Stories From Summer 2003

August 10, 2003     Since Mommy was at work all weekend, Gus, Zoe, and Daddy needed something to do. Boy did we find it.     Since Daddy works in the GI Department at Mayo, he thought it would be interesting to go to the Mall of America and view the giant colon on display there. And as he was tired of taking the same old way to the Cities every time, he decided to take some back roads over to the Mississippi River and go up to the Cities that way. On the way, Daddy showed the kids bean and corn fields. He had just read a book on plants by David Attenborough, so of course he was an expert. The way led through a couple deep creek valleys, and Daddy pointed out to Gus the geology exposed by the rock cuts. Gus had recently learned about geology at Webelos Camp.     Eventually, the road brought us to Lake City. Daddy thought it would be fun to look at all the boats out on Lake Pepin, so we stopped at a beach by the marina. Gus and Zoe waded into the lake a bit and thought it was really cool. They asked if we could moved there. Gus collected a few neat-looking rocks, and Zoe collected a few shells that had washed up onto the beach. Daddy wished he had a sailboat.     After a while at the beach, we set off toward the Cities again. We made it as far as Red Wing before Daddy turned off the highway and took Gus and Zoe to the base of Barn Bluff. Barn Bluff is a big hill next to the river, and there are trails that lead to the top. It's about 300 feet from the base of the bluff to the top, and Daddy, Gus, and Zoe climbed all the way up. At the very beginning were steps and wide, shallow paths underneath shady trees. Halfway up, we came across a couple groups of climbers who were scaling some of Barn Bluff's cliffs. A ways after that, we climbed up some fairly steep slopes. Daddy had visions of Zoe or Gus tumbling down the slope and was thankful that Mommy wasn't along.     Finally, we reached the top. The cars and houses below us in the town looked like toys. Daddy knew we wouldn't want to go down the way we came up because it was too steep, so we had to find an easier way down. This entailed some hiking as Barn Bluff isn't small. Confounding this were the tall weeds and the bugs. The weeds were about as tall as Gus, and he quickly grew tired of being hit in the face by them. Zoe, being a little shorter, had a better time of it. But what Gus really hated were the bugs. They weren't as big as grasshoppers, but they were quite similar. They would jump out of the grass onto you and just sit there until you flicked them off. Daddy thought this was kind of neat, but it really gave Gus the willies. Pretty soon, he was saying how much he hated nature. He said he wished he was down at a playground we saw down in the town that was surrounded by pavement. He said that, when he takes over the world, he's going to make a law requiring everyone to have a flame thrower with them every time they went off the pavement so they could burn the weeds and the bugs. To make matters worse, he started to itch terribly at the back of his neck.     After a couple false starts down paths that either became to steep or went through thick weeds, we found the perfect way down. While Gus continued to complain about all the nature, Zoe thought she heard rattlesnakes. There are rattlesnakes in this part of Minnesota--they like the limestone bluffs--but what Zoe heard was merely a bird calling out. We finally reached the starting point, and Gus kissed the ground.     Back in the car, we headed across the river into Wisconsin and thus to the Cities by way of Highway 10. Gus's neck slowly quit itching, and Daddy decided the itching was due to the fact that Gus hadn't had a shower since having his hair cut a couple days earlier.     Once we made it to the Mall of America, we discovered that the giant colon was in a tent across the street from the mall where the Met Center used to be. Daddy wasn't sure he wanted to see it once this was known, so we went into the Mall of America instead. Our trip up Barn Bluff had made us quite hungry, so the first thing we did was get some food. Gus had never eaten at Long John Silver's, so we had fish for supper. Gus had shrimp. Daddy is now sure he doesn't really care for Long John Silver's. Gus was impressed, though. After that, we went to Legoland for a while. In the Wizards of the Coast store, Daddy spent his birthday money from Gramma Nancy and Grampa Tom on the boardgame Diplomacy, which he has always had a bit of a curious hankering for. (Thanks Gramma and Grampa.) It looks fun, and Daddy thinks Mommy would like it too, but it will probably be a bit of a task to get Mommy to play. Of course, Daddy always likes to go through the Atlantic Book Warehouse. At the Endangered Species Store, Gus and Zoe each got a toy, and we got Mommy two little bobbly frogs so she would have a souvenir of our trip, too.     By the time we headed for home, Half Price Books (Gus's favorite store) was closed, so we just headed down the highway for Rochester. We made a stop at the hospital to give Mommy her souvenir, and then went home to bed, exhausted.

August 4-6, 2003     Gus went to Webelos Camp again this year. He loved it so much he decided to stay in Cub Scouts another year.

July 30, 2003     Zoe played her last tee ball game of the year. She played well. Afterwards, she received a trophy with her name on it.

