Melodic acid burn off
It may have looked the part of summer on the lawn of the Wolf Trap amphitheatre, but some things were missing. The bugs hadn't all come out yet. The spring chill in the air wasn't all gone.

I shifted in the lawn trying to get my body comfortable as the moon rose above the easement. Emmy Lou Harris, Patti Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Buddy Miller were playing up front, but I didn't know the tunes. My aching muscles may have needed further justification, and I couldn't focus on the songs that didn't have a driving beat. Patti Griffin did sing a delightful number that tickled the crowd and included the line "Our love's a dud."

The mic banter was that of artists appreciating a shared experience. It helped me return to my shared experience of the day before. The voices on stage became the voices of songbirds and I found myself lost in thought, often about the games from Saturday. I replayed the way the DT and MB worked together. They were the offense in one stretch. MB seemed to find an extra fast twitch muscle to explode toward another disc that DT had launched in his direction almost without looking. They were playing at a different speed than the rest of us. It was awesome to watch and likely very special for them as their opportunities to take the field together have been limited in recent months. Shawn Colvin sang beautifully and only once did her notes remind me of those that plagued me on the loop of MovieTunes in my first job. Sonny came home a lot that year. The past played a role on Saturday as well as I looked at the top teams. It seems that the quality of play in the league has improved over the last few years. Where once each team had two people that stood above the rest, I think there are now three or four who are complete competitive players. I tried to gauge my own age in this consideration, but I don't think it's a matter of declining ability as a defender as much as it is one of growth for the sport.

Buddy Miller's role as the odd man in this group of women, reminded me again of the reverse we experienced at the end of the day. How could S play all of those points? She credited some zone, and others credited some stubbornness. Regardless, the women's performance was inspirational and it gives me hope that what we can handle might be more than we think.

I did focus some on decline while on the lawn. It may have been the mixture of sad folk songs that drove me to it. I don't think I'm supposed to admit weakness as a competitor, but I'm seeing them. I see them in others too. I don't think the decline is enormous or debilitating. I think there are even parts that can make me better if I allow myself to become a more well-rounded player, but there is a decline occurring. Too many discs flew over my head and too many pictures show my feet barely leaving the ground. This is not cause for alarm or reason to call it quits. It's reason to be like Emmy Lou Harris and bring together people we enjoy and do what we enjoy. I saw no weaknesses in Emmy Lou Harris's singing, but I don't think I would have been there if she'd been the only one playing. There's strength in bringing people together and making beautiful music. Or sport.