It had been a challenging week for me, with the uncertainty of being unemployed and having Kelly gone all week for her work. I was feeling pretty lonely. I was happy to see Kelly again Thursday night, though, and by Friday we were our usual happy selves (with the exception of Travis, who left school early with a mild fever).
Saturday morning, Kelly took Travis to his piano lesson while I got ready for the Strickland Road Park Dedication at noon. Kelly took the kids to Hallie’s haircut while I was at the park. Afterward we went to Conn’s fall carnival.
I always enjoy park dedications, but for this one I wondered how many people would be there as the dedication took place right as the UNC-NCSU football game was being played. To my surprise, there was a good-sized crowd, including three elected officials: Mayor Meeker, Nancy McFarlane, and Russ Stephenson. I was delighted to be invited after the ribbon-cutting ceremony to pose for pictures with the mayor, city councilors, and citizens.
After a quick look around the park (and vowing to return for some quality hiking), I got home in time to watch most of the football game. At halftime of the State game, the kids and I left to join Kelly at the Conn carnival.
The carnival was similar to those held during other years. Kelly volunteered at the ticket table while I took the kids around. We did a few events, I spoke with some of the parents I knew, and we shot some baskets on the basketball court.
When we saw the kids’ principal getting into a 2-on-2 game, Hallie and I jumped in to make it 3-on-3. Before we knew it, another teacher and a few more kids had jumped in and we had us a game! No one was keeping score but I was on the principal’s team and we were lighting it up until it was deemed time to go. We played with the rule that the next shot won the game and a kid on the other team hit a sweet shot from 3-point-range to send the principal’s team down in defeat. It was fun playing, and especially fun to see the teachers and principal enjoying it, too.
Then today, we started our day with a breakfast of pancakes. I left around 11 to meet with another councilor, Thomas Crowder, about Lake Johnson. Though I showed up at the wrong place, we had a good conversation and I loved being in that park on a beautiful day like today.
The family was itching to do something active, too, so once I got back home we made plans for a trip to bike along the part of the Neuse River Trail that we hadn’t seen yet. Loading up the bikes on the van, we drove up to the Falls Lake dam end of the trail and began to pedal east.
The trail doesn’t open officially until Wednesday, but you would’ve never have known it judging by the absolutely full parking lot! The trail was crowded as well: so much so that it was slow going getting away from the parking lot end. The one good thing for bikers is that this is a long greenway segment. The pedestrian traffic tends to clump together close to the parking ends. Once you get your bike beyond these sections the path opens up quite a bit and you don’t have to worry so much about someone stepping in front of you.
After a martini and dinner, I’m ready to turn in for the night. Got a busy week with two interviews tomorrow (one job-related, one press), two parks meetings Tuesday, the greenway opening on Wednesday, and the Mordecai Board meeting on Thursday. And, since Friday’s Veteran’s Day, I think I’ll take Friday off.
Life stays pretty busy, you know.