We really have lucked out with dodging the
rain for our play days this summer, and we did that again today for our bike
ride to Pinehurst.
Michael and I started our day as usual with
Tai Chi; grabbed a quick breakfast at my house; we got cleaned up and ready to
go; took Rebecca with us; and met up with Rowen and Tim for the ride out to the
Norton farm for the weekly football training camp out there. Lucas had the same group of guys there to
exercise with him – and Michael and Tim; so Rebecca, Rowen, Emma, and I did a
little less of the workout with them and had a bit more time to chat and watch
the action.
Lucas’ father is always busy, but he was
passing through while we were working on running routes; and spent fifteen or
twenty minutes working with the guys on some techniques – both for blocking and
defending. That was fun for the guys,
and while I don’t really think about Karl as a former football player; he did
play in high school – and was apparently pretty good; if not at the level of
Lee or Kyle Landry. Since the Landrys
have about half of the total college football players from Witch Falls ever
now; that statement applies to nearly every other high school football player,
so Karl is still in good company. He’s
also big, strong, and faster than some of the boys expected when he ran some of
those plays with us today.
Why does that always seem to surprise
teenagers? It’s not as if our parents
are that old; and lots of athletes hit their prime in their thirties or later –
including football players.
Anyway, the football workout was fun, and
then Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I got started on our bike ride to Pinehurst while
Rebecca stayed with Lucas and Emma again with plans to get a ride back to town
at lunchtime – or possibly ride back with Emma so that she – Emma – could have
some play time with friends in town. Our
ride today was only about five or six miles shorter than the one to Maple
Valley, but the route was a bit less hilly; and we made great time getting
there. We toured the town, picked up
food, and had a picnic lunch at the main park in town. We went for a swim too; had a chat with a
group of teens that were at the park too; and then picked up snacks and drink
refills before heading home again.
Part of the reason for the fast, easy ride
to Pinehurst was that we basically had no wind at all, and while we did have a
light breeze for the return trip, it was coming at us from the side; and light
enough that it really just helped with keeping us cool. Fewer hills to the south-east of town didn’t
mean no elevation change; and that very gradual rise back toward Witch Falls
did slow us down a little bit compared to the ride to Pinehurst. Climbing the hill on Quarry Road is tough
enough after two twenty-five mile rides; but Tim wanted to race up into town –
and has decided that the biking is great conditioning for football.
That may be true, but I was glad to be home
– and even happier to have dinner with Michael at his house. We had a week off from teen praise team
practice; so I spent the evening with Michael and his family too – though Jake
and Stephanie went out for a while to hang out with Violet, Dillon, Christina,
and Josiah. We had dinner; Michael,
Rebecca, and I took care of the clean-up; and then we mostly had a quiet play
evening. Michael and I had a music
practice; we all went for a swim; and then five of us watched a bit of
television before Michael and I were left on our own in the living room for
some cuddle time.
That little break didn’t rank very high on
the hot scale, but we were both tired by then anyway; so cuddling and sharing a
few kisses was a nice way to wind down before I came home. Ethan and Ehlana were already in bed by then,
but they weren’t sleeping; so I stopped in for goodnight hugs, kisses, and
chats with them on my way up to my room.
I had a chat with Mom and Dad in the office before that, but they were
wrapping up their work for the night; so we kept that little visit short too.
I needed some Jacuzzi time tonight, so that
was first on my to-do list by the time I got to my room; though I didn’t go
with a long soak – mostly because I started nodding off while in the tub. Tomorrow is a work day anyway, so while I probably
should have done some family business work tonight; I decided to go to bed
early instead and just put in the extra work then instead. That’s why I kept the rest of my usual
nightly computing to a minimum too; and don’t have anything else from that
newsworthy enough to mention here. I
guess that’s it for today, so I’m going to call it a night and get some sleep.
Until next time...
...Live long and prosper, fellow Magi of
the Light!
