Father's Weekend: PART III

Ok, pardon the delay. Back to the weekend festivities!

After Dylan's inaugural tee ball day of team selection and skills assessment wrapped up, we raced home, packed a few things for some lakeside R and R and headed to the shores of Lake Michigan to meet up with my former colleagues, and fellow family bloggers, Mikel and Fran LeFort We worked together at the Post-Tribune (Mikel helped hire me, actually) in Merrillville, Ind., for a few years. We haven't seen each other since Mikel took a job as executive editor at a paper in upstate New York in late 2003.
The LeFort Family

Their children, Anna and Alexander, are beautiful kids are so well-mannered. They and Dylan played together so nicely. They had a blast.

Dylan and Alex getting some practice before joining the AVP 2008 Pro Beach Volleyball tour.

Nice DIG, Alex!

Our trip to the beach was our first this year, and Matthew's first ever. Matthew had a blast playing in the sand. He kept digging in the sand with his hands. I'm surprised he didn't eat more sand than he did, as his mouth is where everything he picks up goes.

Mommy and Matthew getting a his fill of sand.

The weather was absolutely beautiful for a day at the lake.

I took this shot standing atop a huge sand dune. I am seriously out of shape. My legs were on fire and my lungs were inhaling/exhaling so fast I couldn't talk. But it was the view that really took my breath away. Wow. If you look closely at the above photo, you can just make out the Chicago skyline.

After I took a few pics and had time to catch my breath, I made the easy trek down, which involved long, almost leaping steps into the soft sand below. I enjoyed the descent so much I considered going back up just to come down again.

But I quickly came to my senses.

Dylan covered in sand coming to see what I'm doing.

Apparently, Dylan saw me come down the dune and wanted to see what I was doing. In the picture above, though he was walking in sand, he had a purposeful stride in his steps. I barely was able to snap a few frames of him walking toward me before he went on by in favor of tacking that hill. My first thought was, "You go, Dylan!" But that thought soon gave way to the realization that I may have to climb after him.


There goes Dylan, ever the adventurer, to the top of the dune.

Well, my realization was realized. Up he went. To the top. Nonstop. Not even resting once. And not paying attention to me yelling, "DYLAN! STOP! COME DOWN!" The kid didn't even turn around to see what I was huffing about. So up I went. Again. He stopped at the top and turned to look at me. I'm sure he heard my continuous yelling, but he turned again and disappeared, out of sight, over the ridge. I started to freak out and hurry to the top, but my legs weren't going any faster. He could have stepped on something with his bare feet ... he could have scampered down any number of trails ... God knows what. In a matter of moments, he reappeared on a trail head right where I was standing. I have no idea how he got there so fast, but I grabbed him and made the descent again. Yes, I had wanted to go down the hill one more time and I got my wish.

You'll have come back for Part IV of Father's Weekend.