Grandparent visit!

These posts are very out of order as I play catch-up, but last weekend Ted and Donna came down to check out the play that Spencer and Grant were in that was a culmination of a four week drama camp. We enjoyed dinner at BCC and also a quarry swim!

Spencer diving down-down-down

Claytor Lake

We spent the day at Claytor Lake State Park, about a 25 minute drive from the house. They have a nice swimming area, but one side of it was like a huge terrarium with body-grabbing bushes growing up from the bottom. Spencer made the most of it and then involved Grant.

Steppin' Out - Karate Demo, Hula Hooping

The Blacksburg Martial Arts program where Grant is a Karate student, had an exhibition as part of Steppin' Out. He was asked if he would be willing to break a board. He accepted, without hesitation, despite the fact that he only broke a board one other time and it was last winter! He did a quick break in practice, then the real thing in the exhibition. There's a video of the board breaking at the bottom of this post...

The kids with their sensei, Dax

Getting reading before the exhibition. What in the world is Grant doing here??

Grant spent hours, literally HOURS, in the hula hoop area of the festival. They had dozens of hoops of all sizes to play with. Grant has always had a knack for hoopin' and even bought one to have at home. There is no comparison to the cheapie big box store hoops, this one is indestructible!

Steppin' Out - Draper Mile

At the start of the race...

This weekend was the 30th anniversary of our town's Steppin' Out festival, which is a terrific event with multiple stages for music and community acts, vendors, and much eating/drinking! We had great weather and made the most of it. The kids started off by running the famous Draper Mile race, which starts at the top of Draper and is largely downhill right into the heart of Steppin' Out.

Grant ran the mile in 7:36, Spencer in 8:26...nice work for both! Here they are with Shannon Price who is a good friend and an ultramarathoner who runs 100 mile races, but threw in the 1 miler for fun!

Soccer Camp

Grant participated in the VT Hokies Soccer camp. We were blessed with great weather and it's always fun to play on that huge AstroTurf field!

4-H Camp

I was hoping Spencer would give me a write-up of his time at 4-H camp at Smith Mountain Lake in June but despite my prodding, it didn't happen. This was his second year at the 5-day, 4-night camp where he enjoyed traditional camping experiences and a number of classes like canoeing, cake decorating, and outdoor adventures. He had a great time and made a good friend, Nate, who lives pretty close to our house!

Youth Track League

This summer the kids joined a new summer youth track league for kids 8-15. They are arranged into 4 teams, each with "coaches" from the Blacksburg High School team. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence, but all the coaches are guys, which is a good thing since I think the kids need more male role models in their lives. They spend a good bit of their time being taught and coaxed along by women.

Spencer enjoys the shot put and seems to have a knack for it, just like his daddy. Grant of course is a heck of a sprinter and long-jumper. There are a lot of really talented kids so it's a tough lot to go up against, but the kids are hanging tough.