Okay, that probably does count as asking for it...

[rabidsamfan]

But it's shirebound's fault. She just posted a story over at waymeet called A Minor Misunderstanding and



I got this dreadful urge to go bowling. Not the big ball, big pin bowling, but candlepin, which is pretty much only found in New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces, but is both easier and harder than the more widespread game. And seeing as how I have the rentacar until tomorrow, I thought "I can go farther afield than the smoky bowling alley near me!" (Turns out that all the Massachusetts bowling alleys are non-smoking now, but I didn't know that...It's been nearly ten years since I bowled.) So I looked to see who was fairly near, and found one about nine miles off in Lynn. Called up, they seemed friendly and gave good landmark filled directions. So off I went to the car.

It was very foggy in Boston tonight. This did not stop anyone from doing less than the speed limit on the stretch of highway that I needed to take. (Of course, good weather doesn't stop anyone from doing less than ten m.p.h. over the limit on that stretch...) But I was out, and determined and much to my suprise I found the place without too much trouble -- and despite the fact that it looks like a box with an unlit sign attached... The inside was nice though, and I rented my shoes and started bowling. And in my first box (or frame) I knocked down a single pin with each roll and scored a gigantic "three".

(Yes, a three -- didn't you look at that wiki article?)

It went along like that for a few boxes and then suddenly, I bowled a strike! Nirvana! I hadn't forgot everything I knew after all! Followed by *gasp* a second strike! And then a spare! And then... and then... a gutter ball.

*sigh*

Of course the first string (game) I played I had the best score. (99). But I didn't do too badly on the other four and averaged out to an 85. Didn't get any more strikes, but I did get a couple of spares and didn't gutter after one of them, so that helped. The three young men who started bowling near me and were getting fours and fives did some good for my ego too.

After five strings I felt too sore to keep going, and besides, looking at the baseball game on the lane tv I could see that the heavy rain had reached Fenway Park, so off I went again. Hadn't driven a block when the rain got to the coast and I had to drive through it.

May I just add a personal note here to all the people who jaywalk in dark clothing across highways on rainy/foggy nights?

STAY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Passed three accidents, got home, found a parking place I'll have to be out of by seven in the morning, and now I'm going to crawl into the bath and then bed and hope to recover from the drive. At least this time when I walked in the door I was desperately grateful to be back in my own apartment!

What a good way to finish up a vacation!

Comments

[shirebound]

*giggles* Oh, those influential sportsmenhobbits! How I would love to go "candlepinning" with you. I NEVER heard of that before today.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

The cool thing is that the balls only weigh a few pounds, and they're about the size of a grapefruit, so they're not that much strain to throw. But it is frustrating to watch one slip between two pins that are standing side by side!

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Reminds me that I would love to go bowling again... though I'll surely have much more gutter balls than you have.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Oh, I had a slew of them, believe me. With three balls per box you can gutter twice and still take out a few pins on the third try.

[dreamflower]

I know. Her fic made me have the urge to bowl, too! We used to league bowl about ten years back.

The bowling alley in town is now back in business after Katrina (it took a pretty hard hit) as I noticed the other day--maybe I should try to talk the DH into trying it this weekend...

Candlepinning sounds fun. I never heard of that before.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It is fun. If you're ever up in New England you should try it!

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

I'd heard of candlepin, but never been. The few times I've ever been bowling it usually involved several other AF doctors at some mandatory training thing and we'd had all had a couple of beers, which doesn't do much for your aim - just as with mini-golf and margaritas. :D

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Candlepin fascinates me. It's easier and harder at the same time, which is always fun, and you never know what the wood is going to do.

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

And that Shirebound really is a bad influence, you know... ;)

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

I distinctly remember this style of bowling from my childhood, with smaller balls and 3 balls per frame. But I grew up in Washington DC, not New England. Perhaps a NE transplant brought it there!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Might have been duckpin, which has pins that are similar to the tenpin pins but smaller, and uses balls like the candlepin balls. I haven't tried that yet, but I've heard of it!

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Ah that must be it! Wikipedia says it is popular along the east coast, from Maryland north.

The balls were certainly easier to handle with I was young!