Day 172 - 08/11/2007

I spent a fun-filled day with the kids while D took a day off and had some quality alone time (well, I'm not sure whether she'd call it quality based on some of the things she did, but she had the day to herself to do what she wanted). I was happy to spend the day with the kids and we made it a full one.

We left the house about 930a and made a couple of pit stops, the first at the coffee store and the second at the dump to drop off some chemicals. After the dump, we made our way to Burke Lake Park, where we unloaded our bikes from the van, strapped on the fishing gear to my bike rack and made our way around the lake. We weren't very successful in the fishing department (I had one bite, but when I was reeling it in, the bass jumped and spit out the lure), nor were they kids successful in the lack-of-complaints-about-being-hot-and-tired department, but we were successful in the having-fun-and-spending-quality-time-together department.

We ended up riding around the lake even though the kids didn't want to, but since we were more than halfway when we decided to call it a day, going all the way around was shorter than going back the way we came. Next time we'll have to not go as far (or they'll just have to deal).

After loading up our gear in the van, we headed down and took a ride on the train (as pictured above). This was the first time N rode the train without feeling anxious. We've tried doing it in previous years, but he was afraid of the tunnel. This time, however, there was no fear whatsoever, which is a good thing as during Halloween, they have "Boo Train" rides where there are kids in costumes along the route, some silly, some scary, tossing candy to the kids. It's a fun time, but not when the kids don't want to ride.

On the way home we stopped by Merrifield Garden Center (or, as N calls it, MerriGardenFields) for some plants. I wanted to plant some mint to use in mojitos and we ended up not only getting that, but also some basil, aloe and some rock garden plant that N picked out, in addition to a couple of planters. The one M is holding below will be taken to my office.

Once I saw it I knew I had to get it. Now I just need to get a plant to put in it. Why didn't I think of that while we were there? (I had originally envisioned putting the plant that I have in my office in it, but am not sure whether it will look good in it. We'll see.)

We checked out and headed home, where D and I planted/repotted the plants. D had enjoyed her day at home and was given some bonus time when I took the kids to the pool. It was hot and the pool wasn't very crowded, although the kids did enjoy the company of the Craig girls.

After the pool, we came home and enjoyed a rousing game of memory with the memory game I got at the Grand Canyon last year. M started out pretty quick and N surprised us with his mad memory skills, but in the end I wound up pulling it off on the backstretch and was first across the line when it came time to tally our matches.

Overall it was a great day. Nothing like spending some good, quality time with the kids on a Saturday. As for how I handled it without getting too worked up, it's simple: I expected them to do exactly what they did (not want to focus on fishing that much, complain about the bike ride, hit me up for a ride, etc.), so everything turned out as planned. Yes, I understand that's not the best tactic, but if you set the expectation that the day will be fun-filled and the kids won't complain about something, you're setting yourself up for failing to meet your expectations.

Oh yeah, it's also helpful not to get worked up when they're just kids being kids.

Day 166 - 08/05/2007

Before leaving Chestertown, the kids and I headed back to the dock to do some more fishing. I hadn't gotten enough on our previous outing and knew there were a couple more with our names on them. M wasn't too sure about how good chicken livers would work, but after she saw me pull a few catfish out of the river on Saturday, she was more than willing to try it out (although I still had to put the bait on her hook). Like yesterday, we were soon catching fish. The only problem was that we didn't have a net so when we tried to land the fish, we broke a few lines. Oh well, they were going to head back to the water anyway. Should we go down there again, we'll have to be sure to bring a net (and donate it to the cause).

After we got our fishing fix out of us, we packed up the cars and started the drive back home. We weren't sure what the traffic would be like, but fortunately it wasn't bad at all. The only backup we had was going over the bridge. It wasn't backed up per se, it was just heavier and, of course, traffic slowed down as it went over the bridge.

On the way home we stopped for lunch and, lo and behold, ran into our old neighbors Tom and Teri. They had gone to Ocean City for the week to celebrate Ryan's 16th birthday. It was quite unexpected (as you could guess). We seem to see them all over the place: we ran into them at a store in the area awhile back, as well as running into Ryan at the bowling alley. We chatted briefly before getting back on the road.

