Category Archives: Sports

Liverpool and Futbol ~Day 10

Sunday September 24th was day ten of our travels in Ireland and the United Kingdom. We enjoyed a well appointed breakfast buffet in the Delta Hotel dining room before we arranged for an Uber ride to see the waterfront statue of The Beatles.

Proudly perched on the peaks of the historic Royal Liver Building, the Liver birds are the mythical symbols of Liverpool, overlooking the city for well over a century.

The story of the Liver bird is said to date back to 1207, when King John decided to award Liverpool a Royal Charter, making it an official town. The document was sealed with the image of a bird – and so, the Liver bird was born.

Standing an impressive 18ft tall, the Liver Birds are made of copper and hold a wingspan of 24ft! The two birds are a prominent display within the city and previously rekindled the idea that the Liver Bird was a mythical bird that once haunted the local shoreline.

History suggests that the Liver Birds are a female and male pair that go by the names of Bella and Bertie. The female, Bella, looks to the sea, watching for the seamen to return safely home. While the male, Bertie, looks into the city, watching over the seamen’s families (or old wives’ tales – making sure the pubs are open!)

An urban legend also has it that the LIver Birds face away from each other as if they were to mate and fly away, the city would cease to exist. Another local tale also tells of the Birds being chained down, as if they were to fly away, the River Mersey would burst its banks and flood the city of Liverpool.

After a brief time at the waterfront we decided to Uber back to the hotel and to check out and get our luggage stored while we got on with the rest of our day. We got another Uber to take us to the Liverpool Cathedral which we were hoping to be able to explore. Our timing was off and they turned away visitors because it was time for a Sunday Service. We walked around the ‘longest Cathedral in Europe’ through St. James Gardens before we dialed up another Uber to take us to the Liverpool v. West Ham futbol match.

Our Uber driver took us right up to Anfield Stadium. Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has a seating capacity of 54,074, and is currently under expansion to seat 61,276, which will make it the fifth largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool since their formation in 1892.

When you are talking football in the United Kingdom you are actually talking about Soccer. Wanted to clarify for those of you who have no interest in this sport. This day, September 24th, 2023, will become our historical moment at Anfield Stadium.

We arrived early enough to get our shopping done before the game. As you can see the store was filled to the gills with fans doing the same thing we were.

It took a while to find just the right hat.

With our shopping behind us it was time to find the Beat Lounge. Josh was able to get our seats with special access to the Beat Lounge where we could hang out before the game, enjoy refreshments and other perks, a free drink at half time, access to our seats right off the lounge and easy access to restrooms. ‘Beat’ for the Beatles. There were musicians in the lounge playing some Beatles tunes, too.

 

It was a treat to be a part of the Liverpool Football tradition and see and hear the avid supporters in the Kop.

The actual score at the end of the match was Liverpool 3 and West Ham 1.

After the game we ended up walking all the way back to the hotel to drop off our purchases to be stored for us. Then walking again we were in search of a good spot for dinner. It took a while and a few false starts in establishments we weren’t that thrilled about. Finally getting a little hangry we walked into Salt House Tapas and were so glad we did. The service was great and the food was amazing. The Lamb dish we ordered was the best we had ever eaten.

We took an Uber back to the hotel to gather our stored luggage (which was not as easy as we expected). The front desk was slammed with a tour bus checking in and other patrons with complaints. Ludmilla was a gem and kept here cool and we breathed a sigh of relief when she found our last bag.  Josh ordered our last Uber of the day to take us to the Liverpool (John Lennon) Airport to our hotel for the night with an early departure back to Dublin on Monday morning. (That was a long sentence). Even with all the Uber rides we took on this Sunday we accumulated close to 16,000 steps!! Day 10 in the books we had one more full day left in our travels. Day eleven would start with a flight to Dublin and being reunited with Andrew and Katie for our final full day in Dublin. Cheers and Slainte for making it this far.

That post will happen after Thanksgiving Weekend which will be full of family time for us.

We are thankful to God for all of His love, grace, forgiveness and for filling our lives with so many good gifts from above.

From our house to yours we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Psalm 28:7 ~
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
Господь–крепость моя и щит мой;
на Него уповало сердце мое,
и Он помог мне, и возрадовалось сердце мое;
и я прославлю Его песнью моею.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

Early Years of Soccer

The first game of the year was played after being delayed because of our smoke filled skies. Wednesday after our rain on Tuesday made for clear enough air for outdoor activities.

