Arrivals & Departures
My plane landed early in Newark Airport. Jim and Charlie and my parents had gone to Liberty State Park to ride bikes in what was bike ride #3 of the day: Jim had mentioned that Saturday I was coming home, whereupon Charlie started saying ‘Mom airplane’ and asking to go there right now that instant. … Read more
Over the George Washington Bridge
Bikes strapped to the car, we drove through the Meadowlands to Fort Lee in Bergen County, unloaded the bikes on River Road, and then Jim and Charlie rode over the George Washington Bridge. Jim had thought they'd just do the bridge and then return and then maybe we'd drive down to Liberty State Park in … Read more
A-bike and Aut
Charlie and Jim did 15 miles in 90 minutes on the D & R Canal in central Jersey, ending up at Lake Carnegie. I should note that—while these rides are a lot of fun, have played a huge role in allaying some of Charlie’s big-time behavior troubles, and, as far as we can tell, seem … Read more
Another Stage on the Tour de Jersey
Sunday we ventured into Springsteen country for another 14-miler. I’m getting sorely tempted to dub this summer’s staycation Charlie and Jim’s Excellent Adventure on the Tour de Jersey. Soundtrack: Charlie Parker, of course. (Sunday would have been his 90th birthday.) And some John Coltrane with A Love Supreme and My Favorite Things. And a … Read more
Yes, Another Biking In New Jersey Post
Another day, another bike ride in another part of New Jersey. The ride started in Kevin Smith territory after we made, appropriately enough, a stop at a convenience store. We didn't stop at that store but at a very large branch of one of the two chains we often patronize. Charlie spent quite a bit … Read more
Biking in the Old Neighborhood
Charlie, and we, slept in Saturday morning. Jim and I were glad about this—Charlie has been maintaining what is pretty much his usual school wake-up time of 6.30-7.30am—but Charlie was unsettled. It was 'no' to a walk and 'no' to a bike ride and then Charlie saying 'I want diner' and 'I want [name of … Read more
Outside the Comfort Zone
It's turning into a Have Bike Rack Will Tour kind of summer for us. When we had a bike rack put on the back of the white car That Has An Unbelievable Amount of Miles On It For a Car That Is Not Yet One Year Old, Jim and I didn't fully realize that we … Read more
Incident, and Progress, Report
On average, 'incident reports' get sent home in Charlie's school communication book about two times per week. These offer a brief account of whatever happened, possible antecedents/reasons for the behavior ('not sure' is an option, and I'd rather that—sometimes we just can't figure out why Charlie does what he does), a description of the response, … Read more
Travels With Charlie
When Charlie was younger I was always very tempted to name this blog Travels With Charlie, pace John Steinbeck. If there was one thing we did with Charlie, it was to go places. We went all around New Jersey and frequently to Philadelphia. We went to Washington, D.C., Boston, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, Saratoga, Vermont. … Read more
