2000 Steps

Davis and Evi started their Spring Break last Friday. Happily, they are using our house as their base of operations for Digging Deep into the Heart of Texas and Training for March's Beer/Bike Spectacular (their two designated Spring Break activities).

So I came home from Chess Club yesterday afternoon about 5:30 and found them dressed in workout clothes. I snagged Willie and Teddy for quick pre-sunset walk, expecting to find an empty house when I returned (on the presumption Davis and Evi were headed to the Rec Center).

Instead, I found the two of them running up and down the stairs. First Evi, up and down the ten steps to the landing, ten times in a row, in under a minute. Then, Davis, up and down, times ten, in a minute. With just one minute rest, Evi took her second turn. Then Davis. Back and forth. No rest in between. Until they had each gone up 1000 steps and back down. Like the eastern philosopher says, a journey of 1000 steps begins with the first step (and then is followed by 999 more steps!).

So here is another question:

Evi, Davis, Walter, and I have gotten in the habit of playing games as part of their visit home: cards, dominoes, charades, board games. This time they arrived with a game in mind, but without the game. They spent some time shopping around the Microplex on Saturday--Jacque's, WalMart, Target, Toys R Us--and could not find Settlers of Catan.


Actually, here is the question, finally: If you wanted to buy a game and couldn't find it in your city, what would you do?

If you were Davis and Evi, you would make it from scratch, which is what they did on Saturday evening and Sunday. They made the re-arrangeable hexagonal board. Built resource cards. Cut and painted wooden markers for the settlements, roads, and cities. Saturday we played with a rudimentary version of the game (pictured below), and by last night we had a pretty high quality version of this game.



Today they are on a road trip back to Houston. Thursday, I think they are touring the Blue Bell Ice Cream plant. Friday, they are joining Walter and I in Dallas. Besides those simple guideposts, I don't really know what else they will fit in. But nothing would surprise me.