I'd keep him ten forever, if I didn't have to do the Derby.

Holding at bay our emotions, we raced our final Pinewood Derby last Thursday evening. Sniffle...Sniffle. I am going to miss those memorable nights.

I'm going to miss waking up in a cold sweat two and a half days before race day when I realize the official Boy Scouts of America Pinewood Car remains unshaped, unpainted, disassembled, and unweighted to the precise micro ounce in it's original box unopened.

The den leader gave it to us six weeks ago and we did nothing!

Last year, after the race, we committed to building the ultimate coasting machine -- without cheating -- using only the stock nail axles and rims. We promised to get started right away, building, testing and modifying the design -- to sloped ramp perfection -- overcoming the obstacles of motion, gravity and air drag caused every year by lane number three. Oh yes! ... this year was supposed to be different! But last years promise was just like the year before that ... and the year before that. Two days before the race, the Pinewood Derby becomes a family emergency.

I am going to miss the revelation on race day that someone else had a better designed more aerodynamically stealth vehicle than we did -- every single year.

I'll miss the look of pity on the faces of the other parents when our car fails to make it to the finish line or loses a wheel at take off.

Certainly, without a doubt, I will long, years from now, to remember the faces of the boys who self constructed their wooden block, when the obviously daddy made or hired a professional to make it car is placed on the starting line.

Is there another household use for graphite? -- because I don't think I can part with it just yet.

I'm pretty sure if we started today, we'd own next years race -- only I doubt anyone here wants to find out.