tis the season

So, I wish we could have saved some of that cold weather we had, because now it is too warm. It's like April, in December. But I guess fair is fair, last year we had the big snow dump around this time, and this year it is the East Coast that is getting the dump. Still, having to ski in rain is not all that great.
Ethan and Rileigh have totally embraced the Christmas present concept. For the last few years, we had to coax them into opening the presents. Now, the presents occupy every waking thought. And as 5yr olds tend to be, toys are what are supposed to be under the wrapping. Everything else is excrement. We are not helping them with the concept of patience and anticipation. We opened the gifts this weekend. Our thinking is that we are heading to the West Side for the official day, and Grandpa is going in for surgery on Tues, so we will knock out the Idaho presents this weekend, with another opening session next weekend. I suppose we can try to justify it however we want, it is the power of the parent.
Ethan has been to two ski lessons so far. I drop him off (as Grandpa sits in the lodge and watches) and I head over to the cross country trails. They have been individual lessons thus far. Each day has been less than stellar conditions. The first day: rock hard week old snow, with half frozen precipitation falling from the sky. And yesterday, near rain falling. Despite these demoralizing conditions, he sounded excited and enthusiastic when filling me in on how it went. -Good news for me, it seems we will have one who appreciates snow. He has made it known that I cannot go do my skiing. I can only guess that I am supposed to ski with him. I am not sure when that will happen, as I need to get in as much cross country as I can, and sit skiing is not the same as stand up. For example, I don't think I can sit with him yet on a double chair.
Riles has been going to gymnastics the last two Saturdays when Ethan, Grandpa, and I, have been going to Mt. Spokane. She suggested this would be a more pleasurable use of her time, and we have been happy to oblige. Soon, we will have to all just head to the slopes, just to see how it all pans out.
Keelie will be joining us in all our activities sooner than we think. She seems eager to join us now, despite the fact she is still learning motor skills, and such. As soon as I start thinking about how little she is, I realize how much she has grown.
So, we are hoping that Grandpa's surgery is a slight blip on the radar (when we look back on this), we hope for more winter like weather, to get more skiing in, and we watch impatiently as our house gradually gets built.

There are two new flags displayed in the Village. One is for Gonzaga, and one is for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. It may be due to basketball season, though I don't know why the flag displaying needs to be seasonal.
It is biterly cold. Has been for the past week or so, with varying degrees of biterness. We are supposed to get snow soon, though no one wants to pin down a day. All we need is moisture, and we will have snow. I'm sitting on pins and needles.

Checklists

Checklists are great. From Taxiing checklist, to packing lists, they are simply fun compressed onto paper. Yeah. you better have to read this twice, because how can that statement come from my hand? Don't get me wrong, I understand the necessity of lists, especially with the power of my "humming bird" brain. It is just that they are tedious and boring. And I have yet to develop a habit of using them (despite smashing my finger with that proverbial hammer for some 39 odd years).
Last week, I went off on my own to the Adaptive Nordic Ski Team's fall camp. A good opportunity for us to get on snow, and train with each other providing good models of exertion and technique. I don't see how anyone can be competitive without training with others doing the same thing you are- no matter what you are doing; flying, soccer, whatever. The team met in Steamboat Springs CO. Our coach, who lives there, acquired sweet deals on some condos near the gondola for the alpine skiing. We stayed for a week, and here is the first example of checklists. Instead of using one, I packed "on the fly", knowing full well, that we were getting some stuff from the ski team. In short, I over packed. I arrived in CO with two bags - Ski box and duffel with my frame and clothes. I departed CO with three - Ski box, and two duffel. This was an example of not so much smashing finger with proverbial hammer, but still there was room for improvement. Had I used a packing list, I could have more efficiently packed.
The week went well. We arrived just after a large dumping of snow. Sidewalks were not completely shoveled and such. The rest of the week was clear skies, and nice cold temps. CO is an awesome place in that, if there is sun, it is T-shirt weather, snow or not. We could have used more snow, and we hoped for it all week (but it did not come until the day we left). We skied on early season, barely covered, trails, up in Rabbit Ears pass, and on some trails in town. We finished the week with two time trials on a course fabricated from man made snow, and natural, pushed and groomed in a 1K loop at the base of the ski jumps at Howelsen Hill. So we had "enough" to ski on, keeping in mind that T-day had not happened yet.
I came home and was able to spend Thnaksgiving with the family. I will categorize this year as an "off" year for T-day. We had supper with Grammie and Grandpa, and Omi....at CI Shenanigans. But we already had our substitute T-day, an almost Canadian version, when Karl, Regs, and Pres were here in Oct, so all is OK. Well, at CI's we had another example of checklist importance. Keelie.....needs support systems. Easy fix: diaper bag. What is so hard about that? Leave the house with Keelie-check. Formula-check. With Diaper bag-check. How about: what is in diaper bag? ummmm. Yeah.
When one uses diaper bag, diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, and extra clothes don't replace themselves. = smash finger with proverbial hammer. What do you do at CI Shenanigans in Spokane, when your diaper bag (which you are so proud that you brought) has nothing of value in it in regard to "servicing" your soiled child? (I thought we were experienced parents?) Fun ensues. Disaster was averted, but we don't get any parent of the year awards for that fiasco.
I want to play video games on your gps. -Ethan (He is referring to the PSP)

Into Fall

Due to a poll run at "The Herald", I ran a poll of my own. In their case, their street is referred to as SEC row. At first, I thought our area had an equal distribution, only more local i.e. PAC-10, or WAC row. Then, I thought; no, we are represented by really only one school. So, I did my own survey. Of the flags I counted, WSU (that would be Washington State for non Northwest types) was represented the most with seven. Then there was one each of the following: UW (Washington), So. Cal, Oregon, Montana, Boise State, and one U of Idaho. I was a little surprised by this count. I would have thought more UofI, and such. SC was a bit of a surprise all together. I know there must be other Universities backed in "the Village", just these were the only backings represented by flags.
IF Riles had the Swine flu, we got a mild dose. I am pretty sure she did not. She did have a temp, but from the stories I hear, we did not even come close to what it should have done. So, I nervously await the true bug.
Halloween came and went. I think we missed out on a good colorful fall by the quick freeze we had a few weeks back. But the cold did not last, the weather lately has been more like a Western Washington fall, which is a little demoralizing. Still, it does look and feel like fall, like Halloween. The kids were not too enthusiastic in coming up with new costumes. This does not bother us parents much. One less frivolous one use thing to buy the better. (Lets not even mention the links to pagan rituals and all ....sorry I just did) Still to be social, Ethan and Rileigh visited Grammie and Grandpa's neighbors. Ethan as "Jungle Fever" Power Ranger, and Riles as....herself. She balked when it came time to actually put on her "fairy" costume. She mentioned something about not being pretty enough or something. Once done with the rounds, Ethan was as energetic handing out the candy as last year. This year, though, I think he had a better command of what was actually taking place. Riles chose to observe from a reasonable distance -but she did have to see what was going on.
And now on with Fall, and the upcoming winter season.