July 28, 2003     Gus's baseball team won the league championship game by a score of 21-8. Gus played right field and second base and made some good plays. He was less successful at the plate, going 0-2 with 2 strikeouts, but he walked twice and came around to score a run. He was very unhappy with his performance and made Daddy pitch to him after the game so he could hit some balls, which he did. Daddy had pitched to Gus before, but never from as far away as the pitcher's rubber, and he was horribly impressed that the kids could do it so well.     Gus was last in the batting order, so there were two outs each time he came to the plate. He walked in his first plate appearance, stole second, and came around to score on a hit. He struck out swinging his second time up, and it was the third out, which made it worse. He walked on four pitches his third time up but was stranded at second. His last plate appearance ended with a swinging third strike, but he stung a ball just foul of third base during the at bat. It says quite a bit about his team that he batted 11th and still came to bat in each of the first four innings. For the fifth inning, the other team brought in a kid who threw what looked to be about 70 mph, so the third out came well before Gus was scheduled to bat, and as Gus's team was the home team, they didn't bat in the bottom of the sixth.     In the field, Gus played right field and second base. He covered his base flawlessly and kept his head in the game especially well. He didn't draw pictures in the infield dirt once! While at second base, he took a toss from the short stop to get an out on a force play. He later took a toss from the shortstop on a play where an opposing player slightly over-ran second base and dived back just under Gus's tag. The play was so close that Grampa, who didn't have a bad view of the play from where he was sitting, thought the opposing player was out. In addition, Gus had a bead on a pop-up that he almost certainly would've caught if the first baseman hadn't tipped it with his glove. Grampa fumed because it was clearly Gus's ball all the way and the first baseman had no business going after it. While Gus was playing right field, a bouncer got past the second baseman, and Gus knocked it down. He didn't get it in his glove perfectly because he'd taken his eyes off it to see where the runners were. He did manage to keep it in front of him and got it back in to keep the runners from advancing.     After the game, the boys were awarded two trophies each. They got one for being league champion during the regular season, and they got one for being playoff champion. So many pictures were taken as the boys lined up with their trophies that someone made the comment that it looked like paparazzi. The evening ended with a potluck picnic.

July 26-27, 2003     Gus, Zoe, and Daddy camped out with some of the families from Gus's Cub Scout troop Saturday night. The campsite was no wilder than the Oronoco City Park, but a fun time was had by all.     The meeting time at the park was supposed to be 2:00, but that was the time we started getting ready. It was so hot and sticky that we considered not going. Daddy filled the air mattresses at home and tossed them in the back of the pickup. The tent, camp chairs, backpack with bug spray and sunblock, duffle bag with stuffed animals and blankies (the biggest bag we took), and cooler full of drinks were stowed on top to keep the air mattresses from blowing out on the highway. Just as we were going to hop in the pickup and go, Grampa Wager pulled into the driveway. He had come to watch Gus's ballgame on Monday. He went with us to help set up camp. Daddy had a little trouble finding the campsite as it was away from the road into the park. Once we found it, though, Gus set up the tent almost completely by himself. Then Gus and Zoe went to play with the other kids, leaving Grampa and Daddy to sit in the shade and discuss the Twins. There were storm warnings and predictions of rain, and the temperature must have been about 85 with an even higher humidity. It was miserable in the sun, but the slight breeze coming off the lake made the shade tolerable.     Grampa went to pick up Mommy from work just before supper. We had burgers and hot dogs off the grill, some salads, fruit, and lots of chips. Dessert was pineapple upside down cake, which was very good. After that, Zoe went to watch her friend Lydia fish, and Gus and Daddy played a game of two-golf-balls-on-a-string. (Gus: "What's this game called?" Daddy: "Two-golf-balls-on-a-string." Gus: "Oh.") The game is like horseshoes, with the horseshoes being two golf balls joined by a length of twine. The players toss these at a ladder-like rack made of PVC pipe. If the balls and twine twist around the bottom rung, the thrower gets three points. The middle rung is worth five points, and the top rung is worth one point. Daddy was better at this than Gus, but Gus kept plugging away at it.     After a game of two-golf-balls-on-a-string, Daddy went to see how Zoe was doing. Zoe and Lydia, along with their friend Amanda, had moved farther around the lake. Since Zoe didn't have a pole, she just watched the other two and basked in the glory of hanging out with two older girls. They were fishing near a couple who were in their fifties. These kind folk actually caught fish, and they let the girls throw them back after naming them. Zoe was all excited to throw them back. ("It was really slimey!" she exclaimed with a look of manic glee on her face.) She also baited the girls' hooks with worms borrowed from the older couple. After awhile, the man let Zoe use his fishing pole while he took over his wife's. She would reel it back in fairly quickly until he told her that she needed to leave it still for "eight minutes." While thanking the couple for their kindness, Daddy told them that he had never seen Zoe be still for that long! The man laughed and told Daddy that she was a good kid.     By this time, it was nearly dark and time for s'mores. Grampa came back with Mommy, and they visited with us for a while before returning home. Then Zoe played some kind of game involving flashlights and zombies with the younger kids while Gus played a game of flashlight tag with the older kids. Daddy sat by the fire with the grown-ups for a while until Gus and Zoe got a little out of hand due to tiredness. Then it was time for bed. They both insisted at length and high volume that they weren't tired. After a while, Gus started to get in trouble for protesting too actively, and that's when Zoe decided to be the angel child, saying, "Be quiet, Gus. I'm tired, and I can't sleep." Gus kept asking to go out and play with the other kids some more. Finally, he said he needed to go to the bathroom, and Daddy let him go. Daddy drifted off to sleep before Gus got back, so he has no idea if he ever did come back. We had great sleeping weather as the storm front had passed through a bit before dusk, and it had become clear and cooler. There were more stars than Daddy had seen in a long time, and you could even see satellites cruising overhead. It actually got a bit cool, and Daddy had to grab a sleeping bag sometime in the night and use it as a blanket. He was too tired, of course, to get inside it.     Daddy woke with the sun blasting onto him through the tent's window. Lesson learned: Point the tent window away from the morning sun or risk sunburn. After a bit of breakfast, Daddy and Gus got the tent taken down, and then Gus and Zoe played while Daddy got things packed into the pickup. Then it was time to head home.     Daddy mowed and Zoe ran through the sprinkler for awhile, but other than that, no one spent much energy on anything. It was beautiful in the shade, and Daddy sat in his chair in the front yard reading his book or chewing the fat with Grampa. When Mommy got home from work, we taught Gus how to play pinochle. Daddy was partnered with Gus against Grampa and Mommy, and they ended up winning. Gus is a very good pupil.

