Stories From Summer 2004

August 22, 2004     We went to Gramma 'Ancy's for the weekend because it was Nick's 20th class reunion. Mommy thought it would be nice if we stayed in a cabin, and it would've been nice, too, except that Gus and Zoe decided to stay with Gramma 'Ancy both nights we were there. We stayed at Schmidt's Landing, and it was pretty nice. It wasn't an actual cabin; it was joined to several others motel-style. And the shower was really small. But it was nice enough for as much as we were there. The lake was really green, so we didn't go swimming. Gus and Zoe skipped stones at Shady Beach, dunked Dylan, watched water fights and turtle races, and were in the Cornfest parade. It was a fun weekend.

August 19, 2004     We went to see the Twins play the Yankees at the Metrodome. Gus's favorite team is the Yankees, and his favorite player is Gary Sheffield, who hit two home runs during the game. When Shef came up to bat late in the game, Daddy told Gus, "There's no way he's going to hit two home runs in this game." Daddy was wrong. The Twins were ahead in the ninth inning and brought in Joe Nathan to save the game. Daddy told Gus, "This guy hasn't allowed a run since about June 9." He promptly gave up some runs and the Twins lost the game. From now on, Daddy's going to keep his mouth shut.     Before the game, Gus and Daddy stood by the outfield fence to watch the Yankees' batting practice and maybe get a home run ball. Well, technically, a long foul ball, since they were just outside of the foul pole. No ball was hit their way, but a bunch were hit down into the corner. They tried to get the outfielder shagging balls to toss them one. Gus was the only kid there with a Yankees hat, and Daddy kept yelling at the guy, "Look at this kid's hat!" It didn't work.     After the game, we stayed in a motel with a swimming pool courtesy of Aunt Jan, who said it was our birthday/anniversary gift. Thanks, Jan! Gus swam some, but Zoe hardly spent a dry minute the whole time we were there.     Then it was on to Gramma 'Ancy's!

August 11, 2004     We went to Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America. Gus and Zoe used the all-day passes to the park that Aunt Janny gave them last Christmas. Gus and Zoe rode every roller coaster in the place (they counted the log flume ride as a roller coaster). They also rode the Mighty Axe and the Screaming Eagle. The only ride they didn't really like was the Timberland Twister, which is a roller coaster on which the car spins as it's going up, down, and around. They both decided they don't like spinning rides.

July 29, 2004     Gus's baseball team lost the championship game 24 to 6. It was an ugly game. They could do hardly anything right. They only hit about three balls sharply. They misplayed balls in the field. The pitchers couldn't buy strikes. Combine that with the nearly flawless play of the other team, and you've got the makings of a long night.     Gus grounded out to the pitcher in his first at bat. He hit a couple fouls pretty well, but when he finally connected for a fair ball, it was like he used a whiffle ball bat. To top it off, he slipped in the loose dirt by the plate and fell down, so he had no chance of making it to first base safely. The only consolation was that a run came in on the play. Gus hit a soft liner to the pitcher in his second at bat.     Gus played third base, center field, and left field. While playing third, he took a throw from the catcher on a steal attempt and swiped the tag down, but the throw was a touch high and the tag was a second too late. The runner who had been on first base took off for second base on the catcher's throw to Gus, and Gus threw to second base to try to get him. The throw was hurried and bounced right in front of the guy covering second, through his legs, and into center field. Both baserunners scored. Three balls came out to Gus in the outfield. Each time, he came up throwing, hit the cut-off man, and kept the runners from advancing. "And I knew who to throw the ball to, too," Gus said when Daddy commended him on his play in the outfield.     Gus got a neat bobblehead trophy for coming in second in the postseason. After the game, he didn't think anything was very neat, but after sleeping on it, he allowed that the trophy was sort of neat.

July 25, 2004     Gus, Zoe, and Daddy went to Minneapolis to walk across the Stone Arch Bridge at Mill Ruins Park near St. Anthony's Falls. They had also planned on playing miniature golf at Como Park and possibly seeing some animals at the zoo, but they ran out of time. They had to get back to Rochester to pick Mommy up from work.

