31 Days of Pinterest: Day 23 Flaming Softball Senior Pictures (Take 1)

I'm not taking the Kid's senior pictures. We have a family friend who's wanted to for years, and it's what she does (and does quite well), so I'm glad to let her do them.

However, one request Amanda had was that we figure out how to do some softball pictures where the softball was on fire. We have other family friends who had their pictures taken with flaming footballs, so we asked how it was done. They thought with rubber cement.

Yep. Rubber cement.

We gobbed it onto the ball, she got ready, I lit the match and held it to the goop, and HOLY CRAP THAT FLAME IS SOOOOO COOL!!!!

We may or may not have kept putting some on "just to make sure it works".

The rubber cement burns, but not the object it's put onto. However, said object is still kind of sticky, so beware. The flame burns pretty well, but then tapers off after 10 seconds or so. Plenty of time to get in a good shot or two. Or three and a video if you're like me and hit the wrong buttons on the camera...

This was really really fun.

The inspiration shot was:

(Originally from Northrup Photo's Flickr page)


To see my other 31 Days of Pinterest projects, click on the image below, and it will take you to my original post.

365 Photos Day 300

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It's about time to start thinking about getting the Kid's senior pictures taken. Since she spends so much time on a softball field, it seems appropriate that some of her pictures be taken on one.

Today we decided to see if we could make the pictures even cooler by figuring out how to light a softball on fire. A liberal amount of rubber cement will do the trick.

This was taken juuuust before the wind shifted back toward her glove, causing us both to jump away from the flame (it would be Very Bad if that glove caught on fire...it took too long to break in. Well, and her hand would still be in it too). Her smile is so big because we'd just been saying, "Holy crap, look at the size of that flame!!!!"

I think it'll be fun seeing what the photographer can do with her. And the flaming softball.

365 Photos Day 233

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I love late summer days like today. It was the first Fall Ball games (a shortened softball season that lasts until the end of September), and a gorgeous day.

I like that Fall Ball is more relaxed, somehow, even as it's usually only the die-hard players that play, so it's a bit more competitive too.

Or maybe because most years*, it's so so so lovely outside that it's not a hardship to sit and watch the games without overheating from all the humidity.

*The first year she played, it rained EVERY. FREAKING. WEEKEND. I told her & Steve that I needed a better umbrella if she was going to continue to play. That Christmas I got a really nice golf umbrella.

365 Photos Day 199

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The Kid got hit by a pitch on Sunday afternoon. This is what it looks like. Lovely, yes?

She'd gotten hit by a pitch on Saturday afternoon, but in the shoulder and neck. She says it "was no big deal", but apparently it was hard enough to make her helmet move. This is a bigger deal than the ankle because she's already had TWO concussions (that I am 100% certain of) that happened in the span of 9 months.

Research is being done on effects of concussions on athletes, true. But since it's one of those injuries that don't usually have outward physical symptoms, many coaches, parents, and even the athletes themselves tend to ignore the warning signs and send the kids back in to play before they should.

I didn't think I'd be THAT parent; you know, the one who says, "My delicate flower cannot play right now", but the more I read about the long-term effects of the kind of concussions that she's had, the more of an advocate I've become for safety first. When a concussion baseline test was offered at her high school last fall, only she and one other girl showed up to take it. I think it should be required for ALL athletes, regardless of what sport they play.

But she's fine, and even though she can't walk very fast right now, it's not broken or cracked. Only some soft tissue damage and deep bruising. The hardest thing has been to stop her from walking around too much right now, and keeping it up and iced. Duct tape may have to become a thing if she doesn't start elevating it (as in, I will duct tape her to a chair).

365 Photos Day 198

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The Minnesota Chaos had a long, hot day, but ended up taking 2nd in State for the Tier A (this is very good, as they were actually a Tier B team this summer).

It was definitely well-earned. Today was extremely hot and humid--I think the temperature was about 87 and the dew point was 82. The relative humidity was between 85 and 91. Basically it was like a nice steam bath.

They get a couple of weeks off, then it'll be time to play Fall Ball, which is a shortened season that lasts until the end of September. It's usually a bit cooler outside, too, which will be nice.

365 Photos Day 197

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This weekend is the State Softball tournament for the Kid's team. It's in St Cloud. I HATE driving in St Cloud. I lose massive IQ points trying to drive in St Cloud. I'm pretty sure that even a GPS couldn't help me there.

Why? I haven't the slightest. I can drive in traffic. I can drive to places I've never been before. I can drive in all sorts of weather.

