Bowling with a Gherkin

Yesterday after picking the kids up from school I took them to the bowling alley. Allison always tells us she is the "bowling Allie." So the "bowling Allie," "bowling Blake" and "Bowling Dave" gave it a go. Now we don't bowl but a couple of times a year so we have to have a little help, yup, the bumpers are coming out. Can someone please explain to me how I can get 3 or 4 gutterballs with the bumpers out. Couldn't they have just made those bumpers about 5 feet longer. Yes, I think they could have. Well I hit a few here and there, the kids each hit a few here and there and we all had about the same score up till the end. We got to the 10th frame and I had managed to get one spare and I think each of the kids had 2 spares. So the pressure was on, I had to get a spare or a strike to stay in it. Somehow Blake got out of turn and managed to get ahead of me. He through a spare and I knew that meant he would get an extra ball. I looked up at the monitor and realized he had gone for me. He had gotten me a spare in the 10th frame and I took my extra shot. I hit a couple and ended up with a grand total of ........... 94. Ouch! Now it really was Blake's turn and he was not able to get another spare. He ended up with 91 points. Allie was just a few behind. Now I have a problem because Blake knows that he beat me, not that I beat him. There went my bragging rights. We had a great time and I am looking forward to Mom and Ash coming home and bowling with us. I could have taken the kids straight home and made them start their homework and then we could have done some yard work or cleaning, but I will keep the leaves in my yard and a dirty living room and trade them in for a bowling memory with my kids.

PS: I think the ball I used weighed about the same as a Gherkin.

DAVE