What was funny was that when we first stopped for lunch, I went to use the restroom. As I was standing there, some kids walked in and one of them mentioned seeing his old neighbor outside. I thought hmmmmm, I guess it's not just us that run into people in out of the way places and continued with my business. On my way out of the bathroom, I walked right past Tom and Teri and realized that must've been Ryan in the bathroom making that comment. It is strange, though, how often we run into them considering the size of the area. We still stay in touch with them, but typically it's only to watch their guinea pigs when they go out of town. I wonder where we'll meet again.

It reinforces the interconnectedness we all have and reinforces the whole six degrees of separation theory. (Although, more accurately, this has nothing to do with that, it's just a coincidence that we were in the same point in the time-space continuum.) It's amazing that with so many people in this world, we run into people we know (or people who know people we know) everywhere we go. A couple other recent sightings occurred this week: One was at Great Wolf Lodge where I ran into a guy I went to high school with and the other was at RFK at the Nats game where I ran into another friend from high school.

Day 145 - 07/15/2007

While we were on vacation, an article appeared in the local rag about snakeheads being found in Lake Accotink. So, with that in mind, Larry and I made plans to seek them out today. Of course, it was hot (about 93° or so) and humid and there weren't many places to cast from the bank where there wasn't overgrowth or lots of poison ivy, which meant it was a great idea to bring the kids along. Or so we thought.

We didn't catch anything. Well, not technically: the kids caught a few minnows in their dip nets and D had a bite, but no fish were landed. Dripping with sweat and the kids getting more and more heat stroked, we called it quits.

After we got home, the kids and I decided to go to the pool to cool off. When we got there the parking lot was empty save for a few cars. I love it when the pool is empty (which it typically is as the summer progresses); the high schoolers aren't glomming all over each other and the middle schoolers aren't being awkward. We soon found out why the parking lot was nearly empty: It was closed on account of throwup.

Argh.

Not to worry, though, it'd reopen in 45 minutes. Well, after about 20 minutes at the playground, we decided to go home. By the time it opened, we'd have only 30 minutes before we had to head home. When we got home the kids ran through the sprinkler for about five minutes before quitting from boredom or maybe it was from the heat -- they even turned down a trip to the snake pit!

Day 142 - 07/12/2007

Tony told me about some of the big catfish that were being pulled from the pond and I had it in my mind that I'd get one too. (Two flatheads had been caught earlier in the summer: one was 18 lbs, the other 24 lbs.) I took the kids out with me to the pond to put out a jug with an array of bait to let sit over the course of the day. It was unsuccessful. The only thing I caught were lily pads. N caught his first fish (a bluegill -- which I actually caught, but gave the pole to N before landing it to give him the impression he caught it) and, later on, his second one (a bass, which he did catch all by himself). He's turning into quite the fisherman. M got skunked and wasn't happy about it. Things got even worse when she got a bug in her hair. From across the pond I could hear her yelling about it. I calmly walked over and told her, after brushing the Japanese beetle out of her hair, that these things happen in the country and if she couldn't handle it, we wouldn't return. To that she responded...

"But Da, I like the country; I just don't like it in my hair!"

After getting tired of fishing, M and Rachael went swimming and, after a while, we headed back to Angie's to get cleaned up for dinner (but not before N drove the tractor w/ Tony).

That night was the big get together at the pavilion. Tony counted 29 people (plus two dogs, but not counting the fish we caught). Having the pavilion on the pond is a nice amenity, especially with such a large family. It makes family get togethers a lot easier on everyone involved.

During dinner, we were sharing the story about how N drove the golf cart into the corn. I got my camera out to show the picture I had taken of the accident scene and passed it to Judy. She passed it to Nancy, who passed it to D's grandma. She looked at it and I told her that was the corn and she looked at it again. She then pointed to the tablecloth (which was a watermelon print) and told me "them's what we call watermelons" and laughed. Yes, it was pretty funny. I guess she didn't understand that the corn I had taken a picture of was the corn N had run over. Oh well, she got a laugh and, looking back, it's pretty funny.