July 22, 2004     Gus's baseball team won their second game of the playoffs by a score of 9 to 6. They beat a team they hadn't beat during the season, and they were ahead almost the whole game. Their fielding was sharp, and they really hit the ball when they hit it. Unfortunately, in the last two innings, the opposing pitchers just overpowered them.     Gus got a single in his first at-bat, knocking in a run. He stole second and was driven home by the next batter. In his second at-bat, he laced a double into the outfield. He rounded second and watched the throw come in to the second baseman. When he dropped the ball, Gus took off for third and trotted home when the throw to third was wild. He had a "home run!" It certainly was exciting, and it illustrates Gus's confidence perfectly. When he began playing baseball last year, he was just happy to get on base, and he did everything in his power to make sure he wasn't thrown out once he got on base. He also would get very down on himself for striking out or making a bad play. This year, he's taking chances, like on his "home run," and he hasn't once got down on himself if he strikes out or makes a bad play. He now realizes there are ups and downs and that he really can hit and field.     In his final at-bat, he again singled. After taking second and third on passed balls, he was stranded at third.     In the field, he played third base, center field, and left field. He made a perfect throw to the cut-off man when he was in left field, preventing both the batter from getting to second and the runner who had been on second from scoring.     The boys now have a week off until the championship game next Thursday.     Zoe played ball, also, and she hit the pitches instead of hitting off the tee. Mommy said she hit a line drive on the very first pitch. Now this is a girl who could be a great baseball player; nothing ever seems to faze her, and she never loses her confidence in her perfect little self!

July 21, 2004     Daddy picked Gus and Zoe up from Summer SACC, and on the way home, they saw a train.     "What's the train carrying?" asked Daddy.     "Coal," replied Gus right away.     "Where do you suppose they're taking the coal?" asked Daddy.     "To the North Pole," replied Zoe right away.

July 20, 2004     Gus's baseball team won their first game of the playoffs by a score of 14 to 13. Gus went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. He also grounded out to shortstop. Zoe also played ball. They've been playing three-pitch baseball for a couple weeks now. The coach pitches until they get three strikes. Then they hit off the tee. A lot of the kids are hitting the pitched ball, and the tee doesn't get used very often.

July 18, 2004     Gus's baseball team played their make-up game and won it by a score of 9 to 8. Gus went 1 for 2, lacing a double into right field. He was part of a double play when Tyler, playing second base, caught a pop-up and Gus, playing shortstop, took Tyler's throw to double the runner off second base.     After the game, the players and their families had a picnic. There were hotdogs, potato salad, a couple types of pasta salad, fruit and fruit salad, and brownies, and there was as much pop as any of the boys could drink. After the meal, we played a game of baseball with the families taking on the boys. Gus pitched to Zoe and Daddy (Mommy stayed in the bleachers for this). Zoe walked, and then Daddy hit the ball. He rounded first to find Zoe still standing on second, so he grabbed her up as he passed second and plopped her down on third base. Then they both ran on in to score on Daddy's "home run!"     Daddy hurt Gus's feelings when he was up to bat by mocking Gus's batting stance. Gus has taken to wiggling the bat back and forth as he waits for the pitch (in imitation of Gary Sheffield of the Yankees, which is Gus's favorite team). Daddy waved the bat back and forth like a baton while waiting for Gus's pitch, and everyone laughed. Everyone but Gus, that is. Daddy's been trying to break Gus of that wiggling habit all season, but since Gus is currently batting .441, Daddy has finally decided to let Gus bat however he wants.

July 17, 2004     Gus and Zoe each had a friend over to play, and Daddy took them all miniature golfing at the LARK Toy Museum in Kellogg, Minnesota. Gus's friend John won the round, beating Daddy by 5 strokes. Gus came in third, and Zoe and her friend Delaney brought up the rear, a couple strokes apart. Gus and John each had a hole in one, Gus on #10 and John on #11. Delaney came really close to a hole-in-one twice. Gus dropped his golf club in the water, accidentally he claims.     After the golfing, the kids rode the carousel and shopped for toys. Gus got a model of a car from the '30s, which he calls a "mobstermobile." He was also eyeing a different car, which he called a "Hitlermobile" (we watched the movie "Rat Race," which is extremely funny, recently). Zoe got a pink poodle Beanie Baby, and Delaney got a guinea pig Beanie Baby that looks just like Jelleybean. John got some fireworks, mostly snakes of various kinds, that he and Gus lit once we got back home.

July 15, 2004     Gus's baseball team lost 16-13. Gus missed the game with a headache. His coach said they missed him. Zoe also played ball.

July 13, 2004     Gus's baseball team lost 24-20. Gus went 1-3. Zoe also played ball.

