Block Party Weekend

This past Saturday we had a block party in our part of the neighborhood. This was the second time we as neighbors had done this with the last one occurring well over a year ago. It gives us a chance to visit with old friends as well as meet new families who have moved into our little section of Westyn Bay.

Cathy and I have always felt like we lucked out when we built our home as we have made great friends with our neighbors. It reminds me of my neighborhood as a kid. If I was going out I would tell my mom that JR and I were going down to Jimmy's to play. She knew JR's parents as well as Jimmy's mom. (That and because Jimmy's mom was also my 2nd grade Language Arts teacher and then there was that whole "little chair" incident but that's for another time.)

Back to the party. Barb and Pablo always host it and provide the tables, some refreshments, entertainment and traffic control. They live at the end of the street that is more cul-de-sac than corner. The rest of us bring a dish and we usually end up with more food than we all can eat.

At the last party Benjamin only stayed out for maybe 30 minutes before he went back to the house but that was because he was only a month old. This time he was all over the place. He wanted to mainly play with the older boys in the bounce house but we kept him outside of the "house" for safety.

The party was supposed to run from 4:30-8 but everyone was having such a good time and the kids seemed to be occupied with one another that it went later. We ended up taking Mr. Exhausted home around 8:45 so he could go to bed. When I talked with our neighbor Lisa on Sunday she told me the party was still going when she left at midnight. That's what will happen when Pablo makes his sangria.

I've told Cathy this many times before that this is the type of neighborhood in which I want to raise a family. You see on the news frequently when the police make a drug bust or worse the reporter asks neighbors to describe the person arrested. They usually respond with, "I dunno he seemed like a nice guy. I'd wave at him when we were going out but I never knew him."

That's not Cardassi Drive. If we're heading out and we see Chuck or Kathy walking the dogs we usually roll the window down and start a 15-minute conversation. That's how neighbors were when I was a kid and that's what I want for mine.