Duckpin bowling

We took the kids duckpin bowling last night to celebrate Ethan's spelling bee victory. The bowling alley is on the 4th floor of an old building in downtown Indianapolis. Going there is like stepping back in time. I don't think there's anything in the bowling alley less than 50 years old.

Hi-lo?

Even the shoes seemed 50 years old. (Except for the velcro, I guess.)

Duckpin bowling is kind of like a cross between skeeball and regular bowling. Its popularity peaked in the 1920s, but there are still a few duckpin alleys left, mostly on the east coast. The pins and the balls are much smaller. Because the balls are smaller, there are no finger holes--you have to cradle the ball in your hand before letting it loose. The pins are connected by wires at the top so the machines can easily set them in place. The lanes aren't as slick as in regular bowling, so the guy behind the counter told the kids they could walk out onto the lanes when bowling.

It's much harder than regular bowling! Ethan was the only person who managed to get a spare. Nobody got a strike. But it was a lot of fun!

Sophie likes to give out kisses.

Here's Sophie showing us how it's done.