July 10, 2004     Gus had his birthday party a few days late. Daddy, Gus, and Gus's friend John went to see the Twins play the Detroit Tigers. The Twins lost, but Gus, John, and Daddy had fun. We got back late, and John stayed overnight.

July 4, 2004     We drove home from Gramma Nancy's and got home in time to see Rochester's big fireworks display. They shoot the fireworks over Silver Lake, so all we have to do is sit in the back yard, and they're just about right overhead. Afterwards, we did a few fireworks of our own in the driveway.

July 3, 2004     We went to Gramma Nancy's and shot off fireworks! In addition, we celebrated Gus's birthday. Gramma and Grampa gave him a bunch of money for fireworks, and Great Gramma Scoblic and Janny gave him a whole sack full of fireworks. Gus was beside himself with joy while picking out his fireworks.

July 1, 2004     Gus's baseball team won their game. Gus went 1 for 3. Zoe also played ball.

June 29, 2004     Gus's baseball team won their game. Gus went 1 for 3. Zoe also played ball.

June 26, 2004     Gus got his birthday present from Mom and Dad a few days early. He got a guinea pig, which he named Jellybean. Jellybean and Buster are getting along well.     After we got Jellybean settled in, Mom went to work, and Gus, Zoe, and Dad went to have supper at Old Chicago in the Cities as an early treat for Gus's birthday. Dad couldn't justify the trip without doing something else there, so they went to Como Park. They played 18 holes of miniature golf (Daddy 59, Gus 68, Zoe 86) and then went to see the animals. Most of the animals were inside, so they had to be content to see the cougars and the puffins. Zoe suggested going to the "Chinese" garden, but the Conservatory was closed. Then they went to Old Chicago, where Gus had the calzone he's been craving since the last time he was there.

June 24, 2004     Gus was very nearly the hero in his baseball game. He came up in the top of the sixth with two out, the bases full, and the score tied. He promptly laced a single into right field that scored all three runners, and he ended up at third on the throw to the plate. Alas, the other team scored four in the bottom of the inning, sending Gus's team to its second straight loss.     Earlier in the game, Gus struck out swinging and hit into a fielder's choice. He played left field, third base, shortstop, and second base. He gobbled up a grounder while he was playing second and raced over to the base for the force out.     Zoe skipped her game. Instead, she and Mommy went to see Shrek 2. When Daddy asked her how her game went, she said, "Fine." She's smooth. The next morning, she spun a tale about seeing the movie after her baseball game. She's really smooth.

June 22, 2004     Zoe played baseball very well tonight. She played first base, pitcher, catcher, and left field. Her fielding was sharp. She covered first properly on every play. At pitcher, she took a ball off the neck, and when the center fielder threw it back in to her, she took the throw off her knee. That play didn't faze her, though; she's tough. She hit the ball well, too, making it to base three times and scoring twice. She had lots of fun playing ball, and since it was our turn to bring treats, she had lots of fun handing out treats after the game.     Gus's baseball team lost by a score of 19-8. Daddy only got to see the last inning and a half, and the boys were pretty sorry-looking in the field. Gus played first base, shortstop, left field, and center field. He backed up the plays well, but he let a ball go right between his legs while playing shortstop. That was only one among the many dropped pop-ups and through-the-legs grounders that inning.     At the plate, though, they were better. They were down quite a bit when their last bat came up, and they kept the inning alive quite a while. Gus, who reports that he already had two walks and a groundout in the game, laced a double over the shortstop. The ball rolled nearly to the fence! Standing on second base, the boy's grin was almost too big for his face! That hit kept his batting average at a smoking .500. He danced down to third for a stolen base and trotted home on Sam Thielke's triple.

