WDWWTK

Our summers are not lazy affairs.  The kids are at Camp, Lisa is traveling more and more for her new job, and I have expectations for both my careers that takes me away from home.  In fact for several times this summer no one will be home and, if you take Sam into account, we will be in four different states in the month of July.

This is the first time Lisa and I have had more than two days apart from the children since TJ was born.  The question is how do you fill that time?  During the week we watched the shows we wanted to watch, had time to exercise, and not have to pick up after anyone but yourself.  The other answer is that you take a trip.  In this case a trip to Disney - Disney Without The Kids.  We did not have a lot of free time because of our work so we took advantage of the days we still have on our passes from January.  To be adventurous we took a train over night out of Cary, NC and arrived the next morning in Orlando, FL.  

The train was a different experience to be sure.  We had a nice room with bunk beds and after a cocktail and some looking out the window into the North Carolina darkness we were lulled to sleep with the rocking of the train and the occasional horn blast as we crossed roads.  

The first day we walked around the new shops in Disney Springs, had a wonderful nap in our room at Old Key West Resort, and had a nice dinner at a Cuban restaurant.  Lisa looked amazing in this cool dress she bought and I tried to help her look classy.  

As the family all knows, I love to plan the trips to Disney - down to the day and attraction.  Rarely does it ever work out that way - and I don't mind.  While I love the planning,  I also love the spontaneity to try something different.  The plan was to go to Epcot. So, when Lisa said, "let's go to Animal Kingdom," I paused for the briefest of moments before giving over to tossing the plan out the window. 

We laughed at ourselves for trying to get to the park in time for the E-Ticket attraction called Avatar: Flight of Passage - there was a two hour wait before the park even opened!  We DID get to ride Expedition Everest in the front row and loved it! 

We made our way over to Epcot and had a great day visiting attractions and areas of the park we had never seen before. It really was different; being able to go at our pace. Without the boys I turned into the big kid, excited to be with the woman I love, in a place that means so much to me. We liked Soarin' and Living with the Land. Lisa even braved the Orange line on Mission: Space! We made our way into the World Showcase and ate and drank through six countries before the skies shot lightning and rained buckets.  We discovered the DVC lounge and stayed out of the rain while sipping on Diet Coke and good coffee.

Regaining our energy we headed over to the Magic Kingdom for a great dinner at the Skippers Canteen, a soggy evening around the park, stunning fireworks, and even a favorite ride or two.  

The best part of the day was spending it with Lisa.  We love the kids and we love to go places with them.  The boys are great travelers - they do road trips very well and always seem to appreciate where we go.  In the years ahead we hope to have more museums and less amusement parks to show them the larger world out there. Traveling as a family is fun.  However, for a couple days to go to someplace fun without being asked for candy, toys, this and that was a nice reprieve from the "can I get" years they are in right now. And just spend it with my Lisa was great.  At some point - way down the road - it is only going to be us.

Our last day we met up with Pat and his family.  I have not seen Pat in a few years since he moved to Colorado.  I have been friends with Pat since we were in 10th grade.  That is a long time.  A lot of friends have stopped keeping touch.  In adulthood everything seems to be harder - even keeping old relationships up.  However, Pat and I have an easy familiarity about us that allows us to pick up right where we left off.  Only now, when we tell our stories our kids are more likely to look at us quizzically as if to wonder if those stories are true or not. We played in a water park and used the time waiting on lines to catch up in person - even for the briefest of times.

One quick story about my wife - in our rush to get off the Disney bus into the water park she left her camera bag on the bus and did not realize until after the bus departed. Lisa was the epitome of calm under pressure. She merely walked over to the bus station, spoke to the person in charge, and within 5 minutes the bag was found.  Ten minutes after that it was back in her possession.  Not once did she freak out.  

What an amazing woman.

Opening Day

Opening Day at Camp Sea Gull. The kids are unpacked and ready to have a great month. It’s different unpacking and settling two campers in the drop off window of time. I did not have much time at all to walk around, see the new cabins, or see the Grandparent’s recognition area where my mom and dad are listed along with their 5 grandchildren that have attended Camp. There was too much to do and then they were kicking us out. Okay, actually Rich was kicking us out. We could have stayed...right?

Grant's Cabin

Grant's View

As I was busy unpacking and going to the camp store and visiting with as many people as I could before Rich pulled me away, Rich was patiently helping Grant figure out the combination to his lock. Grant had forgotten what 3 number code he set it too. For awhile yesterday it was 919 (our area code). Then it was 911 (cause its easy to remember), but then apparently Grant changed it once again. He never told me that he changed it, and of course he could not remember it. 


