"You can visualize a hundred cats. Beyond that, you can't. Two hundred, five hundred, it all looks the same." -- Jack Wright (of Kingston, Ontario, the Guinness Book record holder for the owner of the most cats at one time [689])

Petco Park Opening Day San Diego 4/5/12

Navy band played National Anthem - sailors rolled out this huge flag on field.  Jet fly over.....very nice.

We went to the San Diego Padres’ opening season game today at Petco Park.  This is the first year that we have season tickets.  We checked it out in January and because the Padres were under new ownership, albeit somewhat in chaos, it seemed that they were reaching out and trying to get more fans to the park.  We were happy with the seats we chose.  They are number 1 and 2 and on the aisle.

Earlier in the day, before the game, Charlie said he was going out to buy a Padres’ T-shirt.  He came back with a nice shirt and a Padres’ hat.  He bought both from Target.

The game started at 4:05pm.  Since it was opening day, we started to the park at 2:15pm.  We didn’t know what parking would be like.  There is a parking garage across the street from Petco Park.  When we got there, people were coming in, but it wasn’t bad.  We found plenty of parking on the sixth level of a seven level parking structure.

We walked across the pedestrian walkway and to the entrance of Petco Park.  We had plastic cards which had to be scanned to get us admission into the park.  Usually when you buy season tickets, they send you real tickets, a stack of them for the whole season, but we were asked if we wanted the tickets or to try the “new” cards.  We chose the cards.

Today, it took us about 10 minutes to get the cards scanned by the poor lady who greeted us at the gate.  She had two gadgets hanging from her neck which were scanners.  She scanned one card with one of the gadgets and then swiped it with the other and then waited.  Nothing happened.  Then she did it again and finally a ticket printed out.  Then she took the other card and did the same and finally printed out another ticket.  “Keep this ticket”, she said.  I thought, yeah, it took a long time to get it, don’t lose it.

Upon entering the park, we each received a San Diego T-shirt.....yes, it was free T-shirt day.  Charlie had gone out that morning and bought a T-shirt to wear.

We found our seats.  We sat there and looked around and admired our view.  It was sunny and warm.  We decided to go and get our hotdogs before it got really crowded.  We didn’t have to wait in line very long.  I love hotdogs at the ball game. 

We were eating our hotdogs when, two ladies, our seat-mates to the right, arrived.  We moved our legs to let them in.  They chattered while finding their seats and stood for a few minutes before sitting down.  Then they started pointing to another part of the stadium and appeared to be looking at seats to our left in another section.  The one next to me was reaching across me with her arm and pointing at the seats.  I was still eating my hotdog and finally said, “Excuse me!”  She stopped pointing.  I’m still not sure if she noticed how rude she was.

I was thinking, “Oh no, is this what we have to put up with every time we come to watch a ball game?”

There are four home games, but we are only going to two of them.  We gave our neighbor, Bridgit, tickets for Friday and Sunday.  We’ll go to the Saturday game.

I whispered to Charlie, “We’ll have to warn Bridgit about these two ladies.”  He whispered back, “Or warn them about Bridgit.”  We both laughed because that was more like it.  Bridgit is a free spirit and these two ladies wouldn’t phase her.  She wouldn’t even notice them probably.

The game was good although the Padres lost to the Dodgers 5 to 3.  It was still fun.  As the game went on, the ladies really weren’t that bad.  No, I was not drinking beer.  They were actually pretty friendly.  My first impression of them and my hostile thoughts vanished.

At the end of the game, I asked the ladies if they would be at Saturday’s game.  They said yes, but would be sitting in their own seats a few sections over.  For some reason, they were assigned the seats next to us for opening day. 

Well, now that they didn’t seem so bad, they weren’t going to be sitting with us!  Who knows who our seat mates will be?  We’ll have to go through initiation again on Saturday.

We’re in the second row of our section, but Charlie had a problem seeing the game from his seat.  There was a big man sitting in front of him.  He said he could see home plate over the left ear and had to lean to the right to see the batter. 

