It's Friday night and I'm sitting at Bongo Java, a half hour before they close. It's actually fairly deserted inside, with just a couple of tables of people talking quietly and drinking their coffee. My guess is that a lot of the Belmont U. students took advantage of the long weekend (Labor Day) to travel home.
I said goodbye to Jude, J.P. and Joe at the airport, then drove home to an empty house. It's strange, but while I look forward each year to the peace and quiet I'll have when they travel to Neptune Beach to visit with the Baines' clan, I also miss them as soon as they're gone. When I got home from the airport, the silence in our house was deafening, in large part because I knew it would be that way for a couple of days.
It was nice, tonight, to sit at the bar and have dinner at Cabana, reading on my iPad, nowhere in particular to be. At the same time, it's weird to know that I'll be going home in few minutes to an empty, quiet house (excepting N.C. and Mini T., our silly cats, of course). I'll probably get caught up on "Breaking Bad," maybe watch a few episodes of the office, then read for a while.
My play is to get up early tomorrow and hit the trails at Shelby Bottoms for a long run. Sadly, it's been ages since I've been there on a Saturday morning for a long trail run. My Saturday morning trail run there was a focal point of my life for so long. It's tough, now, because between family obligations, laziness and injuries, I just haven't been able to get over there on Saturday mornings. Tomorrow, though. Tomorrow.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
First Day of School
Today was J.P.'s first day of school, year 3, at Children's House. He's in "K-Club" this year, a certified kindergarten program at the school he's attended the past 2 years.
Jude called me this morning after she dropped him off at school and we marveled, together, at how it seems like only yesterday we were dropping him off for his first day of school at Children's House as a 3 1/2 year old. Today, he was up, dressed and ready to go early, all so he could help Ms. Anne get younger children out of their vehicles in the drop-off line. In fact, Jude and J.P. arrived so early they were first in line, which has never happened before.
J.P.'s one of the older kids at Children's House now and it's hard to believe. He's growing up before our very eyes.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Postscript (or Deja vous)
As a postcript to the post I finished minutes ago, I'm sitting at Bongo Java, drinking a "Mood Elevator," Sleeping Joe beside me. I'm actually sitting at the same table I was sitting at on April 28, 2013, when I wrote the post about the Belmont U. kids leaving for the summer. My friend who works at Bongo, George, is sitting outside on the front deck, just like he was 3 months ago.
Life has a sense of humor, doesn't it?
Life has a sense of humor, doesn't it?
The Cycle of (College) Life - Part II
I just read a post from the blog I wrote on Sunday afternoon, April 28, 2013, sitting w/Sleeping Joe at Bongo Java. In the post, I was lamenting the end of the school year at Belmont U. and the imminent departure of the college kids for the summer. I also was anticipating, just a bit, the relative tranquility that comes with summer on a college campus.
Well, the tranquility is over, as today is orientation day at Belmont U., which marks the official end of summer. It's appropos for me, since we arrived home less than two hours ago from our week of vacation at Santa Rosa Beach, Fl. My summer is over, too.
I'm sitting at a table in the bar at "blvd." (on Belmont Boulevard), enjoying a locally brewed beer - red rye from "Jackaloupe," Sleeping Joe next to me in the Baby Jogger City Elite stroller. When I finish up here, I'm going to walk over to Bongo Java for a "Mood Elevator," my first one in a week. In other words, it's business as usual on a Saturday afternooon for me (and Joe).
Did I mention I love my neighborhood?
The bar itself (the restaurant doesn't open until 5 p.m.) is filled with parents who have come to town to drop their children - all freshmen - off for their first year at Belmont U. I've written about this in past years, but it's fascinating to watch and listen to the parents. I can overhear them talking and sharing bits of infomation wiht other couples. They're a bit nervous, apprehensive even. I can sense it in their tone of voice, in the way they talk to each other. I can hear them trying to figure out where they're supposed to meet their son or daughter for dinner tonight, asking the bartender for directions to a restaurant.
I'm also getting a look, right now, from a lady (with her husband) at the bar, who has noticed I'm trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Sleeping Joe is my cover, though. Surely she thinks I'm harmless, as I type away on my iPad with my sleeping toddler beside me in the stroller.
Belmont U. is in such a state of transition, with contruction projects ongoing all over campus. At one point this summer, on the way to dinner with our boys, Jude and I counted 5 crains on campus. It's a subject for another day, but I kind of feel like Belmont U., under Dr. Fisher's guidance, has lost its way. Bigger is not always better. Gone are the tennis courts that were open to the public and gone is most of the soccer field, where the men's and women's teams used to play and the students used to congregate at night, throwing frisbee and playing guitars.
