I had the most wonderful weekend guest: Jack.

Jack is my grandson and best play buddy.   Most of the time, Jack is up for anything.  Well, until he changes his mind.  When entertaining a six-year-old, you have to stay flexible.  The past couple of days, we encountered a bit of new territory and I’m really happy with how courageous he is about new things.

Jack’s favorite subject in school is science.  I had promised him a rock hunt, so that was non-negotiable.  He now has some new treasures to add to his box of rocks.  We also stopped by a friends’ organic restaurant, where Jack got to see a solar oven.  He got to learn about solar power, and eat a great chocolate cake made therein.

We followed that with a trip to another friend’s country home, where Jack got to play with the young chicks and help collect eggs from the older chickens.  He loved that.  That family also has pet lizards and all manner of things that would intrigue a six-year-old boy.  After that, I had trouble getting him to come home with me.

We stopped by our local lake on the way home to watch float planes come and go.  We watched the sun set surrounded by alligators.  I was back in his good graces by the time we got home.

Jack’s favorite food is Macaroni and Cheese.  While that is hardly surprising, Jack requested a more adult version made with white cheese.  He is an eager student of the culinary arts and tasted several cheeses before we selected a combination of mozzarella, Asiago and goat cheese.  He inhaled his Mac and Cheese, then settled in for a night of Disney classics with more solar chocolate cake.

Sunday morning, he enjoyed his breakfast of fruit and eggs before we joined friends at church.  After church, he was right back in the kitchen with me, working on all of the things we could think of to do with Nutella.  Let’s see, it’s good with banana, in between bread, in a desert cup, in between cookies, . . . . .   When it comes to Nutella, Jack can really think outside the box.

That’s a great characteristic for a young scientist.