Nice Change Of Pace

Park visited: Schaefer Athletic Complex
City: Denver, CO
Food of the day: Sirloin and Loaded Baker @ Champps Americana
iPhone song of the day: "Forever" by Walter Meego
Miles traveled: 40

Hot chocolate during the ride to the park? Jackets and windbreakers while we are unloading the trailer!? This was reality this morning as we awoke to the very chilly Colorado air...but we certainly were NOT complaining. Being used to heat and sweat and more sweat during traditional set up, we welcomed the uncharacteristically cool Summer weather, and it really seemed to make the day go fast.

Today we worked a tournament at the Schaefer Athletic Complex further into Denver. The view was breathtaking on the way there, as the mountainous areas were woven with countless bike trails and parks. The baseball facility even had a pretty good-sized mountain range in the background, which also made for an enjoyable time all morning and afternoon.

When we pulled into the gates of Schaefer, we drove past a guy who looked familiar to me. "I think that's Vinny Castilla," I told the guys. I didn't really think about it again until we were putting up a tent, and I overheard some of the players talking about how Castilla was indeed at the park, as the former Colorado Rockies' third baseman acts as a coach for his son's little league team.

Sure enough, I walked over to his field later in the afternoon, and not only was it really him, but he was hitting infield, giving hitting tips and even coached first base! It was really neat to see such a well known MLB star just hanging out on the little league diamond, and I literally did not see him turn down one autograph or photo request, even while he was standing on the other side of the fence during parts of the game. He seems like a genuine good guy, and it was a cool experience for me.

As the afternoon wore on and the heat finally showed up, we called it a day. Taking down and cleaning up went a tad faster today with Candra and Erica's help. It's nice to have some estrogen around, considering that four guys (three of whom have been in a car together since May) are with each other virtually every second of the day. So needless to say, having the girls around was definitely a breath of fresh air.

After we left the park, we headed back to the hotel where I was able to catch a VERY quick catnap. We got cleaned up and went to dinner at Champps Americana. I had never been to one of these, but basically it is a classy sports bar, with a menu that is certainly not your average bar food. We absolutely feasted and I can say without hesitation that the sin of gluttony was taken to a new level at our table. The food was fantastic and it was really a nice reward after a hearty day of work. We also found out that Champps does Texas Hold 'Em poker with free buy-ins on Wednesday night, so I have a feeling we may be returning fairly soon.

After dinner, we caught the late showing of Pixar's newest gem, WALL-E. Without going into great detail, this movie was AMAZING. Even though I have come to expect magical things from the Disney-Pixar relationship, I was blown away by the thoroughness of the film's structure and couldn't help but have a few childlike reactions at several points throughout the two hours. It was also incredible to me that such a story could be told with basically zero character dialogue. It really takes a super talented writer to pull off such a feat, and I am in awe of the abilities of the people who brought this together. SO, needless to say, go check this movie out ASAP....you won't be disappointed.

I guess that's all for now. We have the day off tomorrow, and I am looking forward to a little relaxing Colorado style. I appreciate your readership, and look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow. I hope you continue to enjoy following our journey and am glad that so many people are able to come along for the ride with us!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Until next time,
Chris