Lego Mania

The 4 day weekend stretched on.... and on.... I don't do long weekends very well and neither does the wee man. There is a correlation but what it is, I cannot say.

However this 4 day stretch went quite well with Alexander and I building spacecraft and cars. I also got to have 2 hours freedom in a coffee shop over the 4 days which was awesome.

Thanksgiving

At Thanksgiving Bob, Marty, Sian, Ralph and Ella graced our doors. I cooked for a change. I am normally not allowed to cook the Thanksgiving meal since I burnt it when Alexander was 3 months old; an event that Bob will never forget! However this time things went well and I found that having a team of adults running interference with the children it was even quite relaxing. The turkey turned out just right (if I say so myself) and the gravy really hit the spot.
After our meal we worked off a few calories with a wall ball tournament led by Alexander.

The Rain Gutter Regatta- playing worst case scenario

Alexanders Cub Scout pack held a Rain Gutter Regatta. The kids were given a balsa wood boat kit a month before, that they had to build and then the race was on!
Alexander built and painted the boat entirely himself. I was annoyed, but not surprised to see some boats sanded and air sprayed to perfection. As we drove to the race, he asked me "But what happens if I don't win Daddy?"
The question I realized was coming from someone who is so good at sports compared to his peers he wasn't used to loosing. Now he was up against several dens who were 3+ years older than him and he new his chances were slim. I tried the old "It's the taking part..." bit, but knew he would not be dissuaded.
"But what happens if I don't win Daddy?" he asked again.
I thought for a bit and told him "Well Alexander, if you don't win the Rain Gutter Regatta they will take you to the front of the pack and rip the buttons off your uniform. They will crush you hat underfoot and then push you outside. You will never be allowed in Cub Scouts again."
He looked at me hard and then said "No Daddy, you're just kidding!" and the ice was broken and he was happy to take part.
As it was he won two heats hands down. He didn't so much loose to the older kids as to the alternative design: You cut the hull and mast in half to make a catamaran and then neither the sail nor the boat can turn around. The final 4 contenders were catamarans. We will know next time.

Visiting Governatorville

On Monday I had to visit some folk in Sacramento and I had the bright idea of taking the train from San Jose to there and back.I must say that the view of the Bay Area I got from the train was chilling. It is fair to say train routes through build-up areas never show the best of the area (who wants to live next to a train track?) but I have to say what I saw of Fremont, Niles and pretty much everywhere between San Jose and Oakland was pretty depressing. The sheer volume of garbage strewn beside the tracks and the nature of it was very depressing: rusting truck bodies, burnt out cars, tow truck lighting rigs, so much waste adorning the side of the line. And the graffiti, and the run down shacks and the garbage (did I mention the garbage?) It really depressed me.

Martinez depressed me in a different way: Here was an oil storage depot (a really really big one) and a town fused together in way only the Borg should have been capable of. Office blocks and main street surrounded by giant oil tanks and gas flames roaring into the sky. This surely was Hades.

Beyond Benicia I had hoped for a somewhat more scenic journey but alas the train neither followed the road nor the river, but struck out across the marshlands. The days dark gray sky reflected in endless, pools and tracts of water all around, leaving me wondering if the garbage was more appealing. We passed run down shacks in the middle of this wasteland, sporting the star spangled banner, a couple of trucks, some small motor boats and probably a ton of guns inside.

All of the above said the journey to Sacramento was almost flawless and I arrived almost on time, having spent the past 3 hours working away with my laptop plugged into the carriage, looking out at the interchanging scenes of desolation and depravity.

As we rolled out of Sacramento for the journey home I looked at the gathering rain storm, supped a beer and quietly congratulated myself for choosing the European travel solution. Despite the non-scenic nature of the journey, life was good and I would soon be home in time to read the wee man a bedtime story as promised. Alas, as we reached Richmond the journey home came to and abrupt stop when the train hit someone on the line.

I say someone because the train hit a person, a human being, someone who 5 seconds before was alive and breathing but now lay presumably in bits all over the line. To my mind the Amtrak staffs view was somewhat less humane. "We have struck and killed a trespasser." they announced repeatedly over the intercom. This seemed to be an attempt to justify the lawful killing of the person. He was after all not a person at all but a trespasser, a criminal who was little short of a terrorist and since the Amtrak staff were not armed they had done the next best thing and run the bastard over.

After just over 3 hours we were moving again. The poor driver had to drive the train two stations on before he could be relieved. The head conductor (the conductor of all train conductors) boarded the train and did whole "Sorry for the inconvenience bit" and so I asked him if this was a regular occurrence. He replied no and that they had only killed 5, (well now 6) people this year which was quite low compared to CalTrans who had managed to kill a total of 15 this year and they only had 89 miles of track. Boggle!

About this time I met Rita who was traveling on Amtrak for the first time. She lived in Woodside and was getting quite concerned that she wasn't going to get home that night. A flight attendant of some 39 years she kept her cool and proceeded to work through all the possible solutions from taxi's, to shuttles, to motels.

