End of Summer

I know summer doesn't officially end until September 20, however for most parents like myself, the onset of school has always signaled that end. My son went back to college today. It's hard to believe he is a Sophomore, it seemed like only yesterday he was in grade school.




The weekend ended on a high note for the both us. We were able to put in a few hours fishing late Friday. During that time, we shared a few laughs, traded a few barbs and had a good talk about the upcoming year ahead.  I'm sure one of my son's summer highlights had to be his trip to New York. Even though he only went for a few days, I do believe he saw more than most people see in several trips. Luckily for me he had someone who grew up in the Bronx, Queens and works there now, show him city they know and love. My son told me New Yorkers have a lot of pride in the places they grew up. NP  came away impressed with New Yorkers, which totally surprised me. My own personal  impression of  people in New York City  was quite different, but then again I was just 12 years old when I visited my one and only time. After hearing him, I most certainly need to visit again.  The only thing my son didn't like about New York was the fact they don't serve biscuits. Because of this NP said he could never live there. Outside of the "not serving biscuits", the only other thing my son  found  disgusting was the Hudson River. He told me  about the different colors of water and how nasty the river looked.  I mentioned to him a news story I had read last week  of man who died swimming during an "Iron Man" competition.  The competition was  a few weeks back, all I know is the guy died in the water. Even if he had a heart attack, it wouldn't surprise me if the stress of swimming in pollutants might cause it.   I remember reading the comments that followed the article and most people voiced the opinion "why would anyone swim in such a contaminated river".  Still my son enjoyed his trip so much he plans to go again on Fall Break.

Saturday was our family's big birthday bash. The past few years we found it easier to lump one month's birthdays into one huge celebration.  We celebrated 4 birthdays that evening, one which was my son's, he turned the big 20, so he's no longer a teen. The food and company  were great and we had a lot of good laugh. I ruled in cornhole  for once. This was surprising for me since I only play twice a year.  I played this summer at the beach. I guess throwing in a strong wind all week long, makes tossing bags in zero wind a cool breeze for me. I found myself  knocking in 3 and 4 bags  each time I was up. It was late when when we left the party and headed home. That night my son finished packing and headed back to his apartment near the UNCC Campus. He was looking forward to his return and his first class begins at 8 am Monday.

It seems like any time my son leaves for long periods of time I always feel a void. I guess it's something a parent never really gets away from. NP  and I are close, so we stay in touch through out the school year. No texting, facebook or twitter for us, just a good old fashion phone call. I make sure to always give him plenty of space and let him do most of the contacting. I'm the opposite of how my parents treated me.  I'm always amazed at the parents who Facebook their kids, I guess it's an honest way to spy on their friends and activities. Still I prefer to leave my son's world to him.  If he has friends he wants me to meet, he will introduce them in time. The best ones I always meet. As for the activities of his  college life, I trust my son will behave with in reason. I expect him to have fun, be a little crazy, because the real world comes to quickly.  I know that he won't do anything that will get him arrested.

Now that NP is gone I have a little more freedom at home, especially with comings and goings. I'll have plenty of  fun while he is away, that's for sure. I'll do my best not to get arrested while he is at school, lol.

For some reason there just seems to be a temporary void when he leaves. To fill that void this time I thought why not blog about it. No one will ever read this anyway, including my son. Hopefully I'll see him a few times between now and Christmas.  I know we will fish one or two more times  out on our dock in the fall. Both of us are looking  forward to another great Spring/Summer.  We both felt Spring was way to short this year and that we went right into summer after a few weeks of Spring. The fishing for us wasn't as great as it has been in past years. We caught fish, but not the consistency of 30-40 pounders we had been catching. We attribute most of  the drop off  to an early summer. I hope we are right about that, since we release all the fish we catch.

Still I have to say everything ended up perfect for the summer of 2012. I couldn't be happier, let's hope the trend continues for 2013.