4th of July - Bocce Tournament

One of the highlights of the summer for our family is the annual 4th of July Bocce Tournament held at my sister Jenny's home.

We gather at "Historic Martin Field" for the tournament.

Cole, Curt, and JC emceed this year's tournament.

Emily and Julie await the start of the competition.

Pre-game instructions include a display of the ribbons and trophy...

... an explanation of the rules...

... and Jessica leading us all in singing Back Home Again in Indiana.

Then we put our hands over our hearts...

... and sing the national anthem...

... followed by a "flyover" by Cole. And the tournament begins!

Leslie and Craig.

Lisa and Jenny.

Cole and Jessica.

Sometimes there's a bit of a kerfuffle over the results and Curt and Cole have to step in.

Kyle and Andrew.

Trinity and Ellen Harrington, a friend of Jenny's from high school.

Cole.

JC.

Emily, Cole, and Vanessa.

Andrew and Leslie.

This was an amazing round - how on earth do you determine who wins in this case??

JC and Curt bring out the tape measures while Ian watches.

Lisa and Jenny.

Curt, Kyle, Andrew, and Carla.

Me, Mila, and Craig. (I was 16th seed of 17 - how could my boys do that to me??)

Jessica and Titan.

Sarah.

Curt.

The ladies dominated the tournament this year, with Carla, Ellen, Laurinda, and Lisa all in the final round.

And Carla won!

The trophy is heading to Tennessee, having already been to Indiana once and Colorado twice.