When something would happen, Charlie would lean one way and the man would lean to block his view and so on.  The man’s wife was sitting in front of me and I had no problem.  We’ll try switching seats on Saturday. 

I always look around the field and crowd and message board anyway.  I sometimes forget that a batter is up and then I finally look down.  Usually he’s standing there waiting to hit the ball.  If he hasn’t hit the ball yet, it’s like the game is standing still to me.  I keep checking to see how many balls, strikes, outs are on the board.

We were looking at the Padre game schedule and noticed that on Saturday, everyone would receive a Padre’s ball cap when they came to the park!  Now we had our T-shirts and on Saturday we’ll get our ball caps.  We both laughed.  What was the chance that Charlie would go out and buy both items and then we get them for free at the park?

Jonesie has been going outside when we have time to watch him.  He’s no longer satisfied to sit under the bird feeders and watch the birds.  When he was out, I could check on him from the window, but now he has learned that we have a front yard and it’s a great new world out there.  He doesn’t spend two minutes in the backyard before he runs to jump the fence and land in the front yard.

This is the hillside at the end of our cul de sac

He’s also discovered that we have neighbors’ yards and a hillside to climb.  When I go bring him back, he seems to be getting more and more brave, wandering farther and farther. 

I usually sit outside on the park bench in the front yard so I can keep an eye on him.  He runs back and forth between our yard and Bridgit’s yard and is pretty good about coming when I call him.  As long as I know where he is, I feel like he can stay out.  He really enjoys it and I love watching him run around.

The other day I was outside with Jonesie.  I went to locate him and he was fine.  I sat back down.  A few minutes later, I didn’t hear or see him so I went looking for him.  I called and called, but he didn’t come.  That’s usually when I go and get Charlie so both of us can look.  He came out and went one way and I went towards Bridgit’s driveway and the hill. 

I still didn’t hear Jonesie’s bell on his collar, which is also how I keep track of him.  I decided to walk down by the side of Bridgit’s house.  There’s a path that runs along her backyard fence.  It goes all the way over to the cul de sac behind us and ends at the fence of one of the houses there.  It’s also at the bottom of the big hill that runs up to the street and houses behind us.

I know that a lot of people let their cats outside and let them run around and come back when they’re ready.  I’ve also done that.  Years ago when I lived in Thousand Oaks, I let my cats come and go by leaving the patio door cracked open for them.  I lost at least three cats to coyotes by doing that.  They went out at night and didn’t come back.  I never found them, but it was common that coyotes were in the area and hunted at night.  If I had it to do over, I would have been more watchful of them.

Here, one afternoon, I came home from work at 2:00.  I saw a coyote walking along the drain culvert on the hillside by Bridgit’s house.  Since then, we have seen them on the cul de sac at night.  We know they have taken cats and small dogs.

We have always kept our cats in the house and only let them out when we are home and can watch them.  We try to restrict them to the backyard.  They are never outside at night, unless like Rhody, they get away from us.  Jonesie has been breaking that rule lately though. 

This path runs along the fence by Bridgit's house

I walked along the fence and down the path.  Jonesie was sitting there and when he saw me he stared.  I called him and he came right to me, which I appreciated.  He knew he was in a strange place and wasn’t sure if he should go any farther.  But, I think if I hadn’t walked up on him, he would have wandered on down the path.  I was annoyed that he ignored me when I was calling him earlier.

Needless to say, I took him into the house and he hasn’t been outside since.  It’s not like he doesn’t beg every day to go out.  He tries everything to make me change my mind.

But, my fear of losing him overcomes my joy of seeing him outside happily running around.  It would break my heart if he disappeared.

A few days later, I went out to take pictures of the hillside and the path for my blog.  I walked down the path and took a picture and then walked just a few feet farther and took this picture of the path:

Do you see the cat sitting on the path?

Here he is close up...looks like one of our twin tabby cats, Jason and Kaci, but it's not

I walked towards him, hoping he wouldn't run, but he turned and ran back down the path.  I didn't follow him.  He was minding his own business and probably is safer to run away.

To be continued.......