Sunshine and Shenanigans Down on Woodward

We stole a morning away from a cold, windy, crappy beach and headed to Comerica Park to watch Verlander do battle with the Rays and catch up with some old friends. We had planned on skipping the game but the weather reports showed sun in Detroit and none in our backyard so...zoom...Park the car off Sprout and hike up Woodward to the ballpark.


Justin Verlander warming up pre-game

We connected with Shannon Wilkins and his little fella, Tate, and shared a few innings with those funsters. It's been something like seven or eight years since we've seen Shannon and it was nice to catch up. We'd never met Tate even though I've been scribbling every night into a sketch pad to help Shan come up with a fun tattoo design to pay tribute to his little daughter, Sophie, and Tater. We got more laughs in than innings and we let Shan and Tate get back to their seats and we went off in search of food and bladder relief.


Tate, a frightening PAWS finger puppet, and Shan soaking up some late summer sun at the ballpark

We eventually slipped on down the rail and connected with the Bergquists for the remainder of the game. It was Kev's birthday and it was good to see those guys again. Harmon is growing and growing and growing and little Simon has somethin' like six teeth and some serious hair. All these kids are gonna be asking to borrow the car before we know it!



Harmon is getting over a wee bit of pneumonia but still managed to do laps around WIllie Horton for five innings, and Simon was just chillin' for most of the game in his pimped out Jeep stroller. Both June and I can't believe how big he's getting. Zoey's rockin' some height but she's tipping the scales at a whopping almost-14lbs and meanwhile Simon is looking like he was on MLB's 2003 unreleased list of steroid users. We're thinking we might leak his name to the press in an effort to get Michigan Football off of the Freeps' front page...bastards. The Freep, not the Bergquists. The Berguists are cool.


A windblown Aimee and June show off the best of their respective gene pools

The whole day turned into an awesome distraction from the buggered weather we came home to...and we're discovering that Zoey can't stand to sit around and do nothing. She's either come by that naturally via DNA or we've painted ourselves into a corner with her by dragging the nerd all over the planet. It's probably a combo of both but boy she likes to get out and go...especially when she's dressed for it.


Zo dresses the part of Tigers/Wolverine fan

She always pays a little more attention to her attire when she knows she's going to see Simon...cute little daughter stealer.


Simon looking more grown up every time we see him

My favorite part of coming down to the ballpark and watching Aimee and June together with the kids is that just a few short years ago they were just extra cool girls in my life and now they're these amazing Mom's, and their both so awesome at the task.


Aimee and Harmon looking for shenanigans

It seems like the last time I looked it was 1995 and June and I were just meeting and Aimee was peeking around every corner in the Hartwig Building looking for Kev...but it's 2009 and both these girls are wives and moms and it just makes me grin.


June and Zoey taking in the Rays game from our usual spot on the rail

We've only got a month left of the regular season so we hope we can get down to Comerica at least a few more times before the end of the season and what we hope will be a playoff run. Kev and Aimee mentioned that it was their last time down there unless the fellas make the playoffs. It just makes you sad to hear it. The seasons just keep rolling by and we've all gotten to the age where they're starting to blend into one another. It's still easily my favorite family escape...easy, traditional, classic, and just about my pace. You can talk for hours (not me) and not miss a thing, and then turn your attention to the field just in time to see Polanco give you a one run lead in the bottom of the eighth with a three run HR...it's perfect. Cool weather and sunshine, friends and $9 soft drinks...awesome! And I love how we never have to pay for Zoey or Rarrr.


Rarrr is gonna keep sneaking into ball games as long as he can fit into a diaper bag

I can't wait to look back on ten or twenty years of Tiger games and photo after photo like this...each and every time I think it's about time we moved on and found a new place to call home I run into the Bergquists or someone similar down at Comerica and I never want to leave.


The second or third family photo in Zoeys first year of baseball torture at the hands of her parents.