chess & skateboard update

Our first weekend after NYC and this morning (Sunday) we took our chairs and skates and the magnetic chess set to the skate park after waffles. We picked up some coffee and hot chocolate on the way. Ry got on his skateboard, and he seemed more confident on the little bump in the middle of the park and was attacking the small half pipe. There were other families out in the morning. Jack and Cyndi roller bladed some, and Jack and I played chess in the shade. He trounced me. That little lesson in Greenwich Village must have inspired him. He had traps set up all over the board. At the end, I thought the best I was going to do was force a stalemate but he check mated me. We high fived, and later in the car he offered me a tip.

Pete and Dorie and Brendon came over Friday night for steaks, with sweet peppers, bread, salad, and chips and guacamole. They brought dessert. While the charcoal ignited, I talked briefly with mom & dad, who had returned from their trip with David up to Alaska. On Saturday, it was back-to-school shopping for school supplies, shoes and shirts. The school sends out a list for school supplies. The list includes more pencils than one could imagine using in a decade. This year the lists include flash drives. We're all curious to learn how they intend to use those for fourth graders as well as first graders.