Bridal Coulee
Growing up we took croquet to the extreme. We played in the backyard and placed the wickets in all sorts of challenging areas. In the ditch? No problem. Stuck in some grassy cracks on the driveway? Bring it on. Up the slide, on top of the play structure? Yes please.
These matches became highly contested, thrilling affairs. We became experts at “sending them packing” (knocking a ball after contact is made), as well as going for long distance shots. Rain or shine, we played. On a few occasions we took it to the next level, going so far as to “mow a course” in the grass, similar to how golf has fairways. After the course was made, the course designer gave everyone a walkthrough, and then we played.
The most ridiculous we got though, was a game played between myself and Carl. Carl lived up on the bluff, and I lived down in Bridal Coulee. Between our homes was nearly a mile of forest, a park, and a stretch of road. We played a croquet match across that whole distance. There was a grassy ATV track through the forest, which made the whole game feasible. It was a slog, but we made it out alive. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember who won.