Tennis!

Now that it’s no longer as hot as it was earlier in the summer, Tim and I have started playing tennis. We found out that there’s a park here in Chandler, Tumbleweed Park, where you can get a court for an hour and a half for $3. We also found out (the hard way) that for Saturdays you need a reservation. However, we did manage to make a reservation for last Saturday morning, and when Tim tried to make one for today he was told not to bother since Fridays aren’t as busy. So we went today, and sure enough, most of the courts were open. Fridays will be our day to play tennis.

Neither Tim nor I had played tennis in years. I’m not even sure when the last time I played was, but it was probably around 10 years ago. Same for Tim. I’d had lessons as a kid and Tim had learned a bit in high school, so it’s not like we were great players before. Then add about 10 years off the court, and you get some pretty goofy action with balls flying in odd directions. But we’ve had a lot of fun and plan to continue. Even over the past two tennis sessions, there has been definite improvement and we’ve both gotten some nice shots in. We hope that as we continue to play we’ll have to pick up the balls off the ground less often. Today I even practiced serving, something I had never finished learning. Getting the ball in the right spot is not easy, but I did manage to get some decent serves. I’m glad that we have found an outdoor activity that we both enjoy, and that is nearby and cheap.

My childhood tennis instructor, Pablo, actually had a pretty important impact on our family—he is the reason my brother and Silvina met! They were both also taking lessons with him and he introduced them. The rest is history. So we all have Pablo to thank not just for whatever tennis skills he may have taught us, but more importantly for his role in bringing Silvina into our family.