Buses, Bands, and (Corn)Bread

I am recovered from two days home with the boys followed by a field trip with 75 fourth graders to Orchestra Hall and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Great places they both are, but keeping the attention of 10 years olds in these places is tough.

Taking this trip reminded me of two things:
1) Taking the bus to school as a kid
2) That school children cannot easily distinguish between the end of an ochestral piece and a dramatic pause (during the piano solo of 15 minute performance, the kid audience must have started to clap at least six times).

My family has a history with buses starting with my great-grandfather. He drove bus and, if I rememember right, hitched up the sleigh and horses in the winter. On the southwest side of the woods the runners from the old sleigh are still visible (although sunk down into the sod).

Grandpa drove bus for many years and even had a bus garage built on his property that we've since used as a shelter for pigs, horses, bunnies, pheasants, cars, and loads of grain.

The bus driver I had since 3rd grade, Bob, gave me my greatest memories. He was a good guy and a great driver that never got us stuck. Bob would pull over on the highway and let cars pass him rather than hold them up. There was peace on this bus, too. You did not mess with Bob. Even in his mid-60s I remember him pulling a kid out of his seat by the collar so hard the kid hit his head on the ceiling.

The problem was that Bob got motion sickness. He would have to pull over a couple times a week and get out of the bus. When this happened the kids in front would plaster their faces to the window hoping to see Bob throw-up. I'm not sure if he ever actually did. He would usually climb back in and make some joke. After a while it became a routine and the only people that made a big deal out of it were the kids that hadn't rode that long.

It's ironic that I remember the bus days so fondly because I could not wait to get my license and drive to school. The days mom drove us to school were few and far between. They were exotic glimpses into the lives of city kids. I'd like it if a bus picked me up for work and took me home.

In kid news:

Jack brought a new book home from day care to read. They're the Dr. Seuss books with the same basic rhyming words repeated over and over in different sentence patterns. He is doing really well.

He is also a cornbread lover. Jodi bought some at the store for supper tonight. He told her he wished he could just eat cornbread. So Jodi informed him of when she and her dad used to make cornbread on Sunday nights because her mom didn't care for it. "Can we do that?" he asked. Jodi said she'll have to talk to Papa Dale.