Let’s Go Bowling

          Though Roland did want to take care of some projects around the house and yard, he didn’t wish to spend his entire vacation laboring.  He wanted to spend money going to shows, seeing sights, or something else that would qualify as a vacation. Last week on Monday evening he decided that we should go bowling for family home evening.  We decided to go to Nickle Bowl – but along with half to most of the businesses in Myrtle Creek, Nickle Bowl is closed on Mondays.  Thus we went up to Roseburg.

          The last few times we’ve gone, I have always chosen a lighter ball.  My wrist doesn’t appreciate the extra weight of a bowling ball.  Also, the holes seem more spread out on the heavier balls and I have tiny hands. Whenever we bowl either Jenna and I will make the request to have bumpers as it will prevent us from getting from 10 – 20 gutter balls. 

Bowling always reminds me of other times I have spent at various bowling alleys. When my own family had gone bowling, I remember how Kayla would somehow put a spin on her ball and appear to be coaching it.  She would move her arm from one gutter to the other to guide the ball to move from one side to the other.  It somehow worked!  It was as though she were acting as a voodoo doll for her ball.  Even when she turned around, the ball would appear to do the same thing.  It was like an unbelievable magic.

          I don’t recall whether it had been Corey or Kayla, but one of them let the ball go before the pinsetter had finished – not that either one of them threw hard enough to damage it.  Or else the pinsetter would hit a wiggling pin and knock it down causing it to knock down other pins. For the most part, I have happy memories. 

When Roland and I were first dating, I remember Tony having set up ten pop bottles at the end of the hall.  I don’t recall what kind of ball he used to knock the bottles down.  I smiled at his desire to bowl. 

          PE was always a requirement as part of the high school curriculum.  There was always a choice offered for different physical activity classes.  For example, I had signed up for modern dance.  Corey took a class that introduced sports such as bowling and golf.  I don’t recall what the name of the class was as written in the catalog.  Mom and Corey always referred to it as “wimpy gym”.

January 2005

          When I was serving my mission in Woodbridge, there was one preparation day that my companion decided to go bowling.  We were horrible.  One member asked us how horrible.  I said that the best we did was 254 (or whatever it was) and she said that was great.  I said, “Not when you consider we played two games and I just totaled up all four scores together”

          We had the choice of bowling per game or bowling for an hour.  We saved three dollars by bowling for an hour and were able to get in two games each.  We made jokes about the lane itself #13 that had problems returning balls over 14 pounds.  Roland traded his 15 for a 13 which still got stuck, but Jenna’s did not get stuck and she had a 14.  I had a 10.  The final scores were:

Jenna: 91 and 102, 

Roland:  102 and 114

and my 80 and 85

          We got something to eat before returning back to Myrtle Creek.  Construction blocking where we needed to get on the freeway.  Rather than continue south, Roland went back north to get on before taking the ramp back south.