WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?

Since I've been playing tennis for a couple of weeks down in Folsom, I suggested to the organizer that another place I think would make a good place is where I live in the foothills of the Sierra.

Of course, any suggestion is welcome and she took my idea and ran with it.  I told her I would go to the few first meetings until there was a pretty good established group because I am retired and don't want to have to be anywhere or any place any more.  Now I'm playing on my terms; doing what I want, when I want, where I want and with whom I want, without any ifs, ands or buts.  She said that that was OK because there really isn't any host at these meetings.  Everyone is supposed to entertain themselves.  Putting the people together themselves as to who to play with and for how long.  That's why it's called Occasional Tennis.  Casual Tennis is what they should call it.

Last Saturday morning when we played, there was supposed to be six of us.  Me and the leader showed on time.  Two others showed a half hour later and another two just came for the tennis lesson.  Now how casual can that be?  Maybe I'm just a stickler for organization.  I've thought of how I could improve this unorganized chaos.  Maybe I'm describing this a bit too critically, but in my mind I wouldn't start something like this without a plan.

Yesterday, after tennis, I went shopping in Folsom and ended up at the Sports Authority store.  They had some great discounts.  Now who ever heard of a tennis skirt costing only $6.00 and change?  I bought two; one black and one in a pretty sky blue and both had white trim.  They had no matching tops, but I have white tops that would make them look really cute.  They are made of the stay dry material.  One was an Asics and one was Adidas.  I know for a fact those skirts were at least $30 to $40 each when not on clearance.  They hung wonderfully as I tried them on in the dressing room at the store.  The lengths were just right.  I was sooooo happy when I left the store spending only around $14.

I also ended up at the outlet at Nike's store after getting lost again leaving the high school.  I got a pair of running shorts which are basically a neon yellow with a navy blue stripe and a powder blue stripe on each side and is made out of the the stay dry material which I love.  The material is so light and airy when running and doesn't sop up your sweat as you exercise.  They have no pockets even to put your keys in while walk/running, but I've devised a way of slipping my key chain on to my pedometer leash and securing it on to my waistband with a small clamp.

A lot of the running shorts now a days are made very very short.  And as I was perusing the clearance rack along with another lady, maybe in her 40s, she was saying to herself, "So short."  I had to acnowledge that fact to her because I knew I couldn't be the only one realizing what they are doing to running shorts.  As you get older, you have to remember "age appropriate."  Maybe some people where I live think I dress age inappropriate because I seem to be in either shorts; walking or running or tennis apparel.  I do not dress in old lady clothes.  I never want to dress like that with old lady prints, moomoos, large florals, ugly colors and grey cue tip hair.

When the manager of my apartment complex saw me a few years ago in one of my cute coral colored tennis outfits she said I had good legs, which I do.  My mother had good legs too and she was never athletic.  I guess it's in the genes or I was pretty much athletic or drawn to it since I was very young. 

I remember roller skates at the rink with my little skating skirts I packed in my metal multi colored case I brought my skates in to the rink.  What fun we had.  I even took lessons.

I remember my first bike, learning first with training wheels then my sister finally holding me while I rode and I finally learned faster that way than with the training wheels which made me feel wobbily and insecure for so long that I guess she couldn't take it any longer and within a few minutes I was on my own with her help.  Probably the only time she ever helped me with anything that I could remember.

Then there was my skiing at a small slope near my home.  I bought my first pair of Kely skis, ski jacket and ski pants, along with the ski gloves, goggles and hat.  Of course, the underwear and the sweaters, wool socks were a must have.  Great times.  I took lessons, ten to be exact.  We drove 45 minutes to get there after work on Friday night and sometimes during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

I remember being on a ski date with a boy and we were having a lot of fun, when all of a sudden we got a big snow storm while we were up having a drink at the lodge on a break.  We got snowed in; all of the roads got snowed in and I remember thinking, "Well, I have my credit card and could always get a room if I have to."  I told my mother that and she thought I was so independent having a credit card, which she didn't even have.  I never even thought of what the boy I was with was going to do.  At that time, you just never ever would think of staying in the same room with a boy.   After about an hour of sitting at the lodge drinking and could finally see through the snowflakes which were coming down in abundance, we went to ski on the most amazing powder that ever was.  What a great time we had and one of the most memorable skiing experiences I ever had; skiing on powder for the first time.  It was like flying on top of clouds.  In another hour or two, the roads were plowed and we got home with no problems.

Then there was the bowling league I joined with my two aunts.  I still can't believe our team won first place after that season out of probably ten or twenty teems.  My average score was 125 at that time.  Yeah, I had to buy my own bowling ball and bag which I still have.

Then bicycling.  I mean going for 50 miles in one day with my Raleigh Competition bike.  We traveled to and through some really beautiful areas, stopped, had breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Through orange groves we traveled in the evening hours with our lights on and lights around our legs.  What a beautiful sight and smells we encountered.

Then there were the volleyball games on the beach, tennis, and all of the social dinners I gave and went to with a social club I belonged to.  That's when I went on my first three day rafting/camping trip.  I had no tent and a cheap K-Mart sleeping bag a girl from work loaned me.  What did I know about camping at that time in my life?  Nothing.

I'd like to try the paddling thing here where there are rivers and lakes.  I never really felt that confident when it comes to the water although my brother owned several ski boats which we went out waterskiing every weekend.  I had a life preserver, of course, so when I fell, I didn't feel scared but challenged with how long I could stay up on two skis.  I never got the one ski skiing like my brother, but then again, I blame that on my weak upper body strength which I still struggle with today.

Sailing was another skill I learned.  I belonged to a sailing club and met two of my boyfriends sailing.  They each had their own yachts.  Yes, I said yachts.  One with a 40 footer and one with a 45 footer.  I'd steer out of Balboa Bay and Newport Beach steering the yachts while my boyfriends would get the sails ready for the open waters.  I remember steering and watching for surfboarders along the docks.  I was really nervous because these yachts were very expensive and white knuckled my way out of the harbor into the open sea.  I wasn't comfortable doing that, but once on the ocean with sails set, it was just a matter of which wine to open first.

But I do remember one time sailing when we had about eight soles on board and hitting a rock underneath shaking the boat violently and my boyfriend running to the bowels of the ship to check and see if we were taking on water.  I was ready to instruct the people aboard to get the lifejackets which were held under seats on the side of the boat.  Luckily, nothing drastically happened.  It was Three Arch Bay in Newport Beach were we set anchor and jumped off the side into the water to swim and splash about.  Not me, even though they said the water was so salty it held you up.  But nooooo.

I remember in high school they offered swimming lessons, but I didn't want to have my hair wet during school hours for fear I would look terrible and so my mother took me to the doctor to get an excuse.  Besides that, you had to shower with other girls.  How frightful that was for me at that time.

So now you know what I've been thinking.