Dinosaurs!

 I just realized that I didn't write about the dinosaurs.  That was on Sept. 6.

Anyway, there are often special events at the Civic Center, and on Sept. 6 they had the Jurassic Quest, a travelling dinosaur exhibit.  https://www.jurassicquest.com/

Rob and Amanda decided to bring Zeke up for it.  They try to give Zeke as many experiences as possible (like doing Tree to Tree).  They sometimes feel that Zeke got the short end of the stick.  When Dane was 7 they moved to Belgium, and eventually drove over the Alps to go live in Naples, Italy for a few years.  He's ice skated in Paris, played in the snow in Norway, and got his scuba diving certificate diving among Roman ruins.

Zeke has gotten Panama City, Florida.  With first a Cat 5 Hurricane when he was about 5 which disrupted everybody's lives, and then the Covid lockdown.

Anyway - adventures where you find them.  And it was fun.  The lighting in the Civic Center was dim, with red and green lights, the dino animatronics were huge and roaring, and it was just pretty darned impressive.

And there were games for Zeke to play and stuff to crawl on, and we all went out for hamburgers afterwards.

And, for the most part, I handled it well.  I do OK when I know where the triggers are.  Bob and I used to go to the Civic Center events together, and as he was well in touch with his inner 8-year-old, he would have loved this one.  And been impressed by the really good paint job on the dinosaurs.  And had fun watching Zeke run around.  I was ready for all those thoughts.

But there was one moment.  We were standing at the rope around a stage area, waiting for the dino show (a guy wearing a dinosaur puppet/suit).  Rob was standing behind Amanda and Zeke.  He casually put his hand on Amanda's shoulder.   And for a moment I almost lost it.  Just a offhand, affectionate touch, but something that I had for 48 years, but haven't had at all for the last two and a half.  Bob would have been standing behind me, and just for a moment I could feel him - feel the way I would lean back against him, that warm and solid "Wall o' Bobby."

I just never know when it's going to hit, what will trigger.  I'm good at hiding it.  And there's that outer me that was genuinely enjoying all the exhibits and the fun day (and mostly-vegetarian me really glommed onto that hamburger).