July 23, 2003     Gus's baseball team didn't have a game so they could get a practice in before the championship game on the 28th. They had a good practice. Gus, playing third, speared a line drive. Zoe had a good game, too. Gus finally got to see Zoe play after the end of his practice.

July 21, 2003     Gus's baseball team won their second game of the playoffs by a score of 29-3 and will play in the championship in a week. The team was really hitting the ball, and Sam and Cameron hit balls that reached the fence. Gus scored the eighth run in two different innings, which is the maximum the team that's ahead can score in an inning and means the team is done batting even if it doesn't have three outs yet. The game only went five innings instead of the normal six because of the large lead.     Gus played right field and second base, and covered his base really well on plays. He took the toss from the shortstop on one play and made the put-out. On another play, which didn't involve Gus, the third baseman got the ball, stepped on third for a force, and threw across the diamond to first to complete the double play, which would've been unthinkable at the beginning of the season. It's really amazing how good the boys have all got. Since these are all boys who tried out for but didn't make the "major league" team, Mommy wondered just how good that team is.     Gus was hit with a pitch his first time up. He stole second and scored the eighth run of the inning on a double. His next time up, he singled in a run and was stranded at first. His third time up, he hit into a fielder's choice, but two runs scored on the play. He was later stranded on third. His last time up, he again hit into a fielder's choice. The ball went about halfway to the pitcher, who grabbed it and tossed the runner out at home. Gus stole a base and was batted home as the eighth run in that inning, too.

July 20, 2003     Daddy, Gus, and Zoe went to Como Park Zoo to see the polar bears (Zoe's favorites). There are two there now, and one was swimming around in the pool, which looked a little small for him. Zoe was also excited to see the giraffes, and postulated theories on one being the mama and one being the baby (after all, one was slightly shorter than the other, so it must have been the baby). The sun was warm and Daddy had a black shirt on, so he thought it would be refreshing to swim with the sea lions. In the aquatic animal house, Gus rhapsodized on the reasons puffins are superior to penguins (they can swim and fly, and they're the most beautiful birds in the world). Nobody was terribly thrilled to see the primates for some reason, and the big cats were lazy from the heat. The lions were just lyin' around, for crying out loud! In the gift shop, Gus got a stuffed puffin (which he named Huffin Puffin McGuffin) and Zoe got a mama monkey with a baby monkey that had velcro on their hands and feet so they can hang just like real monkeys. Then they went and rode the hang glider ride at the carnival.     Zoe really is a sweet girl. She asked Daddy if they were going to "the garden." She meant the Conservatory and Japanese Garden, which is Daddy's favorite part of the park. We went through the conservatory fairly quickly (the kids are sort of bored by plants) and out to the Japanese garden, where the koi were actively doing something at the near end of the pond. They may have been eating bugs, or they may just have been scratching their bellies on the rocks. There were also schools of teeny, tiny fish darting around the lily pads. Zoe likes crossing the stone slab bridges and looking in the water at the fish. Gus was busy describing the house he'd like to build under the hill across the pond that would have its door behind the waterfall. Daddy kept imagining the Japanese garden in the back yard and then imagining a bigger back yard. Back in the conservatory, we looked at 50-year-old bonsai trees that were only a foot high and wondered how they make them that way.     At the other end of the conservatory, Zoe walked through the Sunken Garden, which was full of pretty-smelling flowers. Gus wanted to throw coins in the pool there. After that, we went outside to the butterfly garden, which had no butterflies, and then around the little lake to look at the waterfall there. Then it was on to the carousel that recently found a home at Como after 75 years at the State Fair. The horses are 89 years old, and Daddy couldn't understand how they could still stand there, much less run around in circles all day. Zoe rolled her eyes. Gus marveled that the horses were all hand carved. On the way back to the car, we passed the brand new miniature golf course. We toyed with playing a round, but decided to save that for another day. It was getting to be supper time, anyway. The car was parked out on the street because the parking lot had been full when we had arrived at the Zoo. We were parked in front of a beautiful house with stone lions on either side of the sidewalk, and Zoe asked if it was a mansion. Daddy said, "If you wanna see mansions, I'll show you mansions," and then drove the kids to Summit Avenue.     Before supper at Burger King playland, we stopped at Half-Price Books, where Daddy picked up a couple books for $3, Zoe got one for 50¢, and Gus talked Daddy into getting him a cool Star Wars droids book for $9. What Gus really wanted was a cheap computer game, but Daddy figured he had too many of them already. On the way back to Rochester, Zoe acted out a fairly complex story with her monkeys. Gus looked at his book until it was too dark to see, all the while murmurring, "Wow! This is the coolest book!"

July 19, 2003     We spent the day in Red Wing.

