Pickleball The States

  November 2-9 2018 We had the opportunity to use a friend's place just prior to her arriving for the winter. Direct flights from South Bend IN to Mesa AZ certainly sweetened the trip. We stayed at the Monte Vista RV Resort in Mesa. They had eight dedicated pickleball courts in excellent condition with a pavilion between 4 courts to the west and 4 courts to the east. They were lighted which expanded play into the evening hours. Apparently the first week of November is when a number of Canadian pickleball players arrive at this resort, so we were assured of getting games. We would play in the morning and then again in the evening under the lights. Often we would venture to nearby Donut Worry after morning play for a donut and cappuccino. This is the only cappuccino Barb has ever liked. In addition to playing those from Canada, we played a couple from the Netherlands. Perhaps our next endeavor should be #PickleballTheWorld. We knew that we were doing okay when some said "We want...

  June 20, 2018  Since we were travelling through IL on our way home from Branson MO, we determined to add it as #4 in our Pickleball the States endeavor. We had relatives in the Peoria area where we could spend the night, so courts in that area would be ideal. I joined the Peoria Area Pickleball Info FB group to assist me in finding a location to play. It turned out that Birchwood Park in Morton seemed to be a good location. There was good communication on FB leading up to the day we would be there. There were a few players that had committed to play and the skill level was comparable to ours. Then, the day of our scheduled play the dreaded FB message came. "Harold I think we're rained out." It had been raining prior to our arrival late afternoon and we were unsure now if any players would show up. One of our requirements in checking a state off our list is to play with other players, so the two of us playing would not qualify IL as our fourth state. We arrived at the co...

  June 18, 2018  Our trip to Branson MO was one of being duped into a timeshare sales pitch. So we determined to be resolute in our decision not to buy into it. It's interesting how they are so friendly at the beginning and then their demeanor changes to nasty when they realize that they won't be making a sale. But we made the best of the trip by seeing Sampson at Sight and Sounds, kayaking on Taneycomo Lake (which is shaped more like a river) and locating a place to play pickleball. The location was at Branson Sports Club. The courts were in a gym sharing a basketball floor. We knew nothing about the players, but we were able to rotate into games rather quickly. It was showtime for us. We got over our nervousness and enjoyed our time there. One of the players had a serve that reminded me of a person bowling the way her right leg came across and behind her left leg when serving. We also met another couple, Janelle & Mark, from Portland OR. We had the pleasure of playing wi...

Obviously, the state we live in will be the first state. Therefore Indiana becomes state #1. Living a few miles from the MI state line makes that a likely state #2. Our first pickleball experience was in the parking lot of Granger Community Church with portable nets and lines taped to the asphalt. We would chase balls forever and loose some into the sewer system. At times, the mosquitos would be unbearable.  Winter came and we had to move indoors. Ice Athletic Center was the place to play with courts taped on basketball courts and playtime during the day as well as in the evening. We were fortunate to have a township that had the interest in building four dedicated outdoor courts just a mile from where we live. This has become our outdoor place to play. The Ice Athletic Center closed and indoor play moved to the South Bend Racquet Club for us where lines were painted on the tennis courts and a championship dedicated court was built exclusively for pickleball play. Our first play in...

 In January 2019 my wife Barb and I retired. We had recently expanded our social circle by learning and loving to play pickleball.  What better endeavor in retirement than to see how many states in which we can play pickleball. We call it "Pickleball the States." Our goal is to play our last state, in the 50th state of the Union, Hawaii, as close to our 50th wedding anniversary which will happen in 2024.  This blog is a way to remember and share those experiences of playing in new places with new people.