matching tracksuits

fun in threes, sometimes fours

the boy

New Beginnings

The Boy is no longer a Cub Scout. That's over -- a whole phase of his life behind him. Tonight was his first meeting as a Boy Scout.

There was the requisite paperwork -- which he filled out. "This is all you, little man," I told him with a smile.

They started the meeting with introductions to the troop: "We'd like to invite our newest scouts to introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about them." E stepped forward, shyly as always, and said, "I'm E. I like soccer and guitar." After introductions, the new scouts went out with some of the older boys to learn the ropes, so to speak.

So different than Cub Scouts. Boy-run, boy-planned, boy-approved. "We're just there to make sure they do everything safely," the scoutmaster told us when we first visited back in December.

We parents didn't see the kids until they were done, wrapping everything up with their circle. In fact, tonight is likely the only night we'll stay through the whole thing. "Most parents just drop them off and then pick them up later," the assistant scoutmaster told us new parents.

"This is going to do the Boy so much good," I told K.

Saturday Evening Downtown

We spent the evening downtown, the five of us -- the two kids and the dog. It's so rare that everyone's schedules work out to let us do something like this. We'll take every opportunity we have.

Our stroll eventually led us down to the river and the new Grand Bohemian hotel which is the latest highlight of the ever-developing downtown Greenville.

Eventually we made it down the the rocky area of the river just at the edge of the main downtown park, the place both of our kids loved to run about on the rocks as little kids.

"Those days are long gone" K and I constantly remind ourselves. And yet, every now and then, the stars align,

the kids are both fascinated with the same thing, and for a brief moment, we pop back a few years in the past.

First Day Out

We had our first day out on mountain bikes today. It was a beautiful spring day with temperatures in the sixties.

It had rained a bit yesterday, so the trails were a bit muddy at times, but nothing too awful.

Overall, we did 11.59km.

Crossing Over

Talent Show

Soccer Walk

Tuesdays are long: first school, then chess club, then a rush to the soccer field to switch cars with K so she can give L my car for her to drive to volleyball while I wait with the Boy at soccer practice. I usually talk a walk and/or run. And since my knees have been troubling me again, it's more likely the former than the latter.

As the last few soccer seasons have progressed, so has the area around the soccer complex.

The red line is the route of my walk.

The central shaded area is now apartments -- it has been for a couple of years. The large shaded area to the right is now completely bare, stripped of all trees with sewage lines and curbs ready for a new housing or apartment development. The triangle to the left is the latest development victim: it's only been cleared in the last few weeks.

But still on that walk/run, one can find views like this.

More from Chattanooga

Saturday

Climbing

Final Cub Scout Pack Meeting

The Boy is moving on: cross-over is in a couple of weeks, and the pinewood derby is in a couple of days. After that, he'll no longer be a cub scout -- he'll move on to be a boy scout...