July 16, 2003     Gus's baseball team won their first game in the playoffs by a score of 19-4. Gus walked all four times he was at the plate. The first time he walked, he was forced out at second. The next time he walked, he stole a base and scored a run. The third time he walked, he stole two bases and scored a run. And the fourth time he walked, the bases were loaded and he forced in a run. His eye is getting much better, and he swings at far fewer bad pitches than he used to. In the field, he played right field for four innings and second base for one. A ball was hit to right center, and he didn't quite get to it. He got the throw back in and held the batter to a double.     Zoe didn't say much about her game, but on the way home, she had an argument with Gus about who played harder and thus had more right to be sweaty. That's Gus and Zoe: always deciding the Important Issues of the day!

July 14, 2003     Gus's baseball team won their final game of the regular season by a score of 18-6. Gus had three walks and a double, four stolen bases, two runs scored, and three batted in. He played shortstop for one inning and right field for four innings.     Gus walked in his first three plate appearances. The first time, he was pushed to second by another walk. He then stole third and scored when the catcher overthrew third base. The second time, he was forced home from third by a walk. The third time, he was stranded at third when his team had to quit batting because they'd gone up by eight runs. His fourth time up, he laced the ball into left field and took third on the left fielder's throw to the plate. He really turned on his jets on that hit--Daddy only saw an orange blur as Gus ran the bases! One batter later, the coaches and umpire called the game on account of darkness.     It was another slow game for the most part. Virtually all the batters walked or struck out. It was the third inning before someone finally reached base on an honest-to-goodness base hit. Daddy thinks the pitchers are trying to throw to hard, and their control suffers. This may or may not be the reason, but the games in the middle of the season were more lively.     The playoffs begin on Wednesday.     Zoe skipped her game because her "whole body hurt." She had fun playing with Hannah, Isaac, and Alex, though. Daddy saw her messing around by a culvert, walking on top of the picnic tables under the park shelter, laying (playing, too) in the sand of the volleyball court, and running all over the park with her baseball cap on backwards. She's definitely not a little kid anymore!

July 9, 2003     Gus had a headache and Zoe had a tummy ache, so neither played in a ballgame. Gus, remarkably, was well enough to go out with Mommy to get his birthday present: a new bike with trick pegs and a gyro. Pegs stick out from the sides of the wheels so you can put your feet on them, instead of on the pedals, and do tricks. A gyro keeps the brake cable from getting tangled when the handlebars are spun around. Gus was very disappointed that he couldn't stay out and ride his new bike for the rest of the evening due to the threat of a storm. "It's not even a storm!" he insisted, probably correctly, pointing out the few sprinkles and the fact that the thunder had quit.

July 7, 2003     Gus's baseball team won their game 20-16 with a last inning flurry of walks. About 15 batters came to the plate in the inning, and Gus's grounder between the shortstop's legs that scored two runs was actually the only fair ball that was hit. It was ugly. Daddy felt bad for the other team's pitchers.     Daddy and Zoe arrived from her game just in time to see Gus lace a single into right field. The best part about Gus's games is seeing his face as he stands on first base after getting a hit! Two stolen bases later, he scored on another hit. On the night, he had a single, a walk, and two strike outs. He also reached on an error. He scored a run and stole two bases, too. It was a win, but it couldn't be termed a "good" game.     Zoe spent most of her time hunting for teeny tiny frogs with other little brothers and sisters in a ditch near the ball field. She came to show Daddy her two frogs, saying she had a "calm one and a not-calm one." She later returned with her frogs looking decidedly calmer, and Daddy asked her if she thought her frogs were still alive. Zoe gave him a look, said "DAD-dee!", and then she and Hannah went off to build a frog playground.     Zoe's game was fun. In the first inning, one of the kids didn't realize he'd been thrown out and stayed on the field, so the coaches just let everybody run the bases! It's amazing how much better these kids are than the first time Daddy watched them play. Zoe played second base in the last inning, and she scooped up balls left and right. On one of the plays, she even raced to the base ahead of the runner for an out! The coach called her a vacuum, but Daddy thought she was more of a magnet as the balls seemed to come right to her.

June 27, 2003     Gus, Zoe, and Mommy went on vacation for a week, and they left Daddy at home. Daddy was so lonely! On the up side, he finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix without distraction. Gus, Zoe, and Mommy visited Gramma Nancy and Gramma Wager, and they went to the Black Hills, too. Both kids liked the mammoth site in Hot Springs almost as much as the water park filled with water from the springs. Gus thought the faces would be bigger and thought the trip to the top of Terry Peak was long but cool. Best of all, they got to camp out for two nights! Gus was disappointed that he didn't get to have a big campfire, though (they got to one campsite too late for one, and the other didn't allow them). Gus loved the Badlands and wanted to climb on everything, but Mommy was afraid he'd fall down some crevice and be lost forever. The kids got quite homesick as the week went on, and they were really bored in the car.

June 25, 2003     Gus's team has a night off due to having played a double header earlier in the season. A practice is scheduled, but Gus elects to skip the practice and go to Zoe's game. It was a rainy day, and Zoe's game lasted only one inning before being called on account of rain. She hit the ball well and came around to score later in the inning. Gus was very disappointed that he didn't get to see more of her game.

