Luca Makes First!

Grandson Luca at a baseball camp today.

Redwood City Heat, San Francisco Humidity

What a joy to get up early (I love getting up at 7 when I don't have to) and driving my daughter, her friend and her friend's mother down to Redwood City on the peninsula. It was cool and foggy here when we left but hot down there by game time.

Great game, from our perspective, as Athena White (wearing red jerseys) won. Number 43 acquitted herself well.

Afterwards, we visited a local Jamba Juice and then traveled along 101 North to the city by the bay.

It is foggy here, yes, but now somehow also humid. We are having very strange weather. No rain is predicted.

Julia and I did a big grocery shopping trip, where 80% of what we purchased are her favorite items. It is so nice to begin to adjust to our new life where it is just me and her.

Not that I don't miss my boys -- I do so terribly. Yesterday after a week of trying I found a ticket home for Dylan for Thanksgiving weekend. ("Only" $532 -- the airlines are like a shakedown gang.)

Tonight we will order Chinese food, her favorite.

Tomorrow, another soccer game, in SF.

You know that old ironic movie, with Jack Nicholson, "As Good As It Gets"?

Let me tell you something, to have my child here and be anticipating dinner, relaxing, under no pressure, savoring a victory, knowing her brothers are starting to adapt to their new lives in Missoula, having enough money to handle things, seeing the flowers and trees out back, remembering all of those who used to live here with us -- that's pretty much as good as it gets.

Stated without irony.

-30-

Morning Glories

I almost titled this post "Life and Death," but I chose a softer headline. Early today, before taking Julia to school, I snapped this photo at our back fence. Aren't those blue flowers lovely?

It was a complicated day at work, but ignoring that, the message I got from Aidan this afternoon changed everything about the feeling I have about this particular day.

A high school friend of his died in a car accident last night. He found out via Instagram. That should be a reminder for all of us that news no longer comes via media but via social media, and how our kids know much more than we do about what they care about before any of us in media do our jobs.

The moment he texted me I remembered the title of the wire story I had seen earlier today: "Fatal accident." I always hate those wire posts, fearing I might somehow be connected to the people whose lives have ended.

This time, as it turns out, I was, through my son.

The car his friend was riding in, or maybe driving, was speeding at 11 p.m. last night when it clipped a SUV, flipped off of 580, crashed into a tree and burned. The boy and his friend died instantly.

So the only comfort I could offer Aidan was that -- no suffering.

"I'm glad he didn't lay hurting in a hospital," was Aidan's response.

How do you talk to your kids at these moments? Did I say the right things?

Meanwhile, I cannot imagine the pain that boy's family and close friends must be feeling. We lose children through accidents over and over.  Kids take risks. Is there any way our society could get better? Self-driving cars?

Might there be a day today's text and call for me and Aidan could not have to happen?

-30-

Family Sunday