Thanks to Apostles Lutheran (and my job which lets me afford it), I can put PE for Neil back into the Charybdis and Scylla curriculum. Last Fall, he learned to bike going around the off-road path that winds by Almaden Lake. He’s a much better biker now, but it’s still nice exercise.
A variety of factors (such as flat bike tires) delayed our lesson, but it was fun to be able to do it again (even though we couldn’t make it all the way to the end.) It was also interesting to see how things had changed since last year.
There were fewer casual walkers, but far more groups of people who were enjoying the big park for its recreational features. In particular, I was intrigued by some Chinese people who seemed to be doing tai chi with swords:
Last year, the geese were nearly obese and waddled in front of our bikes, probably expecting us to throw them food. This year, the geese were noticeably thinner, and not quite as eager to get in our way. Nonetheless, Neil got off his bike and shooed them back to the lake, just like he used to do last year.
While Neil was navigating his way through a phalanx of strollers who didn’t understand English, I spoke to one a fisherman by the lake. There were also noticeably more people fishing that last year, though they still don’t keep and eat the fish they eat. They can only fish for sport, and toss the fish back after they’ve caught them, because they’re tainted with mercury.
In any case, I was happy to have PE back because we’ve both missed it. The week after next, we’ll be checking out the homeschoolers’ trampoline hour at Sky High Sports in Santa Clara, a PE activity Neil particularly loves.