Small Town Living…

I experienced some of the wonderful pleasures of small town living this past weekend.

Don’t know if I can articulate, but here goes…

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First, J had his basketball championship tournament on Halloween.

The local basketball league, which was started two and ½ years ago by the young High School Basketball Coach, is small but growing.

There were only 4 teams in J’s age group.

The coaches...all local high school students...range in age from 15 to 17 and soon knew each player from each team by name as well as each player's individual strengths and weaknesses.

J loved his coaches, but I heard all the coaches are great.

Each Saturday he had two games, which meant he played against the same three teams almost every weekend.

Sometimes he would have back-to-back games.

Other times, we would have a wait of 40 minutes in between games and J would hang with his buddies (from all teams) and S and I would watch the next game and chat with other parents.

Sometimes J would sub for one of the other teams and sometimes…both he and players from the team he would soon be up against would sub together on yet, a third team.

Just one big basketball family…competitiveness with a healthy dose of camaraderie and friendship mixed in.

The H.S. Coach/organizer would ref each game as well as “coach”… offering encouragement and helpful suggestions on free throws, nudge the players to guard or pass and just do what a coach would do…for both teams!

J’s team was undefeated. So from 9:20 to 10:00 am on Saturday they played the 4th seeded team, which included one of his best buds from school

They almost lost the game.

His second game was scheduled for 12:00 and his third and final championship game (provided they won) for 1:20.

They brought in a real ref for the tournament and the Coach/organizer came in to "call" the plays, fouls, score, etc. for the championship game.

It was all very exciting…and very Disney- and Hallmark-esque.

You know...like one of those made for TV-type Hallmark or Disney movies about small towns and local basketball games.

I felt like I was in one in one of those movies…and very happy to be in it!

As only could happen in the movies...the 4th seeded team, and the team J almost lost to in the first game, won all of their games and faced J’s team for the championship.

It was a bit touch-and-go at first. The 4th seeded team was hot…hot…hot and they so wanted to win.

But alas…there can only be one winner, and J’s team won.

It was heartening, though, to see J and his buddy laugh and their other teammates joke with each other in the midst of competition.

What did I tell ya…like a Hallmark movie!

The second part of this post has to do when S and I took off during the long lapse between J’s first two games.

We ran downtown to get some cheese and other comestibles for a Halloween party we were having that evening.

We had no qualms about leaving J with his buddies at the tournament…something I would have been hesitant to do back home primarily because…I admit…I was too up-tight.

When we got to Grand Avenue, I immediately realized I had forgotten all about the vendors having “Trick-or-Treating” for the young set.

Oh-My-Goodness!

100’s of little creatures walking on the slush-cleared sidewalks saying “Trick-or-Treat” and holding up little plastic pumpkins and bags to be filled with...yet more yummy goodness.

Felt like I was in one of those 1998 to early 2000 “Halloweentown” movies starring Debbie Reynolds and Judith Hoag.

I wish I had had my camera…sigh.

Sam and I agreed…only in a small town.

It left me...together with the atmosphere at the bb tournament...with a warm feeling and a true appreciation for this small town where I now reside.

And for the the moment…I'm very happy to be here.

Oh yeah. Then we must have had upwards of well over 100 trick-or-treaters.

Saturday was a very good day.

Thanks for taking the time to check in…