The weather is turning. The twins are in school, and they have grown very comfortable with the whole process. As summer was coming to a close, I was not looking forward to this time. Funny, that now that the time is here, I am appreciating all the unique characteristics that come with the season. I was walking Molly the other day, just enjoying the air temp, the color of the turning leaves in the trees, and the hill sides around us; the way the air mists them at different levels and all the different coloring. (Today we have rain, which leads me to want to sit inside all day, relaxing) Did I forget to mention how there is so much more to do on Saturday?
"It is not a football day today DAD!"
Rileigh has been a little under the weather. For the last two weeks, it was mostly nasal. Lots of sniffling, and some coughing. In the last couple days it has intensified and has been accompanied by a temperature. The Doc in the Box labelled it Swine Flu. ...or whatever we are calling it these days. But there was no blood test, so we cannot be sure. If it is the dreaded swine flu, we must have a mild case. She is still eating, she is not "adjusting her gross weight" orally or rectally. She just has a slight temp, intense coughing and is slightly lethargic. I'll admit I don't feel too good either, but nothing to really write home about (but it was easy enough to blog). Ethan has sniffles, but no temp. Sarah seems none the worse for wear, and Keelie shows no extreme signs yet. ....maybe it just has not "hit" us yet, and we are in for a doosey. I guess we will see.
We all felt good enough yesterday to carve pumpkins. So I carved up two pumpkins for Eth and Riles. Counter that, with the kids have been kept out of school for the day. And funny, Riles wants to go for a bike ride today. (Yeah, that is not going to happen) This all paints a strange picture.
Other fun stuff, is that the past few four days we were dislodged from the condo. The owners hired some people to reinforce the trusses. This involved them climbing in the attic, as well as opening up the drywall over the large windows. So we were forced to lodge with Grammie and Grandpa over the weekend. Oh, I enjoyed it, as did the kids. -Like I need an excuse!- Well, we are back in the condo. Just had to shuffle the furniture around a bit. And we still have something to do with the window blinds and curtains. Apparently the workers can take them down, but they are not capable of putting them back up. Liability they say. I'm not sure if I want to wait for the owners to get someone to put them up. Weigh that against my functionality when standing. Tough times. tough times.

some links for Paralympics buildup

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-index.html?nvid=403376&shu=1


comcastlocalheroes.com

A link to some stuff I did in Seattle....

These Things We Do

What shall we use
to fill
the empty
spaces
when
we used to talk?
It used to be that staying awake for 72 hours straight, out in the field, completing 10K overlands, obstacle courses, and other physical training, drained my energy. Now, the same feeling comes when I spend a day and a half getting interviewed and photographed. Oh, and tack on flight delays, missed connection, then more flight delays, and a newborn. I think it I am "getting old". Or I could always point the finger at the SCI. It's gotta be something.
The kids are comfortable heading off to school. Nothing to really point at, but we can drop them off at the curb, and they go into the school on their own. That and their drawings are actually resembling things instead of being a splattering of color.
Keelie treats us well, by sleeping and not fusing too much when she needs to eat. Soon she will be giving us stuff to write about, we can feel it. And the twins still think it is cool to hold her. We'll see how long that lasts.

I Can Hear the Chimes

Sarah's more difficult pregnancy was to close with a C-section scheduled for the 31st of August at 2:45 in the PM. Ethan and Riles were going to Grammie and Grandpah's. All was in order - and that is all just strange to me. (In -Vetro Fertilization pregnancies are so planned controlled and monitored it is crazy) However, we were bumped allowing some other ladies the oportunity to deliver who were deemed to have a greater need. We were bumped long enough to start soaking in what was actually happening. You know, you can squeeze your eyes shut plug your ears, or bury your head in the sand, and it does not do much good when you are sitting in the lions den. Sarah was wheeled back into the operating room about a quarter after 5. I was allowed to wait until the spinal was in, and all involved in the surgical team were in place. Good for me, because who needs that?
The operating room is a mind blowing place. I feel a strange melding of contradicting thought. There is a lot of cutting, and some blood, with life on the line. Yet the atmosphere projected by nearly all present was more like an afternoon tea in the country.These people work in a high stakes environment. Mistakes are not forgiven lightly. And seeing your wife's lower half turned inside out, securely fastened to a gurney, with her arms interestingly spread like she is on the cross (or even like she is Braveheart)- and you are talking with her as if we were sitting down to an afternoon social gathering is a bit surreal. Everyone acting as if this is just a nice little get together.
Keelie came out at around 1730 on the 31st, weighing 7lbs. 8oz, and measuring 20inches. I was wondering where the doctors found a cat as mad as all that. She was making a funny hissy, meow type noise. And I am glad there were all these medical professionals around, with relaxed, pleased, demeanor. Were I the one delivering, I would have written the whole thing off as a failure. Not to mention I find it hard to believe that I would have been able to slice Sarah's abdomen open. Not looking at the whole cutting issue, I was just not all that secure with Keelie's color, sound, and actions. So, that is why we are paying Sacred Heart the big bucks. It also reinforces the sentiment that I am pleased to be alive in this time period, and not in the: "here bite on this leather" for pain period.

Ethan and Rileigh were excited to see their new sister. They observed her from the window in the nursery until Sarah was given back to us at around 1930. I think Ethan was the most animated. They both stop and stare when they see her. But I think it sobers Riles more than Ethan. They both eagerly take their turns holding her. And Riles gives instructions as to what Ethan is and is not allowed to do when holding Keelie. Quite humorous and par for the course.

Before we were hospital bound:

Rileigh was listening to my ipod. "I'm listening to Daddies music!" "Hey! I can't hear myself talking! Lah lah lah lah!"

Ethan imploded at the pool, over one of the other kids squirt gun. Two kids came to the pool, apparently friends. They had three squirt guns between the two of them. The two were shooting each other as I once did when I was younger. Now that I am a parent, this style of: "I'm the good guy you're the bad guy" "No you're the bad guy, I'm the good guy", and dramatic dying, then instant resurrection et al, is less than desirable behavior. Anyway, the two had put one of the squirt guns on a table, and were fine with one gun apiece. I think Ethan looked up to these two. After some time of playting the same area, I suppose Ethan thought he was chums with the boys. I don't think these two recognized Ethan as anything other than "part of the play field". Well, Ethan decides that he is allowed to borrow the extra squirt gun. I told him to leave the gun there, because he did not have permission from the owners. This lead to a river of tears. Ethan was destroyed, awash in despair. So he sat in a chair on the side of the pool all systems shut down, life as we know it was over. ....until the breeze changed a bit and he was back in the water chasing a toypedo. I want to solve this behavioral abnormality quick fast and in a hurry, and I am not sure if he was corrected in this instance. I can only hope that our slight course corrections are enough.

Stadtluft macht frei

Yesterday in the waning light of the evening, Ethan and I went for a little walk. It involved a little of the golf course, because it is hard to walk anywhere around here and not get on the course. Not surprisingly, we found a golf ball or two. It got me to thinking about how this golf ball ended up where we found it, all alone, neglected. I think the easy answer is that the golfer lost sight of their ball, so gave up on looking for it and simply pulled another one out of their bag. But some seemed in such plain sight, it was hard to imagine how little effort was put into searching for the lost ball. Remember, I'm rolling along in my chair - not exactly in places hard to get to. So then scenarios popped up. The ball could have been thrown into its present position by someone who found the ball when it was in a place the golfer could not get to. Maybe the golfer got frustrated by their last shot and threw the ball themselves. It would be nice to see the scenario that got that ball where it lay. My curiosity is sparked in strange ways.
On our walk, Ethan noticed that the golfers shoes had made a sand trap dirty. So he was compelled to rake out the sand trap. He noticed the dirty sand trap after getting one of the golf balls and putting it into the goal.
Ethan was looking forward to seeing his aunt Laura and uncle Dan. He had to clarify that this was the aunt who used the phrase pumpkin pie as a phrase of endearment. It is funny to hear him try on a southern accent. We did not have any real special plans, unless you call red beans and rice, and shrimp grits not special. We had a good time visiting.
We still go to the pool often. Riles is trying out the crawl and backstroke. And they both are getting good at diving for the toypedoes into the 5ft deep water. Riles is hesitant to do some jumps off the side of the pool, because she does not want to hurt her face - which is good. Ethan brings his life jacket now and then, but I think it is his "magic feather", or security blanket.
While Dan and Laura were up in Canada at a wedding for one of Dan's high school buds, I was on a ride with some guys from Montana. Friday afternoon, we rode from Mullan to Kellogg. Saturday, Kellogg to Harrison. Sunday, Higgins point, to River Stone in Coeur d'Alene. It is always fun to go on rides with others, especially when they are on the same bikes as you. Riding through Kellogg, and Wallace, you see what mining brought. Towns developed to support the amount of people who came to work the mines. Now those towns are a fraction of what they originally once were. It makes me think of tools, and machinery, and careers. I don't know what the mining industry is like, but the tools that are displayed throughout the towns gives me a glimpse. From the examples of recreation, it appears the work day was long and labor intensive for the average worker. It seems their off time was spent in leisure activities involving as little physical activity as possible. These guys were worn out. This is how it appears to me, at least for the way it was. I think our inventions have decreased the need for a large work force, and so, the towns I was riding through can not support the population they once did. Now, we have more jobs where people sit at desks. Phone calls made to coordinate. Juggling numbers, and schedules. So now, for recreation we look to physical activity (at least a number of us). Water skiing, and snow, riding bikes on bike trails through mountain towns. We even have races where we exhaust ourselves: marathons, triathlons. I wonder if the miners then would look at us like we were crazy.

