The horseshoes are kept in a shed directly next to the picnic table across from the pits. Compared to the rest of the area, this shed is relatively new and doesn’t seem to fit in. It looks nice… but doesn’t fit the natural setting of the pits. Deciding to play shoes isn’t a thought that needs to be pre-meditated. Because the pit is in my neighbor’s back yard, it’s a quick easy walk to enter into the space. Within 45 seconds of deciding I want to play I can be at the shed opening up the door to get the shoes out. I try to get into the pits at least twice a week. I play on Friday afternoon after work and Sunday morning before starting my day. Of course this is weather dependant but I’ve been lucky recently with this beautiful New England weather. I’ve played shoes in the rain before. It’s not as bad as one would think, I mean, a little water never killed anyone did it? The only problem is the pits get muddy, so unless you get a ringer or a direct shot, you have no bounce in the sand at all. This is surprisingly good practice because your shot must be dead on.
On sunny days, the pits seem to relax me. Being from the country I enjoy relaxing in the woods and not thinking about the hustle and bustle of the city. The birds singing and the leaves blowing are very peaceful. Especially now, in the autumn. I love this time of year when the leaves are turning colors and the cooler fall breezes are blowing around. Friday afternoons, the sun has been shining all day warming up the air. I drive home with the windows down in my new car and the stereo up. Its such a feeling of freedom knowing that you have two days off from being in the office. Homework is another story but I’m not thinking about that after a full workweek. I find that because of this, I shoot a much better game. My friends are normally around the pits on Fridays so when I get home, I just hop right into the mix.
Today is a Sunday though, and the feeling is much different. I worked on homework all day Saturday so I’m pretty tired today. I tried to get up early, but it just didn’t happen for me. I got outside at about 10:15 and stayed out for an hour and a half. My roommates were still sleeping and my neighbors were gone for the weekend, so today I was by myself. On Friday, I was frustrated with my shot so I spent the whole time today working on my shot from the far pit to the near pit. Remember, the near pit is the hardest pit, which causes a wilder bounce. I started to feel more comfortable with this side when my phone rang and I knew I should probably stop anyways. I put the shoes away in the shed and shut the door. I figured I would relax for 10 minutes before I went inside to finish my homework.
I sat down on the green plastic picnic table and just relaxed. I ended up day dreaming and thinking about this past summer. The pits do that to me sometimes. I vacationed on the Cape this summer and spent a lot of time at Hampton Beach in my Camaro. I spent two years building my car and finally ‘finished’ it this summer. I spent just about the whole summer in it at the beach (that is as long as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as my car doesn’t see water). Although there was no ocean today, it reminded me of this time because I was so relaxed and free to the grind. This summer was great. I was on vacation the entire three months. I mean, I worked… 40-45 hours a week, but it’s the first summer I didn’t have homework to do in the past three years. This felt good. Every weekend was dedicated to the things that I wanted to do, not the things I had to do. For some reason, I went back there today and for a mere 10 minutes I felt the same way. The emotional feeling of the pits is always pleasant to me.
I realized I should spend a few more minutes in the pits and think about place-identity this week. Similar to my last post, I feel that the pits are a very basic layout and simple to remember. I think the discrepancy in the way that people see the place is strictly due to their background and how they grew up. Some like to be in the woods and some don’t. I see the pits as a relaxing place to hang out alone or with friends. Others see it as a scary place that they wouldn’t go to unless there is a large gathering. This seems strange to me, but I know its true because I’ve asked. Even my neighbors, who the pits belong to, don’t use them unless someone else is out there already playing. They come out once they see us, but we never come out to find them there. I asked them about this on Friday of this week and they told me simply, they come out for the social aspect, not the game itself. I thought it was because they were scared of the stone staircase or maybe the woods. I guess I was wrong…
No comments:
Post a Comment