Skip to main content

Kids and Kanucks

One of the draws for self-exile in Florida was that in less than 40 minutes to the South were my grandkidlings. It was just kind of nice that we could travel down to see one of Michael's soccer games, or attend a birthday bash or just because.  But things change.  Lindsay renewed her friendship with Chris in Canada and decided to move back up to Oshawa, which is not too far from Toronto.

Right after the trip down with the Geezers on Goldwings, I swung up to North Port and caught the rest of the clan spending one last day with them before their bus trip.


Michael and I have a history together.  Besides walking all over G-Burg following him on his blue battery operated ATV, I used to put him on the bike and we'd go cruising all over town, without permission.  This is a deep dark secret that only now can be revealed.  His mother would certainly not have approved, but, well, since we were pretty inseparable back then, if I wanted to ride, then he naturally came with me.  

Here we are last month about to take off to a Bouncy House sort of place for kids. Whatever was said, we certainly seem to be having a good laugh.



If your aren't familiar with Bouncy Houses, this is part of one in North port.  I hear there are others like it around.  Great place to send your kids to wear them out.  I saw a lot of what looked like single Dad's and their kid(s) on their weekend.  It would be on the top of my list to do with mine if I was in that situation.  Plenty of thanks from the kids while low on the labor-intensive side.



Alhanna and a slide down the dragon.  She is at that coltish awkward gangly age where legs kind of go every which way.  And she's got some long legs, too.  Tall girl for her age.


Miss Norah warming up for her first experience in such things.  I'll keep quiet now, the pictures tend to speak for themselves.
































And then it was over.  We would stop by a great yogurt ice cream place for dessert then take the kids back home.  Back on the road north to St. Pete and that would be that.  Won't see the kids for a loooooong time, I bet.  I'll miss 'em.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the f...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me,  they came right from the MDH website.  I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access.  After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances.  But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs.  I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered.  The original MDH at this site was just the front part.  The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library.  It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place.   He passed away around 2002, I think.  Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Flashback Friday - Cold Case - Part One

53 years ago today, Gordon "Peel" Duncan walked into the dark post office in Seaton Illinois and was brutally assaulted by an individual or individuals.  He died two days later.  The murder was never solved.     Gordon Duncan was one of the publishers of the Seaton Independent, a weekly newspaper in town that started in the late 1800's and stopped publishing in the 60's.     We  boys were just young children when this took place, but we have been fascinated by it ever since.  The imagination of kids, I suppose or maybe the fact that it was unsolved.  Regardless, this was a big deal in our little lives.  For our parents it tended to shatter the idea that Seaton, our town, was safe.  That it could fend off the forces of evil in the world, that in our little universe we would be impervious to harm was gone forever.  For us kids I don't suppose we were old enough to know real fear.  Fear for us was not getting our list ...
2 comments
Read more