Manifesting Zane

Tommy Toes Turns 49 I was up at 7am after a decent night of sleep. I quietly slipped downstairs to exercise and start some coffee. Frankie must’ve been feeling lazy. She didn’t want to leave the comfort of her pen. I headed out for my run with her still cooped up. It was 830am but already warm and humid. The high was expected to reach 86. Mindy was up soon after I returned from my run. Jacob slept a while longer. Aside from golf later in the afternoon, we had nothing firm on our agenda. Soon after Jacob woke, he and Mindy perused the internet for a new, bigger skateboard ramp. Jacob was even willing to spend his own money on this monstrous ramp (about 6ft high and 6 ft deep) that he found on Target.com. Where would we store the beast when not in use? I did my best to convince him that he’d be wasting his money. He didn’t like it, but listened. He shared how bored he is using his tiny little ramp on the sidewalk. As an alternative, I suggested we visit the Hilliard skate park. I had to Google the park to find its exact locale. Real close to the soccer fields, community center, and pool. Around 12pm Mindy, Jacob and I headed off to the Hilliard skate park. After driving around in the larger park we finally happened upon the skate park. It was empty. Mindy and I sat atop a small hill overlooking the skate park watching Jacob fumble around on his board. After 10-15 minutes I could take no more and headed down to show him how to do it. Big mistake! I promptly busted my keester. One minute I was upright, and on my butt the next. Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt. A couple minutes later our prayers were answered. Enter Zane, a local skater boy and his girlfriend. He showed up just when Jacob had all but given up. He offered to show Jacob the ropes. It was up to Jacob. Did he want the help? He agreed to work with Zane. Zane worked with Jacob for the next 30 minutes. And by the time it was all said and done, he had Jacob riding the ramps … slowly but still riding. We were grateful for his help and thanked him multiple times. Jacob was stoked. Zane was a good teacher talking as much about the psychology behind being a successful boarder as he did about the physical attributes. He showed Jacob a problem with his board. Wheels rubbing the bottom of the board. No wonder I fell! After we thanked Zane, he told Mindy and I that he would be reporting to boot camp for the U.S. Marines in two weeks. Now almost 2pm, we left the skate park and headed across the street to Beef O’Brady’s for lunch. Mindy and I had eaten there once before a few years back. Jacob ordered their boneless wings (big surprise). I ordered mini-burgers, slaw, and potato salad. Mindy ordered a salad. The food was fair. Mindy picked up the tab. After lunch we stopped by Play it Again Sports to look at ‘better’ skateboards. Jacob bought a better skate board for about $50. We made him buy a helmet too. He refused to buy/wear elbow/knee/wrist pads. We headed towards home. It was already 315pm when we arrived home. I didn’t have long at all before I’d be leaving for golf. By the time I readied my gear and changed my shirt it was time. I left the house at 4pm sharp. I made excellent time hitting no traffic back-ups for once. I was first to arrive. I paid up and practiced putting and chipping for a while before the Bob’s arrived 10-15 minutes later. It was warm and sunny with an occasional breeze. It looked like it might storm back towards the north. I saw my old buddy, Pat McMasters again. We tee’d off #9 right in front of his league – 4:55pm. I wasn’t driving as well as I did Saturday, but still managed to stay out of harms way. My second shots were fair too. Tonight’s Achilles heel was putting. I three putted far too many greens. I carded a 51 after taking an eight on the final hole – a long par five. The sky threatened rain after hole number 12, but thankfully the storm blew over minutes later. A stiff breeze kicked up too. The skies stayed overcast for the remainder of the evening. We finished just after 7pm. I called Mindy on my drive home. She talked to brother Tommy. He’d be joining us on the lake Friday, and so would my dad. Speaking of which, this was Tommy’s 49th birthday. I arrived home around 730pm. Jacob reported that he’d been skating boarding since I left. He had Evan and Bella doing it too. Meanwhile, Mindy was inside and was just finishing up preparations for Friday’s boating outing. She had sandwiches made and towels and sunblock all ready to go. Cool! Mindy shared the jump house dilemma that Chrissy and Kenny were facing. More on that later. I sipped a Jack & Coke while reading from the big chair. Mindy and I headed to bed early for a non-work night. It was just after 10pm when we made our way to bed.