5:00

Day three of the summer saw me spend very little time with both kids. Oh, we were all around for breakfast, and for the "Do Something Productive" time (typing, practicing, watering). But then . . .

Alex supervises the Do Something Productive hour from his perch at our back window. 

Strings camp, which meant I was all alone (and sipping a coffee at Dunkin Donuts while catching up on work gossip.

After strings camp, Caroline was up at the high school for her cooking camp while Sam and I hung out. We took a bike ride, tracing a 6-mile root that connected the three train stations of Lansdale.

The route of our ride at 1:00 today. 

I got Caroline home, but then she got a call from Zoe and was there for the rest of the afternoon.

She got home near dinner time, and just a few minutes later Sam got a call to go up the street to Jacob.

Whew.

So, when it was time for Caroline to go to Zoe's, she asked how long she could stay. My answer: 5:00 pm. Why 5? Growing up it was the default time to be home from getting together with a friend. When I was Caroline's age, that friend was most likely to be Ben, who lived just down Grove Rd. and could be reached by dialing 286-5227. Note that the number isn't 10-digit. Note, also, that I still have that number memorized but don't have it memorized for any of my adult friends.

(I'm still in touch with Ben but don't have his number memorized.)

Today happens to be Ben's birthday.

Ben is second from left in this pic from a 2013 road trip. 

I'm grateful for friendships like Ben's (and Gary's . . . Gary is to Ben's left). Friendships that are about as old as the hills. Distance and schedule prevents us from getting together as often as we'd like. But I think of friendships like these as I look at my kids setting up patterns of getting together and hanging out at ages 10 and 12. Patterns that leave me at home alone, but not lonely. Patterns that may lead to friendships that last another 30 years.