Hagerstown Speedway

The best Father's Day present ever was 2 tickets to the Hagerstown Speedway (kids were free). The event did not disappoint, although expectations were low.

After the races, we milled about hoping for something good to happen ... and some race official coughed on us without covering. Then he told us we could go onto the track ... score!

I was expecting dirt, but the track was compressed clay - basically a bunch of bricks smashed together without mortar in between.

  

Note my awesome Goodyear baseball cap.

Mountain Biking

During the summer, Whitetail mountain has some great hiking and mountain biking. RJ and I tried out some mountain biking. We met up with a trail steward named Jay who took us on some trails we had no business starting on. But it was super fun.

The mountain has a well-labeled series of trails of various difficulties. We did some blue trails as well as the green pond trails. The blue trails were enough of an adrenaline rush for me - maybe I will work up to the oranges and blacks.

The ridge features a hill to the right and a cliff to the left. Later on, we climbed up ... and RJ fell to the cliff side. It took two of us to pull his bike back up.

After the ride I needed a new chain and new brakes. After the second adventure, I needed a new rear derailer cable.

Julia Turns Six

Sara did a fantastic job organizing a spectacular birthday for Julia.

Father's Day Preview Birthday

On Father's Day, Julia got cupcakes with Granddad.

Birthday Gifts

On her actual birthday, there were several gifts wrapped in various pieces of leftover fabric. Score one for the environment.

Thank goodness that some of the gifts were "toys." The warm-up gift on Father's Day was a slip-n-slide, which didn't qualify. By the end of the day, Julia had managed to play with most of her toys. She and RJ played played with the robot track the most!

Birthday Tea Party Lunch

Lunch was a tea-party extraordinaire - complete with teacups, mini-sandwiches, veggies, lemonade, and fruit. Since Doug was working from home, he got to participate.

Friend at a Social Distance

Julia's friend Sedona came over with her sister Summer. Another gift and some backyard fun.

Cherry Harvest 2020

The Good News Our cherry tree appears to have overcome the disease that gripped it last year. As of early June, the tree has added several branches and over 4 feet of height.

The Bad News We still had to spend $6 buying a bag of cherries from the store because the harvest was a bit slim this year. (The two cherries that RJ pilfered are not shown.)

Porch Cleaning

RJ has been super helpful around the house this spring. So far he has helped cut the lawn, paint the exterior basement, power wash the porch, clear pine branches, and fetch tools for Dad during projects like the whitetail post repair, the bathroom diverter replacement, gardening, and more.

Here he is cleaning the porch. Well ... at least he was until the opportunity to pester Julia presented itself.