The trip has been an opportunity for him to see many, many historic sites with his classmates. He's several photos to us and it's clear he's having a great time. I like the fact that he's getting to spend so much time with boys in his class he doesn't particularly know very well, boys that might not play sports like he does. JP's favorite class in 7th grade was history and of the school's history professor is leading the trip, so I think the experience will be a good one for him from an educational standpoint.
Later Sunday afternoon, after his second baseball game of the day for the Braves at Warner Park in the WNSL tuneup tournament, Jude to Joe to Camp Widjiwagan, where he was scheduled to spend a week away from home. This was a big step for Joe, especially because JP was older than 10, as I recall, when he stayed away from home at a golf camp nearby. I think Joe was inspired, last summer, when JP was away from home for three weeks at the Woodberry Forest sports camp.
As he departure day approached, however, Joe began to get a little nervous, which is unlike him. He's pretty confidence and comfortable in almost any situation. Still, sleep away camp is sleep away camp, and he had never been away from home for that long before. Saturday, while I was driving him to a baseball game, I asked him how nervous he was, on a scale of 1 - 10, 1 being the least nervous and 10 being the most nervous.
"Probably a 4," he said. I thought that sounded just about right.
The upshot, for Jude and me, anyway, is that for the first time since Joe was born, we had several nights in a row at home, just the two of us. We'd had a night, here or there, when both boys had sleepovers elsewhere, and we had the run of our place, but never multiple nights.
Sunday night, we walked down to Josephine's, got the corner 4-top table, and shared a nice meal together. We talked, we laughed, we listened, all things it's sometimes hard to do when we're running the boys from event to event, hustling to pick up a takeout dinner, or watching television with them. Honestly, it was nice to have some time together, to slow down, and enjoy each other's company. We don't do that enough, I know. When we got home, we watched an episode of Ted Lasso.
Monday night, after an aborted attempt to eat dinner at Emery's Wood Fired - they didn't have it together - we walked back down 12th Avenue and had dinner at the Tap Room. Again, it was nice to share a meal together and, really, just talk. About the boys, about work, about life. Things have been tough for me at work, lately. I'm absolutely swamped, two of may key people have left, and for reasons I won't go into here, I've been left on an island by myself, which has been and is hard to talk. It was helpful to talk all of that through with Jude, for sure.
Tuesday night, Jude and book club and I was supposed to have a law league softball game, but it was postponed.
Wednesday night, I had a mediation that went late - notice a recurring theme - and I met Jude for a late dinner at the bar at Urban Grub. It had been ages since we'd been there. Somehow, the crowd - particularly at the bar - seemed to have gotten a lot younger, or maybe we have gotten older. Probably a little bit of both.
Jude and I enjoyed the quietude this week. By day four or five, though, we really missed the boys and were ready for them to get back.
As I write this, I'm sitting in Stirling's Coffeehouse on the Mountain, back for Bonnaroo after it was canceled the past two years. I'm staying in Paul's cabin again, which he graciously offered to me free of charge. For maybe the first time, I think I'm more excited about being on the Mountain than going to Bonnaroo, maybe because of the uncharacteristic June heat.
Sunday, Father's Day, I'll back home and hug my boys. Then, it's another mediation on Monday, as I grind out the rest of the month at work.
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