The incoming freshman will probably see the contruction projects completed while they're here. That's a good thing, I guess. They will also make friends, lose friends, fall in and out of love, get part-time jobs, study, move in and out of dorm rooms, apartments and rental houses and become regulars at Bongo Java, blvd., P.M., Chago's Cantina, Mafiozza's, 12South Tap Room, Tacqueria del Sol, Burger Up, Frothy Monkey. They will explore their neighborhood. They will explore
Nashville. They wil grow up.
That's what I did, in Knoxville, TN, from September 1984 to December 1988. And that's what my boys will do, somday. But not too soon, I hope. I'm not ready for Jude and me to be sitting at some bar in a town with which we're totally unfamiliar, talking nervously as we prepare to leave for home the next day, leaving J.P. or Joe behind to begin his freshman year at college.
Well, the tranquility is over, as today is orientation day at Belmont U., which marks the official end of summer. It's appropos for me, since we arrived home less than two hours ago from our week of vacation at Santa Rosa Beach, Fl. My summer is over, too.
I'm sitting at a table in the bar at "blvd." (on Belmont Boulevard), enjoying a locally brewed beer - red rye from "Jackaloupe," Sleeping Joe next to me in the Baby Jogger City Elite stroller. When I finish up here, I'm going to walk over to Bongo Java for a "Mood Elevator," my first one in a week. In other words, it's business as usual on a Saturday afternooon for me (and Joe).
Did I mention I love my neighborhood?
The bar itself (the restaurant doesn't open until 5 p.m.) is filled with parents who have come to town to drop their children - all freshmen - off for their first year at Belmont U. I've written about this in past years, but it's fascinating to watch and listen to the parents. I can overhear them talking and sharing bits of infomation wiht other couples. They're a bit nervous, apprehensive even. I can sense it in their tone of voice, in the way they talk to each other. I can hear them trying to figure out where they're supposed to meet their son or daughter for dinner tonight, asking the bartender for directions to a restaurant.
I'm also getting a look, right now, from a lady (with her husband) at the bar, who has noticed I'm trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Sleeping Joe is my cover, though. Surely she thinks I'm harmless, as I type away on my iPad with my sleeping toddler beside me in the stroller.
Belmont U. is in such a state of transition, with contruction projects ongoing all over campus. At one point this summer, on the way to dinner with our boys, Jude and I counted 5 crains on campus. It's a subject for another day, but I kind of feel like Belmont U., under Dr. Fisher's guidance, has lost its way. Bigger is not always better. Gone are the tennis courts that were open to the public and gone is most of the soccer field, where the men's and women's teams used to play and the students used to congregate at night, throwing frisbee and playing guitars.
The incoming freshman will probably see the contruction projects completed while they're here. That's a good thing, I guess. They will also make friends, lose friends, fall in and out of love, get part-time jobs, study, move in and out of dorm rooms, apartments and rental houses and become regulars at Bongo Java, blvd., P.M., Chago's Cantina, Mafiozza's, 12South Tap Room, Tacqueria del Sol, Burger Up, Frothy Monkey. They will explore their neighborhood. They will explore
Nashville. They wil grow up.
That's what I did, in Knoxville, TN, from September 1984 to December 1988. And that's what my boys will do, somday. But not too soon, I hope. I'm not ready for Jude and me to be sitting at some bar in a town with which we're totally unfamiliar, talking nervously as we prepare to leave for home the next day, leaving J.P. or Joe behind to begin his freshman year at college.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Amavida
I'm sitting in Amavida, an independent coffee shop on the beach in Seaside, FL. Amavida is part of the same coffee purchasing cooperative as Bongo Java (I did my homework before we left for vacation). Joe is napping in the stroller beside me. There's a nice vibe in Amavida, which is a must for a good coffee shop, in my view.
Yep, this is one of those interludes I wrote about yesterday. Peaceful, quiet and relaxing. Always puts me in a contemplative mood. I guess if I ever decided to become a writer, I would have to borrow toddlers to use as my muses. I could stroll them around town for their afternoon naps and sit down and write for a couple of hours as soon as they fell asleep.
Time to hit some highlights of our vacation (in no particular order) - Santa Rosa Beach '13.
J.P. and Joe playing church with the "crosses" (brooms), walking up and down the from the kitchen to the den and back, as Jude sings "Here I Am Lord" or "I Am the Bread of Life." The boys hold the brooms high, like the cross entering and exiting St. Patrick at the beginning and end of our Sunday church service. The best part is when Jude sings "Hallelujah," Joe yells, "Aaaaaahhh!" It's really funny.