June 23, 2003     Gus's team won their baseball game 20-15. Gus played first base, third base, center field, and left field. He covered his bases well and backed up the play well, but he needs to remember to catch the ball rather than keep his foot on first base when the throw is off line. He went 1-2 with two walks, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored.     Gus singled in his first at bat and took second on the overthrow to first. He then stole third and came home on another hit. He walked in his second plate appearance. He hit the ball to the left side his third time up and was out on a close play at first. He walked on four pitches in his last plate appearance. His eye is getting a lot better.     Zoe didn't play in her game tonight because she didn't feel well. Of course, you couldn't tell that by the way she ate grapes and cherries or by the way she played with her friends at Gus's game. She bragged to Sam's little brother Isaac that she could hit the ball to Kansas City. When he asked where that was, she replied that it was "way far away." The he told her how far he could hit the ball but couldn't think of a place a suitable distance away. Zoe was quite helpful, though, volunteering New Mexico. Finally, Isaac came up with Iraq.

June 22, 2003     We went to L.A.R.K. Toy Museum in Kellogg with Daddy's friends Kelly and Josh and played miniature golf. Mommy, Kelly, and Gus each had a hole-in-one, but Daddy ended up winning by a stroke over Kelly. If one of Daddy's shots had broken about a centimeter to the left, he would've had a hole-in-one, too.     Afterwards, we had ice cream and looked at the toys. Gus and Zoe rode the carousel, which is really neat. It has all kinds of animals: an ostrich, a flamingo, a buffalo, an otter, a fish, and others. Zoe waved each time she came around; Gus looked bored. He was still a bit sore that he didn't win the golf match.     On the way home, we drove along the Mississippi in Wabasha looking at the neat houses along the riverbank. Then we drove back to Rochester through the big valleys cut by various rivers and creeks on their way to the big river.

June 18, 2003     Gus's team came from behind in their last at bat to win their baseball game 13-9. It was a game of two teams. They were absolutely flat in the first four innings, but they erupted for 9 runs in the bottom of the fifth.     Gus led off the first inning with a four-pitch walk. He's now looking for his pitch instead of swinging at whatever the pitcher offers. He took second on a passed ball. Then, with two outs, he attempted to take third base on another passed ball but was thrown out to end the inning. He wasn't watching the third base coach and missed the "go" sign. Instead, he was watching the pitch to the plate and listening for someone to yell "go." He didn't break for third until it was way too late to make it safely.     In the bottom of the first, Gus played second base uneventfully. He played third base in the second inning, and a grounder got by him into right field. Daddy didn't see the play well enough to know whether or not he made an error on the play. He played left field in the third inning, and the coaches had to yell at him to stand up. Gus's night was made even worse when he was finishing the second half of his sandwich that he had set down when he went into the field and found it was full of ants.     In his second trip to the plate, Gus pulled the first pitch foul, then worked the count full. He swung at a fairly close pitch for strike three, but it probably was a little high, and he might've walked had he held off. After that, he came and sat on Daddy's lap and said he wanted to go home. The ballfield is right next to the railroad tracks, and it was at about this time that what Cameron's dad called their "good luck train" came rolling through. Coupled with the arrival of Mommy and Zoe from Zoe's game, this began to turn the team's fortunes around.     Gus played second base again in the top of the fifth and was in on one play. The ball was hit to the shortstop, and Gus ran over to cover second like a pro. The throw was a little wide and bounced off the end of Gus's glove into right field. Daddy's not sure anyone has ever told Gus that it's more important for him to catch the ball than to keep his foot on the bag. E-4 on the play. No real damage was done, though, as Gus's team got out of the inning allowing no runs.     The first four innings really were horrible for Gus's team. They missed several plays in the field, and on the plays they did make, the throw arrived milliseconds after the runner. They couldn't catch a break, and there were times when the pitchers couldn't buy a strike. Their base running wasn't sharp at all, and even the most intense boys were picking daisies in the outfield. After the top of the fourth inning, on of the coaches told them that was the worst inning they'd played all season, and it was true. But the "good luck train" was beginning to work its mojo.     Gus led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk. With a full count, he laid off a pitch that was low and away and happily trotted down to first base. The next batter knocked the ball into left field, and Gus missed the third base coach's "stop" sign until he was about three steps beyond third base. He got back to the bag just in time to beat the throw, but the ball got away from the third baseman, and Gus motored home just ahead of the throw to the plate.     Gus came up again in the bottom of the fifth. In total, 15 boys batted in that inning. Baseball is a funny game in that it can turn around so completely for a team. In this bat, Gus took a pitch off the back of the left shoulder. He later said he felt bad that he got to take first because he had jumped the wrong way to avoid the pitch. Daddy told him that it doesn't really matter as long as he tries to get out of the way. Gus then galloped to second base on a wild pitch, and took third on another one. He was stranded there, though.     Gus played right field in the top of the sixth. The first batter grounded to Satoshi at shortstop, and he made a dead-on throw to first for the out. The second batter bounced back to Jimmy Stiving, the pitcher, and he effortlessly tossed the ball to first for the second out. He then gave up consecutive singles to Gus in right field. Gus fielded them well and got the ball back in fairly quickly, although he was too busy jumping up and down excitedly to charge the ball. Jimmy struck out the next batter to end the game, and the boys were amazed at their come-from-behind win.     Zoe did well at her game. She played second base, and there has never been a cleaner second base. She was involved in two plays while playing there. On the first one, she got the ball but didn't know what to do with it. On the second one, she got the ball and threw to first to get the out. Way to go, Zoe!     She also did well at the plate. According to her report, one ball she hit went across the country to New York and hit a house there. She didn't get in trouble, though, because they didn't know she'd hit it.

