Old-fashioned fun

Highlights of a June weekend visit to Baton Rouge were attending Granddaughter Molly Kate’s dance recital and indulging in some old-fashioned entertainment with Grandson Walker.

Hubby, AKA Baboo by our grands, launched their own checkers tournament. There were some serious moans and groans, laughter, cheers, and instructions on strategy.

Grandfather and grandson sharpen their checkers skills.

But what surprised me most was the 1000 pieces of a  jigsaw puzzle spread out on the dining table. It took me back to my childhood when Mother and my aunts included me in similar scenes. 

Thanks to them I grew up relishing the challenge of finding the corners and the edges, and painstakingly matching colors, shapes and other details to piece puzzles together.

Walker’s selection was a world removed from the idyllic scenes my mother and aunts chose. His puzzle was a Thomas Kincade creation of Gotham City featuring Batman, Robin, the Batmobile and a multitude of the dynamic duo’s villainous adversaries. 

The puzzle’s Gotham City darkness was punctuated with dramatic contrasts of light pouring from windows, doors and the Batmobile’s headlights, true to Kincade’s style as the self-described “Painter of Light.”

I was surprised at how long and successfully nine-year-old Walker worked at finding and fitting puzzle pieces. More modern avenues of entertainment were not totally ignored, however. 

At intervals in the weekend, we cheered him on as he enthusiastically zapped lethal zombies and other baddies in his sessions playing the popular video game Fortnite.  

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