14 hour day

I'm just a child my life is still before me. I just cant wait to see what God has for me, and so on. Sounds awesome at 33 rpm. (It was a 45 right?) ....but Fox in Sox was best at 78? Did we have that option?

The dreams I once had, now lay in bed. (I just want to mention a dream I had, because it was a little out of the ordinary) I had a real dream the other night. It was one of those where the parameters are based in reality. In contrast, last night, I dreamt I was either with or one of the characters in Pirates of the Caribbean (Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp). We were traveling around, sometimes floating, sometimes walking, struggling over Johny's heart in a lantern at the end of a..., like 50' chain. Conversations were not restrained by having to form words, rather there seemed to be more of a telepathic nature to communication. This describes the parameters of most of my dreams. My "real" dream was much more ..."grounded". OK, I was playing soccer with the US national team and we were playing Australia. Sounds pretty grounded right? Oh, and I was running. That is: no chair. So it was not real real, still all the other laws of nature seemed to be in place. I had to move my lips to speak, I had to run, I over ran the ball a couple times and characters remained who they were throughout -nobody morphed into a cat, or some other person. I could even smell the grass. The best part was that I was making mistakes, and it was OK. In other words, I was human. I was not superman. I got tired when I sprinted. My ball handling skills were....maybe a little elevated, but within the realm of reality. I was simply enjoying running around, a part of the game. And then I started getting those "replay" scenarios, and I knew I was waking up. No matter how hard I tried, I woke up. dang. -Not the best way to start a day, mad that I had to wake up.

This endless crutch is never enough.

We have been keeping a rigorous schedule involving the pool....and the pool, and the pool every day. Rileigh's little head-to-concrete episode has not slowed her. These guys are doing well in the pool, and are getting quite confident throughout the 6ft(deepest end) pool. Mostly, they dive for the toypedo's, and they love to race either me or each other for them. In addition, Riles enjoys yelling "cannonball", while she jumps in doing her best cannonball. So far they have met quite a few people at the pool. I would like them to learn a little more about personal space, but it is nice to see them getting to know the neighbors. That and the neighbors seem to be OK with 5 yr olds getting in their space.

We have yet to remove the training wheels, but I think it is only a matter of time. They ride to the pool nearly all the time. Sometimes though, Riles has learned that Mom shows up while we are there. If Sarah drives(which she has done lately because waddling that far is taxing), then it is easier to catch a ride home if there is no bike to load into the van.
Ethan looks forward to the times when I am left with them. He registers these times as video games times. Lego Star Wars I and II are his favorites, followed by Lightning McQueen.

Still don't know when it is eight bells. It should not matter with length of day, but I think it does with us.

Everything is'nt meant to be OK

Oh Boy. August. I don't think I have ever really liked August. That is not entirely accurate, so I will elaborate. I have always liked some aspects of summer, and August is, well, technically during summer. I think my major hang up is that August is preparation for Fall in all intents and purposes. The dread makes sense to me from the standpoint of school comes with fall. All my young life, I dreaded the coming of school, and that created a black cloud that hung over August. But now? Should I not be looking forward to the kids going to school? I should be looking forward to the reprieve from the kids while they are in school. To, the anticipation of snow. Instead the announcement that the days are shorter, brings the anxiety. Could it be a learned response, a Pavlov's dog type thing, from my developing years? (Even if that was long ago -more time has passed since then, than the actual length of the experience)It may be the concept of lost potential. We approach the longest day in the year ( in JUNE!) with plans of things to do. The days come, and it feels like it will be this way for ever. And every year I feel like the sun is up longer than it was last year. By August, there are things that are supposed to have been done, but not. And as you notice that the days are shorter, it lets you know with exclamation that the potential has been squandered.
Another point that should support my anticipation of fall, is that the kids don't like going to sleep while the sun is still up. "Eight o'clock, time for bed." "We can't go to bed, the sun is still up!" I guess if I really embraced summer, we would get up with the sun, and go down with the sun. Which would necessitate a nap of some sort in the middle of the day for all parties involved. Since I have not implemented this sleep patern yet, I should be celebrating the shorter days.
When the kids hurt themselves, there are a myriad of thoughts. On the one hand it is so uncool to see the look in their eyes, it is a look sort of like betrayal. They seem to blame the thing that "caused" the pain. Or are upset that the laws of nature have let them down. On the plus side, there is less "getting back" at the offender. And there seems to be less crying -I suppose they know it is fruitless since what will they gain?
Yesterday, Riles had that look of betrayal. She was jumping into the pool, and miss-judged the edge of the pool. I was playing with Ethan, so I missed the actual event. What I saw, was her holding on to the wall, goggles around her neck, crying pretty hard, looking around like she was looking for someone. My initial reaction was that she was mad at the kid next to her. I swam over to see what the issue was. That is when I noticed the lump on her forehead, and that she had a bloody nose. She sat on the side of the pool and we got some ice. her eyes were clear, not dialated, and she seemed lucid to me, so I was not overly concerned about her condition. In hindsight, I am happy that she had the presence of mind to hold on to the wall. It reassures me that she is learning the right things. It was interesting (in a way) to see her look at the kids around her as if they would help. But these kids were around her age, and as I have seen often, the other kids are clueless. An octopus could have come out of the drain, and latched itself to Riles' head (or any kid) and the other kids would be asking her if they could use her goggles. They just have that naive innocence about their surroundings. The world is reacting to them in a sense. It is here for their benefit.
Riles went to the doctor to let an official give us the warm fuzzy that she was OK. We got more ice. And she has some swelling, we will see how black her eyes get in the next few days, but no extreme internal stuff. We are just keeping an eye on her for now.
As a parent, there is a part of me which appreciates these moments. The kids should experience as much of life as possible. Should they be like Nemo, where Dad doesn't let them experience pain, thus life? You can see the learning, where Rileigh now has a better understanding of what being careful at the side of the pool means. And there was no permanent damage, so the more stuff like this she can experience, the better off she will be. -in theory-
The parent in me also is crying along with Rileigh. I don't want her to ever experience this pain again. The worst things I have seen are kids in pain. And to see my own in pain, tears at my insides. That look on her face hits the pit of my stomach. I don't want her to think negatively of the pool. I don't want her to be afraid. Respect, but not afraid. I want her to learn, but I don't want her to have to hit her thumb with the hammer to learn that it hurts.
Meanwhile, Ethan is singing as much of the song "Rollin on the River" as he can remember. This morning he asked me to sing it, like I know that song! I am familiar with it, but....

Rollin on the River

It is amazing to me how time is not a constant. Last week zipped by. One day, it is the opening ceremonies of the Veterans Wheelchair Games in Spokane, I blink, and it is the closing ceremonies a week later. There was no time to sit down and write. It would have only gotten in the way of what was going on. So then I wonder why I write. Well, lem'me... lem'me tell ya. I'm driving my car, minding my own..... no that's not right.

I think writing what we did helps elongate the experience. I also tell myself that the kids need something to record what occupied their days before the grey matter solidifies in their heads. So I feel, and it rather blustery seems, and it rather blustery looks, like the writing is worth it in the end.

