Preparing for Fall and a Return to KR

Our schedules are going to get a little crazy, we have mountains of activities, so we are thinking of cutting back on some of them. Now that school is in, there is school drama that A wants to do, and she will continue with piano with JB as well as karate, which I had incorrectly assumed she was done with. We will start up with tennis in about a week, and in the coming months both of the kids will have robotics classes. As soon as the snow starts to fall, we’ll break out the skis - yahoo!

We are fairly well prepared in this area, and hopefully won’t have to scramble for equipment as we have in years past. Thanks a bunch to Henderson’s, I love that place. N will begin hockey in the next month, which I think has a crazy schedule. He will continue with drums, and has indicated an interest in bongos, which will be fun. He’ll be doing tennis, as well, and in an interesting twist, wants to try out golf.

This is a new development, and one I wasn’t sure how to deal with. As it turns out, the local driving range actually offers golf lessons. I initially learned about it though Hartford Rec Center, but their timing is in conflict with us. I called the golf center and for about the same price he can get individual lessons, so I think we’ll go in that direction. This should be interesting.

Anyway, as I mentioned, some things may have to be put on hold, and for A, that means we’re going to take a break from guitar. She’s not going to stop, just her lessons with EE will stop after this month, and she’ll play on a more casual basis with our old friend KR. We discussed this and worked out a way that the two of them can play so A doesn’t lose her feel for playing guitar. That would be a shame, because guitar is cool, and every kid wants to be cool.

Since school is in, we’ll also have library story hour, and CH is putting together a book club for older kids, so A would enjoy that. I think they’ll put together skating, but that’s always hard to make it to, so we’ll see about that.

Together with school and home life, we have a pretty busy season ahead of us, which is how we like it. The market will continue for about a month and a half, and personally I think that’s a month and a half too long, but what are you going to do?

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

Ultimate Frisbee Goes On, Albeit Shorter

There was some debate as to whether or not we’d have ultimate frisbee, but when we went out there, sure enough, the crew was warming up. It’s a great site to see people out there ready to play, because we love UF. It was still a bit in the aftermath of Irene, and rain was forecast for the entire weekend. It was cloudy, but the rain had subsided early in the day, so we had hope. By evening, we were excited and ready. Again, when we pulled into the field, we were stoked to see people out there tossing the frisbee around.

It was nice because it was mostly kids, so everyone got to be involved. I think the 20 year old pros are all back in college, so old men like me don’t have to run as hard. It gives the young kids a chance to play more, and it makes it easier on the geriatric crew that suffers from various bone ailments.

It was fun, and I still got to run around a lot and feel like I’m getting some exercise. And, there were a bunch of new people, so the crowd grows. At some point, the clouds rolled in and we started to see lightning, and the decision was made to call it quits. The timing was just right, because we got home and the thunder and lightning really kicked into high gear, so much so that we actually lost power and went to bed with no electricity.

Never a dull moment on this end. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Matthew Maaskant for the pic.

More Rain

We’ve been getting quite a bit of rain in the past couple of weeks, and the timing is not good. In the aftermath of Irene’s devastation, the last thing we need is more rain and flooding. The state is taking a beating. A few days back there were flash flood warnings, and now the forecast is calling for heavy rains, on market day, no less. We’ve been getting limited sunshine, and cooler weather has set in. It really feels like Fall out there.

With this in mind, I personally think we should bail out on the market. Not only will business be slow, but it’s such a drag setting everything up in the rain, not to mention crowding under the tent in the rain, and then breaking everything down in the rain. It’s just wet and miserable.

I hate to be a flake and skirt our responsibilities, but there’s a point when you just have to ask yourself if it’s really necessary, and for that matter, worth it.

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

Dahlia Festival

Last weekend was the annual Dhalia Fest that our good friends and neighbors JM and NT put together. It’s such a nice party, and everyone had a great time. The food was good, great people to mingle with, and the show was a lot of fun, mainly because we got to watch A perform. There was a threat of rain, but we weren’t going to let that stop us from having a good time.

I do have to confess, however, that large crowds give me a bit of pause in terms of relaxing and enjoying myself. It reminds me so much of college and being in the frat, though the people are so much nicer. I just wander from group to group, looking for someone to chat with, nursing a beer. R had things to do at home, and I know she struggles with the same issues, so I was on my own. If she had been there, we could have sequestered ourselves in a corner and survived that way, but I was solo. That’s what food and drink are for, right?

The kids had a blast because there were a bunch of other kids there, and A was thrilled because she got to be on stage, and I think she’s a bit taken in by the whole celebrity thing. Her friends are very supportive, and it’s cute to see them get excited by the whole event. Most of the kids got up there and either performed a skit or sang a song, and I was impressed to no end by that fact. That’s pretty courageous for young kids, I admire that.

