"Tennis begins with love."

(Unknown)

They're tearing up the tennis courts at Stanton Ave. I noticed it last week when the chain link fencing was gone. I was horrified. What is going on? I walk along that stretch of street most days and when the weather is nice, enjoy watching tennis players. I asked a woman who was at her car. "I don't know," she said. "I keep thinking community gardens." (In my mind I thought, um, there ARE community gardens on Stanton Ave.) I wished I had my camera because there was a surreal look, all the poles for the chain link fencing, but no fence. I actually walked into the courts, it was like walking through invisible walls.

This morning, I was again horrified, as bulldozers were taking apart the courts. I called over to a man who was at his car and he said, "Oh, they're re-surfacing the courts. They do that every fifteen years or so. Yep, that one was resurfaced about fifteen years ago." Phew!

I haven't played tennis in years. It might be a full decade by now. There are tennis courts where my family goes on vacation each summer, and we used to go up at least once during our week there. I stalk the completely unusable tennis court on the campus of the Seminary. I notice they recently took away the trailer that sat at the end.

So what is this obsession I have with tennis? I'm not a player, I'm not a fan (I've never watched a full game that wasn't being played by a family member, and like I said, that was at least a decade ago.) It's this thing I have with joy. People playing tennis are playing. They are running after the ball, or that volley back and forth, back and forth. I love the fact that people play tennis, and I'm always happy to stand and watch the players for a few minutes before resuming my walk.

Maybe someday I'll take up tennis again. But until then, I'm glad to know the Stanton Ave. courts will have a new surface soon.

Oh, and it's not fully autumn yet--the water fountain at the courts is still on.