The Pick Up

The kids finished up camp last week and it's always fun going and picking them up, though A is usually beside herself with excitement that it's hard to talk to her. The kids are all sad at having to say goodbye, which is a nice thing because clearly they enjoyed their week, and it's interesting to see who they have bonded with because it's such a variety of kids. Plus you get to see some old familiar faces that you haven't seen in months, and there's a free lunch of really good food. Say no more.

This time around the kids were a little more calm since they're becoming veterans of the experience It's great to see them again, but I think they are not as enthused to see mom and dad, which is a good thing because it just means they had a good week. The true test is whether they want to go back again the next time, and they always seem to. A had a ton of stuff because she was not only the DJ of the dance, but she had her guitar on top of her enormous quantity of living essentials.

It takes a couple of hours for everyone to say their goodbyes that includes a lot of tears and hugs, and as the crowd dwindles we have to pry the kids away at some point. This time around there was a supposed plan to meet at the ice cream stand nearby, and I was under the impression that tons of kids were going to be there. This was not at first the case, and when we arrived it was just NP and her mom A. We all got ice cream and hung out and soon enough other campers arrived. Before we knew it, it was a party, and the kids had a great time. Now of course I'm biased in this regard, but there were a couple of girls that N seemed to be bonding with, and they looked cute together. I got to know their dad and maybe there's a rendezvous somewhere in the future, though they live in the even bigger city, and these sort of social endeavors never seem to work out. They really have to evolve organically.

Afterward we headed home to regroup and unpack, and within an hour or so we were off and running again because A had a big gig the next day and she needed to rehearse. No rest for the weary, as the saying goes.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to quejaytee for the pic.