End of the Weekend....

Another weekend comes to a close
another weekend without riding the bike...
well almost without riding the bike
managed to spin the single cross town to go to a Saturday Morning Ashtanga Yoga Class
that was needed
deeply needed for my mind, body, and soul
would have loved to get out and do some of that cyclocross thing, but it just does not seem to be in the cards for me this fall

the weekend was spent balancing hanging with the boys and working on the deck in the backyard
Dean and Grant are healthy and strong; wore me out, as per usual
my arms are raw from tossing them in the air and pushing them on the swings
my sides are sore and my voice is hoarse from laughing and screaming
those two guys make it a grand pleasure to be a dad
they are always asking for MORE
and it is a pleasure giving it to em

my dad and I managed to make some serious progress on the deck
the board on board fencing is nearly complete
and
the post and frame for the kids clubhouse is nearly complete
ontop of all the finished decking and stairs from my dad's hard work in weeks past
if things go as planned my dad will take a few days off this week and it will all be ready for action this weekend
Dean is already stating his claim on the top level, using some sort of protective logic, claiming that Grant is too little to go on the higher levels
he is correct
but his motives may be suspect
Dean is a good sharer
we hope that his clubhouse is a highlight to the block
our single block in Mt Pleasant has 15 kids under 5, all boys!
Dean has a playmate to choose from to suit most any mood
most of the time he chooses Elijah
they are on the same level
both large for their age
both very active...very very active

Grant at 9 months is still not too interactive with the other kids
but he chases lisa around like a little blonde shadow
aside from laughing
climbing the stairs has to be his favorite activity
he gets great joy in climbing up the stairs
I can not wait till the boys get a little older a climbing wall will have to fit somewhere into the equation
just a low bouldering wall
but to a wee one....that should be enough

Dean has hung the bike on the rack for the last few weeks
strange
kids really binge on activities
and not unlike many cyclists at this time of year
he seems to be a tad burned out on the bike
wonder if this advanced three year old will want to try to put that thing on rollers this winter?

all things considered
this was an excellent weekend
the weather was pinicle
the amber lenses of my glasses made the fall day even warmer than it was
and
it was unseasonably warm
the hikes with the dogs were short
but
saturday morning at the Zoo with Dean and Grant was awesome
and this morning I risked having worlds collide by having Dean's favorite friend Elijah meet up at the park at the same time as Dean was meeting up with his favorite person in the whole world, cousin Eric
they all got along famously
my greatest fear was that Eric and Elijah would link up
thus ostracising Dean
as a parent I can be a tad protective
even of my child's emotions
but
my fears were unwarranted
there was no visible competition
there was too much fun chasing around the neo-balsa wood planes around
James (Elijah's father) purchased a kit of several of those fragile little planes with the rubberband powered propellers
shockingly the planes did not break at first contact with a 3 year old hands

on top of all the activities of the day
even managed to go out drinking in Adams Morgan
went out with an old friend, Hounddog
The Dog was in town from his new home of California
it was great hanging with him and catching up
met his girlfriend and got a window into his world
had a few too many drinks
but that is what happens when you get together with old friends

our evening was closed by a trip to the PIZZA MART
the DC City Paper has a story on this marvel of modern convenience
The Big Cheese
the article sums it up
all the way down to the drunken aggression
as I mistakenly almost walked into a couple as I starred at the name change of Cafe LaTrec