Ohio Again

It only sprinkled a little bit Thursday.

It was very warm and humid and I decided to put Shirley’s awnings out. They were kind of grungy so I wiped them down with soapy water. The sky God considered this a washing so I was punished with sprinkles. My brother was very helpful when he asked if I had consulted the manual on what is, and what is not, considered washing. I replied in the negative and he awarded me with my 14th “Retard” of the trip.

I headed to the game at about 4:00 to beat the downtown traffic. The strategy worked and I arrived at the Cincinnati Transit Center Parking Facility just before 5. The Transit Center is located two stories underneath 2nd Street a couple of blocks from the ballpark. This facility is reserved for buses so I figured Shirley qualified. I was first on the scene and was met by Anita after paying a measly $20 to park. Anita skillfully directed me to my assigned space. Anita was very cheerful and let me know it was her birthday. She said she was in her early forties but I think she was in her twenties. I reminded her it was a full moon and that she had double reasons to howl tonight. I knew it was a full moon because I set out the amethyst crystal given to me by Shana, my CALFIRE partner. Amethysts are excellent conduits for karma but they need to be recharged by soaking up lunar rays when the moon is full. Anita was very proud of her underground queendom and told me she had never had a vehicle broken into while she was on duty. When I got Shirley put away, Anita led me to the elevators and showed me the art which was incorporated into the tile walls of the facility. She complained that no one appreciated it because visitors were mostly passengers from buses and they hustled away without seeing her treasures.

I arrived at the park, got a nice ticket and went on a walking tour. The park is actually The Great American Ballpark but everyone calls it Riverfront Stadium. The park is on the Ohio River and right across from Covington, Kentucky. One of the bridges across the river was being repainted and there were huge drop cloths draped over the bridge. They must have used helicopters to drape them. I wandered around a bit admiring the skyline and looking at all the construction going on downtown. I was also on the lookout for Lonni Anderson of WKRP.

The gates opened at 6:00 so I went in and found my seat. I got to watch some batting practice and the grounds crew, of course. The park is fresh and has electronic signs everywhere. As you know, I like to have lots of info and this park did not disappoint; pitch count, pitch speed, player bios, results of previous at-bats, and even the National League Divisional standings. I was a happy camper.

The game was over in the first inning. The PA system played the Black Eyed Peas song “It’s Going to be a Good Night” before the game but it was not meant for ol’ Charlie Morton, starting pitcher for Pittsburgh. Charlie allowed runners to reach 1st and 2nd, then balked which moved them up one base. The balk really didn’t matter because he gave up a three run homer followed immediately by a solo shot. 4 zip Reds. Luckily the Reds’ pitcher had to bat and made the third out or the inning may have never ended. The 2nd inning wasn’t much better for Charlie. An error by Andy LaRoche, third baseman for the Pirates, blew a double play opportunity and three more runs scored in the inning. Charlie gave up 8 hits and 7 runs by the end of the second. Mercifully he did not come out for the third inning and was placed on the disabled list after the game. The Reds went on to win by a score of 8-2.

I had good seatmates for this game. Jason sat on my right and Jill was on my left. I made foul ball arrangements with both of them. They would sacrifice their hands to stop the ball and I would pick the ball up after it broke their fingers. Jason was a twenty-something and agreed because he said he played defensive line in football and his hands were all gnarled up anyway. Jill, and her friend Chelsea, showed up late and was quite chatty. She was a hoot and said precisely whatever was on her mind, not always very reverent. Chelsea was quiet and kind of shook her head at some of Jill’s revelations.

Unfortunately I did not get photos of my new friends. I was disappointed that none of the “fan cams” focused on Jill and Chelsea because they were very cute and usually the cameras find the cute ones.

After the game I found my way back to Anita’s underground world. Shirley was the only vehicle in the parking area. The gate was way down at the end of the facility so Anita hitched a ride so she could lock up. I believe she is the first person other than me to ride in Shirley. I wished her a happy birthday and drove back to the RV without incident.

Friday we drove 390 miles to St. Louis. It was a nice trip but I had to go through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois again. Glad they are behind me. I did get to add Kentucky to list of states we have visited.

My good friend Robin is arriving in St. Louis this evening and I am looking forward to some company. This solo crap is OK but some days I only speak to toll takers and gas station clerks. I am not overly social but human companionship is nice. I plan on doing some sight-seeing and cultural things with Robin as tour leader. I will try to post daily updates because I will not be on the road again until Tuesday.