The Sportin’ Life: Serena at the US Open & the Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
Serena at the US Open, August 25 As those who follow this blog know, I will occasionally yield to impulse and take an unplanned trip. Until the day before I departed, I had no idea I was going to New York to attend the 2026 US Open in Flushing, New York. I had wanted to go for a few years, but until that day, the cost felt prohibitive. Then, an announcement on the Tennis Channel said that tennis players Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz, as well as Aryna Sabalenka partnering with Novak Djokovic, would play mixed doubles together for the Open’s Fan Week. Williams had retired from the professional women’s tennis circuit four years prior, and Alcaraz was making his first tournament appearance since sustaining a wrist injury four months earlier. With that in mind, I wasn’t expecting to see them play at their best, but seeing them play would…
Countdown for California & Oregon, Plus Two DC Productions
The Final Frontier There are a lot of not-so-good things going on as I write this, but one of the few exceptions is the launch of NASA’s Artemis II. As of Day 7 of its mission, it had taken its four crew members around Earth’s moon to a point further than humans have traveled to date. They have generated lots of pictures, but my favorite is this one. As one poster commented, I’m pictured there on Earth, you just can’t see me. Trip Prep My preparations for the train trip and extended drive to California and Oregon are progressing. As much as I am aware that I can’t take a lot of stuff, even if I expect the trip to take a couple of weeks to complete, I know I will have to do at least one weeding before departure time arrives. One significant change in plans. My eldest sister…