Joe sitting on the first step of the swimming pool near our house in Old Florida Village, playing in the water with Jude watching attentively beside him. J.P. did the exact same thing, on the same step and in the same pool, 4 years ago. Talk about dejavu.
Spotting a sting ray swimming in the ocean, near the shore, as J.P. and I were about to wade out to the sand bar. It was prehistoric looking and rather large. I think my stepping on it would have put a real damper on our trip.
As is our custom, swimming in the pool with J.P. after my morning run. That's probably the part of the trip I look forward to the most, just spending an hour or so of quality time with J.P. and having the pool all to ourselves.
My morning runs on the trail I discovered a couple of years ago, which runs around Draper Lake, then across 30A onto a set of sandy roads (almost like logging roads) in the back of a housing development.
Dinner with Jude and the boys at La Playa (formerly Smiling Fish) on 30A, with a view of the ocean.
Jude and Joe heading out for a walk only to return in a matter of minutes, Jude urging J.P. and I to come outside to see something really cool. Jude had found a hermit crab walking down the street, shell and all. J.P. was fascinated by it and he and Jude repatriated it to a safe place.
Having pizza at The Pickle Factory in Grayton Beach. Amazing, New York style (thin crust) pizza in a Green Bay Packers themed hole in the wall. A real find for us and somewhere we're definitely going to return to in the future. The only down side to our dinner there was trying to block J.P.'s view of the flat screen television on which the season finale (last year) of "Breaking Bad" was playing. My favorite show, but no his, at least not yet.
Playing "Sorry" with J.P. and him trash talking me. I beat him twice, much to his dismay.
A quiet afternoon at Wine World in Seaside with Joe napping beside me, as I sat at the bar, had a glass of wine, and read a long form piece by Bill Simmons on the "The Eagles."
Getting caught in a rainstorm during a 4 mile run to Blue Mountain Beach. No thunder or lightning, just a lot of rain. A "scrap book run," one I'll remember for a long time.
Playing hide and seek with J.P. in "the Cracker Club," the top floor of our house ("Cracker Jack") where J.P. slept in 1 of 2 bunk beds. His cackle as he found me hiding underneath 2 bean bag chairs made me smile, then laugh.
Ducking out of the rain and into the Great Southern Cafe in Seaside and settling in at the outside bar, while Joe slept beside me in the stroller. I had a glass of wine and struck up a conversation with the the bartenders. After Joe woke up, I got him some mile and we browsed in Sundog Books. A perfect afternoon.
Yep, this is one of those interludes I wrote about yesterday. Peaceful, quiet and relaxing. Always puts me in a contemplative mood. I guess if I ever decided to become a writer, I would have to borrow toddlers to use as my muses. I could stroll them around town for their afternoon naps and sit down and write for a couple of hours as soon as they fell asleep.
Time to hit some highlights of our vacation (in no particular order) - Santa Rosa Beach '13.
J.P. and Joe playing church with the "crosses" (brooms), walking up and down the from the kitchen to the den and back, as Jude sings "Here I Am Lord" or "I Am the Bread of Life." The boys hold the brooms high, like the cross entering and exiting St. Patrick at the beginning and end of our Sunday church service. The best part is when Jude sings "Hallelujah," Joe yells, "Aaaaaahhh!" It's really funny.
Joe sitting on the first step of the swimming pool near our house in Old Florida Village, playing in the water with Jude watching attentively beside him. J.P. did the exact same thing, on the same step and in the same pool, 4 years ago. Talk about dejavu.
Spotting a sting ray swimming in the ocean, near the shore, as J.P. and I were about to wade out to the sand bar. It was prehistoric looking and rather large. I think my stepping on it would have put a real damper on our trip.
As is our custom, swimming in the pool with J.P. after my morning run. That's probably the part of the trip I look forward to the most, just spending an hour or so of quality time with J.P. and having the pool all to ourselves.
My morning runs on the trail I discovered a couple of years ago, which runs around Draper Lake, then across 30A onto a set of sandy roads (almost like logging roads) in the back of a housing development.
Dinner with Jude and the boys at La Playa (formerly Smiling Fish) on 30A, with a view of the ocean.
Jude and Joe heading out for a walk only to return in a matter of minutes, Jude urging J.P. and I to come outside to see something really cool. Jude had found a hermit crab walking down the street, shell and all. J.P. was fascinated by it and he and Jude repatriated it to a safe place.