Grant was rather stressed about the whole thing. What on earth was he going to do without a lock? Where could he get a new lock and how could we fix this. I thought to myself that locks are meaningless at camp. As a camper, I never had a lock. The only reason people used them was to keep the locker closed— a latch of sorts that held everything in. And for many of us a clothes pin served that purpose. There was no need to lock things up at camp.  It was safe. Heck, I still leave the car keys in the car! It’s standard practice! But apparently, things have changed and kids feel the need to have a lock. 

So, back to Rich and the lock. There he sat, on the front porch of Cabin 15 determined to solve the problem. “Don’t buy a new lock” he said as I headed to the Camp Store. 

He started with 0-0-1. Nope.

Then went to 0-0-2. Nope. 

0-0-3. . . 0-0-4. . . 0-0-5. . . 0-0-6. . . . and on and on. 

1-4-3. . . 1-4-4. . . 1-4-5. . . 1-4-6. . .  no end in sight. 

Nevertheless, he persisted. Until, CLICK. He discovered the winning combination. 4-0-3. Four-hundred-and-three attempts. I would have given up at 0-1-0. 

Rich asked Grant at the end why he ended up choosing that combination yesterday. “Cause of the flag in the office,” he replied. Rich’s purple battalion flag hanging on the wall with 403 on it, for the 403rd CA Battalion. Not so sure if Rich appreciated the overture. But at least it made sense to our 7 year old. And for four hundred and two attempts it allowed me to stay longer at camp.

Thank you for not using 0-0-9, Grant. You bought me more time.

Cue Alice Cooper

2018

The boys just finished school for the year and are now embracing summer vacation before they go off to camp. TJ can enjoy sleeping in and Grant gets a little extra time on the iPad in the morning. The simple pleasures of summer vacation.

1978-ish

I remember grade school and those last few days of the school year.  Pine Tree Elementary sat on a hill on Pine Tree Road, on the southwest side of Monroe. At the time it served K-6^th grade. It was only a few miles from our house.  The school year in New York ran after Labor Day and through mid-June. By the time the year ended the weather was definitely warming up.  This meant that the teachers would all open the windows in the classrooms and a breeze would blow through the classes, into the halls, and circulate throughout the building. It seemed to bring the prospects of the summer with it.

As we, the school children, began to clean up our desks and rooms the school would slowly lose its character that was created from art projects, music, and visual aids.  At some point there must be a decision that the teachers have done all they should do for the year and it is time to wrap things up.  Learning came to a halt and Field Day and playing outside seemed to be the focus of everyone’s attention – including the teachers. 

Its nice to recall that nostalgia. I relived it as the boys prepared for the end of the year. 

2018

TJ – not one to be confined with the rigor of a classroom environment – could not wait until the last day of school.  As the end of his elementary school years came to an end he practiced for the school musical. His class performed, “We’re All In This Together”, from High School Musical and TJ even had a solo. He finished is EOGs and mentally checked out of class.

Grant was a different story. I happened to get off of work early that day and just happened to meet the bus at their bus stop.  Grant stepped off the bus clearly and visibly upset.  They were surprised to see me and I rolled down the window to find out what was wrong.  Maybe TJ was teasing him, maybe he was picked on, on the bus.  No, Grant was crying because school was over and he wasn’t going to see his friends or his teacher until August. 

I opened the door and he jumped in and hugged him. 

1980-ish

I remember hanging out with my friends, Pat Creegan, Mike Hanham, and my brother Andy.  Other kids would enter our little gang; Anthony Rizzi, Scott Goldstein, the Scumaci brothers – but the four of lived so close to one another we hung out the most.  Our troupe reminds me of the characters from “Stand By Me” – where everyone seemed to have a role to play.  We would fight but always somehow worked out our differences. In the days before the internet we would have in depth conversations about Star Wars and baseball cards. Boyhood was awesome for us. There were no girls. Ever.

Our summers included years before video games. We played stick ball, kick ball, and army. We went on long treks in the woods, climbed trees, built dams in the stream, and made forts.  We built things, destroyed things, and benignly terrorized the neighborhood with rambunctious play. 

We spent hours upon hours in our pool.  We would make whirlpools by going around and around in circles until we made a current strong enough that it was near impossible to swim against if you tried to change direction.  Cannon Balls, Marco Polo, and Chicken Fights ruled.  We would typically empty about a quarter of the water in a week.