I was interested to see how the kids appreciated the Wheelchair Games. They had not seen that many chairs in one place before. We had our share of rather uncomfortable moments, where the kids would point, or stare, or comment out loud things that probably should have stayed in their heads. I was also uncertain about those "boring" times, when I have to wait in line, or converse with the other participants.
They had their moments of running amok. Like when I was doing an interview, and behind me, the twins are chasing each other. And when we went to the block party, Riles had hit the end of her rope. She would not accept the wrist band, and nothing was appealing. Topped off with totally crying when the guy on stilts came by. All in all, I think they got a lot out of it. And it appeared to be an enjoyable experience. We never had to "drag" them to anything. They cheered on whoever was competing at the time. I think they liked all the noise makers, despite Riles disdain of loud noise.
To have a good portion of the family there was a blessing. Mom and Dad had not seen the games live yet, and I think it impressed them. Regan Karl and Co made the trek from South Dakota, which added a nice flair to the events. I have been used to participating in the games on a "bachelors" schedule. While that provides one with an open schedule to do with as the individial pleases, it is also quite lonely. So, I missed on a few oportunities to socialize. I gained in sharing the experience with people who have shared interests. There was room to grow in patience in dealing with the twins and their schedule. It would be nice to be able to do this every year -from my perspective. But I think with the venue being a different city every year, and the compressed schedule as it is, the Veterans Wheelchair Games is not a good reunion venue. ...maybe the Winter Sports Clininc....hmmm. Having the games here in Spokane was a blessing, and I think we did well with what was presented.
-I feel rushed, wishing this was more polished, but having to post something before it is too late

17 Jul

http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sports_games_2009_podcasts_video

or you can go right to xable.com, and then look for National Disabled Veterans Wheelchair Games under sports, I believe.
My events were 100 yd backstroke and Freestyle class V, Slalom class V, and the Super G finals.
And if you want a good laugh I was interviewed twice.

You Want to Go Kaijacking?

Can someone please tell me, what kind of a world we live in, when a man dressed up as a BAT!, steals all my press?
I was paddling along this morning, and shared some moments with a grebe having its breakfast. And the first thoughts I get when I see grebe are of loons. Why? not sure. Maybe loons are more popular to me. Kinda like when I think of ducks, I see mallards, and not wood ducks. So, I'm thinking about loons in front of this grebe (kinda rude of me I know), and it brings to mind a story I heard recently. I don't know how much of the story is true, but it was relayed as if it were fact. -I'm not too concerned about the facts in this instance, rather the concept- (You can't enjoy Star Wars always refuting what you see) The story goes that a family of loons took up residence in a lake near by. I think it was Hauser, or one of those on the way to Spokane. Because the loons were there, the lake was closed to motor boat traffic -by the almighty powers that be. Fish and game maybe. Recently the loons were reported MIA. The story goes that they were shot. Shot "because someone wanted to drive their boat on Hauser". Lets just assume most of this is true. I don't think we are shocked if it is true, but I think most hope that it is not. The issue is: is this the type world we live in?
Which raises a bunch of questions in my mind. 1.Is this the mentality in N. Idaho? (what is "this" mentality that I mention?) 2. Does one nuclear family of loons have the right to dictate how others are to live? 3. Can we regulate people -how far do "we" take it? 4. Should we be able to use motorboats ("WE" the general public. on any lake we can get the boat on)? 5. Can/should we stop people from using lakes/land by laws? Or could we find some other means to make it more difficult like fees for use, making recreational vehicles more expensive etc?
I think many of these thoughts,that were pouring thorough my head,were tainted by my environment. The shore line was less than pristine; there was much flotsam. Lots of broken dock debris which included, but was not limited to: Styrofoam, plastic, and wood. I retrieved a "chuck-it" ball from the lake. And I saw a pop bottle or beer can here and there. Now this was the shore which is not populated (it is still owned by the paper company, with no water, no roads, electricity or sewer access. -not suitable for development in short). It should be pristine, right? To be more clear, it is not the Cuyahoga, and I think most would think Twin Lake is very beautiful and "unspoiled". But for my eyes, the trash stood out, and therefore bended my thinking in a certain direction.

Rileigh: "Why do Chinese people can't say sorry?" (Po's dad says "Sorry doesn't make the noodles" and she concocted the rest)

Rileigh: "Itch bug, they are small, and you need a kaleidoscope to see them."

Ethan,helping me with the pancakes: "I'm cooked"

Ethan,pointing to my chin: "You have a mustache coming out."

Rileigh: "I have some screen, and sun glasses to keep my eyes not to burn from the sun."
Do you know what she's talking about?
Well I don't know anyone named Obi-wan.

sumah sumah time

He gets his sense of style from his father. Ethan felt that this was a great outfit. It all centers around going for a ride on his bike. When the sun comes out, the kids really demand that we go for a ride -not a bad thing

Follow the Leader

No school for the kids until next fall. So far summer has lived up to its billing, and the kids are getting quite comfortable in the club pool.
Today, we spent some time on the "golf course" beach, and then we swam at the pool from 1030 ish til 1, and then headed to the west side.
No cool things to cite. And the drive is weird - less than normal now. It used to be so common to pass through Tokio, and experience the vast horizon.

Moving Like Pond Water

Two scenarios that will get parents (namely Sarah and myself) out of bed:
1. (Knock knock at the front door)
Ethan says in a sing song voice: "Hello, Who is it? Come in!"
door opens
Man at the door: "Hi, is your father home?"
BOING out of bed
2. Riles in a meek voice: " Mommy I need help"
Riles then makes a gurgle sound.
BOING out of bed
In both cases, Much like we were discussing before about being showered before the kids; one who is not prone to action first thing in the morning moved quite well. I never saw Cecil Turtle move so fast. What d'ya say Cec?
Scenario 1, was the USADA drug testing guy, come to verify that I am not on "the juice". He showed up to test if I have been taking illegal performance enhancing drugs -to the layman. Ethan opened the door for him, but then retreated to our bed, not saying a word. We were in the process of bumping into each other on our way to the door, but it still would have been nice to have a little heads up from Ethan.
Scenario 2, was Rileigh not doing well with something in her stomach. She was on her bunk bed, and I think had "painted herself into a corner" -as it were. Blocked her path down the ladder.
One of the better alarm clocks I have experienced since an OL-H instructor with a garbage can lid and a bull horn

Tiger Run Around the Tree

Well, the kids won't be going to Preschool after Thursday. They are promoted to Kindergarten. So, they get the summer off. Which means we have to find something for them to do. We have them enrolled in gymnastics, which starts in July.
So, we have been going to the pool regularly. And we are getting better on "walks". As yet we have not gone to Silverwood, even though the kids have mentioned it, I think, every day.
I recently skimed over an article about families who are too busy. Enrolling kids in too many things. But I must say, that I like dropping the kids off with someone else once in a while. They did more things in preschool than I could ever expose them to. And they interacted with more people than I do. I suppose there is a limit to what we sign our kids up for, but I think the focus is on exposing them to as much stuff as possible. And me being lazy and small minded, I only limit them. "these kids don't stand a chance with you (me) in their future" I digress. We do appreciate the help from "out of the house" programs. And I think we are far from enrolling them in too much (tempting as that is). Having said all that, it is fun to hang with these guys -they get me out of the house once in a while. I would like to take them on the Hiawatha (with abundant flashlights) and on the lakes in the kayaks. It is so easy to think of these things with clear skies, and daylight going from like 0400 till 2000hrs.
....now to do.

