First Synchro Competition

Maura’s first synchronized skating competition was last Saturday. Her team competed in the Thanksgiving Classic at the Armstrong Area in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The competition was  a great experience for Maura but not so wonderful for me or the spectators in general.

It was a long day for everyone. We dropped Maura at the Rockland Rink at 8:30 in the morning and we all left Plymouth together at around 4:30 in the afternoon. Maura’s team, the Winterettes Basic 3 team representing the South Shore Skating Club, was the only team at its level so they skated against the book—meaning that they had to achieve a set standard to receive a medal, which they did scoring high enough to be awarded the gold. The Basic 1 team from Maura’s rink also took first place, though they had plenty of competitors to skate against. Once they had skated the team had to wait for the mid competition on-ice awards ceremony at 3:30.

For Maura the wait was fun. It was a chance to bond with her teammates and see some of what the higher level teams could do. For me the wait was a nightmare. The rink was overcrowded to the point where I am certain it was far beyond its capacity. In the event of an emergency I’m sure there would have been injuries. I’m not comfortable with large crowds and the crowd there was far beyond my tolerance. I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack for most of the day. I hope that not all of the competitions are like that. If they are Maura will have to forgive me for not always being there to see her compete.

Halloween Classic

Last weekend was Maura’s first skating competition of the season, the Halloween Classic on her home ice at the Rockland Rink. Maura didn’t win either of the two events she skated in on Saturday. In fact, she came in second out of two competitors in both of them. She still had a good time, as she always does. The biggest reason she competes in individual events is because she enjoys it and that is always a good thing.

Even though she didn’t win, I thought Maura skated well. To my unqualified eye she skated better than her opponent in her individual program, though the judges did not agree. I am prejudiced in her favor. In any case, her timing was spot on and her form was as good as I’ve ever seen it. She’s been working hard on the ice and remembering to stretch and do posture exercises at home. She’s had extra ice time this fall and she has been putting it to good use. I rarely have to pester her to keep her working on the ice, even when she is skating alone. The practice is clearly paying off and her skating is smoother and more graceful than it has been and improving every week.

Much of the practice has been for her synchronized skating routine. Her team skated publicly for the first time on Sunday. It was only an exhibition, not a competition, but they did a great job. I think it was more exciting for Maura to take her place with her team than it was to skate her individual events. She is the youngest skater on her team and has the least experience but she is doing her part. The exhibition was a tune up for the team's first competition, which is this Saturday. Maura’s team looked really good in exhibition and I think they will do well.

Another Year...Another Trip to Nashoba Valley

Last weekend was one of our family’s milestones. We traveled to the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts for the annual Brews and Bluegrass festival. It's annual not just for the winery but also for us. Jennifer and I have been attending festivals at Nashoba each year since before Maura was born and Maura’s first festival visit occurred when she was only three months old. She spent it in her baby carrier zipped inside my jacket for warmth on a miserably cold day.

This year the weather was dry, sunny and not too cold to enjoy being outdoors. I had a wonderful afternoon listening to the bluegrass sounds of Southern Rail and drinking a few tasty beers from Nashoba’s microbrewery. Between sets I had the chance to socialize with friends I rarely see and found time for lunch and to share a treat with Maura that was almost as delicious as the beer—caramel covered cider donuts. Except when it was time for food I didn’t see much of Maura. She spent the afternoon playing with other children but she seemed to be having a grand time

This year even the drive to and from Bolton was enjoyable. We always take the back roads when we go and the scenery along the way is beautiful. This year the fall foliage was near its peak of color and we avoided the worst of the traffic going both directions. Jennifer was driving so for me the ride home was relaxing, a good ending to an enjoyable day.

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Watching Maura grow up is a source of great pride and joy for me. She is smart, empathic and good at many things. Every day she is a bit more accomplished, sophisticated and poised. Soon she won’t be a little girl anymore but a young woman. I’m looking forward to that day but I am also dreading it.

There is some sorrow in watching Maura grow up as well as joy. Each stage seems to go by so fast that there is hardly time to enjoy it before it is gone. I don’t miss changing diapers but I do miss pushing Maura on the swings at the playground and walking her to school. The day will come when we go sledding together for the last time, when she no longer wants to be read a bedtime story, when her daddy isn’t the most important man in her life.

I spent most of yesterday working on an assignment for the web graphics course I’m taking—a Photshop project I’ve titled “Ghosts of Halloween Past”. I found old pictures of Maura in her Halloween costumes and put them together in one image with me in the middle. Each younger Maura is more faded just as those younger Maura’s are fading in my memories.

A Weekend of Festivals

We decided not to go camping over Columbus Day Weekend as we had tentatively planned. I had an event to attend at church on Saturday night and schoolwork that needed to be done. We did the take the time for some family fun, attending festivals on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

On Saturday we drove down to Marshfield for the South Shore Celebration, a sustainable living festival at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. It was an enjoyable afternoon for everyone. We learned about green practices, ate some tasty local food and wandered around a bit. I parked myself near the music stage to listen to the music provided by Boston area band Melloteen. They played great high energy rock music—a mix of originals and well-done covers, many with environmental themes. Their show also featured a bicycle powered sound system. It worked very well as long as they had a few enthusiastic peddlers to keep it going. Near the stage a vendor was selling handmade hula hoops and she had a dozen or so out for people to try. Maura spent about an hour learning how to hula hoop and now she wants to get one for herself. The fun of the afternoon was worth the ten dollars per family admission. It would be an even better deal for a larger family.

