little lebowski
Hee.
Last Friday, Madeline made her bowling debut. We met up with one of my friends and her daughter E at the local bowling alley. I must say that this bowling alley was a far cry from the dark and dusty one where my mom used to play five pin every Wednesday when I was little. This alley was sparkling and full of natural light. There was no one else there when we arrived at eleven in the morning.
The employee at the desk set us up at Lane 1, made sure that the gutter guards were up, and mentioned that the lightest balls that they had weighed six pounds. Alas, weight was the least important criteria for Madeline and E when it came to choosing their bowling balls. Colour was key. The only balls that came in acceptable shades of pink and purple were seven and nine pounds, respectively.
The little bowlers could not be persuaded that blue and green balls were a more reasonable choice, so my friend and I found ourselves called into service for every frame, helping the girls push the ball down the lane with enough momentum to reach the pins. Neither of the girls broke one hundred, but they seemed to have a fun time at the bowling alley. The way that their balls would magically return to the rack at the end of the lane was totally fascinating. And believe it or not, neither of the girls were even tempted run up the empty lanes!
I will admit to have a secret fantasy about Madeline becoming a successful pro golfer when she's older, but maybe bowling will be her thing instead ...
