Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

Monday March 7, 2011 (Day 171)

Today Rick and I checked out the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies at the newest ball field in the Phoenix area called Salt River Fields at Talking Stick which is the only spring training facility built on Indian land. It’s located in Scottsdale but unlike the overpriced Giant’s Scottsdale park, the lawn seats are $8 (not 25). Since I didn’t bring either my camera or cell phone to the game, there are no pics. Next time! On the way to Scottsdale there were a number of freeway sound barriers that are very scenic and a sampling will follow.











In other news, Rick continues to slaughter me in both bocce and Phase Ten. Until I beat him in either one, there will be no further updates here! The temp today was a cooler 73 degrees and very breezy. We both were glad we brought long sleeved shirts to the game.

Spouse countdown: 7 nights

Checking out Scottsdale Sports Complex

Sunday March 6, 2011 (Day 170)

We decided to have breakfast at a local café just outside the RV park so we could get an early start to Scottsdale. The food was good (hard to mess up eggs and hash browns). We headed to Scottsdale and were able to do some caches before the game. We were surprised at the ticket prices commanded by the Giants. A lawn seat which everywhere else in the Cactus league was in the 6-8 dollar range was $25 here. Rick grabbed some tickets just below the sportscasters booths for $32 each. At least here we could also watch the Giants
baseball players wives hang out since they were seated in our row.

Interesting grouping of Scottsdale's community services...



The day was perfect for bb with temps in the 70’s and light overcast skies; too bad the Mariners couldn’t do much against the 1st string of the world champions. We didn’t have any of our starters playing this game (I wonder why).

A music festival we saw while geocaching



After the game we headed back to camp where Rick was the SF World Champion Giants and Harris the Mariners. Needless to say, Rick won 3 bocce games and the Phase 10 game tonight. Dinner was grilled salmon (I’m getting pretty good with the grill), Caesar salad, potato patty, and Candy’s cookies for dessert. All in all, another good day (especially after hearing the Belgrade weather).

Harris and Rick touring Scottsdale field



Countdown until the wives come 8 nights!

The view from our seats

I love my Ubquiti Nanostation!

Saturday March 5, 2011 (Day 169)

My kids bought me the Nanostation for Christmas. It’s useful in extending the range of wireless networks. I use to pull in free wi-fi from RV parks or McDonald’s in the parking lot. My stay here in a Phoenix RV park is a great example. The park has high speed wired connections that are open during the day, but I need to walk up and plug in at the 2 available areas. Instead I can pull in the Days Inn free wi-fi that’s about ¼ mile away. Great!! Of course people who have a data plan don’t have to worry about any of this.

Nanostation2 mounted on TV antenna




Close up of Nanostation2




In other news…

The universe returned to normal today… Rick creamed me in Bocce ball and Phase 10. The phrase banded about today was “Regression to the mean” as the winning streak I was on petered out and Rick was back on top or in his usual groove.

The Mariners won 7-2 against the Cleveland Indians. It was nice to finally see Eric Bedard pitch today after so much time on the disabled list. He did well striking out the side in the first inning.

Rick and I had a heck of a time using a coupon when we went out for dinner. I have several entertainment coupons for the Phoenix area. We decided on Vietnamese food so I called the restaurant this morning and the gal said no problem. We arrived a little after 6pm and the parking lot was empty as was the restaurant except for a little old lady that didn’t speak English. She pointed to someone in the back and when I spoke to her was told that the owner wasn’t around and therefore I couldn’t use the coupon. Seeing as there was no one in the establishment we decided to leave.

I called the next restaurant, a Mexican one, and was told by someone who could barely speak English that the phone number was wrong and gave me the correct one. Upon calling there was no answer so I decided to head over and take my chances. We got there and yes, another empty lot and almost empty restaurant. This time the lady spoke great English and told us that the restaurant had already closed 6PM. Oh well, this explained why the restaurant was empty anyway. So we head to an Italian restaurant that was on the way to the RV park. On the way we both mentioned how strange it felt to have our stomach anticipate Asian food, then Mexican, and finally Italian. Luckily the third time was the charm; the lot was full, the establishment lively, and the seating prompt. The food was delicious and I thought that it was ironic that I probably spent the amount save on food on gas. Rick was a great sport about the whole matter.


Eric Bedard



The high temp today was 79 degrees.

Eric Bedard

Mariners lose to Cincinnati Reds

Friday March 4, 2011 (Day 168)


Rick and I decided to take a break from our usual breakfast and walk to a local Mom and Son-in-law breakfast place. The breakfast $6 special was for 2 eggs, hash browns, meat, and toast. Rick subbed a grapefruit for his meat, and I subbed a donut for my toast. The M’s lost 3-1 in a very quick game. We were back in camp early and I added a couple of turn buckles to hold the TV in place while Howie is on the move. Rick and I continued our bocce and Phase 10 tournament (we split the “double headers” of both). I continued the grilling marathon by grilling thin sliced pork cuts marinated in soy sauce and Montreal steak seasoning. We were both craving a salad so we went all out tonight with a chicken bacon Caesar salad. Rick went to his van to read while the Belgrade HS girls played in the state playoffs tonight. His wife was to keep him apprised of the outcome and if needed to call if the game was close so he could listen to the end of the game. All in all, another great day to be at Spring Training rather than areas northward.