This age is a hoot to watch. The swarming of all the players caused a few trips with certain players landing on the pitch.

Our favorite player managed to stay on her feet.

Since there is not a designated goalie at this age level, the players take turns. She was not impressed with the stinky gloves!

I missed this little guys first game but was happy for the photos his parents sent.

The treats at the end of the game are every players delight!

Speaking of soccer and soccer fans, Josh and Laura are celebrating their 22nd Anniversary today.

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Here we are in Manchester, England at the legendary Old Trafford, September 2013. In less than a month we’ll be with them at another stadium in England to watch another Premier League soccer game. Another dream fulfilled, Lord willing.

Happy Anniversary Josh and Laura. We love who you are individually and as a couple. May God increase your joy and love with each other and with Him!

We’ll be at the Fair this afternoon checking out the animals and other treats a small town fair offers. Have a wonderful last weekend in August!

Pass the Torch Hodgepodge

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It’s Hodgepodge time again and Joyce is celebrating Hodgepodge #500!! Congratulations to Joyce and Hodgepodgers everywhere. Click over to join in the fun.

1. Last time you drove/flew 500 miles (ish)? What’s a place you’d like to visit that lies approximately 500 miles from your current location? 

In December of 2022 we drove to Abbotsford, B.C. Via Bothell Washington and once we arrived in Abbotsford we drove on to Chilliwack with friends for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas party. That was just under 500 miles worth of driving.

It would be a nice vacation with Family to stay at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast for a few days and enjoy the sand and sea just beyond our doorstep. Cannon Beach is 500 miles from us.

2. Tell us about a time recently it felt like you were ‘racing against the clock’. 

Being retired and older I don’t race much. I have felt the need to clear out things and let things go before our kids have to sort through it all.

3. Have you ever attended any really large sporting events?

Yes!

What was your impression of the experience?  

We have enjoyed memorable experiences at some large sporting events. I attended my first Rose Bowl Game on January 2nd in 1967 (USC v. Purdue). The Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game are always on New Year’s Day unless that day lands on a Sunday. When January 1st lands on a Sunday the parade and game are moved to Monday. My second Rose Bowl Game was in 1992 when Greg was a student at the University of Washington and the Huskies played at the Rose Bowl against Michigan. The Huskies won this game which made the experience very exciting.

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In 1984 the Summer Olympics were hosted by Los Angeles and we were able to get tickets to some rowing events at Lake Casitas. The most exciting part of these Olympic Games was the fact that my husband Greg was able to represent his company as an Olympic Torch Bearer!

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In 1994 our sons got tickets for World Cup games in Los Angeles and Stanford. The USA was hosting that year. The photo above was at the Rose Bowl for one of the games we attended.

Dan and I attended Brazil v Camaroon at Stanford Stadium. Attire was colorful and the party atmosphere was very lively. Both those countries know how to celebrate.

We were able to track down where the US team was staying and training and our sons met every player on the team and got all their autographs. That’s Alexi Lalas with our sons. That’s not a cigarette in his mouth.

When Dear and I were traveling with Josh and Laura in England in 2013, Josh got us tickets to a Manchester United game v. Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. That was a great time! Josh also made it into an Arsenal game on that trip.

The Superbowl, The Kentucky Derby, The World Series, FIFA World Cup, The Indianapolis 500, The Daytona 500, The Olympics, The Masters, Wimbledon, The Boston Marathon, March Madness, Tour de France, Monaco’s Grand Prix, The Open (golf), The Ryder Cup, The Stanley Cup Finals..of the events listed which would you most like to attend in person? Or maybe one that’s not listed? 

Fifa World Cup, it will be hosted by the USA/Canada/and Mexico in 2026.

4. Are you an iced tea drinker? If so, do you drink it year round, or only in the spring and summer months? Do you make your own or buy it bottled? Sweet or unsweet? Flavored? Lemon or no lemon? How about a Long Island Iced Tea? 

Not a usual for me. If I do have an iced tea it would be lightly sweetened with some fresh lemon squeeze or the last variety.

5. April 20th is Volunteer Recognition Day…do you volunteer in some way? Tell us about it. If not, tell us about a volunteer you appreciate. 