2018

It’s only been a week. Our boys hang out with their friends Evan, Austin, and occasionally Owen and a few others.  Their days consist of fishing, playing basketball, Nerf gun wars, video games, disappearing on their bikes and going to the pool. Somewhere, they are benignly terrorizing the neighborhood. Middle School and Second Grade are a distant thought.  

In forty years the concept of buddies on summer vacation hasn’t changed much.  

Thank God. 

Running; A Way

Running; it's a thing we all do in the Brown family for fun that brings us together.  We completed the 14th Annual Run The Quay last weekend - a fun time for friends and memories.

RTQ is a challenging 5k that is usually hot, humid, and definitely hilly.  There is a 10k and 5k Challenge Race and each race on its own. The best part of the race is that it is a small-ish community event where you get to see some people you don't always run into and even make some new friends.  

This year TJ challenged to beat me in the race.  Each year he is getting faster and faster - but I was pretty sure I could beat him.  He ran the first mile and a half either next to me or right behind me before I lost him.  However, he posted an impressive time of 26+ minutes and a 8:30ish pace.  He finished 5th in his age group without really trying.  I can only imagine how well he would do it he practiced.

This year Grant ran his own race - with mom near by - and did okay.  Of the two, TJ is the runner.  However, everyone got a medal that they earned. Our medal wall is growing.  

Next year we hope to include Samantha in the race. In the meantime we will find a good family run and do it as a way to stay together. There is an anticipation before the race as we all huddle together at the start.  There is the chat of "Run, run. Get some!" when the gun goes off.  There is the encouragement from each of us as one after another reaches the finish line.  And after the race we all talk about our own personal highlights.

Running.  Its a way to stay together.

I (Still) Love New York

I spent a few days in New York last week and was reminded how much I like that part of the country at this time of the year.  Cool mornings, warm afternoons, low humidity are great in May and June.  For the record I do not miss upstate New York winters which can last from October to March (not kidding in the slightest).  The first rest area off of I-81 as you enter NY from PA has this awesome sign with the perfect backdrop for pictures.

Sam and walked up Cascadilla Falls - one of the two waterfall systems just in the city of Ithaca alone.  These water falls start in downtown and traverse all the way to College Town, right outside of Cornell University. The recent rain filled the falls with energy and sound.  

It is hard to imagine that this is in a small city in upstate NY located near a prestigious Ivy League school.  Coming back to visit I realize that we took the views and the sites for granted while we were here; seen but not fully appreciated.  

This is one of my favorite scenes in all of NY - rolling hills with farms set down in the valley that seem out of place in the 21st century.  ST-13 runs from Cortland to Dryden along the ridge of this valley and the view is incredible - big skies, green pastures, rolling hills, and long view out to the horizon. Something about it sets me at ease whenever I see it (sometimes, even on a clear day when it is blanketed in snow).

I (still) Love NY.

The Graduate

Samantha graduated from Tompkins Cortland Community College last week with a perfect 4.0 GPA.  This is a huge event for her and we are all very, very proud of her for this accomplishment.  The road wasn't easy.

Sam seemed to just barely make it across the finish line for High School. Her enthusiasm for learning was displaced by all of the things that puberty and adolescence brings; bad relationships, worse break ups, apathy, and all of the other things that put kids off a course they appeared to be on.

Early on Sam was very smart in grade school.  Good grades, good looks, and a desire to go to college.  As that waned in her senior year the future was pretty hazy.  After she graduated she took a year off of school trying to figure life out. She lived with us during this time.  Sam had lots of ideas but none of them seemed to stick. For every idea she had our response was pretty much the same - sounds good, how can we help - because anything that was going to her started in life would be better being stuck in idle.  

One day Sam came to us with another idea; she wanted to go to college.  Our response was the same - sounds good, how can we help.  She asked for tuition.  We paid with the stipulation that she get at least a 2.5 GPA because we knew she had the potential for those grade.

Sam finished her first semester with a 4.0 and returned for three more semesters with three more sets of perfect grades.

This is all her work - no one else can claim they inspired her, cajoled her, or did it for her.

I got to spend some time hanging around Cortland and Ithaca for two days catching up with some old friends. We had dinner the night before with family and friends down on Cayuga Lake.

Her graduation was a very pleasant event.  The college - blessfully - had air conditioning and we got seats that were not in the bleachers.  I graduated from a community college but I don't remember having a graduation - or I didn't attend it.  Either way, I do not remember as spirited an event as TC3 held that evening.   

And now she has been accepted to UNC Chapel Hill as a transfer. Her first choice of schools.  We are so happy for our graduate and the path she has placed herself on.  I know she will do great things in the future.