I hadn’t played basketball but once in the last 6 weeks or so, rarely enough that soem of the guys at work were giving me a hard time if I’d EVER return to the Thursday game.
I made my return Thursday, my team won 2 of 3 games, and, as you can see in the photo, my 3-inch vertical leap remains intact. Next I need to get in some sprinting to be better prepared—and I need to remember how to rebound.
Pete’s departure for college came fast. Thanks to summer session at Bloomsburg U., we packed him up (simply, as is his want) yesterday and drove off this morning toward Bloomsburg, Pa., to get him settled in.
The process went smoothly enough and included a trip to the book store and a walk around campus (I hadn’t been there until today). Nice-looking school, and because it’s summer session, we weren’t part of the usual mass of students and parents on a college move-in day. And because our last name starts with D, we were among the first folks allowed to arrive. Pretty sweet.
We stopped at a store to make some final purchases (water! It’s ungodly hot this weekend and this is a dorm—so no AC) and, after grabbing a brunchy meal at the Bloomsburg Diner, we dropped off Pete with his case of water and some hangers, watched him walk into his dorm, and headed out of town, to attend a family high school graduation party in NJ.
You raise your kids with the idea that someday you want them to thrive outside your home, at least I always did. I told Peter on his 18th birthday that he receives a lot of freedom this year, and more important than enjoying it (though I hope he does that too) is respecting it, and understanding that freedom disrespected has a nasty habit of becoming freedom lost.
He’s a smart young man and I love him dearly, and I think he will grow into his freedom. But those are big thoughts. For now, I’m remembering how I watched him head in to his dorm while Virginia and I returned to the car. Lots of emotions and a thought—it’s a moving day, alright.
Kevin’s Aunt Margie and Katherine (from England) visited with Kevin’s mom Wednesday. Virginia took the ladies to a nearby garden and we had a tasty dinner. Margie brought a delicious cake for dessert. Much fun!
He was named to the first team all-Pac-10 Conference tennis team by the local paper. Here he is schmoozing the local sportswriter.
A long time ago, in a life now far, far away …
My boys were 6 and 4. Normal kids. Even-tempered kids. Good kids. My kids. Certainly not felons. So when news spread that a lawn tractor sitting on my neighbor’s property had been vandalized, I didn’t give it much thought. My wife and I didn’t think highly of the family, especially their two boys (who were a little older and slouchier than ours), and we figured they had trashed the tractor, which belonged to a contractor doing work on their property.
You can probably see where this is going. Two days later, my wife got a call from another neighbor who had boys about the same age as ours. There had been a confession. Seems the four had been playing behind our house when they decided—seemingly out of the blue—to kick the crap out of the tractor. They broke the glass on the instrument panel. Put grass and mud in the gas tank. I didn’t even think they knew what a gas tank was.
My wife called me at work to relay the news. I listened, my stomach dropped, and I could barely talk.
The worst part, she said, was that the 4-year-old had come inside when they were doing this TO ASK FOR A PAIR OF SCISSORS—and my wife gave them to him. They used them to cut the fuel line.
My god. We were accomplices.
Pete graduated high school today, and he did it like he does so much,with an assuredness and good nature that are a pleasure to be around. Both grandmas and Kevin’s sister Sue were there as well. As has been our luck all week, the weather held, and everything went off as you’d hope. Afterward, we had a celebratory dinner at Brother Paul’s.
We gave Pete his graduation gift, too: a Macbook Pro laptop.
Now Pete has a quiet week home, followed by a week at Ocean City, Md., with friends, before starting at Bloomsburg on June 29.
The weather held, lots of people (Brad Elrod, the Kirks, Carol Dole, Laurie Barlow, Maureen Kahn, my mom, my sister Sue, and especially Pete) pitched in, and we had a really fun celebration of Pete’s graduation.
Pete was invited to attend the annual awards night at Methacton High School. If you know Pete, you know that his academics have not been especially stellar over the years, so we were all curious what award he was up for. Physical education? A school spirit or “good citizen” award (he won one of those back in 5th grade when leaving elementary school)? It was an honest-to-goodness mystery.
Mystery solved, and it came early in the night. Pete was given an award by the Audubon Recreation Association, where he played baseball, basketball and soccer over the years. He also reffed hoops games for younger kids when he was older. It doesn’t sound like much—except that the award came with a $500 stipend. Yes, $500! Adding to the fun, there was a female recipient, and it ended up being his longtime friend Vicki Schaffer (Pete and Vicki were in a playgroup as precocious 3-year-olds). Vicki walked off with $500, too.
Rounding out the awards among our friends was Erin Barlow, who took home a bunch of awards (see the photo to see her fanning out her certificates). Erin’s headed to Cornell, Vicki to Kutztown, and Pete to Bloomsburg. The money will come in very handy.
Virginia, Kelly and I made a trip to Fort Deposit, Md., where we met with Virginia’s mom Rosalie for a late lunch to celebrate Mother’s Day. We met at an interestting restaurant, The Union Hotel, whihc was oone part colonial-themed restaurant and one-part biker bar.
After eating, we drove five minutes away, to the small town where Virginia’s dad grew up, in Darlington, Md. (I think). Couple photos from there included as well.
Our nephew Nick celebrated his 11th birthday at his grandma Kim’s house. He received a bunch of books (OK, 2) on Napoleon, his current hero. You can watch him hamming it up while we sing Happy Birthday to him.
At Methacton, there’s a student lock-in after the dance called Post-Prom, that is outrageously over-the-top. Here are some photos from teh walk-through we took before teh Big Night. Virginia and I helped clean up the next morning.
kevdonahue 