Mt. Werner

Or as it should be pronounced: Vehrrrnehrrr.
This is another one of those posts, where the kids latest is not mentioned as I am not in their general vicinity. The US Adaptive Ski Team -Nordic (copy that down kids, it will be on the final) has requested I participate in an activity which is not near home. Actually, if one could not guess from the intro, I am in Steamboat Springs Colorado. It has been at least ten years since the last time I was here. The last time, I was roller blading on the city bike trail, and sharing a condo/house with Mom, Dad, Clark, Dan and Regan and accouterments. OK, OK Karley and Sara were there too. What a difference time makes. My feet don't look anything like the photo. Wait, I mean, there are so many more ski town structures now. That and I am not taking my mountain bike to the top of the gondola and riding cool single track...or roller blading. One major difference is the accommodation. A. I am not paying for this one. B. The condo is in town, off 5th, right on the Yampa river. C. The real estate company is trying to sell this condo for 1.4 million(meeelllion). I still fail to see how it is worth 1 million. I would buy it for $300,000 complaining I spent too much. But I know very little of these things. I also would not buy the Mona Lisa for whatever "they" say it is worth. I would however buy an F-16 for whatever they charged me. Put it on my Visa, I get points. You don't need to put any of the armament, or high speed radar stuff in it, I'm good without that stuff. But maybe the external fuel tanks would be nice -if they are not too much. Why am I talking like I have that kind of money? I guess because what is 1.4 mil when that is out of my realm of reality. I don't even know where that is. Who are these people?
We are here, because.........well, I'll give you the answer that I think makes the most sense: our coach lives here. Throw in there is still some snow up in Rabbit Ears Pass, and I think you have it. It is one area where we can put a couple workout scenarios together, which is in a reasonable distance for everyone. We have kayakers on white water, flat water, biking routes, weight room, etc. So far it has been pretty good. This is a big year, so we have more momentum than off-Paralympic years.
This is a great place to train. The good is that there are no distractions. The bad is that home is one of the things I have been distanced from. I missed the last soccer game for the kids. I also was torn from a pleasant North Idaho spring. It is hard for me to be ripped from home. And one would think with all my experience with traveling, I would appreciate it. But it seems that the more I go, the more I want to stay. It may be that when the time comes that I stop traveling I will miss it. Right now that concept seems so completely foreign. Even our vacation to San Diego was something that I looked at with a little dread. I may be developing a quirk, which should mature with me until I am an "interesting" old guy.

I can't top that

We wish we had brought the computer with us on our trip to San Diego. Sarah, because she wanted to be able to do some work, and me because I could have been updating the blog. The Navy Lodge had a computer (if that is what you want to call it) in the lobby that charged for minutes and websites. I suppose I could have sucked it up and gone ahead and used that one, but I did not and so we have what we have. I also ended up with a full email inbox, (which is a sin for me) wherein some people would have liked to have gotten in touch with me. So, we are in the age where the computer should be one with our person, despite our thoughts on the matter.
The twins traveled well. We were complemented by fellow passengers "how well they behaved". I can see what they mean, but I would not have complemented us. -nor would I have given us the sour look. The one behavior that I cringe at, is that Ethan started slaloming the people in the airport. Most thought it was funny, thank goodness, but I was perturbed that I could not get over there and prevent him from the social straining behavior.
We were busy every day. We had to see the Zoo, the Hotel Coronado, SeaWorld, Legoland, the beach, the Midway, and observe NAS activities (even without the SBJ-9'ers aka S-3 Vikings). The beach day was fun in it's lack of activity. I did not get out in the beach chair, so I missed out on the surf, but the kids went out with Sarah. The Nimitz and Reagan were in town as well, so we saw our fair share of sailors out and about on libbo. I had to explain the Navy version of SP to Sarah. The kids were less than interested in speeches, but were intrigued by the aircraft. I think they picked up on my excitement and thought it would impress me if they looked interested.
We enjoyed Mother's Day with Omi and Grammie and Grandpa. We had brunch in what was once Swan's Landing near Sandpoint. What a day weather wise. And Grammie and Grandpa catered to us, by watching the kids while Sarah and I satiated our Trekness.
Now we are getting back into the groove.

Mon chi chi

Oh so soft and cuddle ley. With the thumb in the mouth its really neat. Love to play with the little feet. yah. yah. yah!
It is not a "Pre-school day" today, but it is a "soccer day". So we were at soccer "lessons" at mid day. Rileigh let us know that it is not her favorite sport, while we were attempting to clean up from mid day snack. She mentioned that maybe swimming is a better sport. And the good news in the end is that Rileigh did in fact get on the field today. We were not late this time, but I would have preferred to have arrived with a little more time to "warm up".
All actions and evidence pointed toward a replay of the last game. Ethan was excited to get out there. Rileigh was not. Definitely not. We started out on the sidelines, and I was rolling the ball to Ethan, and he would kick it back. Sometimes too hard, sometimes into the field next to us. Soon he was called up to play; starting out between the cones, or "tending the net". I missed much of his initial action as I was distracted doing the warm up thing with Riles, but I heard he did well. Rileigh chased down the ball once or twice on the field next to us during our warm up. And then we moved to the open space where we were more free to be less precise.
In the game, Ethan did a lot of running around, and kicking, and falling, and bumping -he had a good time. Sarah could not sit back, and got right up to the edge of the field- as close as one can get without getting on the field. Riles was content (for the moment) to have the one on one time with me. At the end of the game both kids participated in the hand shaking. It is kinda funny how much Rileigh likes that part of the sport.
The next game Riles was ready to play. She was on the field and a part of the action in the opening minutes. She got a few good kicks in, and was part of the stampede toward the goal. She also participated in the stampede in defense of our goal. And then she evaluated her performance and had to get off the field. No notification, just to the sidelines, and "Mom, I .....mumble" (head down) etc. We answered to the coach for her that it was time for a sub. Ethan was up to his normal performance and was in all the running around. He would do well as a palomino, or maybe a litter mate of labs. We got DQ after the game as a reward, and chicken at Grammies. Ethan was all set for a pull of Guinness ("I want that soda"), after all the activity earlier in the day, but it was a brief pull, and a grimace (pshh! got some learnin to do!).
I have to relate how frustrated I am. I have to try to teach these guys how to use their feet, when I have very limited ability to use mine. I try to roll the ball to them so they can trap with their feet, but when they see me catch it with my hands, they mimic that. And I cannot chase them down. Rileigh wanted me to chase her down, as she dribbled. She also wanted me to race her to the ball. All very frustrating that I cannot participate at the level which I would like. Forcing me to grow in the areas where I am most deficient, and neglect the areas where I am strongest. That is: I can't show them how, or play with them. I have to verbalize what they should be doing. Which takes a lot more patience than I like to deal with. Not to mention I have to have better verbalization skills.
Today's game was not as warm as last. The breeze came from somewhere near Fairbanks AK or maybe SoDak. Can you guys keep that cold air to yourselves? thanks all the same. Still, the sun was out in between the clouds providing a rather pleasant environment.

Grover

Ethan: "Daddy? where did you got this?" (holds up the memento the Swedish officials gave all the athletes that participated in Solleftea)
Dad: "Sweden"
Rileigh: "Whatsa Sweden?"

-As I was wrestling with them-
Rileigh: "You are choking me on my Belly! It might kill me. Or make me choke." (It is nice to know that she values dieing in the same context as choking.

They now say R2-D2, instead of Rtoo BEEtoo.

"Scared after death" (Instead of: scared half to death)

The kids have started their soccer games. So far the "soccer lessons" are a good time. They seem to like running around, which is a good thing. We just need to instill that they are not running without a purpose. So far, they look a lot like a herd of horses, or maybe a pack of puppies chasing a ball. -That is why it is dubbed maggot ball after all- After two games, Riles has yet to get on the field. Ethan does not like to be substituted out, he likes to stay on the field. It is nice to see that they are in fact learning the whole purpose of the ball, the lines on the field, and the other kids running around in the same color shirts, as well as those strangers in shirts which have a different color than theirs.
Both want the training wheels off their bikes. (Which were bought recently from Wally World). I am not real sure if they are ready for that move. It is not a balance issue as much as the bikes still have a size or two advantage on them. Riles is perturbed by the noise caused by the training wheels. I think Ethan is just following her lead, though I am not sure he is sure of what he is asking for. And that the kids have not mastered the coaster brakes, or that they should trust their feet on the pedals more, has caused be to delay taking off the training wheels. It might just be something that we just do, and stop "analyzing".