I volunteer at church under Women’s Ministry. I’m the branch leader of Hospitality serving the church family in planning, supplying, and carrying out fellowship opportunities involving the entire church body. Responsibilities include: Maintaining the kitchen and supplies. Helping with food serving and cleanup for church events like potlucks, Easter brunch, pie and praise, and funerals.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We celebrated our grandson’s 4th birthday this past Saturday. We had a T-Rex crash the party and we had a cute dinosaur and delicious dinosaur cake. If you want to see more of the surprise T-Rex entry click here.

I’ll be sharing more from JJ’s Dino-wonderful party on Friday.

Thanks for stopping by for #500!

Big Boy Bed

August is a big month around here with this little guy’s crib being converted to his toddler bed. He is quite proud.

August is also soccer team month for Addy while JJ gets to hang out and get creative on how to enjoy his snacks.

And this week has been busy every night with Vacation Bible School where I am helping by selling the t-shirts.

Both our grands can enjoy Zoomerang which will finish up tonight.

Our church was converted to the Land Down Under with Koalas, Platapi, Kangaroos and Dingos.

And in the middle of all this fun and excitement there is a new puppy.

I’ll share a full post about Ember next week.

World Cup 2014 ~ Brazil

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With World Cup 2014 in progress right now in Brazil I decided to re-post our photos from the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.A. I published this post on June 17, 2010. The kids and I flew down to Southern California and stayed with my parents for the duration of World Cup. Josh was able to get a ticket package for the Rose Bowl venue and Dan was able to get 2 tickets for the Brazil vs. Cameroon game in San Jose at Stanford. Dan and I traveled to Stanford to see that very colorful game.

img028In 1994 our boys were 15 and 13. We found the U.S.A. training facility in Southern California and were able to see some of the team and practice and get an autograph.

img027Later during our time in Southern California we found out the hotel the team was staying at and we traveled there and hung out watching for players so Josh could get his Team poster autographed.

img029Our patience won out and we had a great time.

img031This is Alexi Lalas with Josh and Dan.

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Josh and Dan got every players signature on the team poster.  Lalas, Meola, Harkes, Dooley, Wagerle, Balboa, Ramos, Reyna, just to name a few. They also managed to get all the coaches signatures but one. The players were all friendly and willing to talk to the boys and sign autographs. What an exciting and fun experience for Josh and Dan and me!

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Dan and I drove to Clovis and spent the night with my cousin and then we drove to a train station to take a commuter train to Stanford for the Brazil vs. Cameroon game. We found a shop that had a Brazilian flag and bought it for the game. Brazil brings a  party atmosphere to soccer games that’s hard to beat and we had fun experiencing it.

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img023We finished off our time at 1994 World Cup with a game at the Rose Bowl where the final game would be played.

img035Participating in this historical event was thrilling for our family.

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Dear was finally able to fly down to Southern California and join us at the end of our trip. The whole family had a fun day at Disneyland with our extended family in Southern California, too.

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1994 was the first time the U.S.A. hosted World Cup. We were hoping the U.S.A. would be chosen for the 2018 World Cup or the 2022 but alas Russia and Qatar got the nod for those cups. Now we hear that there were some shady dealings in Qatar decision. The U.S.A. plays their first game on Monday against Ghana at 3 pm Pacific time. Our family room will be full of U.S.A. soccer fans!

USA-Panama3Go U.S.A.!

I’ll be adding my World Cup link to ABC Wednesday this week since we are at the letter W.

A Proclamation I Like…

 

It’s official. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has proclaimed today Seattle Sounders FC Day.

Here’s the proclamation:

City of Seattle * Office of the Mayor

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the City of Seattle appreciates its professional sports teams, recognizing that they add to the city’s prestige, elicit home-town pride and offer a sense of collective camaraderie and solidarity within our communities; and

WHEREAS, the Seattle Sounders FC – which has completed a dream season – embarks on its playoff run, becoming just the second team in MLS history to do so in its inaugural season; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC is the most successful espansion franchise in the history of US soccer, boasting the best per game attendance average – 30,943 – in MLS history; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC has become the first US soccer team to break the top 50 in average attendance of all the Fu’tbol clubs throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC – winner of the US Open Cup – qualifies for CONCACAF Champions League next year; and

WHEREAS, the Sounders FC is now the franchise by which all others will be judged, and whose supporters are the envy of clubs everywhere;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GREGORY J. NICKELS, Mayor of the City of Seattle, proclaim October 29, 2009 to be

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC DAY

in Seattle, and I hereby urge citizens to join me in raising our “scarves up,” and wishing the Rave Green all the best as they compete for the 2009 MLS Cup.

