Skillet Ball

I really am a little ashamed that it has taken me this long to get around to posting about our favorite memory from the most recent trip we took to Phoenix.

It's always interesting, how family memories are created. Some are carefully planned, but others, like Skillet Ball, emerge and evolve into their final memorable state. It started with Greg showing up with his new skillet and excitedly cooking for the family. Then Greg's parents mentioned that when they visited Greg's grandparents farm in Pennsylvania a few years ago to clean it out, they saw an old skillet. They thought they'd maybe picked it up and brought it home...

So while we were watching the kids play outside, they did some looking through the garage and sure enough, there was Grandpa's old skillet. This skillet had seem some use, that's for sure.
After some careful studying and internet research, we're pretty sure that the antique frypan is about 50 years old. And Greg's parents let us take it home and make it our very own! We're so excited! We're such nerds!

So as Greg stood outside, holding the new prize, we started discussing the feel of it in the hand. Then the kids came by with their tennis balls...


What would any self-respecting man do with a heavy flat object and a ball?
HIT IT. Duh.

And thus began the game of Skillet Ball.

First, it was just Greg bouncing it around a bit...

Then we got a pitcher...
Then Mark took a turn...

All agreed it was quite fun!


Before you know it, the brothers were making up rules and special lingo for the game.
I must admit, the only one of their special terms I remember is an "Abundance"- and I don't remember the definition of it. They had themselves, and us, laughing pretty hard.


Dad joined in and the game went on for quite a long time.