It's early August, the height of summer holidays. It's the time when families venture off to their favourite places to soak up the sunlight that is fading more with each passing day and to bask in the glow of what it means to be loved. Or maybe these trips are exercises to keep the kids from killing each other (or from you killing them) because you've all spent more "quality time" together in the the last six weeks than you did from September to June. A trip may be just the thing to get the family over that last hurdle before that elusive finish line, often referred to as the start of the new school year.
Here are a few thoughts that are swirling around this stay-at-home dad's head. I hope this collection brightens your day - sort of like an ice pack on a twisted ankle or perhaps something more preventative, such as applying a band-aid to cover your nipples before setting off on a marathon-like run or that brisk walk with your neighbour and chatting partner.
The Summer Olympics are presently taking place in London. Lots of great athletes, all of whom are dedicated beyond belief. To be at the Games requires talent, skill, some luck, but mostly it requires a Herculean commitment. I admire all of these people for that. Have you ever noticed that with every victory or defeat each athlete has someone close by who shares in the glory or the tears. So many people seem to go unnoticed and they all seem okay with that. Road bikers have entourages following them through the streets in cars packed with replacement parts; those inside bikers, who go around the roller derby looking track, have coaches who push them to the starting line and hold them up so they don't fall over because their feet are welded to the pedals; weight lifters always seem to be escorted to the platform by five or six people, as if their presence will somehow help get that 500 pounds high into the air.
I recently volunteered at my daughter's swim meet that was held in Halifax. Part of my role as a chaperon was to help provide healthy snacks for the swimmers. Often, before the athletes woke up or after lights out at night, my fellow chaperones and I worked diligently behind the scenes cutting up fruit and vegetables to ensure that the swimmers would be nourished and on top of their games. It wasn't the Olympics, but it gave me a taste of the amount of effort and dedication that is required by so many before any serious athlete is even able to compete. My hat is off to all of you and thanks for the gold medal performances.
The recreational cod fishery is on the go and I've been out jiggin' like an Olympian. Brother Bill has a nicely outfitted boat for such an adventure and doesn't mind that I borrow it often. His 3 year old son, James, seems to have a different take on my taking. Whenever I arrive with my truck and hook up the boat that sits in Bill's driveway, James shouts to anyone within a square kilometre that "Uncle Jim is taking daddy's ship again!" The fish are plentiful, the weather has been unbelievable, the humpback whales entertaining and the views spectacular. Young James is just going have to get used to the idea that I'm going to continue to steal his daddy's boat - over and over again.
One more note on ocean fishing. At the bottom lurks a devilish looking fish known as a Sculpin. Perhaps it more resembles a dragon that a devil, but you get the picture. Sometimes it will swallow our hook and take the long ride from the darkness of the sea bottom to the deck of the boat. These things are certainly not "keepers" and readily find there way back into the water once someone gathers the nerve to grab their thorny bodies to remove the hook. I've taken my kids and several of their friends out this week. It has been pure joy to watch their faces as they reel in a cod that can be almost half their size. It's even more fun to watch them whenever they come eye to eye with the nefarious Sculpin. Cod and whales must be deaf because the screams from boys and girls alike have been simply world class. Thankfully, they haven't been scared off.
My sister arrives later today from her home in Ontario. She lives in Milton, which is where I worked for several years. She moved to Ontario from Alberta just a few months after I moved back to Newfoundland. I'm still wondering about that one! Her two girls are similar in age to my kids and they all get along wonderfully. I'm sure my sister, Margaret Ann, is looking forward to visiting old friends and reacquainting herself with Newfoundland. She'll take my car and my family will entertain her kids for the next few weeks. It'll be great, but I'm guessing I'll have to remind her to take her kids with her when she's leaving to go back to Ontario. It's not that she doesn't love them tremendously, it's just that she's a teacher and they've spent each and every day together since school got out in June. After that much time together, even our own precious kids kind of start looking a little sculpin-ish.
Enjoy the rest of the summer.
