and saw a video on how to keep score. We were handed a piece of paper with 10 score grids and told to go bowl 10 games and write down the scores. 10 weeks later we came back for a final exam and turned in our score sheets. Badabing badaboom. Easy A. No wonder there was a waiting list for that class!
You got off easy. There was as much test taking as bowling in our class. What school?
I especially love step five and the disclaimer that follows it.
Katie
I’m told that breathing is still free. However, since East Tennessee has apparently decided to raise it’s temps to the same degree as the outermost rings of hell and all oxygen has been sucked into the stratosphere…breathing out of doors has now become somewhat cagey.
But it’s still free by golly.
Outermost rings of hell (aka Houston).
Or worse…Ft. Bliss, Texas. *insert old Hollywood type slasher film scream of horror*
Out of all the misnomers given to military installations over the years…that one definitely takes the prize.
Love the bowling pics! It’s beach volleyball for us. There is a beach volleyball court at the park just a half-block from us. It was painful the first few times…I mean volleyball used to be something I could just do anytime…when I was younger. But now I’m getting to where I can actually play again. My teenage sons are getting it down as well. Luckily the weather here in Southern Oregon has been mild, mid 80′s and low humidity. The hot weather is coming though.
You may be the only people in America right now who can say that about the weather. We’re breaking records every day here in Nashville. True. And inconvenient ; )
Yeah. We have many friends in your neck of the woods and I feel for you all. Super hot is not fun. Consequently I usually try to avoid mentioning our weather. Nothing worse than having someone tell you about the nice steak they had for dinner when you’re stuck eating Spam (though, you know, I really like Spam!).
Way to rub it in dude.
I wanna move to Oregon.
Now.
Sorry. Yeah, that’s why I try not to mention it. Like I said though, our turn is coming. We usually hit tripple digits later in the summer.
Love this!
We find free stuff around town and try to get to as many as possible. Museum’s on free days, movies in the park, splash pads, the sprinkler and camping in the backyard.
Oh, and the RCMP Musical Ride – such a COOL Canadian tradition.
http://www.talkingmyselfoutofthetree.blogspot.ca/2012/06/high-flying-fun.html
Oh, and forgot…bowling! $1a game on Mondays. Intend to give that a go.
I was there, too, FYI, and even though I took bowling in1960, at Texas A & M, I dared not put on the shoes and pick up a ball!
Even Aggies know that “time destroys all thngs”.
P.S., my best score at A & M was 135 – a high C grade. Way back when!
Awesome.
I took bowling in college as well. I was with a bunch of intelligent non-athletes, and we were all bad, so bad, but we could make fun of one another like no one’s business. And that in itself is a Life Skill.
Very little here. Most anything is an hour drive away.