Been getting plenty of quality riding in (both on the road and trails), but bailed on the Tour De Tick last weekend as the temps shot up in the lower 90's and I do not have a good history with mtb'ing in the temps when not used to it. I jumped out early Sunday instead and got a solid 3.5hrs on the SS climbing my butt off on the backroads of Polk County. Also skipped the Waffle Training race Tuesday as I was coaching Ian's basketball team.
Getting a little itchy to race it looks like I am heading to STL this weekend for the Greensfelder Challenge mtb marathon race. Expecting a loaded field and no expectation of finishing near the top as I'm cruising the single speed from now on at all events.
Dale and I have been knocking out the miles, Nate's been riding more, and (typed with a big grin) Ira gets back home from his last clinical (in Colorado) this weekend. Will be nice snagging rides with everyone soon.
Last Sunday we went with some friends to a SGF Cardinals afternoon ball game. Little hot at first, but plenty of cloud cover made for a great time. Ian loves going to the ball park (not a huge surprise) and D had a pretty good time (hard to keep a 6yr old focused) as he and I did several trips to the outfield grass to goof around.
The little guy finished up soccer (playing really good) and is really looking forward to baseball. Lately his main passion is kickball and it seems most evenings are spent in the backyard playing two on two two-base death matches - loads of fun. Last week we had a couple neighbor girls over to play and we spent most of the time teaching a 5yr old to play. Pretty interesting as I thought all kids were born knowing how to play.
Yesterday was his latest 'court date' (he does not attend, only Deb and I from our family) and it was a bitter sweet day for all. The official goal has moved from 're-unification' with mom to Termination of Parental Rights (and subsequently adoption). Bitter in that it's hard to feel good about a mom and son being separated permanently, but sweet knowing we can provide a stable and healthy environment to nurture his development. So, now its a several month process moving toward adoption...
Ian is having fun playing on his 'composite' basketball team at the courts and in local tourney's. He is lined up for a handful of team camps (playing up with some middle school teams) and individuals ones (Evangle and Drury). He's been getting a little one-on-one time with SBU's guard Preston Guiot; he's loving it and learning some nifty stuff.
School is wrapping up for him and it looks like I am paying up on an incentive program we put together a couple years ago. This came about in that his Intermediate School gives kids (usually not very many make it) a 'chocolate bar' when the make it three years (3rd, 4th, and 5th grades) with straight A's and he is going to make it. We thought the candy was pretty lame for such a good effort so I told him he could have any pair of Jordan's if he made it the 3 years. So off to the mall we went the other day to make sure they are there when he walks off the stage and turns out he went with the Kobe VII instead of Jordan (tough decision since we are big Spurs fans and hate everything to do with the Lakers, but the shoes are sweet).
Jake is wrapping up his freshman year and can't wait to get thru finals and take a short mental break before doing it again next year. Recently he bought a Gibbon Slackline and we have been goofing around on it here and there (actually I practice some when he's not around so I don't look so bad when we are together). Working on the line is tough stuff, but a pretty solid core workout and I can tell my balance on the longboard is substantially better. He's heading to Canada right after he finishes finals on a mission trip with SBU to spread God's word/work in tribal communities of northern Canada. He has a great heart and understands our responsibility to share with others.
For the past couple of weeks my father-in-law and I have worked to 'rebuild' our patio table. It used to have a glass top until a huge storm destroyed it so I decided to tile it and it turned out great (little pat our Jim and my backs). No we need to strip the chairs and refinish them. Now contemplating 'concrete stain' the patio surface for an updated look. Recently we bought a new grill and have a new (not new as in sapling) Maple to provide shade being put in on Monday to give shade in the evenings; so with all the 'patio investment' we will be spending plenty of meals and evenings out there.
Been knocking out tons of time on the yard, garden, and flower beds. Deb has the garden all planted and the berries are in full bloom and soon will be pumping out the 'snack-berries'. My cherry tree really grown a ton and has tons of fruit growing it, but recently a bunch of 'brown spots' have appeared on some leaves. Researched it and appears there is a disease (untreatable) hitting it and hopefully it will make it thru the year and recover for next.
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