After dinner the kids and I continued fishing and M finally got her first fish (right as I was about to give up and call it quits). Like N's first one, I caught it and gave her the pole so she could land it. Also like N, she caught her second one on her own. I'm glad that they both enjoy fishing as much as I do. It's not that I really care whether I catch anything or not (although I'd rather catch something than get skunked), it's just the idea of being out on the water, wasting time while at the same time appearing to be productive.

Day 140 - 07/10/2007

Our first full day in Olney was spent fishing. We went up to Jane and Tony's to get in some fishing and visit with them and D's grandma. I was jazzed about the fishing, whereas the kids were jazzed about driving the golf cart around the pond. The wind was coming in from the southwest and not many bites were to be had, so we decided to swim instead. I got a couple of bites before finally landing the first fish of the summer. It was a 10" bass that was tossed back. The kids wanted to keep it, but since I had no intention of cleaning it (or wanting to cook it), back it went for next year.

The pond water was surprisingly clear this year. And refreshing (as it usually is). M and I went swimming and enjoyed the cool water. We were finally able to get N to get in, although he was somewhat hesitant. I tried to take him out beyond the dock and was somewhat successful, but he wanted the security of the shore. That's alright, M wouldn't even get in the pond until last year (at 8), so him getting in at 5 is pretty good.

Speaking of N and country life, apparently it agrees with him. He loves driving the golf cart around the pond and even drove D and Angie up to Grandma's place. He got a little crazy on the way, though, and ran into the corn. D and Angie laughed at him and he went in even farther. I went back and got a picture of the scene and will post it soon. It was pretty funny.

We had our first taste of the fair when we went to Mariah's talent show. Her dance troupe danced to "Butterfly Kisses" and ended up winning 1st prize in their age category. The show started at 7p and ended about 945p. She wasn't kidding when she said they went towards the end. They were the second to last act to perform. We suffered through the acts (well, actually we didn't suffer through them, some of them were pretty good) and afterwards checked out the display of John Deere farm equipment. N was in hog heaven (complete with the eau de hog permeating from the livestock being shown at the fair).

As an added treat, we sampled some fine fair cuisine, including curly fries, funnel cake, corn dogs, shake ups (lemonade made on the spot) and a gyro (of all things). It was goooooood.

Day 99 - 05/30/2007

Woke up at 513a to get ready to go fishing on the Bay w/ Larry, Lenny and Jack. This is probably the 10th or so time we've gone out and we've never caught anything (other than a crab on the line here and there). Sure enough, today was no different. (Actually, we didn't even catch a crab in the pots we threw out on the way out of the marina.) We were out about 6 hours and had nary a bite. Larry did catch a jellyfish, but that really didn't count as that's like catching seaweed. On the way back in, we saw a dozen or so skates just below the surface. Unfortunately, all the gear had already been put away, otherwise we'd have tried to catch them.

I got home about 330p and checked in with work. I was able to finish up everything that had accumulated over the course of the day with regards to e-mails and development items. After finishing work, I showered, ate dinner (D and the kids had already eaten) and, when D and N got back from running their errands, N and I went out for a bike ride.

During our ride, we passed by a couple of azalea bushes that were left for the garbage men. Seeing as we've got some empty space in the backyard along the deck that needs some filling in, I made a mental note of their location in anticipation of picking them up later. After the kids were in bed (and darkness had set in, as I didn't want to be seen picking through other peeps' trash), I went out and picked them up. $60 saved! Now all I have to do is plant them. Hopefully I'll be able to get that done Thursday (probably not due to N's t-ball game) or Friday. Nothing like good roadkill! (No, not that kind of roadkill. My kind of roadkill is when you find something useful on the side of the road and take it home with you.)

I then settled in for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup. It was a pretty good game, with both teams getting a flurry of scoring chances. Overall I think the Ducks played better (especially when killing the power play), but when I turned it off after the second period, it was still scoreless. Normally I'd stay up and watch the entire game, bedtime be damned, but since I was up before the crack of dawn and had a long day in the sun, I was pretty beat. I hit the sack and was asleep in no time.