Maggie chopping out a huge grouping of roots
Maggie, Eden and Luke all helped remove what was a huge eyesore in the front yard. A big bush and wrapped all around it an equally thorny stickerbush. All told, we filled about 20 bags of yard waste.
What fun is an oil change without a lollipop?
Noah is off to a good start his junior year. So far, he is leading his team in scoring. I miss a lot of his games, but got to see three of his games the last week. Last weekend, in scrimmages in PA, his team scored 11 goals, and he had 6 goals and 3 assists. In their season opener, he had 3 goals and two assists in a 7-4 win over Century. And then in a big matchup yesterday against Towson, he scored the first goal and was the primary ball handler for his team in the first half. They won the matchup 5-4 and he played well. I missed their first two scrimmages, but watched the replay on film, and he had at least 4 goals and a few assists in each of these games. He is so quiet and humble. And he is so fearless and tough. I love seeing him having success on the field.
On a Friday night, I took Jack to College Park to watch the Terps play basketball. One of Jack’s first Terps games, and it was against the #1 team in the country, the Purdue Boilermakers. We got there early and Jack got to rub Testudo’s nose, see the National Championship trophy, get some food and find our seats.
The vibe in the place was electric. Jack and I got into the cheering, M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D, Maryland, Fight, Win! Terps led for most of the game, even though they were playing against the 7′ giant, Zach Eddy. And the shortest guy on the Terps, the awesome Jahmir Young, led the Terps in all aspects of the game.
When the final whistle blew, the students stormed the courts. And why not follow. Jack and I pushed our way down to the court. He got on my shoulders, and we joined the melee. First time in my life to storm a court.
And after storming the court, we were fortunate to see some of the players close up, Juju Reese, Donta Scott, and Jahmir Young. Young took a picture with Jack.
As everyone knows, I bleed red, and am a lifelong Terp. This may ultimately go down as my all time favorite moment with MD Terps. Thank you, Jahmir Young, for making my day, and making Jack’s day.
On Saturday, Jack and Luke played their last game of the season. It was a joy to coach them all spring. Our team was not great. We went 3-7. We had several guys on the team who had never played lacrosse before.
We practiced every Tuesday and Thursday night at Spring Grove on the grass field. We practiced late, 7:30-9:00. It was bitter cold at the beginning of the season and seemed to rain all spring. But we did our soft hands. And we went to practice. And we got better and did it all together.
Jack was the smallest guy on the team. And Luke was the biggest. Neither one was afraid at all. Jack won more ground balls than most guys on the team. And Luke checked everyone who came near the crease. Jack played mainly attack while Luke played mainly defense. Each of them earned a game ball at some point during the season. Jack earned one the last game.
At the last game, we started the game man down. Some boys late and a lot didn’t post. Jack had to run midfield the whole game. He never complained and he fought for every ground ball. He hustled and had a great attitude and got two assists in the game.
They both had fun and want to play again this summer and next year. They are talking about playing RoughRiders like their older brother.
Eden earned President’s Honor Roll in her Senior Year at Gerstell Academy.
High school was rocky at times for Eden. And great at times for Eden. She grew up. She learned a lot. She finished on top. And she is ready to move on.
Congratulations, Eden!
I spent Memorial Day Weekend with Noah in CT. He had a lacrosse tournament there. Our planning was last minute, and turned out to be a great weekend. The sun smiled on me.
My truck did not have A/C and needed some other service. So I rented a cheap vehicle from Budget. When I went to pick it up in the morning, they asked if I wanted a Mustang. No extra charge. Nice. Never drove one of these before.
I messaged with Bob last minute and he and KC invited us to stay with them for the weekend in CT. They have had their house for nearly 5 years, but I had never visited.
Noah and I stayed with Bob and KC and Brody and had a great weekend. It was a whirlwind, but it was absolutely lovely. I am happy for Bobby. He bought a property with a lot of land. Tranquil. Running water right outside their kitchen. A river across the street. A huge pond a few hundred yards through the woods from their house. He loves the history of his house. And he has filled it with all of his collected antiques.
It was so cool for me and Noah to have extended time getting to know Brody. And even getting him to laugh at times.