On Sunday we headed into Boston for the Local Food Festival on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. It was a much bigger event than the one in Marshfield and admission was free as it always is for events on the Greenway. It featured local food producers, distributors of locally grown produce, restaurants that use locally produced food in their cuisine, and food related non-profit organizations. There was live music on several stages to give the festival a soundtrack. We had a wonderful time. Our visit was a wandering open air lunch. We sampled a great variety of foods ranging from pumpkin crab apple soup to locally produced chocolate. Some of what we ate was free samples and some we bought, though the prices were reasonable. We all enjoy eating a variety of foods so the festival was great fun. For me the highlight was trying raw oysters. I had them for the first time since I was six and Maura tried one for her first time ever. Maura enjoyed her oyster, which is no surprise since it came from the sea. Maura loves all kinds of seafood. I also enjoyed mine. It was a very different experience for me than the first time I ate a raw oyster. Then I definitely did not enjoy it. Of course, now I know that raw oysters are swallowed whole and not chewed.

Family Games

Last weekend was busy and tiring but we didn't do much out of the ordinary and very little worth writing about. Rain cancelled any plans we might have had to get outside on Saturday and I was very behind on my sleep and nearly exhausted on Sunday. On Saturday night I had run an odd job that kept me out until 3:00 am and I had already had trouble sleeping during the previous week. Partly for that reason we stayed home on Sunday. Our usual Sunday evening gathering with friends was cancelled. Instead we stayed home for a family game night.

Jennifer and I have played games together ever since we met twenty years ago and Maura has enjoyed playing games with us since she was old enough for Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. We have a pretty good selection of games that we all like to play. They range from classics like Clue and Yahtzee to more recent games such as Apples to Apples, Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan. The list could go on—we have dozens. The collection is ever expanding as games are favorite holiday and birthday gifts. This year Maura received Lemming Mafia. Laugh if you want, but it is a fun game for adults to play with middle grade kids. Check it out online if you are in the market for a good game to play with your ten-year-old. Sometimes we will play for hours with each member of the family picking a game in turn so we get to play all of our favorites.

This Sunday we only played one game after dinner. Maura chose one of her favorites, Cannibal Pygmies in the Jungle of Doom, the B-movie card game. As always, all three of us played to win. Once Maura understands a game Jennifer and I never go easy on her. She wins her share of most of the games we play so I don't feel too badly about beating her. I know she’s happy when she beats us. Teaching Maura how to be a good winner and a good loser is one of the reasons why Jennifer and I play games with her. Of course, the biggest reason we play is to have fun. We could watch TV or a movie together but the games offer far more opportunities for interaction. Sometimes we can even have a conversation without interrupting the game play.

Corn Festival

On Sunday afternoon we had a family outing to the Corn Festival at the South Shore Nature Center in Norwell, Massachusetts. The festival featured local crafters, corn themed crafts and games for kids, food featuring more corn, live music, corn tastings, hayrides, animals brought by the local 4H clubs, a bake sale and the Nature Center itself, along with the woods around. There was an admission charge for the festival but it wasn’t excessive, especially since it included admission to the museum which is well worth a visit. Some of the attractions at the festival cost extra, though except for food and a few inexpensive items purchased at the crafters’ booths we kept our wallets closed once we had paid our admission. Except for the museum, and the bake sale and corn tasting which were inside, the festival was outside. The weather was almost perfect—warm in the sun but not too hot. It was a great day to be out.

The crafters’ had their booths set up closest to the entrance so we spent some time shopping when we first arrived. Jennifer and Maura always enjoy shopping, especially when the merchandise is hand made. I’m often board by shopping but I had a better time than I usually do. One of the crafters present was demonstrating weaving on a small table loom and I tried it out. It was very relaxing and I’m considering getting one for myself. Jennifer knits and is teaching Maura but I don’t think I have the dexterity for it or the patience to learn. Weaving has a rhythm to it that I think I would enjoy. Taking up a fiber art of my own would make visiting yarn stores and fiber festivals with Jennifer much more fun.

After shopping, Maura and I had lunch. Jennifer had already eaten so she didn’t join us. We both had corn chowder which was very good. So was the corn muffin we split for desert. Later we all split some homemade caramel corn.

After lunch Maura went to the kids’ area to do some crafts and Jennifer stayed with her. I went with them for a bit but then found a seat near the music. There was a singer with a guitar who was often accompanied by a mandolin player and occasionally by the sound-man on a banjo. His repertoire was a mixture of old rock songs, folk songs, country and bluegrass. I enjoyed his performance and would happily go to see him again; unfortunately I never caught his name. There was nothing posted and if he had introduced himself I arrived to late to hear it.