Reflections regarding Wednesday October 2, 2024 in Caesarea, Israel
A favorite theme on this adventure for the boys is finding playgrounds wherever we go. Israel is an amazing place to be for playgrounds. Unlike other countries we visited, it often feels like Israel has a playground every few hundred feet. And they are great playgrounds. Caesarea has a fantastic playground about a mile from my parents’ house that is easily accessible by a walking/biking path. The weather was gorgeous, and we needed to get out of the house. What better than to take the boys for a bike ride to the park so they could play on the playground, and maybe even play some basketball.
One of my goals for the boys in Israel was to get as much biking in as we could so that we could explore different cities by bike. Caesarea is a great place for beginner bikers to learn and practice their biking skills. The roads are flat and there is a bike path that extends all the way through the city. Matanel, who was awesome on a balance bike, had not fully mastered biking before we left. This was a fantastic opportunity to build his confidence on a bike. Another goal was to find ways the boys could spend quality time with their Poppop. Nothing better than a bike ride. Luckily, my dad is eighty years young and still bikes, works out, and does so many other activities better than I do. Poppop biking with the boys was a huge treat.
As Poppop biked ahead with Amichai, Eitan, and Shai, I ran/walked next to Matanel gently holding his bike while he grew more comfortable riding. In true parent-child fashion, Matanel was annoyed with me by the end because I kept letting go. Thankfully, Amichai was so excited for Matanel to learn how to bike he took over as coach and had Matanel riding on his own by the time we left. Watching big brother teach his little brother a life skill was a remarkable moment. Heading home, my dad took the other boys ahead while I ran next to Matanel who was now biking independently, but slower than the other boys. About five minutes in, Matanel took a spill just after he told me “I’m cookin’!” I gave him a good long hug and we sat in the grass for a little bit to take a break. And that was it. The tiny but mighty guy was back on his bike pedaling away.
We were pretty far behind the others which made my dad worry. He had Amichai take the other boys home so he could check on us. Poppop and Matanel rode together while I ran behind. It was a special afternoon.
