Dad Camp
A lot of kids these days are over-scheduled. Although we make an effort to ensure our kids have plenty of free time, sometimes we do go a bit overboard. The summer day camp situation can definitely get out of control in a hurry. In the panic of dealing with the “what are we going to do with the kids all summer” question, it’s easy to over-book, making the “summer holiday” more a stressful season of constant motion.
This year, there were just a couple of day camps for Lily while Julia continued to go to preschool three days a week. A few small vacations spread throughout the summer made for nice changes of scene. We did good keeping it mellow.
For the last week of summer before school started again, I decided to dip into my vast store of vacation and spend my time with the girls. Susan would be busy at work so I would have them all to myself. I dubbed it “Dad Camp”, a week-long extravaganza of copious amounts of my attention, fun trips around the city, and eating just about anything we wanted (within reason). The girls were thrilled by the idea.
On day one, we spent a lazy Sunday morning doing not much. After lunch it was time to go to the dump. I thought it important for the girls to get some understanding of where the stuff goes that we throw in the garbage. The transfer station is a real education. When we got there, they were hesitant to get out of the car because of the smell and the noise, but once they were out and helping me toss things into the pit, they were having a good time and asking questions. After that it was time for more tradition fun at Lakewood Playfield whereupon we decided it was much too hot and only ice cream could possibly cool us sufficiently. So off to Scoop de Jour we went for a cone of the delicious cold stuff. After that, who could resist the lure of Madison Park Playground? OK, I for one could resist, but, you know, it’s for kids.
The next day, Monday, I did actually go to work. Susan was not working and I needed to button things up for the long haul of being away for the next eight days. Dad Camp officially began Tuesday. The day began lazily, which quickly became the norm. I love a slow start to the day, and the girls fell in step with me and my lazy vibe. That was fun for me. We packed up a lunch and headed to Woodland Park Zoo where we spent the entire afternoon. Wednesday was cooler and not such a good outdoor day so we went to the library and then to West Seattle for Cars at the Admiral Twin. Lily had only been to two movies before and Julia just one, so they were extremely excited to see another, especially this one because their young cousins had really liked it. I love taking them to the movies and sharing the fun of the theater experience. Too bad there are so few good movies to take young kids to these days. After the movie, we went to the Frye Art Museum to see the amazing Klompen. This sound sculpture by Trimpin comprised of 120 wooden clogs that merrily tap out rhythms is not to be missed. The girls loved it. The thing is coin operated so bring some quarters.
Thursday was extra special fun because we got to ride the bus! The girls just love riding the bus. I have to admit that I also love to ride the bus (probably because I do it so rarely these days). We took the number 14 downtown and visited the big library. In addition to looking at books and exploring the building, we saw a puppet show. Did you know I love puppets? True fact. The girls love puppets, too. We were a merry bunch. We felt so merry we walked to Pike Place Market in search of… ice cream. And we found some! In addition to a lot of people milling about. It was very stimulating for the girls to see all those people and little shops and counters and stalls all crammed with food and things and people. The Market is an amazing place. We walked back to the bus stop and Lily spotted a long articulating bus and expressed her desire to ride on one of those. As luck would have it, it was a number 7 and that would get us back home just as well, if not faster, as the number 14. So we raced on board. The girls got busy entertaining themselves by making up silly stories and asking a ton of questions. As we climbed Jackson Street, Julia said loudly and in a silly voice, “Are we in Chinaland?” The African dude behind her laughed and I did too as I corrected her, “It’s Chinatown, silly.” Everyone smiled. After exiting the bus, I announced that to get home we would have to climb up the path where all the blackberries are. They both cheered and started racing toward what we later named “Yummy Hill” because it is covered in the most delicious ripe blackberries you can imagine. We ate our way home. That day also happened to be my birthday but the festivities were scheduled for Sunday, and because Lily had soccer practice and Susan said she would take her there when she got home from work, I ended up cooking my own birthday dinner. Did you know that I don’t cook much? True fact. We had chili and cornbread and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t bad.
Friday was a rather lazy day. In fact, I’m having trouble remembering what we did. We checked out Coulon Park in Renton and decided it sucked. The playground was good but it was in the hot sun and unusable on this day. (Why do park developers put play structures in the sunniest spots? They must not have children.) The rest of the park felt totally devoid of nature. There were signs everywhere that you couldn’t ride a bike or walk your dog? (No dogs!?) Totally weird. When Susan got home we all went out for sushi and to play at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill. Love that place.
The long Labor Day weekend was family time. We hung around the house, did chores (including six loads of laundry), bought school supplies and some new clothes, did the shopping, and went out for a low-key birthday dinner at Hi-Life followed by cake and ice cream at Mom’s. A nice little dip in the lake on the north shore of Seward Park cooled our heals on Monday afternoon.
And then today, the final day of Dad Camp, we wrapped up with some rather unusual (for Dad Camp, that is) errands, including Office Depot for more supplies, G.I. Joe’s for new soccer cleats, and Trader Joe’s. In between all that driving around in the hot car we checked in with Susan at her new school to help with last minute preparations. Tomorrow, the new school year begins and we go back to our busy busy schedules. Summer comes to a close. And it was a nice summer, indeed.