We scrambled to 'move in' to our condo in the first few days, unloading the pod and unboxing enough that we could function. Nick helped me assemble some simple shelves for the garage, which once built, are now filled to the ceiling with toys and Nick's stuff anyway. He's learned to budget, and is saving money for another train. Gonna, "spend some Kennedys," he says. Overall we're settled. Some grass would be nice.
We got into the fields in the early season of blueberry picking, to battle the mosquitos for an evening. We picked four quarts, and Brandi rewarded us with two amazing pies. It's always nice to get outside and enjoy nature, but not necessarily peace and quiet. With Nick, there's never quiet (he'll talk to the bushes if you ignore him.) Fortunately, we had the fields to ourselves on a Friday evening.
This was the hottest month of the summer; we thought it would never warm-up enough to swim. We had probably two straight weeks in the pool, every day. His diving has improved, his strokes are recognizable, and he's just generally happy to live in the water. With the new privacy fence, the pool is very enjoyable. We also got in some bike rides... he's grown into my old Schwinn Predator, being roughly three inches taller than I was at the same age.
I took a Friday off work and we traveled to Sandusky for a day at Kalahari water park. We managed to reserve an awesome cabana with no reservation, a private bungalow away from the crowds, where we could relax... in shifts, as Nick ran non-stop for over 10 hours between slides and wave pools. He talked me into a surfing simulator, which I was worried we'd look like a train wreck. First, Nick held his on just the second try, and stayed on the board for a couple minutes. He's been singing, "I believe I can fly" all month, and this proved it. After watching others fall all over the place, I feared the worst. But apparently my coordination from martial arts hasn't left me, and I had three guys high-five me as I walked off the ride along the line.
Finally we visited the Toledo Zoo with the Poley's, seeing a bird show, and covering about half the exhibits. And we discovered a new Mexican restaurant, which makes up for the one that made us sick the week before.
Pictures here, and a few videos at right.
- Jason
