...a day with Cristian

My godson Cristian and I had a date yesterday.

We loaded our bikes in the back of my truck and set off for the Tri-Cities. First stop--Kohl's, to find a pair of jeans for school. Score! Next--a park by the river with access to the paved trail system. We rode for a few miles, stopping to give Cristian's legs a break every now and then. I got a few pictures before my camera met a soggy end. (It was in my shorts pocket because I was on my mountain bike and wearing street clothes--no jersey with a handy pocket on the back. Potty break...camera in toilet...augh!) After riding a while we drove over to Pasco to the Sacagawea State Park and wandered through the nice little museum there. Lots of hands-on displays that appeal to almost-10 year old boys. (Just how much power does it take to pull the arrow back on the bow? Can you imagine doing this and staying steady enough to hit your target??) After the museum we took a wrong turn and had an adventure in driving. I told Cristian tales about my own kids getting so worried when I'd get us lost when they were young. We finally figured out where we were, got turned around, and headed back to civilization for a late lunch. Then we checked out the movie theater to see what was playing. (Not much that appeals to both a boy and a middle aged woman. What a relief that GI Joe wasn't playing!) We agreed on G Force but it didn't start for an hour, so off to Barnes and Nobles to wander and look at books. I haven't been in the children's section for a long time, so that was a treat. Then, off to the movies with our 3D glasses. That was pretty cool, even though the story line was lame. After that it was time to go home....we did the math and realized my old dog had been inside for 8 hours. How time flies! It was a fun day with a great kid. Katie wonders how much longer Cristian will want to hang out with me. Hard to say....but I'm game as long as he is!

...a train named Joe

Normally, I would not be happy about being awakened in the early morning hours by a headache, but today it turned out to be a good thing. I got up and took something, then made a big pot of strong coffee (always good for iced coffee later!). Instead of going back to bed I sat down at the computer and continued messing with my photos (not as cumbersome as a box of pictures, but still tedious). And it turns out that the timing was right to chat with Nate in Alaska--he's working 6 hours on, 6 off, around the clock, and just happened to be puttering on the computer at the same time. So good to catch up with him. Then the ol' dog woke up and wanted out (it was early when I got up) and as I stepped outside with her I realized what a beautiful morning it was. So back upstairs to say goodbye for now to Nate and to get my biking clothes on. I was out the door a little after 6:00. Ahhh...the first road bike ride since STP--it felt so good. (I took my Mt bike camping, rode it on the Boise greenbelt, and took a meandering ride to downtown Burns, but it just isn't the same as riding my road bike.) I was enjoying the fresh air and quiet (well except for the creaking left pedal--a visit to the LBS is in order) when I approached the RR tracks. Just then a train whistle blew--wooWOO! I was instantly transported back in time--and this line popped into my head: Here is a train, his name is Joe. Listen, hear his whistle blow? Here is the shiny, silvery track that carries Joe to town and back. That's from a book Nate loved to have read to him over and over again when he was a very small boy. One thought led to another and soon lines from favorite books were running through my head: Way up north in the land of ice and snow stands a cozy little house. Beside the front door stands a neat little sign--S. Claus--says the sign, because that is who lives there--Santa Claus. (Nate "read" this book at the age of 3.)

And Katie's favorites--Woe betide ye Molly Whuppie, if ye e'er come back again! And Brown Bear Brown Bear, what do you see? (I bought this one for her 4th birthday and loved to hear her read it.)

So I'm glad a headache woke me up. See what I would have missed if I'd gone back to bed?

Things I did happen to avoid on the ride:
--two dogs who thought chasing me would be a fun start to their day
--goat heads (puncture vines are creeping onto the roadway)
--irrigation spray (it can't be just plain ol' water the way the insects hover over the puddles)
--farm trucks in a hurry (it's harvest time)

...a joyful moment

I've been reading Esperanza Rising with some of my students (mostly boys), and they are really getting into it. I overheard something today that was immediately jotted down: Student 1--"I love reading books like this. It's like a movie, but inside your head!" Student 2--"Yeah, but only better." Wow. How cool is that? These are teenage boys who don't read very well and are into 4-wheelers and video games--yet they are loving a book about a 13 year old girl. It makes me smile. :-)

...a book recommendation

Last week our librarian insisted I take a book home to read. He wanted to know what I thought of it, since it was being recommended as a "Battle of the Books" title. I was already in the middle of a really good book and had a couple more waiting to be read, but couldn't say no. I am glad I didn't. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a fresh, intriguing approach to a subject that has been written about countless times--WWII and the Holocaust. The narrator of the book is...someone unexpected. (The librarian told me who it was and I wish he had let me figure it out on my own.) This is a book for adolescents, but that shouldn't keep adults from reading it. In fact, I'm going to go curl up in my chair right now and find out what happens next to "the book thief"--the main character.