Two and a half years old? at a NIGHT game? . . .

Canada geese, resting after foraging for whatever it is they forage for.

OK, let's think about moving on, she's creeping up on us!

OK, that's it, we're out of here!

This is why we motorhome!

Notice the wine!

No, Randy isn't writing my blog for me! He's catching up on email. Or something.

This is why we motorhome (and yes, motorhome is a verb, an intransitive verb—just in case you weren’t paying attention in diagramming class. Oh nevermind, those of you younger than 60 probably don’t have clue what diagramming even IS!): I am sitting outside, next to a lake (mind you, it IS about half a mile from the interstate, but still, the ambience is there), there is a family of Canada geese wandering about. I would love to feed them but all I have (today, we’ll shop tomorrow!) is bread and bread is wrong, Wrong, WRONG to feed wild birds.

We also camped over Memorial Day weekend (who knew that Memorial Day this year would be as early as it was?) and this is what you get when you don't plan ahead.

But I digress.

We got to the Pittsburg game a bit earlier than we usually plan to arrive so we waited by the front gates. And had to listen to the loudspeaker right over the gate saying over and over that they would like to welcome us but we jolly well better be on our best behavior or they’ll kick us out. If PNC Park (as if the park has a consciousness) determines that our language is bad, we’re wearing an offensive tshirt, are misbehaving, and/or a number of other activities they don’t like, out we go! The rules are necessary, I suppose, but being forced to listen to them at an earsplitting volume (you would have been able to hear those *&^% rules if you moved two blocks away—we know, our car was parked over two blocks away!) was a bit much.

The ONLY way to get to the ballpark is on your yacht!

Gotta have a craft beer!

Can't remember who this is, but he's got to be famous!

Beautiful views of Pittsburgh from the hills across from the city. Well, the hills are in the city, too!

Cubby wanted a view, too!

Waiting for the gates to open and listening to the obnoxious voice. Even Cubby was upset!

That's me (Pam) in brown in one of our seats, waiting for Randy to bring me a beer. He actually brought a martini. The first and probably last time I will ever have a martini at a ballpark!

Cubby, waiting for the game to start.

Isn't that a gorgeous view? We understand that Cincinnati will also have a beautiful view!

Pittsburgh’s stadium/park/field, PNC has the most beautiful view of the city we have yet encountered. Luckily the weather cooperated and we had a gorgeous evening of baseball and gorgeous views of the skyline. Home team won 4 – 2; we always root (sorry, Australian friends!) for the home team unless it’s a Dodgers home game or the Giants are playing. Not a memorable game except that the Pirates got all their runs on two home runs and I had to ask myself, Why on earth would a parent bring a two-and-a-half year old to a NIGHT baseball game? I had the misfortune of having to sit next to a mother and father and their out-of-control child (did I mention she was two-and-a-half? I know because someone asked the mother). She cried, she screamed, she kicked me (mom did admonish her to stop kicking). I was able to move one seat away which just meant Mom could let her sit in my recently-vacated seat. They even bought her a cotton-candy! Is it any wonder she was out of control? I don’t think they ever say no to her. Mercifully, they left in about the 6^th inning.

From Pittsburgh to Cleveland we are in Amish country. Lots of buggies on the road. Very picturesque. The Amish are probably heartily tired of all the tourists taking pictures of them: driving their buggies, parking their buggies, sitting in their buggies, walking, farming, pretty much doing anything. But they ARE picturesque.

Waiting patiently for the owners to come back from grocery shopping.

Waiting for the school bus?

Cleveland was a special treat because it was my birthday. I won’t tell you how old I am, but next year Homeland Security will let me through without taking off my shoes and belt. Randy just happened to mention to the hotel (the very snootily named Metropolitan at the 9, Autograph Collection) that it was my birthday and they gave us—well, we did PAY for the room!—a suite! We had cocktails after the game on the rooftop deck and dinner in their restaurant. Very nice!

Probably the only bad thing about Cleveland is that they only opened the gates about an hour before the start of the game (all the other opened at least an hour and a half before) and they were shooing us out of the park as quickly as they could (other parks even kept some venues open to buy food and drink after the game).

Oh, yes, the game. Cleveland was up 10 – 0 after 3^rd inning after sending 12 to the plate, and 11 – 0 after the 4^th inning. The Rangers put on a surge in the top of the 9^th for two runs so they only lost 12 – 3. This was the first game we have sat on the third base side of the field and I didn’t like it, at least as low as we were (three rows back from the Indians’ dugout). I later moved up to be in the shade and back about 25 rows was a great view.

Driving in, we thought Progressive was under construction, but no it is just the two seasons back East: Winter and Construction.

Cubby, waiting to get into Progressive Field.

Resting on Bob Feller's (?) leg.

More of Cubby at Progressive Field. One of our few day games.

Lunch and a beer. They threw in the sauerkraut and onions because it was my birthday.

Cubby and me in our seats before the sun drove me back about 25 rows!

View of the action from our seats.

The Cleveland game was our half-way point, 15 down, 15 to go!

We have moved the motorhome to Bluffton, OH, for three days while I recover a bit. From here we will drive to Cincinnati for a 4pm game and to meet Tim Parks, the originator of the Ballpark Pass-Port that we are getting stamped at every game. While we could just take a picture or buy a pin (which we are also doing) getting the Pass-Port (and he has one for minor league games, too), the Pass-Port is a fantastic souvenir. A nice leather ring-binder with four pages for each team. There’s space for a stamp and a photo-sticker of the park and a place to write notes about what happened at the game and a place for the box score. A really cool souvenir (https://mlbballparkpassport.com/).

Then on to Detroit and Chicago, the start of our zig-zagging. We will (assuming no rainouts before or during) go Detroit-White Sox-Minneapolis-Cubs-Milwaukee-St. Louis.