Month: August 2015

At the end of May I had the honor of walking with Paradise Valley High School’s graduating class of 2015.  It was a very special night for each  young adult and their families.  Commencement took place in Trojan Stadium and 400 some students received diplomas that night.  At the time I didn’t realize that brief walk would be my final walk.

The field we walked upon that warm May night was the field Deanna and my kids grew up on.  Our oldest son, Klayton, was a member of the class of 2008.  Though most of his experiences took place on the baseball field next door, he spent a season playing center on the offensive line for the j.v. football team.

Our middle son Skyler, class of 2009, spent four years marching up and down the field playing his sax.

Our daughter Meredith played four years on the field with the Trojan Soccer team before graduating in 2012.

But, their time on the field wasn’t limited to the four years each of them studied, played, made friends, and competed as students.  They grew up on the field in Trojan Stadium.  In 1985, long before the kids were born, even before I had been introduced to Deanna, I went to work coaching on Trojan field.  At first, it was working with the PVHS boys soccer team.  For four seasons the team grew and learned how to win on and off the field.   In 1992, I returned to the field with the task of growing the girls soccer team.

As the soccer seasons came and went, our kids found the field was a great place to play.  They kicked and threw balls and ran around and kept everyone entertained.  It was their playground from age 3 through middle school.  The time flew by.  It wasn’t long before they were enrolled at PVHS, a community that valued, cared for, nurtured, and prepared them for adulthood.

Trojan Field was a second home.  Whether it was the dormant Bermuda grass that turned into a mud pit during the cold, windy, rainy nights when winter storms rolled through or the artificial turf that broiled player’s cleats when the sun was shining, the time spent on the field was magnificent.   Every student-athlete brought something unique and special to our program.

The plan was to spend one more winter on Trojan Field.  However, taking a position on a new campus meant it would simply be impossible to invest the time the Trojan Soccer girls deserved.  It was time to let go.

In a day or two I will be back to clean out my locker.  I’ll put my iPod on and listen to songs the team made their own; songs like “Dream Big,” “Nothing More,” and “I Won’t Back Down.”  On my way out, I will pass through the gate near the home concession stand.  There I will recall the passion and pride of the athletes who competed for the PVHS community.   I will quietly walk across the parking lot, appreciative of the encouragement and support of my fellow coaches, teachers, staff, and administrators.  I will shut the door and start up my Yukon with memories of the Trojan sisters who gave it their all on Trojan Field.  I will head the SUV north on 40th street knowing I have come to the end of a fantastic journey.

Trojans Forever!!!

 

 

If you have been following this blog you may have noticed that road tripping has been a priority since retiring in May.  You may have also noticed that New Mexico has been a crossroads.   Don’t get me wrong, heading west to California and the left coast is pretty cool.  It just happened that heading east was on the agenda.

As July waned, Deanna and I made one last trek through southern and central New Mexico.  The goal?  See the bats.  We have talked for years about visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park to see the bats.  Have you ever been there?  Are you scared of bats?  They say 300,000-400,000 bats make there way into the open skies at sundown to feed on insects before returning at dawn.  No vampires, no sucking of blood, just moth eating.

We sat quietly in the amphitheater anticipating the great cloud of bats.  We were a little disappointed.  The bats were late and we didn’t see the circular, whirlwind of bats that fly overhead.  There were many, many bats.  (How the bat counters count to 400,000 so fast is remarkable.)  The bats simply popped out of the cave, made a quick left turn heading toward the feeding grounds.  (Sorry, no bat pictures.  Park rangers are afraid the bats will get irritated with the paparazzi and not come back.)  Despite the show’s let down, we will be back at sundown another day to see the bats.

 Undaunted by the lack of bat drama, we followed that bat experience up by checking out the cave the next morning. It was a very nice walk in the dark.  

Next, we went to Roswell, the home to the International UFO Museum and Research Center.  We took our time going through the museum. Are you a believer? I looked at all the evidence.  I believe an “encounter of a third kind” happened just outside of Roswell.  Government cover-up? Maybe.  “The truth is out there.”

 

 

Tourism seems to make up a large segment of the local economy.   If you look closely you will discover that aliens are in abundance in Roswell.  Where else would an alien feel so welcome?  How else would you explain the interesting beings that walk the streets of Roswell?  Besides, their spies want to know what we know.

A local resident and author thoughtfully suggested that “there is a big difference between believing and knowing.”  He knows and I know.

Later, we enjoyed a beautiful drive thru Alamogordo, White Sands, Silver City, and Ruidoso.  Sadly, the fun had to end.  As we rolled out of the mountains and into Safford and on toward Globe we accepted that our little vacation was over.

New Mexico is enchanting.  But, things did get pretty batty.  I came home from New Mexico with a new job.  So much for retirement.  “Beam me up, Scotty.”