June 16, 2003     Gus's team won their baseball game 14-10. There was some big hitting, some good pitching, and some great plays in the field. Both halves of the first inning were 1-2-4, with each team getting a walk. In the field, pop-ups were caught, plays were made at first, and Cameron Kofler (one of Gus's team's pitchers) even stabbed out and caught a come-backer. At the plate, triples and home runs were common, and the team worked the third base line for some extra-base hits.     Gus struck out in his first at bat. He laid off some pitches to work the count full and then fouled off a close one to stay alive. Strike three came on a scalp-high pitch he should've let go. He had some really good swings, though, and hit two fouls. Despite the fact that he struck out, Gus had a good at bat.     Gus broke a long drought with an RBI single in his second at bat. He was all grins standing on first base. He took second on a passed ball, and Sam Thielke moved him to third with a single. Louie brought them both home with an in-the-park homer.     In his third at bat, Gus hit a triple up the middle that nearly went to the fence. The play produced a bit of drama when Gus over-ran third base by a few feet and barely made it back before the throw got there. It was an honest to goodness triple, too; there were no overthrows or other fielding errors.     Gus took a 5-pitch walk on his last at bat. His notion of the strike zone is coming along quite well! He also began using his own Sammy Sosa bat. It's only 17 ounces, and the one he's been using is 20 or 21 ounces, so he's getting some extra bat speed and getting around on the ball more quickly. It may also have helped that Mommy bought him a bucket of balls and pitched to him in the afternoon before the game.     In the field, Gus played first base, second base, third base, and left field. He kept his head in the game on almost every pitch. He covered his base on passed balls, backed each play up properly, and knew where the play was on each at bat. Mommy had promised she'd take him out to eat after the game if he paid more attention and quit making piles of sand in the infield.     Zoe's game went well enough. When asked if she scored any runs, she said, "A little." Then she showed how she had her glove right in front of her face but moved it a little "on accident." The ball hit her in the face and gave her a nose bleed, but by the time she and Mommy got to Gus's game after hers was over, she didn't even feel the need to mention it to Daddy. Still, she's not sure she wants to go back for the next game lest she be hit again.    At Gus's game, she played with her friend Hannah, who is also a little sister of Gus's team. They rambled all over, especially to the playground equipment way out beyond center field. This last wandering prompted Mommy to admonish Zoe to stay closer.     After the game, we went to Mommy's favorite restaurant, Dos Amigos. Daddy was given the choice of eating at Old Country Buffet or Dos Amigos, although he would've chosen just going home if he'd been allowed to. While waiting for the food to come, Gus and Daddy played hangman. Gus's first word was "triple."

June 15, 2003     Zoe ran through the sprinkler late this afternoon, having a ball and chattering up a storm. The chattering was ostensibly to Daddy, who was sitting on the front step reading, but in all probability was to the world in general. Then again, maybe not, as there were a LOT of questions in her monologue.     After a while, she caught a moth, which she named Lisa, and asked what the word "moths" (she pronounced it "mothes") means. She'd leave the poor wet insect sitting on the step and go run through the sprinkler, telling Daddy, "Keep an eye on Lisa." Then she'd return and marvel at the fact that Lisa hadn't flown away.     A little later, she said, "I smell Grampa." She was unclear as to which grampa she meant, and Daddy didn't ask.

June 11, 2003     Gus's baseball team won its game by a score of 13-6. Gus played right field, second base, and shortstop. He failed to get an official at bat, walking in each of three plate appearances. This game marked the first time he didn't strike out at least once, and he managed to score twice.     Gus is beginning to like baseball. Gus had to be made to go to the two practices and the first couple games, and "Baseball is dumb!" came from his mouth fairly frequently. Lately, though, he hasn't had any problems with that, even during the periods when he became dispirited by his lack of success at the plate. Daddy thinks that the mental aspect of the game is beginning to take hold in him. He's worked on maintaining his strike zone rather than the umpire's, and he's picked up some of the nuances of fielding the various positions. Part of that is the joy of his own talents improving, and part of that is the joy of coming together as a team.     His team really is good. Some players are better than others, of course, but they don't stick out nearly as prominently on Gus's team as on the teams Gus's team has played against. The coaches have really helped the boys become better players. The good ones have gotten better, and the previously marginal ones are now consistently making plays and getting hits. There's really a cohesiveness to this group of boys, too. About half the team is in Gus's Cub Scout den, so they've been together outside of school activities, and that might be part of the reason they pick each other up on the field so well. This has been a really fun baseball team to watch.     Daddy attended Zoe's game. There was a half hour or so of practice before the game, and the coaches did a wonderful job of working on both physical skills and mental skills. They practiced hitting off the tee, fielding grounders, covering the bases, and throwing to first base.     During the game, the coach had the kids bat in jersey order. That made it easy to see who was next. Using their jersey numbers, he had drawn up a schedule of the positions the kids were to field in each inning. This rotated each inning. After a long, long first inning, Daddy was alarmed to see that seven innings had been provided for on the coach's schedule. Only three innings were played, though.     The whole line-up batted each inning regardless of the number of outs recorded. Given the physical abilities of the kids and the fact that a lot of them had no idea what they were doing yet, Daddy expected everyone to reach base in every inning. Zoe's team actually managed to get some outs, though. As a matter of fact, they got four outs in the second inning!     Zoe made it to base all three times she batted. She scored a run in the first inning. Her baserunning was hampered by the fact that she would forget to run when the ball was hit. In the field, she played catcher, second base, and shortstop. She played second base especially well, standing on the bag doing arabesques.     After Zoe's game was done, she and Daddy went across town to see the last inning of Gus's game. As Daddy expected, the fourth graders looked like major leaguers by comparison to what he'd just watched. They caught pop-ups, gobbled up grounders and threw to first for the out, and pitched mostly strikes.

