Field of Dreams Field Trip



Today. the 5th graders at Oakdale went on a field trip. I chose the right one to chaparone. This was a great day for some baseball. we had to be at school by 6:45 this morning. Charter busses arrived at 7:00 and we were on our way to Louisville Kentucky. Our first stop was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. What a great tour. A very nice tour of the factory where they mak about 1,500 bats each day. this picture of Logan is just outside where a replica of a Louisville Slugger towers about six stories high.

It takes a special place to craft the Official Bat of Major League Baseball. Since 1884, Louisville Slugger has put prime lumber in the hands of the greatest players of the game. A visit to the museum shows you how the sport has changed a bit between then and now, but the "crack of the bat" remains one of the sporting world's most thrilling moments.

As most of you know, I like to sell on eBay. On loan to the museum was a bat used by Babe Ruth, signed the day he hit his last home run as a Yankee. I say on loan because this item was found in a closet, packed away for decades and forgotten. The owner plans to sell it some day to pay for their kids education.

In Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger bats are used by over 60 percent of all Major League Players, including the game's best hitters like Ken Griffey, Jr., Tony Gwynn, and Derek Jeter.
Compared to the great sluggers of yesteryear, today's pros use more lightweight bats with thinner handles. Approximately 30 percent of the players using Louisville Slugger bats have the bats cup balanced, which means up to three-quarters of an ounce of wood is scooped out of the end of the barrel, also making the bat lighter. Lighter bats help today's pros swing faster and send the ball further.
Most bats today are made from northern white ash, but a growing percentage of professional players, currently about 40 percent, have started requesting bats made out of maple.

During the factory tour, I asked at what stage in the process they added the cork.......the tour guide was not amused.

We continued our field trip to Louisville Slugger Field. Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, is one of the most exciting and attractive sites in minor league baseball. Named after the popular Louisville Slugger baseball bat, the stadium offers something for fans of all ages. With its retro-classic design, Slugger Field has quickly become one of the most admired parks in all of baseball.

I have to say, this minor league, familiy friendly ballpark, game and extras made for a delightful day. Admission is very reasonable and prices inside are affordable. This is a Day Trip that the McQuearyClan will do again.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Mother's Day Weekend with the McQuearyClan

On Friday, May 13th, We went to the Cincinnati Reds baseball game. Logan and Devin are part of their school show choir, Oakdale Ovation. Ovation sang the National Anthem before the game. It was in the mid 40's and rainy.

Now, if this was a footbal game I would have been fine.....but this was a BASEBALL game. Definately not baseball weather. The kids did a great job. We stuck it out until about the 6th inning. Most of us were ready to go but as you can see the expression on Logan's face, he wasn't at all happy. To make matters worse, as we were walking to the van....the fireworks went off! We missed a Home Run. And then not 5 minutes later as we were climbing in the van..YEP, another Homer.

We spent Saturday evening with my Mom. We took out pizza, snacks and sweets. The kids enjoyed seeing Grandma because she has been in Florida for about 2 months. We watched the movie "The Village" and then loaded up on cake, brownies and ice cream.

Of course, Sunday was Mother's Day. This year it had to be shared with me...my birthday. We ate lunch at Golden Corral. It's funny, when we go to a buffett like Golden Corral or CiCi's, we really eat alot. You know your family is messed up when you try to break your own record on how many plates you use. We sit down...people come in, eat, leave...more people come in, eat and leave...we just keep on keepin' on. Hey, it says all you can eat, right? Then, for the rest of the day you have alka-seltzer moments...if you know what I mean.

We recently got a new sound system. Before leaving for church Sunday morning, Devin put in a Christian Rock CD. I wish I could share a video of all 4 kids dancing to the music. Sorry for cutting off some heads, boys.

Jon hasn't posted for days so I am going to give it a try. As many of you know I (anna) had a close (very very close) encounter with a large branch while pruning the trees in our backyard. I now have beautiful purple racoon eyes. The good news is I don't have to apply mascara or eye shadow. Bad news is that our mothers day out mom came in to take class pictures today. I could'nt find any white out. Word of wisdom, ladies get your husbands to do the heavy duty yard work or hire someone and charge it to your husband. Well onto more fun and exciting news. Logan and Devin are going to sing with the Ovation choir at the Reds game Friday night. They will sing the National Anthem. I do hope it stops raining long enough to play a game. But who cares the most important part of the game is the choir with My boys singing. Reagan went to Parkys Farm on Monday with his preschool class. Mom and Dad went with him. He really liked the goats. He was in the pen with them and kept petting them saying Oh Boy!!! Oh Boy!! Two of the big goats knocked him down but he kept saying Oh Boy!!Oh Boy!! He wanted to take one home. We had lots of fun. Of course, any smart loving parent would have a camera to take pictures but sorry not us as usual we forgot the camera. DUH!! Well Good bye and God Bless. Gotta go it is Survivor night.

Where Have We Been?

Reagan has the right idea. We have been away from our blogsite so long that You, too, have probably fallen asleep waiting. Actually, this picture was taken this evening. reagan did not get a nap today and just couldn't make through "Survivor". i thought he was playing with one of the other kids somewhere in the house. Anna knew where he was but I didn't. I heard him snore!, looked over to see this cute site. He has been a little congested for a couple of days. This morning his nose was running so bad with the color that says...no school today. So, we kept him home. As it turns out, he has an appointment friday with his ENT anyway for a follow-up to an ear infection. If it isn't one thing, it's another.

I finally broke down and went to the doctor myself last friday. Horrible sore throat and tingling in my ear. I was on a week of antibiotics myself. My blood pressure was good although I did get a lecture for not checking my blood sugars.

Everybody is looking forward to seeing Grandma this weekend. She is flying in from Florida on Saturday. We will pick her up at the airport in Dayton.

Well, Michael had a good day Tuesday. His boss, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt won the Primary for the 2nd District Ohio. Now a win in the general election in November means Michael has a job for another two years.

Until next time...have a great day.