Ph. is two days into a Shakespeare Camp at Thornden Park this week. He and
about ten others are working up costumes, practicing for a dance gig, and gearing
up to perform it at Thursday’s 5:30 p.m. opening of The Taming of the Shrew
at the amphitheater. They’re not shouldering the full play, exactly, just the
dance routine on opening night. And then on Friday, in a small showing for
families and friends of the actors and campers, campers will perform Act 1,
Scene 4: Petruchio’s Country House. Ph. is Petruchio, which means 70-some lines,

many of which are used up with badgering servants and fawning over Kate.
Come out Thursday if you’re in Syracuse.

Meanwhile, we’re also steaming into soccer season. He had the final
full-length summer match last night, a 1-1 draw vs. West Genesee. Tomorrow night
is the summer league finale. To cap the season they play a shortened match
against the team from the other division ranked in the same position as them.
Second? Third? Doesn’t matter much. After that, full soccer workouts start
August 21. I took Y. over to the high school fields this morning for twenty
minutes of tennis ball toss while Ph. timed himself in the mile on the cinder
track (must be under six minutes to clear for fall soccer practice). From there
we walked over to the tennis courts for game of soccer-tennis (Socnis? Tencer?),
which was surprisingly close and entertaining. It’s just like tennis, only no
hands. No rackets. No tennis balls. But the scoring, rotations and tie-break
schemes are all the same. And we play two-bounce on each possession, so you can
settle the ball before sending it back. Just like conventional tennis, minus the
tennis elbow: you can play as hard as you want to play, rest for a game, and so
on. But it’s a decent hour of exercise (we played just one set).

Ah, and somebody brought by a dinner spread complete with strawberry-rhubarb
pie for Is.’s one-week fiesta (er…siesta). She had a first visit to the
pediatrician yesterday, managed to pack on five ounces in three days. Not bad
considering an ounce per day is standard for the ones who reach full term.