Religious Detente On The Softball Field
Or how a Jewish guy (me) ended up on the diamond with a bunch of priests
While camping in Greene County New York I scored an invite to a picnic and softball game with the priests and seminarians at Immaculate Heart Seminary in Round Top - a hamlet named after a mountain in the Catskills.
Don’t let his cassock fool you. This is not church, it’s a ball field. Some of these guys can really hit. And run. And are competitive as Hell. Sorry, I mean heck. (Yes, I moderated my language while playing with them!)
Here a priest helps a young parishioner with his form. The kid actually connected during a couple of at bats.
Showing off his form in the bullpen. OK we were playing softball and he is winding up to pitch a hardball. That’s because he has a lot of experience as a baseball pitcher. Something I learned during a hard hitting interview. By the way, that wasn’t the only hard hitting that went on. I was two for three at the plate and scored both times. But please don’t ask about my fielding!
Here I am with my new friend Father Gary. OK, Gary’s not his real name, it’s Colin. But truth be known my legs gave out on me with all that base running and running around in circles chasing missed catches so Colin substituted for me. Thus earning him his new but temporary moniker as Father Gary.
This one small step for religious detente may lead to one giant leap for friendly competition. Just down the road there’s a Orthodox Jewish camp so I suggested maybe we can set up a game between the Catholics and the Jews. The suggestion was pretty well received. Someone suggested calling it the Abrahamic World Series. Oy vey!
This was my camping spot.
And this was my view when I woke up Sunday morning.
Not far from my camping spot is the Winter Clove Inn. Family owned since 1838. Possibly the longest continuously operated family run inn in the United States if one is to believe the always authoritative internet :).
Throughout the area people have erected bear statues in front of their homes. Because there are a lot of bears in the area. It’s an area-wide exhibit. Oh, and they also have cats because this is in the Catskill Mountains after all.
Of course, when you have mountains you also have valleys. And in the valleys, one can find working farms. Like this one.
All photos copyright Gary Baumgarten.
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Religious Detente On The Softball Field
Good stuff, Gary!
Look like you had nice get a way from city
Nice picture
Stay safe Gary