But I go to St Cloud and immediately it's like my sense of direction is non-existent and I get lost, thus taking what I like to call "the scenic route". I think it has something to do with the fact that the streets and avenues are interspersed. Like I can be on the corner of 25th STREET and 2nd AVENUE (I don't actually know if that's a valid intersection), or be happily going down a street when I should be going down an avenue. Seriously, is it SO HARD to come up with different names for them all? Or how 'bout the streets that magically turn into a whole DIFFERENT street without notice? What's up with that?!?!?!

Today wasn't any different. But I did get there between games and got this picture of her, so my trip was not in vain. Plus I got to listen to my audio book (The 39 Clues: Vespers Rising), so that was good. And, I got to have some Coldstone ice cream on the way home (which I thankfully did NOT get lost trying to find--either Coldstone or the way home, although that was a near thing).

And to think...I get to do it all again on Sunday. Well, actually today, I guess. YAY!!!!

365 Photos Day 191

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The Kid had an all-day softball tournament today. Their first game was at 8am, the last ended at just before 8pm (shouldn't have taken that long, but the games were running 2 hours behind).

Steve is the stats guy for the team, so he's there all day with her. He used to be a coach when Amanda was younger, but gave it up when she was playing U12. He's definitely a positive force in the dugout and the girls seem to like him and his very wacky sense of humor.

Of course, when games go rather badly as they sometimes will, I really do NOT want to have to ride home with the two of them. Even if Dairy Queen is going to be one of the stops on the way.

I'm glad he's still involved with her team, though. He played baseball up until he blew out his elbow, so he has a lot of knowledge and passion for the game. He started throwing balls to Amanda before she could walk, and started teaching her the CORRECT way (that's how he puts it) to bat when she was about 3.

I don't know what he'll do when she's done playing (I think she has 2 more years of eligibility left), but I do know that he won't regret getting to spend so much time with his youngest kid.

365 Photos Day 164

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Today was all about the Summer Reading Program and then driving 2.5 hours north to see the Kid play softball. Of course, had I not taken the, er, scenic tour of Big Lake, it's quite possible that the drive would've taken considerably less time. Dang road construction and detours anyway.

The scoreboard tells the story. The Chaos won the first game 6-0, and the second game 11-0, so it was a pretty good night for the girls.

365 Photos Day 162

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It's a tournament weekend, so this is where I spent a great deal of time today. Tomorrow they're on a different complex, but the view will be similar, I'm sure.

This is the team's first summer playing 18U fastpitch softball, and it's definitely a step up from 16U, both ability- and competition-wise.

But anyday spent in the sun watching the Kid play softball (and actually getting TO play softball) is time well spent. Here in a couple of years it won't be happening, so I plan on enjoying it all as much as I can.

365 Photos Day 160

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All is right in the (softball) world for the Kid again. She's playing for her summer/fall/winter team, the Minnesota Chaos. She lives for this time of year, I think. Words cannot express how happy she was today, knowing that she'd be playing for her favorite coach (probably ever) again tonight. And I was happy too, seeing how excited she was and all.

It was a hard school season for her, and I know she thought about walking away from it a couple of times. But she's been playing ball in some form or another since she could swing a bat, and I know she loves the game way too much to let a, erm, not-her-style kind of coach run her out of it all (I'm trying to be diplomatic here. Really.). I also know she wasn't having fun, which almost broke my heart to watch.

But now? Like I said...all is right in the world, at least for a little while.

365 Photos Day 137

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What did I do today? Painted/retouched the laundry room. It's getting there.

I also made 3 dozen sugar cookies for the Kid's softball Fan Appreciation day. I'm a little confused how it is that I, a fan (sort of), am having to make my own cookies.

But then again, maybe I just inhaled too many paint fumes today and killed off the brain cells that would help make it all make sense.

At least it was sunny.

365 Photos Day 136

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Just another day watching the Kid play softball. This is my normal view...down the 1st or 3rd baseline.

This was her only at bat today, where she was called out on a 2-1 count after she fouled a ball straight back over the backstop because she "was out of the batter's box". I have that in quotations because that's not what REALLY happened.

What really happened is that in the previous inning, her coach was arguing with the home plate umpire. There was no clearly marked batter's box, but the Kid is very good about knowing where the lines should be (she should be, considering she's a catcher), and knows enough to stay within the box.

So, the coach had ticked off the ump (never a good idea), who then took it out on the next few batters.

There's 2 more regular season games tomorrow, and then a playoff game on Friday. I don't know how far they'll get, but I'd like it to be time for Summer softball. Now would be good.

365 Photos Day 133

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Yesterday I drove 2.5 hours north to watch the Kid play softball. Tomorrow I'm driving 2.5 hours south to watch her play in a tournament.

I love softball season. I go through lots and lots of audiobooks. And gas.