One day the pond was frozen the next it had thawed. And the fish were jumping. They have scheduled jumping times, and rest (I suppose) otherwise. The same thing with the lake. Only, the ice melted a little from the shore, and then the next thing you knew, it was gone. Someone must have taken the ice during the night.

I have been across the state a few times in the past week. It was good to see that the propellers for the Earth's rotation were going strong. I knew they were working because the days have been getting longer. It is good to know that such an internationally important job has been entrusted to the state of Washington. It must be the abundant hydro power we have. Or maybe it is just geologically sound. I must say it is an awesome sight to behold as you descend into the Gorge at Vantage. The importance is underlined by the security measures implanted in I-90 nearby. I knew there was a reason "we" implanted all those demolition charges in the concrete sections of road. I just had to mention, as I have been traversing that area a lot recently.

Dolphins'

I would like to take pictures every day to show how quickly the snow is melting. It is interesting to me how the snow changes the scene, and how used to it we get. Then it is gone, and it is like it were never here. I would like to do the time lapse photography thing, but will I? no not really. I guess I don't really want to in the end. ....or want to bad enough.
Twin Lakes is still frozen over. "Our" pond (15th hole) is still frozen over as well. -I wonder if the trout made it?- But Hayden is navigable. Only some of the bays in Hayden lake are frozen. I find that interesting.

Fishk

It has been a bugger trying to post lately. Mostly it has to do with my motivation. It also has to do with Internet connection. There has been a fair bit of travelling, on my part, which usually leads to plentiful fodder for writing, but who wants to read about me? It is just that I have not been in the proper location, and proper frame of mind. The timing was off for writing.
Every year I go to the DAV Winter Sports Clinic, I think that the next year, I will bring the family. There is a lot of potential there. But there is also a danger there. The Clinic is set up for the newly injured veterans, not vets and families. Still, just because it is geared that way, does not mean that it cannot be worked. The kids would have fun there, it would just be a little more independent of me than some of our other vacations.
On my way home from the Clinic, my initial flight was cancelled due to weather. I was able to get to Denver by 11am or so, and somehow there were no other flights available for another FOUR days! The closest I could get was standby on the flight at 9:40 pm(apparently). And just to add a little spice to my life, that flight was delayed until 1130pm. I am now familiar with the Denver airport even more than I have ever been. There was plenty of time there to write, just not the resources.
The kids now have bicycles. For now, they are too small for the bicycle, so we have left the training wheels on. This allows them to learn the ins and outs of coaster brakes and pedaling without having to deal with balance. They are chomping at the bit to get the annoying training wheels off, it is just that they have such a long way to fall presently. Watching them fall is like watching a tree get cut down.
The kids have started soccer. I think they called it soccer school. and it was only one practice, and one meeting to see what team they were on. Bottom line: the kids have a long way to go. They have a lot to learn: Not the star in this movie, mistakes are OK, the rules of the game, how to interact with peers, etc. I'm glad we and the other parents on the sidelines can chuckle with each other over our little one's juvenile behavior. We are not the parents that are belittling other parents for their child's lack of sport knowledge. At least not yet. So far, we can find a source of camaraderie in our little ones' naivety.

A Pale Moon Rises

So the kids have been to the venue twice now. Once on a day that I was practicing, and once on a day that I was racing. The weather was in our favor both days, though more so for the day I was racing. Add to that, we somehow came into possession of one of the parking passes for the US/Australian team. This allowed Sarah to park really close to the venue so that the kids did not have to walk all that far. I think these factors helped in creating a pleasant experience for the twins.
That first day they were at the venue, was a Biathlon sprint day. The place was decked out in all its glory. The local adaptive sports community was out as well, with a display area where one could try out some adaptive sports. So, as I watched some of the races, and the kids got tired of watching some of the races, they turned to the display area put up by the local Adaptive Sports Community. They had the visually impaired air rifles, a sit ski, and shuffle board....I mean curling from wheelchairs. Ethan thought that this was a cool playground. He got in the sit ski and actually propelled it -on his own- across the snow. He also sat in a chair and tried his hand at the curling. It was cool to see how interested he was in trying these things out. Rileigh on the other hand was; too cold, or too tired, or only 5, or whatever else she could come up with, to try any of those things. Still, I do think they both enjoyed seeing all the different people and all the cool posters and banners, as well as all the interesting sit skis. They also noticed that people did not have arms, or legs, or that someone was in a chair "like daddy". Andy's prosthetics were dubbed "robot legs". They never did come out and tell the person, or ask the person, where or what happened to their limbs. They would just all of a sudden tug on either my or Sarah's arm, and look up at us and point. So, we have a little work to do with empowering them to talk to individuals on their own.
On my race day, I saw them at the finish line. I heard them as I was passing through on my laps, so it is not as though I felt neglected, and they were there in due time to take in the race. By the time I met up with them, Rileigh was all smiles and comments, and Ethan was distraught that we were not at the "try out the adaptive sports play ground". They both are tending to pull the over dramatic emotional displays when they are not doing what they expect they should be doing. Sarah and I are having fun with that. After my cool down, I met them over at the play ground, and I attempted to get them excited about watching the awards ceremony. At this point Rileigh was done with all the noise the people were making, and Ethan was ready for some new stimulus. Add to that, the coaches, and some of my teammates wanted to meet and talk with Ethan and Rileigh, but the twins were not open to meeting people. They chose to bury their heads in my arm (or Sarah's) instead. Maybe it was the overstimulating environment, or something like that, I don't know what exactly was the issue. Ethan warmed up some when my coach gave him a piggy back ride.
I grabbed some lunch, and the kids and Sarah headed for the van (which was now parked in the "commoners" parking lot at the bottom of the hill). All social anxiety that was so strong a few moments ago dissipated. The kids ran around like no one was looking. Luckily, they have some good sense, and went straight to the van. But for a while they were out of sight, and both parents knew we would find them in a wheel well, or some such horrid thing. It seems they did a good job of being aware of vehicles, and people, and of getting to the car in a timely manner.
They were happy to be back in the safe comfortable condo, where they could run, scream, and tackle, and tumble about. It has taken constant action from Sarah and I to keep them at least resembling civility in these scenarios. Wrestling is their number one favorite activity. I suppose I have created a monster. I made the bed, now I have to lie in it.

Squamish

I am in Squamish BC, Canada at the moment. It is where the teams are staying for the competitions at the Callahan Valley, near Whistler. Whistlerr is where the the Nordic, and Alpine competitions will be for the Olympics and Paralympics. It is nice to get a glimpse of the venue that the competitions will be in before we have to compete here. Squamish could be Redmond, or maybe Mill Creek. And it is that green. OK, maybe it is more like Mt. Vernon WA, or Arlington WA, as the terrain is rather extreme. Straight up, and straight down. It is a bit green all the way up to the skiing, where the snow is barely holding on for the moment: it is really trying to be spring.

Yesterday was rain in the morning. Rain like you see in Bellingham, or the Hoh rain Forrest. And it may be that I am back on the East side, Idaho, and that I am more used to less rain. Regardless, that was some serious rain. I am not sure what it was like at the venue so much. Today, the sun was out. It was quite a contrast to the racing venues of earlier in the season. Then, there were not enough clothes to cover us. Today, I could have skied in a t-shirt. And then I would have gotten a sun burn, as I would not have even thought of sunscreen. Sunscreen was not even in my consciousness in Finland, Sweden, or Alaska.
The kids arrived here with Sarah, via the Sienna. They dropped me off at the Spokane airport, drove to North Bend, and then stayed the night in Issaquah. They had some time to do some shopping in North Bend. Who wouldn't? They drove the rest of the way on Monday. The kids, naturally, have been rather wild since they have been here. I am chalking that up to two days of inactivity. I think they are getting to see some cool stuff, and they seem to be enjoying it. It has also been nice for me to see them more. Tomorrow will be a test to see how well they do at the racing venue. Can they handle the not so action packed environment of Nordic skiing? If anything, there should be some good snow fun.