June 9, 2003     Gus's baseball team played a double header because their opponent would only have four players present at their next meeting in a couple weeks. It was agreed to play two four-inning games instead of one six-inning game.     Gus's team won the first game 2-1 on a first inning homer by Jimmy Stiving. Ryan pitched two perfect innings to start the game, striking out all six batters he faced. Jimmy Stiving then came on to pitch the third inning, striking out one and walking one. The second out of the inning came on a fly ball to Sam Thielke in center field. The third out came on a grounder to Gus at second base, who scooped it up and stepped on second for the force out and then turned and made the throw to first to complete the double play! Talk about enthusiasm!     Gus was unsuccessful at the plate, though. He struck out looking in his only at bat during this game. He swung on the first pitch, which was low, and Daddy made him promise to let the first pitch go in his next at bat. The third strike was called on a pitch Gus thought was outside. Daddy told him that he did a good job by laying off that pitch and that he should wait for a pitch he can hit. He shouldn't worry about what he thinks the umpire will call a pitch.     Gus's team lost the second game 4-5. Two close plays at the plate cost them, both being called out. Jimmy Stiving just missed a grand slam--the ball was thrown to the catcher at exactly the right position for the catcher to tag Jimmy just before he crossed the plate.     Gus struck out twice in this game. In his first at bat, he held off the first pitch but swung at a bad pitch for the third strike. In his second at bat, he swung at the first pitch again for strike one, and he laid off a pitch that looked about helmet high for strike three. Poor Gus is so disappointed by his batting.     Zoe played her first game at the same time in another part of town. Her team is called the Bees and their t-shirts are yellow. She has the number 1 on the back of her shirt.     Tonight, Zoe scored two runs. She can really hit the ball, too, as she described one hit as going way down to there (pointing north) and down to there (pointing south). Daddy thinks the ball must have hit something and bounced.... She played several positions in the field as the coach had the kids rotating positions quite frequently. She showed her friend Hannah how fast she can run in her new baseball cleats. She wears her baseball glove with her index finger out like Alex W. (a girl from her kindergarden class who is also on her t-ball team) showed her.

June 7, 2003     Cindy put Buster's exercise wheel back in his cage when she cleaned it this week. He promptly dragged it to the middle of the cage and began running circles AROUND it.

June 5, 2003     Zoe has learned how to put her hair in a ponytail by herself. She calls them "ponies." She's getting pretty good at it, too. Tonight, while sitting on Daddy's lap, she put a ponytail in her hair in about five seconds. Then she said, "My pony is sophisticated."     Daddy got the new Led Zeppelin DVD last weekend, and he's been watching it quite a bit. Zoe asked why they have such long hair, and Daddy told her it's because they're rock and rollers. Now, whenever she sees Led Zeppelin, she mentions in a disapproving manner that they have long hair because they're rock and rollers. Daddy also mentioned that Jimmy Page is just a little bit older than Gramma 'Ancy, and Zoe said, "He looks young." Now Zoe asks, "How old is he?" every time she sees him.     In case anyone was wondering, Nick gives the DVD set three thumbs up.

June 4, 2003     Gus's team won their fifth baseball game by a score of 15 to 1. They hit some big balls to the outfield, and they made some great plays on defense. In addition, the weather was perfect.     Gus singled to the left side his first time up. He went to second on a ground out and stole third on a passed ball. After a walk, he was tripled home. "I'm so happy," he said to no one in particular and the world in general. His second and third at-bats were less satisfying for him, though, as he struck out looking both times. The second strike out was most disappointing. For the first strike, he swung at a pitch that bounced in front of the plate. After a second swinging strike, he let one go by that he thought would be a ball, and the ump called him out. That seems to be the story when he strikes out--he swings at one bad pitch and lets one fairly good pitch go. Daddy and Gus are going to have to get a basket of baseballs and have him just hit away.     Gus played second base, third base, and right field. He covered second and third really well on passed balls. He doesn't like to play outfield because it's so far from the action. His team had a 1-2-3 inning and a 1-2-4 inning, and their fielding and throws to first were sharp. Their pitching is really improving, too. There are approximately the same number of strike outs, but the number of walks has really decreased. And they're throwing some heat! Several of the parents were very impressed with their performance tonight.     Gus was really into this game, probably due to his hit right away in the first inning. He was pumped up pretty much the whole time until his second strike out took the wind out of his sails. He was probably getting tired by that time, anyway. Not too tired to talk Daddy into taking him to KFC for popcorn chicken, but tired nonetheless.     Zoe had her second t-ball practice. She says it doesn't seem as far to first base now. She claps when anybody hits the ball, which is hard to do when wearing a baseball glove. She's still talking about fifth base, though....