Two black turnbuckles added to TV top




Now this is a salad!



High temp today 80 degrees (but with a wind)

Checking out a Montana pitcher

Thursday March 3, 2011 (Day 167)

Today Rick and I decided to check out a pitcher whose mom works in Belgrade, MT along with Rick’s wife Candy. The mom asked Rick to check in with her son Kam Mickolio a pitcher within the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system trying to make the 40 man roster. She also told Rick that Kam would be easy to spot since he’s 6’9” tall.

Rick chatting with Kam Mickolio



So today we were off to Peoria where the San Diego Padres were facing the D’backs. Sure enough we easily spotted him ambling across the field just prior to the game. After calling out to him “Kam, your mom wanted us to check up on you!”, he came over and chatted for a few moments. He told us he didn’t know when he would pitch after we asked him and we watched head to the bullpen along with the other guys. With the sun taking the temps to the upper 70’s we opted for the shaded seats to watch the game.

Kam from the stretch...



Lucky for us Kam was called in the 7th inning where we watched him strike out a batter, field a chopper back to the mound, give up a ground ball hit up the middle and get the 4th batter to fly out to retire the side. Talk about small world, the couple behind us was from Wolf Point (Kam’s home town), MT. Geez, these Montanans get around! After the game we grilled bratwursts… all in all another good day.

And Kam's follow through



I continue to be on a hot streak in cards and bocce, but refuse to be suckered into playing for money.

Today's high temp 76 degrees

A vocal critic

Getting into the swing of things

Wednesday March 2, 2011 (Day 166)

It didn’t take long for Rick and me to get back into the rhythm of life here in baseball heaven. Up at 7, some coffee via the French Press, a walk and a stretch, breakfast and then some tinkering and a game of bocce before we head to the game of the day. Bocce played here takes place in the horseshoe pit which is a gravel patch with uneven lumps and valleys. Skill is secondary to luck which explains why I was able to score 2 out 3 match wins today. I felt compelled to write about it today because it may not happen again during the next couple of weeks. We headed to Surprise to watch the Texas Rangers and L.A. Angels. We started out in the sun filled seats and then waited for the shade to overtake us (a welcomed event). Texas came through with its trademarked power hitters and won by 4 runs. We planned our dinner around what we could eat that we normally might not be able to with our spouses present. Tonight’s menu included steak, hash brown patty, and Brussels sprouts. We also decided that tomorrow’s menu would include bratwurst. Umm

Harris and Rick's first game in 2011



Last night's low temp 48

Today's high 75

Red sky at night, sailor's delight!

Rick's arrival in Phoenix

Monday February 28th (Day 164)

As I pulled out of the Blue Water Casino parking lot this morning I had to chuckle as I passed Glenn’s Chinook. His cat, Emily, was perched on the dashboard of the passenger side basking in the day’s first sunrays. I hope that all continues to go well with his convalescence. It was a short jaunt to Peoria to catch the Mariner’s 2nd game of Spring Training. So far the M’s have been undefeated winning their first game and tying their second game.


Howie parked "a stone's throw" away from Peoria Complex



Tuesday March 1, 2011 (Day 165)


Today was my last day of going solo on this trip. Rick, my baseball bud from Montana, was due in sometime early evening. The morning was spent looking for a dome light replacement for the Sprinter and checking to make sure the 6 year old vehicle battery was still good. Seattle weather is known for being forgiving on car batteries because of its moderate climate and many people don’t realize they have a weak battery until it’s subjected to either hot or cold climates and then find themselves needing a jump at a most inopportune time. Well, the battery passed the test and we’re good to go!


The hot hub awaiting Rick's arrival
(click on picture and spot hot air balloons)



I got to Peoria in plenty of time to eat lunch and check email thanks to Peoria’s public wi-fi net. Interestingly the public wi-fi will not allow you to check blogs or personal websites. The temperature at game time was 75 degrees and today was my first full day in shorts! The Mariners won the game against Texas do continue to be undefeated (2 wins, 1 tie, ZERO losses). Last year Seattle was thought to be a great team during Spring Training and we found hard to watch. This year Seattle is predicted to be in the cellar and so far they’ve been fun to watch. Go figure!

Rick pulling in!



Dinner was steak on the Barbie and a rum and coke as a chaser while waiting for Rick. He did show just after dusk and we headed for the hot tub so he could decompress after driving all the way from Belgrade, MT in just two days. The night time low temp is suppose to be around 50 degrees which is about 50 degrees warmer than it’s been in Belgrade the last few weeks.