[signed] GREG NICKELS, Mayor

GO SOUNDERS!

Seattle Sounders FC, and this Old Gray Mare!

 

Oh, the old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be,
Ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be.
The old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be,
Many long years ago.
Many long years ago, many long years ago.
The old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be,
Many long years ago.

So ellen b. is tard today, really tard. (tard is tired with one syllable). I just had way too much fun yesterday and it wiped me out. I had my Bible Study Table over for an English Tea at 11:00. Walked with Willow at 2:30. Went to Ventura with Dear at 4:30 for dinner and a soccer game at 7:00. Got home with the light of the moon. So much fun takes it’s toll these days.

I’ll post more about the tea another day with recipes for the things that worked well. But let’s get to my other passion…SOCCER! I learned to love soccer when my boys played. Some people find soccer/futbol boring but not me. I love to see the plays progress and that golden moment when everything connects just right and the ball goes into the net!

Seattle got it’s very own MLS team this year and the Seattle Sounders F.C. are training in Ventura right now and playing some pre-season games. My son Josh called to let me know that they would be playing in Ventura last night just 20 minutes away from us. We bought tickets on line and headed out to Ventura last night to see them play. Dear and I decided to have dinner at Ferraro’s, an Italian Restaurant that has been in Ventura a long time and one we used to go to in the mid 80’s when we lived in Ventura. We are trying to figure out how they make their meatballs so soft, they melt in your mouth. We decided to have Chianti instead of Burgundy because we’d probably cheer for an Italian soccer team before the French team. :0) Just checking to see if you’re still reading this. It was fun to see a game in person again. It’s been a long time. We spotted one other Seattle fan with a jersey on and did our high fives and cheered together. Seattle won 6-1, so we got to see a lot of great goals scored and I’ve picked out two favorite players so far…#17 and #19.

But here I am today, tard, just plain old tard, but happy!

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage unless I pay them a lot of money. I’m slowly cleaning up many posts from this time period and deleting their ugly grey and black boxes with a ransom request. Such a time consuming bother.

The 1967 Rose Bowl Game

I have been to two Rose Bowl games in my life. The first one was in 1967. A boyfriend I had broken up with invited me to go to the USC vs. Purdue game and I said yes. I was and am a big sports fan. Sad for the young man, it was the game I was interested in and not him. Some of us in Southern California are not huge USC fans in fact we always cheer on whoever is playing them. I was pleased as punch at the exciting close game and that Purdue won! These days I’m a huge soccer fan!

1967 Rose Bowl
(Purdue 14 – USC 13)

Purdue capped its first nine-win season with a hard-fought 14-13 victory over USC. A pair of touchdowns by fullback Perry Williams and a last-second interception of an attempted two-point conversion by defensive back George Catavolos secured the victory for the Boilermakers. Purdue finished the season 9-2 and tied for 1st place in the Big Ten.

 

The last Rose Bowl game I attended was in 1992. Dear was finishing up his mid-life career change in Pharmacy School at the University of Washington so we scored some student tickets to the Washington ~ Michigan game. Those were wonderful football years for the Huskies and it was fun to be able to attend several of the games. It was a little odd for us older folks to be sitting in the middle of the student section, though. We’d always ask the kids behind us if they could hold their liquor. We didn’t want them losing their alcohol on our heads :0)! They would always look at us and with slurred speech say “Oh don’t worry ma’am, we can hold our liquor”

What a dismal year in sports good ole Washington has endured this year. We are looking ahead to better years. I’m so excited that Seattle now has their very own MLS team, The Seattle Sounders. Here’s hoping they’ll pull us out of the humdrums…

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Seattle Sounders FC ~ Yippee!

Over 14,500 fans registered their vote for the new
MLS in Seattle team name.  Thank you for your participation. The fans have spoken…

The name of Seattle’s new
 MLS franchise is:

Seattle
Sounders FC

We finally get a MLS team in Seattle. If I was still living there full-time I’d buy myself season tickets for sure. Did I ever tell y’all that I’m a huge soccer fan. In fact while I’m lounging about today with horrible muscle spasms in my lower back I’m watching the soccer channel to wile away the hours of pain, watching Aston Villa walk all over Bolton.