Alden and I just spent the weekend together without Robbi and Kato. I was excited as I contemplated the possibilities for some father/daughter bonding. The weekend was our oyster. We could do anything we wanted. When Saturday morning came, I asked Alden what she wanted to do. Her answer “Nothing.” She folded her arms and looked down at the floor as if to prove her point. I get the sense that she missed her little brother. Without someone to boss around, what is life’s meaning? I aimed to come up with an activity or outing that would make her happy.

Me: Do you want to have some eggs?
Alden: No.
Me: Do you want to take a walk?
Alden: No.
Me: Do you want to read some books?
Alden: No.

This went on and on. I grew truly alarmed when she indicated that she didn’t even want to watch Kipper. I decided that she was officially feeling ennui, and set out to do something about it.

I remembered a toy that we’d bought for her several years ago but had decided to put in the closet “until she was older.” But it seemed like the sort of thing that even an intractable three-year-old might not be able to resist, the Kugelbahn Ball Track Construction Set by HABA.

HABA makes simple, beautiful wooden toys, but this one is my favorite. The Kugelbahn allows you to set up your own Rube Goldberg machine, creating a track that carries a marble from one place to another. I opened the box and took out the pieces. Alden slipped out of her funk immediately. Together, we assembled our first creation.

You put the marble up here:

And then watch with glee as it clatters down the series of ramps.

I had the game Mouse Trap when I was a kid. It was fun to watch the series of mechanical happenings that led from point A to point Z. But the fun thing about these blocks is that you can reconfigure them however you want. Like this, for example:

Or this:

Or this:

We played with the Kugelbahn for about three hours straight, at which point Alden ran out of steam and staggered off to her bed for a nap. But as soon as she woke up, it was all about the marbles, and we spent several more hours making tracks and testing them out.

That was Saturday.

Sunday was highlighted by a visit from Alden’s good friend Iris, who dragged her father along for good measure.

Of course, the instant Iris showed up, Alden took her to the table for some Kugelbahn.

But while Saturday had been rainy and cold, Sunday was sunny and almost approaching warm. So we took a walk.

Ok, Iris took a walk, while Alden rode glumly in her wagon, lamenting that every passing second took her further from her marbles.

But once we got down to the river, she seemed to forget, and the girls played near the water.

We walked out to the end of the dock.

It was a good day, a fun weekend, saved from the jaws of despondency by some clever German engineering and the Maryland sunshine.