Yesterday the boys and I drove up to Santa Cruz for a much needed change in scenery. Today marks four months since we went into lockdown and well, things don’t look to be turning around anytime soon. That said, we’re several weeks into the multi-week process of transitioning the zombies… back into boys.
This morning over breakfast we talked about all the things the boys might get to do at Kennolyn day camp. Besides swimming and archery and other activities, the one that stood out to me was axe throwing. Both Jake and Nate weren’t convinced. Not something they wanted to do. Sounds like a bad idea. Now, in normal circumstances, I can’t say I’d disagree. Raising children who have the common sense not to embrace the idea of axe throwing sounds like parental success in my book. But this is Kennolyn. Forty-five years of raising adventurous, outdoor campers in the redwood forests of my youth. If they say it’s OK, then pass me an axe.
Granddad and the dogs shuttled the boys to pandemic drop-off while I got ready for a partner webinar. We took temperatures. We labeled our belongings. We packed their swimsuits, sunscreen, and masks. “This is my pandemic pocket, Mom” Jake instructs me this morning as we check his backpack. “It’s where I keep my sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and face mask.”
I pick-up the boys this afternoon and day one was a clear success. They leap into the car, buzzing from the day. “It was great!” Jake proclaims. “The best!” Nate agrees. Even though they don’t get to spend the night, there was swimming and s’mores and fort building with sticks and mud. Jacob saw three baby foxes that were just balls of fur. They got “the best lookout” and are going to do outdoor cooking tomorrow. They played hockey. They shot archery.
And they’re now game for trying axe throwing.