We went on to Oakland where we changed trains in the pouring rain (the station canopy having being designed to look cool rather than be in any way functional). Seeing that she wasn't having any luck I gave Rita a back stop offering that if all else failed I would take her home. She was grateful for the offer. I then went on to offer to take her to San Jose airport where I figured she would find a shuttle bus really easily. The rest the journey she dialed for $ trying to find someone to take her home. At last she found someone who would pick her from San Jose railroad station and take her home. She was delighted and exclaimed "This sounds to good to be true!" It was, and 10 minutes before we arrived she called the shuttle firm again to tell them to come and pick her up. Alas, they weren't available for another 30 minutes. She then asked if it would be quicker if she met them at the airport. They said yes, and so we set off for the airport rather slowly because the San Jose Sharks game had just finished and the traffic was at a standstill. Rita was sitting in the passenger seat of my Merc with Alexander's car seat on top of her (there was no room in the trunk). We must looked quite comical as we drove past the traffic cops directing us away from the stadium.

As we approached the airport Rita called the shuttle firm again to confirm which terminal she would be picked up at. Mysteriously the shuttle had morphed into a town car which wasn't at the airport at all but was now at a 76 gas station the junction of First street and Brokaw. I sighed ,and gunned the car down 880 and onto First. At last we found the 76 but not the town car. Another quick call and it arrived and whisked Rita off into the night.

As I drove back through the deserted streets of Los Gatos at 11:30pm I had certainly been on a journey. A journey which felt like a week compressed into a single, very long day.

I received this nice email from Rita today...

Good afternoon Rod ! :-)

Thank you sooooooo very much for your kind and generous assistance last evening.
I arrived safely home around 11:45pm.
The driver was courteous and nice. Charged a different price than
quoted.....but I didn't mind. Was soooooo happy that his company was able to take me
home.

Interesting that of the dozen or so American born people whose destination was the San Jose area......a non-native American-------a Scottish 'true
gentleman'------was the one who 'reached out' to help 'me in distress.'
I am still in awe of your kindness and your generosity. I'm sure God will
smile on you all the days of your life ..... for the wonderful ways you are.
If I can ever do anything for you or your family, please do let me know.
Gratefully,
Rita

Farewell to cousins

Gray came over to Bob and Marty's this evening with the kids. Alexander got to say farewell to his cousins who he sadly won't see more than once or twice a year for the next 2-3 years (except on Skype) which I now have installed on Gray's laptop and Bob and Marty's new 'puter.

Hanging around the house

After his final soccer game Bob and Marty picked up Alexander and whisked him away to their place for the rest of the weekend. We breathed a sign of relief and got stuck into the massive amount of chores that had accumulated since he last visited. We tidied bedrooms, mowed lawns, packed away camping gear, ran the washer and dryer almost 24/7, moved furniture and hung pictures. This last item was the one that I think gave us the most pleasure. We now have pretty much all the pictures my father gave us hanging up, along with some of the artwork Dena inherited from Amos and Elizabeth. The place looks transformed.

The Last Game

Today was Alexander's last game of the season and for once he and his team (I choose the words carefully) had met their match. The opposition were well organized, skillful and had a coach who knew how to drive them. By the end of the first half the score was 4-1 to the opposition and we could see the stress on Alexander's face. He isn't used to being on the loosing team. As the second half started Alexander changed gears. I must say I have never seen him play so hard. Alexander was literally everywhere, defending, attacking and scoring 2 of the 3 goals his team got in that half. The game finished 5-4 to the opposition and would have been a tie but for an unfortunate home goal scored by one of Alexander's team mates. I must admit I never thought I would be proud of my sons achievements at sport. But I certainly was proud of him today. Click the picture below to see some shots from his season. I blew these up into 8"x10"prints and they now adorn his bedroom.

Alexanders 1st Soccer Season

Veterans Day

I decided to take the day off since Alexander was off school. We decided to head to Santa Cruz with our bikes. Ralph and Ella joined us. It was very beautiful day and we rode down West Cliff Drive to the surfing museum. On the way back we stopped a the dog beach and Fiona had another excursion in the giant sand pit which she loved. Alexander is now at his final soccer practice so I am off to cook dinner. Click the album below to see some shots from the trip.

Veterans Day at Santa Cruz

A Day at the Beach

Sunday we decided was going to be beach day. Alexander was excited and drew the following picture before we left. Luckily it was not prophetic. It was actually a perfect day. Lots of sun but not too hot. Just as well he did this picture since I forgot our camera and missed the pictures of Fiona's first time in the sand, which she loved.
The tide and natural bridges was way out and Alexander and I got under the arch and saw starfish and crabs which was great!

Wall Ball

Wall Ball is the big game on the playground at Aledxanders school. There is a big green steel wall in the middle of the yard and they provide bouncy inflatable balls to enable competition.

I realized something. There are no written down rules for Wall Ball! The children in 2nd and 3rd grade Shout at the children 1st grade until they conform and thus the rules are passed down the ages again and again.

I asked Dena, I asked Bob, I asked Alexander's Kindergarten teacher; they all remember playing it, they don't recall the rules very well. But if they were playing against some 2nd graders they would be reminded!

This is simple, tribal and brutal!

Wall Ball Mania

I play on the weekends after Alexanders Soccer to show Alexander some winning strategies. To me this is just another ballet in the same way I used to play tennis and I like to make an elegant flow; it's about making your partner dance!

He doesn't like me winning though, unless I am playing against another six yearold! Then it's "My Dad's way better than you!"

Sigh.

"Enjoy the dance son!"