Mid Feb

So far, February feels like spring is ready to go. All our snow is "old snow". We get falling snow occasionally, but it does not accumulate. Very little shoveling, especially in light of the Christmas accumulation.
I have missed out on two opportunities to take pictures of the kids sledding. They were interesting to watch, as well as frustrating to me. On Saturday, the twins and I started sledding on the mounds of snow in the parking lot of the condos from the plow. From there we moved to the hills near the sand traps on the 15th hole. I sat in the Blvd. to oversee this sledding area. Rileigh went home then, and Ethan and I moved to the parking lot of the golf course club house. The back corner of the parking lot has a large water retention basin, and the plows had added to the hill into the basin by pushing all the snow from the parking lot there. Ethan and I went to the club house parking lot again on Monday, with also a tour of the other large "plow mounds".
I could never tell when one was going to benefit from the other's dragging the sled back up the hill. It was not an equal share concept, but they traded out dragging the sled up duties. Neither seemed slighted by the other not pulling their weight. And they are learning how to walk in the snow, and the delicate art of grasping the string to the sled with mittens.
The frustrating part is centered around me being relatively stuck to the base of the hill. I could only watch them lose traction, and slip as they climbed. I could not show them. I tried explaining, but that only goes so far. Add to that me trying to put into words what I know how to do, and you may see my frustration. Not to mention that who does not want to go sledding? I have to encourage activity with words -another strong suit.
In the end, Ethan is more impressed with sledding than Rileigh. He stuck with it the longest, and was most enthusiastic about starting in the first place.
It was a little scary to watch as Ethan chose the steepest drop offs to "slide" down. Especially since most of the hills are basically a pile of ice boulders. So, the run out is not always smooth. So, I am learning not to cringe too much, that they are resilient, and that injuries happen. The funny thing was that Ethan chose to wear his helmet on Monday -with no encouragement from me. If there is one thing that I hope he learned from this venture, is that wet feet are bad. He chose to hop in every puddle he saw. No amount of "don't step in the puddles!" would help.

just got in the door. trip complete

On my way home. Started Yesterday at 2pm. Stay overnight in Stockholm, and now we head to Frankfurt then on to Denver. Can't wait to get to Denver -I feel more comfortable there.....even though there is a big bag drag in store for me when I get there (customs).

Svenska

It is real fun signing into blogger in another language. Finnish was near impossible, and Swedish is just fun. Of course, the things I have to fill in are the same, so if I would only remember what and where the spots I needed to fill in were, I could get by much easier. Then there is peice of mind when all the prompts are in english again once signed in. whew.
I willl just have to add a little for myself here. On one of the plane trips I saw an add for a device that records your cassette tapes into the digital medium. The add has a pile of tapes next to the machine, and then the happy product of a cd, or mp3 player on the other side of the photo. Interestingly, one of the tapes was none other than White Lion. Apparently a commercially viable product. VIN-DI-CA-TION! Thanks.
We started out with some sunny days here in Sweden, which was in direct contrast to Finland. That, and the temps did not dramatically drop with lack of clouds. Finalnd was extremely cold the day the sun came out. The sunny days in Sweden gave us a good view of the valley and the good view from the dinning room here in the hotel. The skiing was also more pleasant in unfiltered light. We don't have as easy access to as many trails here as there were in Finland. These trails are a little more challenging, especially for a sit skier. After our introduction to "all the sun", the last two days it has snowed. For how hard it appears to be snowing, I would expect us to be under four feet of snow. Somehow, all this snowing adds up to 2cm of snow. There is a big difference in Scandinavian snow and what I am more accustomed to. So far, the races have been biathlon, and some alpine: Slalom and Giant Slalom. I'm no expert on Alpine racing, so don't take my word for it. Right now the lobby is packed with alpiners. We, as nordic skiers, do our fair share of sitting around. But once the race starts, there is no sitting around. Alpine appears to have a lot more sitting around, even while the races are going. They deffinately do a lot more smoking, and drinking. It leads for interesting times when we are co-located.
Vuokatti did a fine job with feeding us. I did have to expand my definition of meals, but the variety was good, and the effort they put forth was commendable. So far we have enjoyed the change of pace the Swedes have provided. It is good food. Also the Finns don't seem to need pepper. We are glad to finally get pepper again. Still, I think the variety of food is not here, and we will be glad we are gone in two days. Both in Finland and here, the dinning rooms provided a nice leisurely meal with large windows displaying the countryside. The added bonus here, is that the dinning room is mid-slope, so we get to see some of the alpine events. This place also seems to be more of a hotel. Vuokatti was more of a sport facility -dorm style rooms, "chow hall", etc.
So far it does not seem that paralympicsport.tv will be broadcasting these events. I am quite impressed with the coverage we recieved from Vuokatti.
This link may help you;
http://www.handikappidrott.se/paralympicwinterworldcup/t2.aspx?p=1422094

Fargernas Land Solleftea

The Russians are not here. The Ukrainians are not here. But we do have the Belarussians. Also, as an added bonus, we have international alpine teams. Not ours though. There seem to be a lot more alpiners than nordic. and there is a lot more standing around in that sport. We know, because we can look out the window, as we are eating breakfast, or lunch, and we can see them standing around on the hill, or at the starting gate, or at the bottom. The trails we are skiing on are impressive. There is major downhill, and some serious climbs. We are going to be doing some serious speed. If one were to fall over in the trail, there is good potential for carnage.

Hammaslaakariasema

You may think I let one on the twins type that title. Sorry, not the case. A couple of the a's are missing dots over them, but I can't figure out how to do that. I have no idea what this word means either.
Urlheilopisto- I know what that means....generaly. It is the sport complex where we are staying. Now, is this the only place with that name? don't know. If I went down to Helsinki and asked where the urlheilopisto was would they point me in this direction? have not a clue. The only way I have this vague notion of what that word means is that it is on the signs on the trails around here. And there are many trails. I learned how to discover the meaning of urlheilopisto all due to self preservation. I'm not into getting lost out here. Not on my list of things to do.
I'll share a breakfast meal: Cheese- one slice of swiss, and one that was yellow. 2 slices of a sandwich type meat, hopefully chicken. A bowl of white yogurt with a red jelly -possibly logan berry. Brotchen like roll, watery OJ, small glass of milk and a cup of coffee with what I hope is cocoa. It is fun to see what different people think of to eat for breakfast.
This morning on my short walk from the rooms to the dinning hall, I looked up in the sky to see if there were clouds or stars. Well, there were some stars but they were dim, so I assume there is a thin layer of clouds. Looking higher, I could make out the big dipper, which pointed to the north star, and then I almost fell out of my chair because my head was tilted so far back. I was looking straight up at the north star. Just a sign of how far north we are here. 0740 and we have a pre dawn glow. Yesterday, we were "blessed" with clear skies (and -20C), so we had a direct view of the sun. It left about 1430 behind some hills. Gone. But, we had a glow in the sky until 1630. That is when the sky finally started to turn black. Real interesting environment.

I had not gotten to this yet

I have Never lived in Arkansas. I don't really consider Alabama as all that close, to Arkansas geographically either. Still, staying at the hotel for Dan's wedding, I had a slight feeling of familiarity, it seems to remind me of AL. It seems to me that the two areas, Montgomery and Little Rock, do not have all that much in common. Maybe it was the bermuda grass, in winter that made me think of memories I have. The clear skies, on a January day, which was not all that cold. The leafless trees all blending together to make a familiar environment to that of Alabama. The AL that is filed away deep in my head somewhere, that only comes out in the proper motivations.

Sarah and I arrived a little later than the rest. We also arrived a little later than our itinerary predicted. The ground crew in Chicago were having trouble letting our plane go -it was stuck to the cart that pushed us back from the gate. But after a short delay, we were on our way. We navigated Little Rock at night, to Laura's parents house, with the use of the gps through Sarah's phone. She drove as the hand controls were on the right, and we just did not want me to "risk it" by driving with hand controls that I was not familiar with. Once in the neighborhood, the house was not hard to find, due to the popularity of the dinner, and all the cars parked out front. There was that winter bermuda grass, as I rolled to the front door. I think the syle of houses also reminded me of my days in AL. Dinner was in full swing when we arrived, and we made our way throught the guests to Mom, Dad, Regan and Karl, Aunt Barbara and Uncle David. Preston seemed to enjoy the show, and all the activity, not the nose pokes so much. It was nice to reaquaint with everyone again, and the transition seemed smooth. Sorry to say, that I did not do all that grand of a job mingling with the other guests. It is a bit of a challenge for me to mingle in company.

