What's More American Than Baseball?!?!?

Eddie Dale and I enjoyed a bit of a mini-vacation today!  This is where we went.  Do you recognize it?

My broker is a huge Texas Rangers fan, so he treated all of us (and our significant others) to a day at The Ballpark in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers!  He got two rows of seats in the "All You Can Eat" section - all we had to do was get there!

So, we headed out this morning for the 2-1/2 hour drive.  Really just a hop,skip and jump here in the great big ol' Lone Star State!  We arrived well before 2:05 game time and had time to explore and load up at the buffet......

Speaking of the buffet, the "all you can eat" offers hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, peanuts, popcorn, nachos and sodas - all standard game fare.  I was impressed that the Rangers organization kept a seemingly endless supply of these ballpark staples hot and ready.  Of course, by the time I had consumed nachos and a chicken sandwich, the food was starting to look a little less appealing.  Actually, it really is not all that appealing before you start eating......probably the "appeal" lies in the fact that it's included in your ticket price!  By the 7th inning, when I went to refill my soda, the sight of people piling their plates up with food was definitely very unappetizing.....

But, I digress.....back to the game!  We watched the players warm up and stretch.  For some of them, this means having someone else actually stretch them.....

And, although we were seated in a canopied area beneath the giant tv screens, we enjoyed the graphics in the stadium across the way.  This is for you, Eddie Dale......I know it thrilled you to see that your employer, Academy Sports + Outdoors, is the sporting goods retailer.....

of the.....

Texas Rangers!

And, there you are.....enjoying the game (not to mention the free hot dogs!).  Have I mentioned how thankful we were to be seated in a shaded area on this very sunny day????

We did get to see a few Rangers home runs and that is a thrilling experience!  They set off fireworks explosions from behind the lights at the top of the stadium and play the swelling score of "The Natural"....it actually gave me goosebumps. 

The Ballpark is an awesome structure and it was packed today!  Sold out game attendance was 46,637....and I think half of them were in line to "run the bases" after the game!  From what I understand, it can take several hours when they open the field up for fans to run the bases....and the lines snaked around and around......thousands upon thousands of people waiting to set foot on Ranger Field! 

By 5:30, we were on the road, headed west towards home.  But, I have to show you what we passed as we went through Fort Worth.....

Holy cow!!!  Is that a......BOAT?!?!?!  Driving down I-30?!?!? 

Yep, it sure was!  You just never know what you're going to see.....

All in all, it was wonderful way to spend part of our Memorial Day weekend - enjoying a great American past time.....

But, now that the game is over, my focus turns to remembering the real reason for this holiday weekend....honoring those men and women who have died in service to this great country.  While we all enjoy the three-day weekend and the kick-off of Summer activities, it's important to give thanks and respect to those who gave their all to keep us safe and free!

Wishing you a terrific holiday tomorrow.  Would love to hear what you have planned!!!