When our grandson, Alex, was here last Christmas, Burl and I came up with the idea of him making a visit to see both sets of grandparents this summer in Springfield – by himself! His dad was less than thrilled, his mom pondered the idea and Alex was gung-ho to fly by himself from San Diego (actually from LA) to Springfield via Allegiant. Alas, Allegiant requires children to be 14 to travel alone and Alex turned 12 last January. Scratch that idea!
As a compromise, Alex and his dad, Len, flew in Sunday evening and were here until this morning when they flew to Orlando to meet his mom/our daughter Stacey who is there for a conference. They will all return next week – Stacey gets to stay 5-6 days and the boys will be here almost 2 weeks so we’re getting in some great family time. Len and Stacey did agree that when Alex was with a set of grandparents, they would stay with the others so he’s getting alone time with us Old Farts!
We scored the first couple of days he was in town and planned several activities for him.
Farmer Alex drives the John Deere
Burl let the lawn grow a few extra days so Alex could help with the mowing since their miniscule yard in San Diego could easily be cut with a weed eater. He mowed most of the front yard before turning the job over to Grandpa!
Of course Alex and Mulligan were practically inseparable while he was here and had many games of “I’ll drop my Kong in the pool, then bark and hope that you’ll throw it to me” – we’re glad Alex was so agreeable to Mulligan’s wishes!
On Monday evening we invited some neighbors with boys his age to join us for a cookout – it was beastly hot so the boys swam and the adults stayed inside with some chilled white wine until dinner time. They quickly invented several games to play and we enjoyed watching their interaction – especially since the 3 visitors know each other well and Alex could have been the odd man out – but he wasn’t!
Yesterday it was time for archery lesson! Burl got out his bows and arrows and patiently taught Alex the basics – then he set up a target in the backyard and let him practice.
Is it Robin Hood or is it Alex?
He actually did very well which I attribute to some natural athletic ability and of course, the excellent skill of his tutor. Burl also had fun showing him his collection of knives, including some he had made, and of course his gun collection. Being the avid sportsman he is, Burl made sure to emphasize the safety requirements for the weapons and Alex was a rapt student.
More swimming with the neighbors yesterday afternoon and then we went to see friends, Ron and Barb, near Marshfield who had their 13 y/o granddaughter, Alli, visiting. We were joined by another couple with their 14 y/o granddaughter, Tiffany, and it was quickly apparent that a 12 y/o boy is light years behind these teen-age girls. We figured it was a good experience for Alex as he enters junior high in the fall!
Our friend Ron set up target practice for the kids and Burl had brought along a couple of his firearms for Alex to use. I have no idea what to call them – rifles, shotguns, pistols, whatever – I just know that they use bullets, they can be lethal and as long as they are under lock and key and out of sight from me, I’m a happy camper!
Davey Crockett - kilt him a bar when he was only 3!
Alex and Alli shot at clay pigeons – Tiffany wisely stayed in the house away from the shooting! Despite his best efforts, Alex wasn’t able to hit any of the clay targets but did hit the ground targets that were set up. He was really looking forward to this experience since he’d never held a gun of any kind but we think his lack of prowess diminished his enjoyment!
After dinner it was time for the last adventure of this camp experience – fishing! 
Ron and Barb have a decent-sized pond that they keep stocked with bluegill and encourage their grandkids to catch and release. Last night Tiffany was the only one who even got a bite and her 3 fish all lived to see another worm! None of the teens were too keen on baiting the hooks but the girls were the only ones who got grandparent assistance! Sorry Alex!
Alex and Len are now looking forward to several days at Disney World, including the new Harry Potter park. In the meantime, we’re thinking of more fun activities when they all return – golf with Len and Stacey while Alex is with the other GPs, getting Len’s assistance on the new pool deck we’re building, margarita time for Stacey and me, and of course, plenty of swimming, food and family.
And one of these days, Alex will get to come to camp without his parents in town!
