Loose Leaf Notes

It was Australia vs. Myrtle Beach and marked the beginning of the “We Bought a House! Housewarming Party,” hosted by my son Josh and his girlfriend Emily in Marshall, NC (just outside Asheville).

The game was played on “the island,” which is just off downtown Marshall and surrounded by the French Broad River.

The island (Blanahassett) is home to the old county high school that’s been renovated into art studios. There’s a community garden, children’s park and some small river sandy beach fronts.  Some people were fishing, and, at one point, I watched a great blue heron take flight.

In the lead up to the game, Josh posted on the Facebook housewarming event page: “We got our “event” permit for the kickball game. It’s on! We are official. We have the field from noon till 3. It’s a real, proper little league field with dugouts and everything!”

Someone asked whether Josh was in jail after the recent Trump rally in Asheville, an inside joke because Josh and his partners just bought the historic jail in downtown Marshall to renovate and Emily is a journalist who covered the rally for the Asheville paper.

Emily responded, “Josh is not allowed to go to jail. We are raiding our jar labeled “bail money” to pay for beer for the party, so we’re not going to be able to get him out. Yes, goats are welcome.”

Ben and Peta Richardson of Ridgeline Pottery of Tasmania Island (off the coast of Australia) were in town for the game and the party.  Josh, who stays with the Richardsons when he’s in Australia and refers to them as his Australian parents, dressed the part in old school fashion.  Someone else had a Myrtle Beach t-shirt on. So there you have it.

You can hear Josh say, “Watch out, the big Tassie’s up,” referring to Ben in the above warm up game clip.

I learned that kickball is played like baseball with a little dodge ball and soccer thrown in.  Josh, who has played on adult teams, kicks to second, Peta punts and Joe pitches in this warm-up game clip.

I usually leave the sports shooting to my friend Doug at Blue Ridge Muse, but found it was fun to capture people in mid air and, when it comes to sports, I like watching more than playing, especially when people I love are in the game.

I hung out in the dugout with the kids.

I love that Josh and Emily have such great friends!

Australia won!  __Read about the nighttime Marshall jailhouse tour HERE.