Babysitting continues...

March 4:

After six days of R&R in Costa Rica, Courtney and Steve got home late last night, safe but tired! We were happy to report to them that things had gone as good as they possibly could have with the boys while they were gone. We all got along famously, thanks in no small part to Bev's vast experience and skills as a mom and teacher! For my part, I helped with diaper duty, baths and making breakfast. And perhaps most noteworthy, I helped Gabe learn to ride his bike, to the point that yesterday he drove the two-block stretch in front of Courtney and Steve's home, over and over again, and most importantly, he learned to TURN AROUND on the bike, which is handy, especially when you don't know how to STOP the bike on your own! But alas, that skill is coming along too. When he gets that down, and learns to watch for cars, he'll be set! They are fortunate to live in a very quiet neighborhood, where the two-blocks stretch of street in front of their home is only for local traffic, with no side streets. The whole development is local traffic, and the motorists seem to be aware of lots of kids playing in the street, and drive slowly as a result!

Even though they're home, our babysitting duties aren't completely done. When we don't have other plans, we're filling in as day care providers while Courtney and Steve return to their work. So, just before he went for his after-school nap, this afternoon Gabe begged me to draw a "city" with him. Then he nicely proceeded to tell me that my drawings of cars and buildings aren't as good as Molly's boyfriend James' drawings. I haven't felt this uncomfortable since the last time I played Pictionary. I've always said that I'm the artistic drawing's version of being tone deaf. I can't draw a stick man without making someone laugh. So I was downright relieved when Gabe got summoned for his nap! Then on his way up to his nap, he said, "We'll draw after my nap, Grandpa, 'cuz I know you can do better!" Great.

This weekend, in thanks for our babysitting the boys while they went on vacation, Courtney and Steve have rented a condo for us in Downtown Austin for a long weekend. We've always wanted to stay downtown for a few days to enjoy the daytime activities and night life of Austin, which has lots to see and do. So we "move" downtown tomorrow until Tuesday, and are really looking forward to that lifestyle too. Plus, the condo looks great from the website.

We also continue to make additional travel plans as time allows here in Austin, both for our trip from here to Florida, as well as our travels abroad in April and May. Today we bought our Eurail train passes for Denmark, Germany, Austria and Italy. We need to line up lodging for Dublin, if not other places in Ireland, buy plane tickets from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, etc. We also are trying to read up on things to see and do in the places we'll be visiting, and learn enough Italian to get by. Based on my experience years ago in France, I figure if I can learn to ask if anyone in the room speaks English, and maybe where a bathroom is, I can survive. Of course, I'm not a real picky eater, so whatever I point to on a menu will probably be just fine. Especially if I just drink enough of the "vino de la casa," which I believe is "house wine." (If I'm wrong on that, I'm close, thanks to having had some Latin and Spanish in high school, and having a French minor in college. By way of disclaimer, "Je parle tres petite Francais!", which as I understand it means that I speak very little French!)

So while Bev and I have been staying in one place longer than we've been accustomed to so far on this sabbatical, we've been having fun with our awesome grandsons, Alex (5), Gabe(4) and Sutton(1), and we haven't exactly been idle! Life is good. Carpe diem to all!