Hockey Boy.

My son, Will, also known as Hockey Boy, is 16.

Since acquiring his driver's license, a car and the freedom of summer, Hockey Boy appears at home about as much as he does in my blog. He has long had an aversion to motherly chats, but he is particularly good at making himself scarce when his mother is wielding a camera.

Hockey Boy's primary goal this summer (or, I should say, his father's chief objective for him this season) is to complete his Eagle Scout project. He is building wood duck nesting boxes that he will place at nearby White Rock Lake. I hope that the varying quality of their future housing doesn't result in any sort of class riots among the local wood ducks. Let's just say that Hockey Boy has learned a lot over the course of the project and that the *newer* models might be perceived as somewhat more full-featured than the early ones if one were a discerning wood duck.

One of the requirements of the project is to incorporate others into the planning and implementation. We have had a parade of loyal friends and cousins here helping during the past few weeks. Somehow no sisters have availed themselves to Hockey Boy (funny how that works). Dots, of course, would maintain that this is a *Boy* Scout project which precludes her participation (that and the fact that there is actual work involved).


Cousins Hollis and Owen lend a helping hand.


Will's friend Robert has been a lot of assistance.


James has also put in several appearances.

Hockey Boy had tryouts this weekend for a new travel team, and I managed to snap a few pictures of him there.


Hockey Boy is the black blur on the left.


Hockey Boy is either too fast to capture on film or his mother really needs to upgrade her camera. Since the boys on the bench are probably not in motion but are still blurry, the latter scenario is more likely.

Our house sometimes is the gathering spot for Hockey Boy and his friends. Parental units, especially mothers with cameras, are strictly discouraged from mingling. If such a creature does put in an appearance, no one would dare encourage her by looking her way or stopping to pose.



Thank goodness Hockey Boy needs money for gas and food, or we might not ever see him at all.