Jennifer Lucore, a top ranked US Pickleballer has put together this entertaining video of “highlights” from the Canadian Easter Nationals EXHIBITION. I think you will find this brief, four minute, video very entertaining as the players on both sides are very good dinkers and have great reflexes at the NVZ. Some of this is great Pickleball!
Share this link http://wp.me/p5tVlb-HK with friends if you think they might like it as well.
“Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light.” — Jennie Jerome Churchill
“A woman asked me recently, ‘What are the blocks to my happiness?’ I said, ‘The belief that you have blocks.'” — Wayne Dyer
“Indecision with the passing of time becomes decision.” — Bill Wilson
“He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.” — Confucius
Street Photographer Valerie Jardin explains why she sometimes elects to use black and white photography rather than color in certain situations.
An excellent example she provides in the video is the shot below:
Photo Courtesy of Screen Shot from YouTube Video linked below.
In this black and white version, the viewer’s eye is drawn immediately to the man on the corner. In her video, she shows the color version which tends to draw the viewer’s eye away from the main subject and to the colorful sign.
Watch the video to get a complete explanation:
Valerie’s website: http://valeriejardinphotography.com
“Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretch her fingers to touch the heavens.” — Lao Tzu
“You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.” — Andrew Davidson
“The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.” — Henry Boye
“It’s not denial. I’m just selective about the reality I accept.” — Bill Watterson
What the top PB players do:
Jeff Shank is a noted Pickleball coach and player. He has played with some of America’s best Pickleballers.
After analyzing a USAPA national tournament finals match, he found that preferred third shot was:
Soft shot just keeping the ball in play – 84%
Go for winner – 15%
Lob – 1%
Later in the podcast/interview, he makes another good point that I have come to realize. Among intermediate players, most of the points are not won, they are lost, i.e. unforced errors.
You can listen to the entire podcast, but the comments above are to be found at the 11:22 – 11:58 markers (+/-)
“A friend … awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.” — John O’Donohue
“The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“When a library is open, no matter its size or shape democracy is open, too.” — Bill Moyers
“A person waiting for their ship to come in will find they are missing the boat.” — Anonymous
NOTE: To read more about one of the birds presented and to see an alternative picture, click the link associated with the name of the bird in the article below.
During our hiking visit to the Las Cruces, NM area, I was able to focus my attention on bird photography as well; forgive the pun.
One bird that was a new sighting for me was a Scaled Quail.
I thought the pattern on the feathers was quite interesting.
Hiking along a canyon wash, I spotted a bird atop a wall.
It had a somewhat familiar look because, as I later found out, it is a relative of the Cactus Wren. It was a Rock Wren.
The smallish bird below sitting on a branch is a Western Wood-Pewee.
As a gust of wind came along I caught a shot of a Peewee from the other side.
We also encountered a… Black-throated Sparrow
and a Chipping Sparrow as we made our way up and down the mountain trails.
At the nearby Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park we spotted additional birds
This Swainson’s Hawk was very high in the sky, but I did the best I could. The unique color pattern of the underside is a sure give away.
Several Barn Swallows were dodging in and out from under one of the roofs and the light was very dim, but this appeared to be a parent with some food for a nestling.
A Northern Mockingbird did not seem to mind as we moved in to get a closer look.
At a rest stop on the way home from Las Cruces this fellow was hopping from trash bin to trash bin looking for some goodies.
“He who sees the truth, let him proclaim it, without asking who is for it or who is against it.” — Henry George
“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” — Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” — C.S. Lewis
“Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell government what they want and their kids pay for it.” — Richard Lamm
The huge agave spikes that towered over our front landscaping since late last year (see photo above) eventually peaked and then withered by mid-2015. These once proud giants made our yard look oddly majestic; but by late summer, the 20 foot poles started to lean dangerously into other plantings. The party was over. With monsoon winds in mind; we proactively cut the poles and then gave the remaining plant bases some additional time to weather and lose water weight to aid in disposal.
First step in removing an agave is to cut off the spike as it will only get in the way. We save the spikes and use them for decorative purposes.
For the most part, these plants did not “go gracefully into that good night”. Agave “leaves” are fibrous, thick, pointy-ended weapons that require gloves to handle (and protective eyewear); and frequently must be removed with a saw.
The next step is to remove the sharp-edged leaves. Yes, do wear eye protection and gloves.
And then there is the “root” itself …typically buried deep into the desert soil requiring (on occasion) ropes, a pick-ax, crowbar (and once) the horse power of a Subaru Forrester!
Once the agave is removed, disposal is no easy issue. The side of our home has become an “agave graveyard” where plant detritus continues to dry in the sun so they can subtly make their way into the weekly trash pick-up.
This is how the side of our house looks while the agaves are weathering.
The plants dry out and then they head for the trash bin.
This is how the house now looks without all those spikes.
We aren’t home free yet, as you can see above we still have several younger agaves which will spike in the future.
But there is an upside to all this destruction. Several agave spikes have been promised to friends; who will hopefully dress them in twinkling holiday lights and enjoy them as much as we still treasure the one that adorns our patio (see images below)!!
*Stanley L. Gray