Having pizza at The Pickle Factory in Grayton Beach. Amazing, New York style (thin crust) pizza in a Green Bay Packers themed hole in the wall. A real find for us and somewhere we're definitely going to return to in the future. The only down side to our dinner there was trying to block J.P.'s view of the flat screen television on which the season finale (last year) of "Breaking Bad" was playing. My favorite show, but no his, at least not yet.
Playing "Sorry" with J.P. and him trash talking me. I beat him twice, much to his dismay.
A quiet afternoon at Wine World in Seaside with Joe napping beside me, as I sat at the bar, had a glass of wine, and read a long form piece by Bill Simmons on the "The Eagles."
Getting caught in a rainstorm during a 4 mile run to Blue Mountain Beach. No thunder or lightning, just a lot of rain. A "scrap book run," one I'll remember for a long time.
Playing hide and seek with J.P. in "the Cracker Club," the top floor of our house ("Cracker Jack") where J.P. slept in 1 of 2 bunk beds. His cackle as he found me hiding underneath 2 bean bag chairs made me smile, then laugh.
Ducking out of the rain and into the Great Southern Cafe in Seaside and settling in at the outside bar, while Joe slept beside me in the stroller. I had a glass of wine and struck up a conversation with the the bartenders. After Joe woke up, I got him some mile and we browsed in Sundog Books. A perfect afternoon.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Interludes
Yesterday afternoon, as I sat sipping a glass of wine at the bar of a restaurant in Seaside, FL, Joe napping contendedly in the stroller beside me, I couldn't help but contemplate how precious the interludes of time I have with him are. Priceless beyond measure for a variety of reasons.
I realize it's a recurring theme, but the times I have alone with him are so very fleeting. Our weekend afternoon walks will come to and end soon, as he gets too old to sleep comfortably in the stroller. At that point, he'll begin napping in his crib in the afternoons on weekends (as he does during the week now) and one of my favorite things about being a father of an infant/toddler will become nothing more than a fond memory.
From day one with Joe, I've been cognizant of how quickly time will pass, since I've already traveled that road with J.P. Joe is at such a great age right now, probably my favorite age. At 17 + months old, he's chatty and a perfect mimic. He's almost always happy. If he gets upset, it's because he's hungry or tired or, occasionally, pissed off because we won't let him play with an object he wantes (toothpaste, suntan lotion, etc.). It passes quickly, like a thunderstorm in the summer. He laughs a lot, just like his old man.
When he wakes up from his weekend afternoon nap, he yawns, and looks around to see where we are. Often times it's Bongo Java, but occasionally it's P.M., Boulevard or Urban Grub, just a few of our regular haunts. If the weather isn't nice, he'll wake up at Green Hills Mall. This week, on vacation at Santa Rosa Beach, FL (just like last year), he's woken up at Starbucks in Greyton Beach. Wherever we are, I get him a sippy cup of milk, a snack, and he's good to go. Better than good to go, actually, he always wakes up happy to see me, smiling and laughing.
There might not be a better feeling in the world than to watch your toddler wake up from a nap, look up at you and smile.
The interludes of time we spend together on weekend afternoons are so peaceful. Typically, I'll pass the time by reading, surfing the internet, working a bit or eating a late lunch and having a beer or a glass of wine. Every few minutes, I'll look under the canopy of the stroller and watch him sleep, a reminder of just how blessed I am to have not one, but two, healthy boys. It's a time of the week I look forward to probably more than any other, because it is a time for me to relax and recharge my batteries, so to speak.
I'm reminded of how simple and uncomplicated things are with Joe, at present. There's no school or playdates to worry about. There are no sports, no games or practices, no winning or losing. He's happy or about to be happy. That's pretty much it. And that will change soon enough, which will be pretty awesome, too.
I realize it's a recurring theme, but the times I have alone with him are so very fleeting. Our weekend afternoon walks will come to and end soon, as he gets too old to sleep comfortably in the stroller. At that point, he'll begin napping in his crib in the afternoons on weekends (as he does during the week now) and one of my favorite things about being a father of an infant/toddler will become nothing more than a fond memory.
From day one with Joe, I've been cognizant of how quickly time will pass, since I've already traveled that road with J.P. Joe is at such a great age right now, probably my favorite age. At 17 + months old, he's chatty and a perfect mimic. He's almost always happy. If he gets upset, it's because he's hungry or tired or, occasionally, pissed off because we won't let him play with an object he wantes (toothpaste, suntan lotion, etc.). It passes quickly, like a thunderstorm in the summer. He laughs a lot, just like his old man.
