I guess I should be happy just to be able to still play basketball! I played Tuesday afternoon with the current and former TIS Owls players and survived the games without injury. I still have my shooting touch, court vision, etc., but I’ve lost what little speed and quickness I used to have. One also becomes clumsy in their 50s. I went for a rebound and saw the ball coming down, but couldn’t close my arms fast enough to grab it and the ball hit me in the glasses. Earlier in my life, I would have been able to make the catch and rebound.
It was a wonderful day on Wednesday. I drove Oliver, Owen, and 4 of their friends to the Amirsoy Resort for a day of snowboarding and skiing. 3 hours of conversation in the car with my sons and their friends were so delightful. It always gives me hope for the future of our society to speak with young people. These young men are pursuing their studies and will be starting their careers in a couple of years. I was impressed with their ambition and eloquent description of their lives.
There was a snowstorm in the mountains on Tuesday and resort employees were dealing with the excess snow. This is the New Year holiday time here and so there were many sightseers coming to the mountain to take the gondola to the top. There are more tourists than actual skiers. Owen reported that the top runs were not well groomed so I am glad I decided not to ski yesterday.
I rented snowshoes instead ($6 per day) and went for a hike on the west side of their property. The snow in some places was 2-3 feet deep which made it difficult to move in the woods. I finally made it to the snowmobile trails and walked to the camping areas in a secluded canyon. The cold air and fresh snow were invigorating. I love the simple things in life as I get older. Spending the day in the snow and fresh mountain air is fantastic. I was thinking of the early American pioneers (thanks, Yellowstone) and how they feared the onset of winter as they traveled from Texas to Oregon. Fighting my way through the deep snow, I understood why they feared it so much. Without asphalt roads and plows, deep snow can be deadly. It also made me sympathize with those poor folks who died in the recent Buffalo snowstorm.
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