Best American Afternoon

After the Dark Knight Rises we headed for Prospect Park as Jeff was holding his first major campaign event.  "Major campaign event", what do I mean?  What I mean is Jeff is running for Congress.  He reached out to his constituents with a Brooklyn District-themed Bean Bag Toss.  The game was a gigantic hit with the kids in the park that day.  They came screaming across the lawn from their family reunions at the sight of it.

Best actual quotes re: Bean Bag toss: "This game is wicked awesome!" and "My favorite sport is Bean Bags!"

The band of Jeff supporters was scrappy yet strong.  Like the Rebel alliance.  So, in other words, perfect.

We certainly did not suggest to anyone that they put their face in any of the holes to be beaned.  The kids came up with this themselves and, yes, a couple got beaned.

Maybe I shouldn't be calling a game where bean bags are chucked as hard as possible from point blank range a "toss."  Doesn't "toss" suggest underhand lobs?

As the game transformed into a swirl of kids diving for loose bean bags to be next to hurl them at someone's fact we tried to institute a little order by making them line up to get to throw.  This line did not last long.

Eventually we put the toss on hold for Jeff to give his first campaign speech.  I wish I had taken notes, but my primary takeaway was he's running on a platform of Liberty and Responsibility, and that you can't have the former without the latter.

Some audience members' attention wandered.

My favorite part of the speech was learning about Prospect Park's role in the American Revolution.  They fought there!  Jeff is not making a Cub Scout salute here, he is pointing to an important ridge.  The speech also included a recitation of the Gettysburg Address.

Post-speech Christian and Reghan and child stopped by.  They're Brooklyners now.  And parents!

By the end of the event some attachments had formed.

This fellow took an interest in my camera.

My first lesson for him was on framing.

Next time: Focussing.

Almost as popular as bean bag toss: The game where Pearl guesses how old you are and what month you were born.

And was that all that Saturday offered?  Definitely not.  It just kept going and going.