The show went late, ending about 10:00PM, and then the rest of the performers (they were mostly adults and young adults) went to the pond for a bonfire and swim, which our kids and most of the others wanted to take part in, but we said thanks, but no thanks. It was way past my bedtime.

What a nice evening, though a late one. My tired old bones can’t handle all this debauchery, and I wonder how I ever pulled it off when I was younger.

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

I Take It Back

It’s funny how the world works. Right after the massive flooding that has really devastated certain regions of this state, I commented on this blog how I hadn’t heard from either my mom or my brother. We are not incommunicado, but I rarely hear from them. A good example is they never make contact on R and my birthdays, nor the kids, but don’t get me started on that.

It’s complicated, I admit, but I just assume that’s the way things are. Even in lieu of their silence, I still send them birthday and holiday greetings, and A keeps in touch with her cousin. I also send updates to my mom about our lives, especially the kids.

Anyway, after Irene, I’d heard from several concerned friends about our condition, and we were in relatively good shape. We lost electricity, and some trees fell, but nothing like people living near the rivers. I assumed that I wouldn’t hear from my brother and mom, and then sure enough, both of them contacted me. My mom sent me an email and even offered support if we needed it. What really floored me was that my brother called and left a message. I couldn’t believe it. I haven’t heard from him in what seems like years.

Just goes to show you, life is full of surprises. That and the fact that I don’t know what I’m talking about.

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

Back to Basics

In the process of trying to write bigger and better pieces, I have managed to get absolutely nothing done. It’s frustrating, and I feel like something has to change. So, I’ve decided to write more small pieces for the blog sites in between the process of writing the bigger pieces. Maybe even work on bigger projects, but just keep my feet moving.

I find the transition into what could be construed as writing more legitimate pieces to be difficult, but one that is deserving of my time and energy. In the meantime, keep other irons in the fire, because time passes quickly, and before I know it, weeks have passed and no progress has been made. Never an easy thing to swallow.

We’ll see where this leads me. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Billy Alexander for the pic.

We Love Henderson’s

N has been asking us about getting twin tipped skis for the past year. I’m all for it, though his skis still fit him, and are still perfectly good, though they are hand me downs from his big sister. His request puts into the realm of wanting something but by no means needing it. N is such a good skier, however, and truth be told, he is not a demanding kid. It’s not as if he’s always wanting something new. Even still, now and then he sets his mind to something and won’t let go of it, driving mom and dad crazy.

Now for the most part, if we get him what he wants, he really makes the most of it and plays with it until he’s sick of it. Now and then, however, he will obsesses over something and once he gets it, he never plays with it. Blongo Ball comes to mind, though in all fairness, the jury’s still out on that one. It’s not as if he’s never going to play with it in the coming years, and we saved a bundle by making it and not buying it.

Anyway, I think the ski thing was a valid request, and again, he’s a good skier and I know he’ll get a lot of usage out of it. The problem was, how were we going to accomplish said goal in an economical and practical way? There was no way we were going to buy him brand new skis, we don’t buy anybody in this house new skis. I scoured the classifieds all Summer and tried to check out thrift stores and yard sales, but no luck. Twin tipped skis are a bit of an esoteric thing.

Enter Henderson’s Ski and Sport. We get all of our ski equipment there, and they are a great bunch of guys. They have a yearly sale to get rid of old stocks and bring in the new, so you can get some good deals, especially on used equipment. Needless to say, N was constantly asking us if we could check out the sale. We went early, and I’ve learned the key to getting a really good deal is to interact with the owner, JH. Not only is a great guy, but he’s the owner, and can make the final decision on a deal. He gave me a fabulous deal on my snowboard, not to mention the kid’s skis. He’s more inclined to cut a deal than his staff, who may not have as much leverage. The problem is, you can’t always get help from him, and without him, there is no room to negotiate.

We got there and they know I’m frugal (cheap?) so expect me to search for bargains. In other words, they don’t bother showing me the new equipment. I lucked out and immediately ran into JH, and we chatted for a bit, and then I asked him if any of the used twin tips were on sale, as well. They didn’t have sale prices, but I think JH pulled his magic and gave us a deal. I was stoked, and thanked our lucky stars that he came over and helped us. I think we benefited from the fact that it was Friday and in the AM, so it was slow.

N was excited, and we also got to upgrade his boots, which had become too small for him, to a killer pair of racing boots. They look cool. We also got A some new gloves and new XC boots, both of which were 50% off. How cool is that? Both of their XC skis still fit them, which is a great thing, but N’s boots are these junky used ones we got from a friend, and you can tell he doesn’t like them. Now that A has new boots, N can wear her old ones, which are really nice and have hardly been used.

Now all we need is a new pair of gloves for N. They didn’t have any sizes that fit him at Henderson’s, but we’ll keep searching. We have a couple of months. I realized after the fact that I need new gloves, mine have big holes in the fingers. Then again, nothing a little duct tape won’t fix.

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