Father - Son Day Outing...

Friday was an excellent day out for Michael and I. He was out of school for the day due to a little event going on in the greater Tri-Cities area, and I was able to leave work early so he and I could spend the afternoon together. We started the afternoon with an early dinner at a fantastic little picnic spot by a creek. Our food choices were plentiful including hot dogs, barbecue, smoked ribs, meatballs, cole slaw, potato salad, chips, pie, and ice cream. Michael attacked what can only be described as one of the largest hot dogs I have ever seen while I focused on a plate full of meatballs and ribs. We finished off our meal with ice cream sandwiches and frozen fruit bars, then headed out for our next adventure.

Our next stop was a street market and carnival-like event with a decidedly NASCAR theme. We walked from booth to booth looking at the products and wares on display, squeezing in a game or two as we went. We raced through mazes, played Whack-a-Mole, and even battled ping pong balls with leaf blowers. Michael got to get his "craft" groove on at a Lowe's-sponsored tent where he built a wooden race car from scratch, with a little help from Dad of course.

All and all it was a wonderful day for father and son. We played, we ate, and we even just relaxed and did some people watching. It was an excellent afternoon and evening. Oh yeah, and we did get a chance to watch some cars turn left and drive really fast.