We stayed up late at the hotel, just hanging out, with Regan and Karl.

Having breakfast with the whole group -Mom, Dad, Dan, Regan, Karl, and Aunt Barbara, and Uncle David, was pretty cool. A pale version of Lake Pippin breakfasts, but a step in that direction. Brad Balow arrived with Amy and the girls -Tabitha and Lilly, while I was enroute with Dan and Regs to the Church.

The Church where the ceremony was held was a grand structure. Quite modern with a classic flavor in the mediteranean fashion.

The club that held the reception, was the envy of all. At least in the sense of those that frequent the Twin Lakes golf club house. A really cool club, and a great place for a good bite to eat.

Back at the hotel, we partook of the Embassy Suite's manager's happy hour. sweeeet. That was some good story telling and catching up. Brad visited another hang out session with Reg and Karl, which ended in the wee hours.

I did not get much sleep that weekend. There is just too much to do, and so little time. And that was one of the topics of conversation. We all want to visit more, and struggle to find the time to do so. It is just so hard to compromise some of the things we have to do, to do what we want.

The flight home was interesting. First, it was delayed about an hour. This led to a rerouting, in which we were happy with the service we received. We approached Seattle over Pendleton Oregon as the sun was going down. This provided a very scenic approach. The mountains, such as Hood, Adams, Jackson, St. Helens, and Rainier were dark, with the sky behind glowing blue. I could make out the ski areas, White Pass, and Crystal from the lights on the ground. White Pass looked to have some runs lit. Crystal was apparent from the line of cars descending Hwy 410. We turned north at the East end of Lake Washington, then turned final over Redmond. We were able to see much of the lights of the Pugetropolis. It is very impressive. It would have to rate among one of my favortie flights.

We picked the kids up from their Aunt's in Issaquah, after staying the night there. Then it was on to Ephrata, because we needed to pick some things up, and since we were going past anyway.... The result was that we had a fairly long trip. It was nice to be home.

And then I was gone a handful of days later....

VuokattiSport

Well, I wish I could go on in Finnish, and have all kinds of fun. But I cannot. I think I could go insane trying to pronounce some of these words, their language is so different than ours (and German -so I can't pull that card). And funny thing, I was listening to this guy talking to someone else here, and it sounded like Greedo talking to Han Solo in the cantina on Tatooine.
Since I am so far from the kids, there will not be much on them. That and I am the auther so far. Until Sarah is inspired to write, it will be from me.
We have had great weather for skiing. -5C and the like. Unlike AK, where it was more like -27C. Here, the snow still carries a lot of moisture at those low temps as well. And it snowed "all day" Saturday, but the accumulation was all of 5cm. So, it leaves the groomers a relatively easy job, and the track sets real well overnight.
Apparently Paralympicsport.tv will be broadcasting the races. So far I have not found it. And it seems that youtube has a Paralympicsport ....um...section?
The Russians have the largest team, and so far, I have not warmed up to them. Maybe it is my old school way of thinking, or just my genetic predisposition to generalize and categorize, but they "bother" me. Sadly, it does not help when they all come in to eat, because it is as if a swarm of locusts has descended on the buffet. I know I am being a bit harsh, I'm just saying my opinion. There are about 30 Russian athletes. Otherwise, most other countries have 6-7 athletes. I do need to be more open, so that I can benefit from the oportunity provided by such an international event. So far, I stick to the English speakers, such as the lone Australian, and the Canadians. Sometimes it seems a waste that we are all here together and all I am concerned about is racing, and staying to my comforts.

Hey I know where we are

So, after a long trip across Central Washington, we were pulling into the Village. Ethan piped up that he knew where he was, but forgot what it was called. That led to him asking me: "I forget, what is this called?". I said: "the Village", and he said: "no, it starts with a G". And then Rileigh added that maybe it was Rathdrum, which led to an arguement of: no it's not, yes it is. It got fairly heated. Thanks to level headed parents, the arguement was stopped pronto. Stil,l this led to no resolution. All we could do was distract the two combatants with helping us unload the car.
This morning I discovered that the word starting with G, was Idaho. Yeah, so, there was a little education in that Idaho starts with an I. Ethan is now in the know. We only hope it sticks as well as Lightning McQueen's quest.
The trip across Washington was due to Sarah and I travelling to Little Rock AR to attend/participate in Dan's wedding. It would have been nice to bring the kids to Little Rock. Still, it was also nice to have a weekend with few responsibilities. And we could talk about how much easier the travel is without kids. So, the kids missed out on learning what AR can be like, and meeting their cousins. And they wanted to see Uncle Dan. I guess Preston is old hat now, as he was rarely mentioned by the pair, whereas "Uncle Dan" and the "new lady" (Ethan said "oh yeah Aunt Laura) were main topics of conversation. Though having said that, the two of them can't wait to see how big he is now. Time is still a mystery to them they just saw him....how much can he grow? -in their eyes, let me add. I think they expect him to be ready for a nice game of chase (they do not have a very extensive repertoir of games).
Intead they had a good time with their Aunties in Issaquah.

Days are getting longer

Well, Christmas has passed. This year, for me, it was almost like the Christmas's of old -where school vacation was involved. Maybe that is making more out of it than it was, still, there are similarities. Mostly, it was a largely anticipated event and now it is gone, and all we have are memories. -For some reason I get this feeling, when I am anticipating the event, that once the event happens, it will be with us for ever. And now we are taking the tree down, and all the "dreams" that went with them go as well.
To put it another way, I get really melodramatic at this time of year. And honestly, there are cool memories, and cool pictures to entice them, so I have yet to learn to accept the good things instead of focusing on the negative.
I took off for Alaska right after Christmas. I went from cold and lots of snow, to absolutely frigid with enough snow. So cold in fact, that the races for which we went to Alaska in the first place, were mostly canceled. We did get one race in at least, and it felt good to compete.
I suppose the trip to AK had an abbreviated Christmas season end. I was not let down easy, rather, quickly. And then I come home to the sense that it has been over for a while. A time jump as it were.
While I was away, the snow turned to rain a bit. So, we lost a few inches, but there is still plenty hanging around. We got more snow today, and the forecast is either more snow, or rain. In other words, our Christmas storm is over, and we are back to more normal weather. I can at least do snow balls now!
The kids were happy to see me when I got home. They knew I had been away from home for a while, but their concept of time is still skewed. "Remember when we went to the Coeur d'Alene yesterday?" It is a little strange how a parent wants to be missed, and when comments which disregard the passage of time are said, it makes it all the more fun. I can enjoy that I am missed, as well as enjoy that their "suffering" is diminished with an undeveloped sense of time.
We had dinner at Grammie and Grandpa's last night. We asked if the kids wanted to spend the night (we were not serious, we only wanted to get their opinion). Both were against the idea, though Ethan was more OK with it than Rileigh. So, we asked them if Ethan could stay, and Rileigh would come home. Rileigh was opposed to this idea 100%. Apparently, if he were to stay, then Rileigh would not have a brother. And she must have a brother. She then tried to convince Ethan that he had to come home, using logic such as: we have to have pancakes at our house. that Granpa's pancakes were not to be had. We assured them that we were only looking for opinions, and that we were in fact going home, so there was no issue. Both were OK with the discussion, and their red beans and rice (foregoing their serving of Lasagna). And I am going to have to start recording everything, and then editing the recordings each night. Some of the conversations are priceless. Much like a dream, I remember the gist of what was said, but when it comes to particulars, the memory sort of fades. It is a shame that I am so strapped for time.