grass stains: An evening with the Barons

The last time I went to a baseball game in which one of our kids wasn't playing was apparently May 2011, when I took Jake and Nathaniel to the SEC Championship game.

If you'd asked me, I wouldn't have believed it had been that long ago -- when Nathaniel was 8 and Jake merely 3 years old. But since that time, our Birmingham Barons have moved to a state-of-the-art stadium downtown, just a few blocks from my office, right across the street from our beloved Railroad Park.

When my parents visited over Easter weekend (I know. I still haven't posted about Easter), I invited them to join us for a Barons game so they could see the snazzy new ballpark.

Although I'd seen it hundreds of times from the sidewalk and street, I'd yet to go inside it myself, so it was a treat for me, too.

It ended up being a little chilly that evening, so we took fleece jackets with us to keep us warm. With our jackets on and food and drinks in our laps, we were ready to go!

The view from the ballpark in all directions is beautiful ... you can see parts of Birmingham's skyline anywhere you look.

Children's Hospital of Alabama expanded a couple of years ago, and it now takes up two full city blocks ... its main building is that one with the round red logo at the top. It has a matching parking deck.

Sunsets at Regions Field are often gorgeous ... we didn't get a really striking one the night we were there because it was an almost completely cloudless evening. Even so, who can complain about watching a ballgame under the lights with the city as a backdrop?

We really enjoyed the game, including REALLY exciting plays, although we left around the seventh inning so we could get Nathaniel home at a decent hour.

Looking up at Children's while it was lit up at night reminded me of the several nights I've spent there with our kids, looking out at people carrying on with their lives while mine had essentially stopped. I said a little silent prayer for all the parents who were up their with their sick kids -- some critically ill or injured -- and hoped that they'd find their way home soon.