Happy Birthday Grandma/Good Bye Yankee Stadium

Tuesday, we went to John and Kathy's house in Poughkeepsie to celebrate Grandma's birthday. We all had a great time even though the weather chose to be inclement, and we were forced to stay indoors.  We had a nice cookout, which featured the BEST baked potatoes EVER that Grandpa cooked on the grill under his umbrella.  I tried to record a Happy Birthday song, but Duncan wasn't quite warmed up enough yet so it lacks the enthusiasm of some of his other performances.  Happy Birthday to Nash, for example, was quite popular in our house long after Nash's birthday even though I don't know who Nash is.

We stayed overnight in Poughkeepsie so Jamie, John, his friend Don, and I could make our last pilgrimage to the House that Ruth Built.  Duncan stayed with Grandma as a special birthday treat (she was a good sport, but he turned out to be an angel).  The forecast was for rain, possibly torrential at times. We packed our ponchos and were prepared to do whatever we needed to make it to New York, New York (or until the fat lady sang).  We had a GREAT view from our seats though we were high enough up that I would not leave my seat until the game ended.  The sky became ominous in the 3rd, and we felt a few drops...The game was a pitchers' duel through the 4th, and then the Yankees broke it open in the 5th.  We were hugely thankful that an official game had been played at that point, and the Yankees were in the lead.  The Yankees scored again in the 6th, and then all was pretty quiet until the 9th when the Twins scored and loaded the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate.  Mo saved the day.  The Yankees win; THEEEEEEEEE YANKEES WIN!  5-1.  Mussina was brilliant and Mo earned his salary.  Best of all, NO RAIN! 

We were all nostalgic leaving Yankee Stadium, but the new stadium winked at us from across the street, bright with the promise of more World Series rings and a new chapter in baseball history.  As we left, I overheard a man declare "The ghosts won't have far to go."  I liked that thought.