Another afternoon at Railroad Park

I know I go on and on about Railroad Park like you guys don't have parks.

It's probably because, for a long time, we didn't have a really great park in the middle of downtown Birmingham, one that nestles right up to the train tracks and abuts our skyscrapers -- such as they are.

But now we've got Railroad Park, and because it's only a couple of blocks from my office and I literally watched every mound of dirt being moved as it was built several years ago, I have a special affinity for it. So we go as often as we can.

A couple of months ago when Grayson, Nathaniel and Jake were out of town on a Boy Scout camping trip, I took Nick, Amelia and Nick's friend Drake down there for a few hours. And we met Jamie there, too.

All Nick wants to do is find the nearest hill and ride down it a thousand times.

And all Amelia wants to do is follow him.

At top speed.

Let me tell you something: Watching this child run down hills in all of her two-year-old, uncoordinated glory gives me a series of coronaries as it happens.

But YOU try stopping her.

NO SIREE, BOB. She's having NONE OF THAT.

I just have to let her go and hope for the best.

Nick's friend Drake had borrowed one of our skateboards and some extra safety gear, and he gamely tried to keep up with Nick.

Me again with the mini-coronaries on the sidelines.

Drake and Amelia, GIVING NOT A SH*T ABOUT MY HEART-HEALTH.

Of course I'd been the responsible host-parent and asked Drake's parents if it was okay for him to try skateboarding with us, and they'd given their permission.

And for a first-timer, he actually did GREAT.

He stayed up most of the time, and when he fell, he popped right back up.

After all, he WAS learning from The Best.

Meanwhile, I was getting in some good visiting time with Jamie, who'd kindly come down to keep me company. It was EXTRA-NICE of her to STAY at the park once she saw the condition of my hair.

After the boys felt like they'd conquered the sidewalks, we moved over to the skateboard bowls.

The weather was so stunning, I could have just sat and chatted with Jamie and watched them roll around in the bowls all day.

But I'm not gonna speak for EVERYBODY. I mean, that could POSSIBLY have been the day that Jamie definitively decided that she's not having kids. She MIGHT have scheduled a hysterectomy for the following Monday.

Blue skies, perfect temperatures and the ice cream truck can only offset so much screaming and whining, amiright?