In an effort to prevent a major ecological catastrophe if the Conestee Dam breaks, the state has finally begun construction of a new dam on the site.
Dam Progress
Month: May 2025
Thursday Ride
In an effort to regain some level of fitness, the Boy and I have been mountain biking several times a week. E, of course, is already somewhat fit: youth and soccer see to that. I, however, have been reverting to a state that could only be described as fat slob. In fact, a couple of months ago, I got on the scale and saw that, for the first time in my life, I was close to 200 pounds. One sees all the internet ads suggesting that cardio workouts do little to help with weight loss, but I do know that eight or so years ago when I set a goal to cycle to work 100 of the 180 days, I lost significant weight relatively quickly. So we’re cycling more.
Today, I went on my own, though: the Boy was not in the mood, and since I want this to be something he enjoys, I didn’t force the issue. One benefit of going solo is that I get to listen to music as I ride; another benefit, I get to go faster. E can keep up with me for a handful of miles but eventually, he tires. That’s not to say I don’t tire. I just enjoy that pain and push through it (or at least I say I enjoy the pain).
When I was riding on the gravel portion of the ride, I encountered this young one:
We used to see a lot of deer during our evening rides, sometimes a dozen or more. Lately, though, they’ve been scarce. I have no idea why they’re suddenly rare. The fact that they can live in the midst of a city is itself surprising. There are developments all around the Conestee mountain biking area; we see deer in our own neighborhood. It seems all they need a handful of trees and a water source.
Track Awards
Conestee
Twenty Years Ago or More
Graduation Party
Final Eighth-Grade Day
Classroom Final Glance
A few last pictures before I take everything down.
Graduation
Eighteen years ago to the day, I wrote about how time was likely to fly by, and suddenly K and I would realize that our daughter was no longer a little girl but instead, a young woman:
And then, a little voice: “That is how you’ll wake up one morning and realize she’s going off to college and for a brief moment, feel complete unprepared for it, and feel she’s completely unprepared for it.” (Source)
That was May 20, 2007. L would in a few years be chirping that she'll be "the class of 2025," and that year seemed impossibly (mercifully) far away. Until it wasn't.
Our sweet little girl graduated high school today. It's difficult to imagine that I'm not just writing some fictional piece when I type those words. But eighteen plus years have passed; elementary, middle, and high school flew by, and suddenly, we have a college freshman.
But she does still have that little girl in her.
Something else that hasn't changed in all that time: people are still mispronouncing her name. Even when, during rehearsal, she corrects them. Three times. Today it was a long E in her first name and then "Marie" instead of "Maria" for her middle name. He got the last name -- 33% accuracy. I know: it's not that big a deal. But still, at one's graduation, it would be nice to hear one's name pronounced correctly.