We were about an hour from Noah’s tournament, and spent most of Sunday and Monday morning at the field. Noah got to play behind the cage for the first time in so long. And I thought he did great. I took some video to show Marcia and clipped a bunch into a highlight reel.
On Monday, Memorial Day, Noah and I were slated to go home after his tournament. But a friend gifted me and Noah seats in Corrigan Sports’ suite. And an old friend from Cornell and I connected on Facebook. So, I decided to go to the NCAA championship game. My two old teams were playing against each other – Cornell Big Red vs Maryland Terps.
We tailgated with Cornell. I got to catch up with 3 guys from my old team who are all doing very well for themselves. In the suite, we got to hang out with Tillman and Gait. It was nice to talk with Gary and introduce Noah to him.
The game was great. Terps came away with a 9-7 victory.
I came away with a weekend of memories spent with Noah.
Time is precious. It is the most precious commodity on Earth. And I got so many hours with my son. And loved every minute of it.
We drove up to Syracuse on Friday. We missed Liz and had the open weekend because of Easter. We have not been able to travel much this spring. So, Liz was not expecting us. We texted her and she met us in the lobby and then visited with us before her curfew.
In the morning, we met Liz and her teammates in the lobby. And as they were shoving off for the field, we had a funky spot in Cuse we wanted to visit for breakfast. Funk N Waffles on Clinton St.
After breakfast, we went to Christian Brothers Academy to watch Liz and Louisville take on Syracuse. Liz still has the moves, watched her throwing fakes and no look passes. Itching for her to be cleared from injury to play again. Louisville hung tough and had the game tied 8-8 in the 3rd quarter, but Cuse proved too much for Louisville and ran away with a 23-13 victory.
After the team tailgate, we hit the road, but not before stopping into Peachtree Sandwich Company in East Syracuse. Marcia and I had the roast beef sandwich with fries. The staff was so cool. They gave the kids candy and fudge. Loved this place.
After lunch we drove to Niagara. Liz was doing her thing with her team so we went to Rainforest Cafe. Jack enjoyed the animatronics. He and Luke took pictures.
When dinner was done it was ten o’clock. Dad and Jack were still up for an adventure. So, we bundled up and walked/jogged to the American Falls. To get to the falls, we ran over bridges with huge rapids below, just above the falls. When we got to the edge, it was awe-inspiring.
On Easter morning we found a good diner for breakfast – Hyde Park Cafe. Small place and we loved it. I parked in front of Cracker’s Tavern in the motorcycles only parking. Figured no motorcycles this morning!
Jack and I went to a farm. It was shaping up to be a fun and normal Christmas adventure. We scoured the fields for the best tree. And Jack found the perfect one.
Once he selected the tree, he got out the saw and went to work. He had to get really low in order to cut the tree at the trunk. Lots of cutting. Again, a perfectly normal Christmas activity.
The tree was cut down, and we were ready to go. We got a cart and loaded up the tree on the cart. What fun! We were having a great time, just father and son. All alone in the field in the middle of nowhere. No other people in sight for about a mile. When all of a sudden …
A clown was right next to us. We did not see where he came from, but Jack thinks he came from the woods. He was hideously laughing and breathing heavy and telling us he was going to take that tree back to the woods.
We started to run, but Jack was afraid the clown would steal the tree. So he picked it up and started pulling it up the hill, so fast. We never looked back. We heard some weird voice, “I’m going to get that tree little boy.” We turned back and saw a whole group of clowns with knives so we ran as fast as cheetahs up the hill.
When we got back to the parking lot, we put the tree in the truck and drove away. Jack looked back and saw the angry clown gang chasing us. And then we finally got home and set the tree up.
What a perfect Christmas adventure!
It has become a Thanksgiving tradition since Liz was in 3rd grade. The Catonsville HS XC Turkey Trot. Liz is still rehabbing from ACL surgery. But wouldn’t miss Maggie’s first Turkey Trot.
And if there is an adventure, you know Jack is up for it. He came out in the cold to cheer Maggie on.
Maggie was ready. Poised at the start and ready to run her race.
Once Maggie ran away from the insanely large and scary clown, she came around the last turn headed for the finish line. One more hill to go, and Jack was there to cheer her on.
It was freezing cold, and Maggie was pretty awesome. It was great to have Jack and Liz there to support her. Happy Thanksgiving!
Six With Sticks 