My grandson has developed an interest in karate and martial arts, so my son is going to sign him up for lessons at a karate studio near his home. They are having a special introductory package for a special price and its only for 6 weeks. I imagine that longs enough for a 5 year old to decide if this is something they want to do on an ongoing basis or if he will lose interest and move on to something else for the summer.

Two of my brothers were black belts in karate, and one opened a studio in Virginia for several years. So I know enough about the martial arts to carry a conversation, but by no means am I an expert.

For the beginner, I believe all they need is a uniform. On the awma.com website, they have student uniforms for only $16.95 they come of four colors, depending upon which color the studio prefers for students, and that’s the only expense to get started. If he decides to stay with it and go into advanced karate and maybe even competitions, there is more Martial Arts Gear on the website, like headguards, gloves, nunchakus, and even DVDs.

Over the weekend my son took the family to the lake for some late season R & R. He sent me this photo from his cell phone.

There is great fishing in Alabama, but it’s better to have a little bass boat than to try to hook anything from the shore. I was shocked to see how much money those little bass boats can cost – anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000 new at the dealer.

As soon as my son’s new business starts turning a profit, I know he would love to buy a bass boat and take my grandson out on the lake on the weekends. He’s almost old enough to sit still long enough to fish for an hour or so.

My son called and invited me to go fly fishing with him next weekend in Charleston, SC. One of his vendors is sponsoring a few select clients to go fly fishing.

What a great way to get someone’s ear for a dedicated 4 hours – put them on a boat where they can’t get off or leave you. They have to sit and listen to your sales pitch and they will also feel a little more obligated to buy from you since they’ve just benefited from your generosity for several hours. Good thing my son does not work for the government – those good old days are long gone. But this happens in private business in a variety of similar settings all the time. To be honest, that’s why I started playing golf – to be able to get a client’s ear for 4 hours and to be out where the deal are done by the decision makers. But fishing is a great idea, too.

What is it about the Thomas the Train movies that grabs the attention of kids everywhere? They are nothing more than a man reading a story book out loud, like any parent reads a bedtime story. And they are in British words and phrases, easy enough for an American to understand, but obviously different from what the kids here are used to hearing.

My grandson absolutely loves anything that has to do with Thomas the Train. I can send him any present – a book, a new train, a sticker book – that has Thomas on it and he loves it. I even found a website for him to play Thomas games and watch short Thomas the Train videos on the internet when he comes for a visit.

My youngest son has invited me to his house in Alabama for Memorial Day weekend. That will be tough to schedule around, as the last half of May is always spent in Las Vegas at the ICSC convention.I can change my return flight to depart Las Vegas and arrive in Birmingham, but I would rather come back to Nashville and drive down. We’ll see how I can work it out. The main objective is to be in Huntsville no later than 10:00 am Saturday morning, as my grandson is going to be in a parade at noon.

The parade is big doings in a military town. It will be jam packed with people both in the parade and also cheering along the parade route. Finding a parking spot is going to be a huge challenge. But it will be worth it to watch my grandson riding a float and waving to everyone!

My daughter-in-law asked me for help making his costume. They want something patriotic or military looking. I told her that instead of making a costume it will be much easier and faster to order a costume from a website called In Costume. This site is great for finding a Halloween Costume, but they have costumes for all kinds of events, holidays and parties.

There is a section just for kids costumes and many different types, like Historical Costumes, Super Hero Costumes, and Television & Movies Costumes. I found a darling Uncle Sam costume that comes in a child’s size Medium, and it’s very reasonably priced.

There is also an Army uniform and a Navy uniform, and an Air Force uniform. Any of these should be great for what she wants. I’m sure there is something at In Costume that my grandson can wear in the parade.