But that's OK. Here in a couple of years I won't get to do it anymore and I'm pretty sure I'll miss it.

In the meantime...I need to go finish laying things out for tomorrow morning, because I have to leave bright and early (about 7 am. Which is so not a valid time. Except in the softball world.)

365 Photos Day 132

Since Blogger was down yesterday, I couldn't post this here. But it's back, and so now I can. *throws confetti*




132/365

I drove almost 2 hours 1 way to sit in the cold rain to watch the Kid play softball. Since it was so far away, it was a double-header.

She sat the first game.

I got rained on the first game.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate getting rained on? No? Suffice it to say, it is nowhere near my top ten list of things I love.

So, I’d been thinking about watching the second game from the warmth of the car, when one of the people I’d been sitting next to came and told me that if they were suffering the rain and cold, so could I. So I did.

And was surprised as heck to see the Kid catching. I mean, it’s one of the positions she plays, but her coach (in his infinite wisdom) hasn’t had her catch a game thus far this season.

If I’dve known she was going to be catching, I’dve moved my chair so I wasn’t sitting behind home plate.

See, during the last dome ball game of the 2009-2010 season, in the second to last inning, while she was catching, she took a foul ball off her helmet. It hit her hard enough that it left a dent. IN HER HELMET. I still remember the feeling of, “Oh crap, that’s going to hit her” and watching her finish the game still dazed.

Turns out she got a concussion. A fairly bad one at that. Her second in less than a year (the previous June she’d been knocked out during a play at home plate…when she was catching). It was kind of alarming.

So I stopped sitting behind home plate. I just couldn’t anymore. I did once this past winter, and she got drilled in the head while batting and went down like she’d been shot. I was told that I can’t come watch her play dome ball anymore, or if I did, I can’t sit behind home plate.

Today she didn’t get hit, run over, or otherwise maimed, which is good.

But next game…I’m moving my chair anyway.

365 Photos Day 126

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Just another afternoon watching the Kid play softball.

Yes, the fields are right behind a farm. That's because the high school is located inbetween 2 towns, on some farmland that was donated (or purchased, whichever) for the cause.

Small town rural Minnesota. Yup.

365 Photos Day 122

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Remember when watching softball games in May meant the weather was nice and warm?

Yeah, those were good times.

Today, however, it was COLD. Cold enough to snow this morning. Cold enough that even with a turtleneck, a huge sweatshirt, a coat, & gloves, I was contemplating the feasibility of watching the game from the warmth of the car.

One of my friends on Twitter asked me if it was perpetually winter here. I think it might just be.

And then I read this in the book I'm currently reading:

"Rebus had been taught in school that there were four distinct seasons, had painted pictures of them in bright and somber colours, but his native country seemed not to know this. Winters were long, outstaying their welcome. The warm weather came suddenly, people stripping to t-shirts as the first buds appeared, so that spring and summer seemed entwined into a single season. And no sooner had the leaves started turning brown than the first frost came again."

-from The Hanging Garden, by Ian Rankin

Dang if he didn't get it in one.

365 Photos Day 119

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Tonight's softball game was under the lights. It was rainy and cold. I probably should've just taken a picture of the storm clouds which were threatening to unleash a crap-ton of rain on us all. But I thought a picture of her would be better.

365 Photos Day 103

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This is kind of a 2-for-1 picture today.

Monday was the Kid's Softball Season 2011 Opening Day. Well, it's Opening Day for us parents too. We have to make sure that we have our chairs, blankets, and umbrellas ready to go for the school ball season.

My chair is in the back of the car, my umbrella's in the closet, and the blankets are somewhere in a storage closet. So I'm good. Steve's chair finally gave out last fall, so he bought himself a new one this year. This is the Mack-Daddy of chairs, that's for sure. It has padding, a drink holder, a side flap with spots for a phone, sunglasses, and who knows what, AND a mini-cooler in the left arm. No, seriously. It's probably big enough for a couple of bottles or cans, and zips up. Amazing. Oh, and it has it's own carrying case ON WHEELS.

The 2nd part of the picture is Iz. She turned 11 months old yesterday, and is incapable of holding still for her picture to be taken. She still races around the house like her tail's on fire, because you know, what's the good of walking when she can RUN RUN RUN RUN from here to there.

365 Photos Day 101

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Opening Day of Softball Season 2011 was today. They won 4-3, and the Kid played well both offensively & defensively.

She plays all year 'round (has for 3 years now), but each season's Opening Day has it's own special feeling.

As for me, I was just glad it wasn't raining or snowing. I enjoy watching her play, even if I don't understand all of the subtle nuances of the game.