Boys on my Block

I feel like this is going to be an on going saga, but for now it will just be this. I came home running a week ago and these boys started talking to me. "Dang he tall"
"How tall you is?" - you know, questions I haven't got before. We talked and supposedly there was a B-ball court up the block somewhere.

Fast forward to yesterday. I came home running and a few people had something to say. Some fools across the street were yelling "where the 5-0?" But these young kids, probably 7 and 5 or so, said, "dang he's fast. Let's race."

Me, loving the spirit and depth of delusion which would encourage these young ones to think they could best me in my sport, went back for a chat. I marshaled a few races for them and even joining in once or twice (and winning, O'Doyle rules). Then today when I came home with a basketball we dribbled it a bit then they suggested we go to the B-ball court. I went to meet their mom and make sure it was alright, then we went up five blocks and shot around for an hour or so. While we were there some others joined in and we had a wonderful time.

What is really cool about this whole thing is that I feel as if I am becoming more ingrained in the block and neighborhood. Meeting their parents, walking around, meeting people while walking around, and playing at the neighborhood school's b-ball court (reminds me of maples, just another elementary school basketball court) it makes this feel a bit more like a place I could like. My block is far from perfect, (related aside: just about every night, cars pull up next to the cars parked along the side of the street, open their doors, and bump sick beats until midnight or so, I can't hear it when I go upstairs to sleep though) and I don't have some idyllic vision of it, but it will be home for the next 10 months and I look forward to what it has waiting for me.