Oh Say Can You See

Today while I watched the fantastic Andy-Andy semifinal, I wondered if I suffer from some boorish form of patriotism when my heart goes boom-boom-boom as the Andy from this side of the pond fires off serves at 132, 136, and then 144 mph. Am I guilty of that ugly American tendency to value speed over smarts, to be wowed by firepower over guile?
But then, Andy Roddick continued with a game plan, and he stuck with the plan. He constructed points. He constructed points. We'd been led to believe that was something only these pansy European players do. Our Andy had an intelligent game plan, he thought about what was coming next, and actually added brains to brawn for an absolute winner. (Well, 64 winners, to be precise. Just see the match statistics.)
So I rooted for Andy and then also for Andy, since I am an American of Scottish heritage, I felt obliged to follow my heart as it tugged me. But what made me very happy was the utter lack of nationalism displayed in this match. Check out the Chelsea Pensioners who cheered with great glee for Andy Roddick when he left the court, emotionally spent from the whole experience.
Nobody wants to be the one to rain on the parade (or deflate the hopes of a nation) but it's very nearly the fourth of July, so I'll declare my own independence to enjoy the hell out of this American's game (Oh my God...he has a game now, not just a serve!)
Andy thanks the fans, and apologizes a little bit (but, hey--they're on their feet for you, buddy!)
So this very nearly 4th of July, I say thank you, Andy Roddick, for exceeding every expectation. How very American! Best of luck in the final. I may even root for you over that Swiss guy.

Air Show

OK, this has nothing to do with architecture or Scrapitecture. If I had a thriving lawn outside where the mud used to be, perhaps I could tie it together....
Grass court tennis: why is it so much fun to watch? Discuss.
Gravity-defying feats, that's why!

Check out Jeremy Chardy, who's already a tall drink of water, adding a few feet to his reach with this lovely overhead smash (he lost, but I give him a 9.6 for this maneuver.)
Sometimes linesmen are caught in the crossfire. Don't know how this shot came up so high this far back on a grass court. In fact, I can't remember this fellow's name. Vliegen? He lost too.

This is an exceptional display of finesse from Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. He came to net to get a hold of a drop shot, fumbled it, but somehow managed to grab the ball in his hand and at the same split second, avoid crashing into the net by taking flight. Bear in mind this guy is at least 6'-6" tall. And leggy. He handed the ball to his opponent (Lleytton Hewitt) then loped back to his side of the net and continued to lose the match.

Americans take flight too, but dare I say they tend to lack finesse here as in other areas of the game. I'm having a hard time visualizing how a ball figures into this move, but Andy Roddick is doing well and I wish him the best of luck getting through to the second week.

Nobody Does it Better

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Wow. What a day for Roger Federer. And for anyone who was lucky enough to watch his match against Robin Soderling (who delivers a fine yoke at the end of the day)
Here's what I love about Fed:
He cries. For his victories and his losses. He loves his sport, and his game.
He gives props to his family.
He says these delightfully dorky things that actually end up sticking in my head like Zen koans: I once heard an interview where he described being a little flustered when asked his philosophy of life in front of a group of children. He answered: It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Wow.
Remember that the next time you have an unpleasant moment on hold with the person at the cable company.

Well I should've made a top-ten style list for all the things that inspire me about Roger Federer's game. But for the moment, let me just conclude with this:


After the match, the interviews, (not to mention the on-court assault by a deranged fan) he makes time to pose for photos with the technical grounds crew at Roland Garros.
Cheers, Roger. You're a class act.

Here's what I love about red clay

Barcelona Masters Series Final

Unlike the Virginia red clay that plagues my housekeeping efforts, the red clay on which tennis is played makes me very happy indeed! Seriously, I love watching tennis, especially during the European clay court season. Today's final is between two Spaniards, which bodes well for a nice long match. Rafael Nadal, of course, is known as the King of Clay, and is arguably the best player to ever take on the terre battue. David Ferrer is another excellent clay courter.

I do find the images of clay court tennis to be especially beautiful. The game itself is much more meditative to watch on clay compared to hard-court or grass. It's a little like chess in that the players have to think ahead as they construct the points. I suppose it's the extra fraction of a second that the ball hangs in the air that makes this a much more intellectual game. There's a terrific graphic demonstration of why the ball moves the way it does on clay (and also why Nadal's game is so tough to crack) in the New York Times. I'll figure out how to add the link here.

No photos of porch progress today, as I am completely wiped out from working out there in the 90-degree April heat. I must say my own legs were about as muddy as Ferrer's in this photo, but not quite as bloodied. So I've cleaned up, turned on the AC and the Tennis Channel, and plan to spend the afternoon watching these two guys work on the clay. I'm done for the day.

Here's what I hate about red clay

As I was working on the porch today, I thought about how much energy goes into trying to keep red clay out of my kitchen. Most dog-owners in this part of the world share that concern. It's a constant battle, and with a pair of terriers, it's an all-out war. After I took this photo a few years ago, I considered for a moment the idea of terra-cotta decor. But I hate that color. I hired a housekeeper who cleans floors like nobody's business, and I make do with a series of "mud-abatement" procedures at the back door when it rains.

That said, one of my primary motivations for redesigning the back entry is to keep the mud out. I started hosing it off some areas near the house and it just doesn't go away.