When he wakes up from his weekend afternoon nap, he yawns, and looks around to see where we are. Often times it's Bongo Java, but occasionally it's P.M., Boulevard or Urban Grub, just a few of our regular haunts. If the weather isn't nice, he'll wake up at Green Hills Mall. This week, on vacation at Santa Rosa Beach, FL (just like last year), he's woken up at Starbucks in Greyton Beach. Wherever we are, I get him a sippy cup of milk, a snack, and he's good to go. Better than good to go, actually, he always wakes up happy to see me, smiling and laughing.
There might not be a better feeling in the world than to watch your toddler wake up from a nap, look up at you and smile.
The interludes of time we spend together on weekend afternoons are so peaceful. Typically, I'll pass the time by reading, surfing the internet, working a bit or eating a late lunch and having a beer or a glass of wine. Every few minutes, I'll look under the canopy of the stroller and watch him sleep, a reminder of just how blessed I am to have not one, but two, healthy boys. It's a time of the week I look forward to probably more than any other, because it is a time for me to relax and recharge my batteries, so to speak.
I'm reminded of how simple and uncomplicated things are with Joe, at present. There's no school or playdates to worry about. There are no sports, no games or practices, no winning or losing. He's happy or about to be happy. That's pretty much it. And that will change soon enough, which will be pretty awesome, too.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Life in the 'Hood
More than a decade ago, when Jude and I bought our house in the Waverly-Belmont neighborhood in Nashville, many of my friends (and family) thought I was nuts. The general concensus was that I had moved into the 'hood. It wasn't safe. Drug deals. Shootings. Violent crime. Burglaries. Armed robberies. All under the umbrella of "crime."
Truthfully, I was a little nervous myself after Jude and I got married in February 2003 and I moved into our house on Elliott Avenue. Jude had lived in a house in an emerging East Nashville neighbborhood for several years before we got married, so it was no big deal for her. Me, different story. I was coming from Roderick Square, a small development within a larger subdivision in Franklin, where everyone looked alike, talked alike and in all probability, voted alike. I quickly realized that was not the case in our Waverly-Belmont neighborhood.
First of all, people surely did not look alike. On our street, Elliott Avenue, there was a tenured Vanderbilt professor (and his wife and son), college students, musicians, a retired African-American preacher and his wife, an African-American who was a long time employee of CSX Railroad, just to mention a few. To be sure, there were people like Jude and me, but there also were peopple unlike Jude and me.
And it was a beautiful thing. It still is, actually, a decade later.
The people on my street are my frirends and acquaintances. When I'm out for a walk with Joe, I stop and we chat amiably. We catch up on neighborhood gossip. They all know (and love) my sons. We talk sports, politics and family. It's a true neighborhood, or at least what I think a neighborhood should be. It's a melting pot of different ethnicities, different jobs and different politics. But it's our neighborhood and I love it.
I spent the first several years of my marriage to Jude here. Both of my boys were born and have spent their formative years in our neighborhood. They're experiencing diversity - living it - every day and that's important to Jude and me. Everyone is not like us - does not look like us - and that's a wonderful thing. Living where I live has enriched my life and changed who I am and what I believe. It's been a life changing experience for me and it's the greatest gift Jude could have given me.
Truthfully, I was a little nervous myself after Jude and I got married in February 2003 and I moved into our house on Elliott Avenue. Jude had lived in a house in an emerging East Nashville neighbborhood for several years before we got married, so it was no big deal for her. Me, different story. I was coming from Roderick Square, a small development within a larger subdivision in Franklin, where everyone looked alike, talked alike and in all probability, voted alike. I quickly realized that was not the case in our Waverly-Belmont neighborhood.
First of all, people surely did not look alike. On our street, Elliott Avenue, there was a tenured Vanderbilt professor (and his wife and son), college students, musicians, a retired African-American preacher and his wife, an African-American who was a long time employee of CSX Railroad, just to mention a few. To be sure, there were people like Jude and me, but there also were peopple unlike Jude and me.
And it was a beautiful thing. It still is, actually, a decade later.
The people on my street are my frirends and acquaintances. When I'm out for a walk with Joe, I stop and we chat amiably. We catch up on neighborhood gossip. They all know (and love) my sons. We talk sports, politics and family. It's a true neighborhood, or at least what I think a neighborhood should be. It's a melting pot of different ethnicities, different jobs and different politics. But it's our neighborhood and I love it.
I spent the first several years of my marriage to Jude here. Both of my boys were born and have spent their formative years in our neighborhood. They're experiencing diversity - living it - every day and that's important to Jude and me. Everyone is not like us - does not look like us - and that's a wonderful thing. Living where I live has enriched my life and changed who I am and what I believe. It's been a life changing experience for me and it's the greatest gift Jude could have given me.
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