June 17, 2004     Zoe played baseball and had a lot of fun. She got two hits and was thrown out at first base once. After her first hit, she came around to score a run. She played left field, third base, catcher ("Yes!" she said), third base again, and shortstop.     Her teammate Ben has a brother that plays on Gus's team. After Zoe's game, we raced Ben to Gus's game and lost.     Gus's baseball team won their game by a fairly large margin. They are really starting to gel as a team. In the fifth inning, Jacob, one of the pitchers on Gus's team, struck out the side. While catching, Pat was all over the place blocking the ball, and he made two great throws to second on steal attempts.     The team they played had a kid who looked like an eighth grader who hit the ball over the fence in a game last week. Wow. He smacked a couple to the outfield in this game, too, but struck out to end the game.     Dad saw Gus reach on an error. He grounded to the first baseman, who booted the ball. A run scored on the play. Gus waltzed over to second with a steal (the team is still dancing between the bases instead of running--all the parents are mystified by this) and was brought home by Nate, who doubled. The next time he was up, Gus singled and took second when the throw to first base was overthrown. Dad yelled at Gus for watching the ball instead of running hard. He was moved over to third by the next batter and scored on the overthrows that ensued on that play. Again, he was watching the play instead of running hard. After the game, Dad told him to run hard and let the base coach worry about where the ball is. Gus reported that he walked and singled before Dad got to the game, so it looks like Gus had a great night at the plate.     In the field, Dad saw Gus play shortstop, second base, and first base. Gus hasn't reported on what positions he played before that. While playing second, he covered on a steal and tagged the runner out beautifully. At least Dad thought so, but the ump ruled the runner safe. A couple batters later, a runner on first stole second, but both Gus and the shortstop covered the bag. With two fielders getting in each other's way, it was no wonder the runner was safe, but it was impressive that, in the confusion, the shortstop caught the ball. Gus played first base in the last inning but wasn't involved in any plays. He was ready to take the throw on several hits, though, and did a good stretch. He could've stretched further if he'd had the proper foot on the bag, but that's something to work on for next time.

June 15, 2004     Zoe played baseball and got two hits. The second time, she narrowly beat the throw to first. The throw didn't go into the first baseman's glove, though; it bounced off Zoe's head! Thank goodness for batting helmets! In the field, she played third base, second base, and left field.     Gus's baseball team beat an undefeated team by a score of 23 to 15. The boys were really excited to beat an unbeaten team.     Gus played shortstop, third base, and left field. While at shortstop, he made a play on instinct and ended up with the ball in his glove. It was a great grab! His throw to first was a little low, and the runner was safe. His great stop kept the hit to a single, though. While he was in left field, a single came through to him. He scooped it up cleanly but hesitated on his throw in. There may have been a play at the plate if he'd thrown right away, but there may not have been, either.     At the plate, Gus was 2 for 3. He struck out swinging his first time up. There were two out and the bases were loaded when he came up the second time, and he hit a pop-up into the outfield that fell between a couple fielders for a hit. Gus stayed at first, and two of the boys on base scored. The third one was thrown out at the plate, though, and that ended the inning. In Gus's third time up, he laced a two-run single past the shortstop. He stole second on a straight steal, although he was awful late in getting going. It seemed like all the boys were getting late starts on their steals, and when they did get going, it looked like ballet practice. Gus was pushed to third base after two walks and scored on a double. Gus walked in his fourth plate appearance and was stranded on first.     Gus's line for the night: two hits in three at bats with a walk, a strike out, a run scored, four runs batted in, and a stolen base. In the field, no errors in two chances with no assists or put outs.

June 14, 2004     Gus started two weeks of Middle School Prep this morning. By the end of the two weeks, he'll have an idea of what middle school is like and how to find his way around the building. He has three classes: Writing, Cooking, and Aerodynamics (which is just science with a fancy name). Daddy drops him off on his way to work; Gus walks home after class and makes himself lunch.

June 13, 2004     Gus babysat his hair stylist's two boys, who are four and one. All concerned survived the experience. After a couple more times of babysitting, Gus will receive his payment: hair highlighting. Daddy's boy is such a manly man! Gus said he had trouble figuring out rules like whether it was okay to jump on the chairs or not. He was only there for a couple hours so he didn't get to change a diaper.

June 12, 2004     Zoe learned to ride a two-wheeler this weekend. Daddy took the training wheels off Zoe's little sidwalk bike on Friday. She rode up and down the sidewalk a bit but had some trouble steering straight and getting started. Zoe's friend Delaney came over to play on Saturday and brought her bike, which is as big as Gus's old bike. We thought that Zoe might do better on a bigger bike, too, so we got her started on that one. She took right to it, and now she rides like the wind. She can even get started all by herself, too. Delaney stayed overnight, and the two girls had a great time!

June 10, 2004     Baseball and tee ball were cancelled due to the rain. We got about 5" of rain in the last three or four days, and all the fields were soggy. Gus's game is going to be rescheduled, but we're not sure about Zoe's game.

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