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.