Tucker Phelps and his dad, Mike, dropped by this Sunday morning with a load of fresh vegetables. The captain of the Falcons team, Tucker has been playing soccer for many years. And his dad played defense for Rich back in the 20th century! (The 1980s to be precise.) Thanks, Phelps Family!
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 Weld at Sunset… August 2014 I woke the boys at 5:30 a.m. this morning so they could catch the yellow school bus for a tournament about 60 miles south of Rumford. They did not move quickly even with my countdowns and Bailey's howls. But, we made it to the bus on time.
Friday they trucked off with me to their second day of school. They have pretty good teachers--I don't often select classes of the subjects… I look for the most effective teachers. Felix has Spanish 3/4 with a native-speaking teacher and a Spanish exchange student. There are only 5 kids in the Spanish class. Rasmus has a my neighbor and friend, Chris Carver, for a history class. Chris is a savvy, thoughtful teacher. Both boys have a LifeTime Pursuits sports class that includes canoeing, kayaking, climbing, and more. Naturally, on the second day the class was heading out to canoe one of the local rivers… the boys misheard the directions and missed the adventure. Next time! After soccer practice on Friday, they joined two other boys to get haircuts. The "barber" is a former soccer player who charges $7 per cut. He drives to peoples' houses if there are several clients. I must admit, the young man did a fine job on the boys' hair cuts. After two weeks and 1 day in America, the boys are adjusting. They are a bit tired from the nonstop activity, but they'll recover over this long weekend. We'll head to Weld tomorrow to hang out with my nephew Denny, his wife Jen, and their two teenaged daughters--my goddaughters--Morgan and Caroline. Brother Rob and his family leave early tomorrow morning. On Monday, Labor Day Holiday, I head off to the University for Monday and Tuesday. The boys will take the 3 minute walk up to Connie's and Ben's and enjoy some "mothering" and good food. Speaking of mothering… at the game the other day I was introduced to the Swedish exchange student named Gustav… Felix said, "This is our host mother, Richard." And so it goes in Rumford, Maine USA. 
To see all of the album (if you dare), click on this line.
The boys had a fun match today and won 6-1. Here, their friend Gustav (Sweden) poses with them after the match. To see all of the photos, click on this line.
Again, Felix is convinced that I have an Asian bloodline as I wield my camera at every opportunity… Some day, however, they may appreciate these photos. For now, the photos are for parents, sisters, grandparents, relatives, and friends. Keep smiling, boys. After school, Rasmus and Felix jump on the yellow school bus with their soccer teammates and head 35 miles east to Livermore falls for a "friendly" soccer match.
 Noemi, Jose, and kids went to a Red Sox game and won a Dunkin Donuts' card for being in the right row of seats. They gave the card to the boys… and they cashed it in last night. (The title of this blog entry is a play on a Dominican baseball player's words when asked how he liked playing professional baseball in America.)
After a morning and early afternoon of water skiing and tubing (crazy pictures to follow), the boys went to soccer practice and then came home to (happily) mow the lawn. Afterwards, they took a Dunkin Donuts "pass" from Jose and bought lots of goodies from DDs (disgusting pictures to follow). It is very hot for late August in Rumford, but we survive.
The boys enjoyed an afternoon and evening with the Kent's of Newport Beach, California. To see the complete album, just click on this line.
  While chatting with the boys yesterday about the first week, Rasmus said, "I think we're in a rhythm now." Although school hasn't begun and 'that' rhythm hasn't started, I do feel we have moved into the easy day-to-day that happens over the first few weeks. Last night, I was away for a wedding. The boys had spent the afternoon at a local swimming hole with cliffs and then went to a soccer mate's house. From there, they went to a charity supper (a.k.a., benefit dinner) that small towns host for people who may have experienced a hardship like a medical emergency or house fire. The boys had spaghetti, and then got a ride home from their friend Tucker Rowland. Bailey greeted his two brothers with enthusiasm. They started the dishwasher, took Bailey for a walk around the neighborhood, and then found a movie on the TV to watch. It does seem like they're in a rhythm,
Sofia took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and then posed for a picture with the boys. Sofia is a nationally-ranked tennis player in Mexico and has trained in Florida this summer. She's an amazing talent and even more, a wonderful young woman.
Rasmus and Felix had a terrific day at the lake culminating with a Lobster Feed. To see the full album of photos, just click on this line. And again, click on the photos above to enlarge.
The boys had two practices on Monday and in between we went to Weld where my family's summer homes are. It was windy but the boys still headed down the brook behind our cabins. The boys are doing great although they are tired trying to manage soccer, a new life, a new language… it's exhausting, but again, they're totally into it. This weekend they'll have a chance to rest at the lake and prepared for school. Rich's brother Rob and his family arrive on Sunday or Monday… they are totally into water skiing and wake boarding. Should be a fun few days.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has swept across the USA on Facebook with everyone from Bill Gates to famous sports figures pouring buckets of ice and cold water over their heads to help raise money for the fight against the disease. Each person then nominates other people. See a YouTube video here. So, the captain of the soccer team challenged Felix and Rasmus… and they, in turn challenged me and some neighbors. And so it goes…. :-)
The boys' Aunt Connie and Uncle Ben live 4 doors down. We're lucky to have them as back-up hosts for when Rich leaves for an overnight. They've hosted a slew of French students during summer time and since 2008, they've been aunt and uncle to Alex, Peter, Yago, Luiz, Simon, and Jan… and now Felix and Rasmus! Thank you, Connie & Ben!!!
 The boys were such good sports as I proposed a quick hike up a local mountain. This photo is at the covered bridge near the mountain's trailhead. The rest of the album from Facebook may be found here (<--click on that line). The hike up and down Whitecap Mountain took about 2.5 hours.
 The boys arrived this morning in Portland without a lot of hassle. Now, we're unpacking and getting used to our new Boston Red Sox hats!
Bailey Tuckerman and I are waiting for the boys to arrive tomorrow morning. We'll do our best to show their school year in America on this blog. Thanks for sharing the boys with us! (Just a reminder… click on photos to enlarge!) "Where are the boys, dad? I even took a bath! I'll share my bones with them."
Remember: Click on photos to enlarge. The Kent boys, Ryan and Tyler, took the Michaud kids for a casual tube on Lake Webb. For the Facebook page photos, click here. Click on photos below to enlarge. |
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