Best. Day. Ever.

If you don't, or have never lived in East Tennessee - especially in the spring - you missed it this weekend.

Saturday dawned clear and cool, and we headed out to BrainyBoy v9.2's soccer game. BB's on the 9/10-year-old team, and at this level the positions are still a little fluid. He played goalie for 3 quarters and defense for one...really, defense is his best position but he's just not nearly fast enough to play forward and his size makes him a little intimidating. We should be getting a team picture soon, and I'll post it as soon as I can.

Unfortunately the other team wiped up the field with us - they were bigger, stronger faster and as such I suspected bionic or possibly Borg enhancement. Plus they had ten kids and could rotate three in and out every quarter...we only had seven and everyone played the whole game, and was exhausted by the end. We ended up losing 8-3, but kept it a game until the fourth. BB...poor guy. He tries his best to play goalie, but in his own words..."I don't want to get hit by the ball!" Can't blame him I suppose.

As a rule, I can't stand soccer. Sorry, just can't. As most of you know, I'm a baseball guy. Soccer, like hockey and even basketball at times, is just too random and chaotic for me. I know people tell me there's infinite strategy involved in soccer, but sorry folks..I don't see it. That being said, it's all thrown out the window when your son's playing. GO FIREBALLS!!!

After the game, we gathered everyone up and headed to downtown Knoxville to the open-air plazz known affectionately world-round as Market Square Mall (or just Market Square to the purists). You see, this is the time of the Dogwood Arts Festival here in Knoxville...a time of great rejoicing, celebration and merriment where we celebrate - a tree.

No, not just any tree - the Dogwood tree. And thus...we dance.

On Market Square, there were food booths, craft booths, game booths, Shirley Booths (ok, she skipped the event) plus singing and dancing and boot-tapping. We ate at a great new (to us) Italian place on the Mall called "Oodles". If you're down there sometime, check it out.

Some of the teachers from the kids' school performed in a singing group, which was fun to watch.

After tooling around there for a while, we drove out to tour a couple of the "Dogwood Trails" - specially marked neighborhood routes around the county that are especially flowery and such, which makes for a nice afternoon drive.

See Michael Silence's blog for some examples of what you might see along some of these trails. Unfortunately, we don't own a digital camera so photoblogging is not in my immediate plans...although it would be fun. If anyone wants to buy me a digital camera, feel free to contact me at any time.

Anyway, the weather was beautiful...the sights, the sounds....just great. We came back home, the kids played outside with the neighbors... I mowed the lawn, played with the dog.

Best. Day. Ever.


Update: Fixed broken link to Michael Silence's site - sorry, Michael.