June 2, 2003     Gus's fourth baseball game ended with his team winning 27 to 10. The game was called on account of twilight after 5 innings. This was another cold, cold game, with a breeze that made it even chillier. It also sprinkled a couple different times.     In the first inning, Gus struck out swinging. This was partially due to the headache he had when the game began. In the third inning, he leaped out of the way of a pitch and fell on his butt. Two balls later, he walked. Then, he stole second base on a passed ball, went to third on a single, and scored on an inside-the-park home run. Later in the third inning, he hit a ball that somehow got by the second baseman, scoring a run. As the team in the lead can only go up by 8 runs and that run put his team up by 8, Gus was the last batter that inning and was stranded at first. In the fourth inning, he was hit in the butt by a pitch. He claimed he didn't know whether to go backward or forward to get out of the way.... He then took second and third each on a passed ball. The bases were then walked loaded, and Gus scored on a bases-clearing double. In the fifth inning, he hit a seeing eye single past the short stop. After advancing to third on walks and/or hits (Daddy can't remember everything), he scored on a bases-loaded walk. Altogether, not a bad night at the plate and on the bases.     In the field, Gus played right field and second base. When he was at second, a grounder came to him, and he booted it. It's tough when the ball finally comes to you after waiting the whole game for one, and the adrenaline hits and you over-react.     There were some laughs during the game. A batter on the other team had to be reminded that he is left-handed. One of Gus's team's pitchers had the ball slip out of his hand on his wind-up and land three feet behind him. There were also a couple moments of concern when batters were hit by pitches. A boy on Gus's team was hit in the hand as he swung the bat, and a batter from the other team was hit in the side of the knee. Both boys were okay, although ice was hard to find on a night in which the temperature was in the 40s.     Zoe had her first baseball practice at the same time in a different part of town. She hit off a tee, ran the bases, and played catch. She said hitting and catching were hard, but she's been able to throw for a long time, now. Running to first base tired her out because it's a long way there. Judging by her description ("It's to that white building and then over to there," she said as she pointed in several directions), first base is approximately 350 yards from home plate. In addition, she recounted what happens if you're on first base and someone hits the ball. "You go to third base, then fourth base, then fifth base, then sixth base, on up to hundredth base." The coach would tell her something and she'd say, "I know. I know." She is having trouble stepping with her left leg when she throws. Instead, she kicks her right leg back. It looks like we have some work to do with the girl.     When she got to Gus's game, she played like crazy with her pal Hannah. Hannah is the little sister of Nate, who is on Gus's team. Hannah is a year older than Zoe but is about two inches shorter, and they are definitely on the same wavelength. Hannah has two older brothers and a baby sister to compete with, and Zoe is just naturally that way. Zoe and Hannah just about got smacked by a foul ball, and when Zoe retrieved it, her throw just about beaned one of Gus's team's dads. She's a natural!

June 1, 2003     Gus "crossed over" in Cub Scouts from Webelos I to Webelos II. Whether this has any meaning depends upon whether Gus, Mommy, and Daddy decide that Gus will be a Cub Scout next year. Getting Gus to go to Cub Scouts is sometimes a major battle, but when he gets there, he always has fun, even though he denies it. It gets him out of the house and into the company of people he otherwise wouldn't see, and he has the opportunity for camping, learning new skills, and having fun. But it's such a pain to get him to go sometimes.     The day began with rocket launching at Gamehaven Scout Reserve, which is south of Rochester. The Scouts built rockets at the previous den meeting and had a blast shooting them off. Gus's was advertised to go 2000 feet, and it quite possibly did at least once. The first time it went up, the string that holds the nosecone and parachute to the fuselage of the rocket came unglued, and the parachute drifted a loooooong way before coming down. Daddy made a modification to the rocket, poking a hole in the fuselage and tying the string through that hole. This worked exactly as well as gluing the string on, but the wind had died down, so it didn't drift as far. For the third shot, Daddy tied the string twice through the hole in the fuselage, and this time, it held! The rocket went up almost out of sight and looked like it almost brought down a bird! It took a loooong time to come back down. Sam Thielke's rocket was as tall as Zoe, and Daddy told Zoe that she should hold on to it tight and it would take her up with it. Jimmy Stiving's rocket had a parachute malfunction and stuck into a tree when it came down. All in all, a fun time was had by all.     After that was the Raingutter Regata, in which the boys raced styrofoam boats with cardboard sails down raingutters powered by their own blowing power. Daddy and Zoe missed this as they ran to HyVee to pick up something for the potluck supper. By the time they got back, it was over. Zoe had grapes for supper. Gus didn't have anything; he was in a snit because Daddy and Zoe didn't stick around to help him with his boat.     After this came the "crossing over" ceremony, in which the Scouts cross over from one rank to the next. This year, Gus went from Webelos I to Webelos II, which is the last year of Cub Scouting. Next year, if he stays in Scouts, he'll cross over to Boy Scouts, and that'll be a much bigger deal. The ceremony was held at a small outdoor amphitheater composed of rows of plank benches and a dirt stage held back by railroad ties. Zoe walked from bench to bench to bench until she got too wild and Daddy had to tell her to sit down. This was a real battle of wills, and Daddy's not really sure he won. When the ceremony was done, it was time to go, but Zoe didn't want to leave. She kept tugging on Daddy's arm as he walked up the path to the car, saying, "I want to stay! I want to stay! I want to stay! I want to stay!" Daddy replied, "And I'd love to leave you here, but Mommy will be mad at me if I don't bring you home." It bothers Zoe to no end that she's met her match in obstinacy in her Daddy.     When we got home, we did a tick check, and then everybody bathed the dirt and sweat from their bodies before bed. Gus, Zoe, and Daddy were asleep almost before their heads hit their pillows.

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