Another St. Pappy's Day Arrives

Here we are again, Pappy's birthday and him not here to enjoy it.  I'm sure he's having a great party wherever he is, though I can't say for certain which day he still celebrates as his "birthday."  It is most appropriate that, on this day, I sit and pack my gear for a week on the slopes, all of which I owe to him.  Happy St. Pappy's Day, wherever you are.

Fool Me Once ...

shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

Nothing left to say, the enormity of the error is ineffable.

[BTW, in case you can't tell, this is a mournful observation about the election]

Grossi's Birthday Comes Around Again

She would have been 88.  It's unimaginable that it has been almost 7 years since she took the big step.  I wonder where her Soul is now, and what it's doing.  And is Pappy involved?  What a pair!  You think you don't miss them that much, and then an expression or a pose (or a glimpse in the mirror out of the corner of your eye) brings a flash of remembrance... and sadness...or humor, depending.   It makes me think, too, that all that I have would not be here to make my life easy (never simple), but for her and Pappy.  And Pappy would not have been in my life but for Grossi.  For those things, I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.  Happy Birthday, Grossi, wherever you are!

 

 

Gotye Rocks

I may be late to the party, but I do l-o-v-e this song.  it reminds me so much of Peter Gabriel, the concept, the sound, the meanings...it's just fantastic (IMHO).  I studied up on this guy and he's pretty amazing--Wolter DeBacker, aka Wally, aka Gautier (French for Walter..who knew?), aka Gotye.

Some interesting interviews on Youtube with both him and with the female half of this song, Kimbra.  Can just watch it over and over (so far).

I liked it so much I snipped stills from the video.  Not sure what I am going to do with them, but it's artsy.

Another Year Goes By - Happy Birthday Pappy

Never forget, he who made all the wonderful things in life possible, like snowboarding...Pappy would have been 90 today.

Utah - This is the End, My Friend

It wasn't supposed to be, but life has a way of altering plans.  I had trouble sleeping (runny nose) and, of course, I hurt a bit.  I ended up sleeping in til 10.  I can't blame it all on my back or groin, but maybe some impending illness (cue foreshadowing music)--I was very lethargic.  My thought was to stay in and ride the Canyons with my remaining day pass tomorrow.  Then I got to thinkin'... riding by myself again? While hurt? There had to be a better way.  My main concern about rescheduling my flight was the extra fare that most certainly would incur at the last moment.  But it can't hurt to call...Wow! no fare difference, just that unconscionable change fee.  Still, not a bad idea, given that the ticket was acquired on FF miles.  So I pulled the trigger and got the redeye out early--very early--the next morning at 12:55.  Bit of a swing in plans.  (And who the hell travels at that time of night?)  That meant I had to rush to get out and use up what was left of the day.

Sarah's Folly

 I caught up with the guys on Iron Mountain around 1 (just Peter and Josh--the Big Boys had gone to Deer Valley, where we aren't welcome anyway).  The first order of the day was to attend to/comfort Sarah who had crashed on Lead Foot.  Unfortunately we couldn't be as much help as the ski patrol, who took her down in a sled. Ouch.  It was a tough run, and I fell more than once getting down from there, on my sore hip, no less. Ouch also.  Come to find out 2 others of our party had gotten stranded on Iron Mountain earlier in the day. Bad day for our averages....

After Sarah was safely on the way to the clinic (she turned out to be OK, just "tweaked" her knee), we went back over to Day Break, but a lot of the powder was skied out. Fortunately not all of it, but enough to limit our runs.  I lost the guys on the ride home, but worked my way back to Cascade.  Had I been just a bit quicker to get into the run, I'd have been golden.  But I delayed long enough for a boarder dad and his two skier munchkins to clog up the run ahead of me.  When I tried to pass on the side, they'd swing that way and I'd have to slow (and fall) to keep from cleaning them out.  On the bad hip--ouch.  After about 3 of those maneuvers, I burst through and was sailing home.  Little bastards!

Uneventfully returned to my room, packed (after taping my ripped bag), and left for the airport.

This is where today would normally end, but since the day started on Saturday and sped through the night ending on Sunday, I won't post separately for Sunday.  What a trip.

I had paid extra for a reclining exit row seat. When I got to my row I had to smile, being (apparently) between two ladies of indeterminate age, but slight of build.  A few minutes later, I was informed I was on the wrong side of the plane and that my seat was E, not B.  My row companions there were a sizeable man by the window, and a man-mountain in the aisle, who took about 1/3 of my seat with his overhang. Truly Jaba-esque. There ought to be a law!

So, no good sleep for me to Atlanta, and not much of the bad kind either. The flight from Atlanta to Tampa, however, was great. Got a reclining window exit seat at check-in and the middle seat was empty.  I was out at wheels up and not fully awake until time to exit. Glorious. And glad to be home.

Utah - Friday's Children . . . go skiing

Friday...Friday...Friday.  I got to the house on time, and we all left together. Our first run of the day was up Iron Mountain with most of guys and Katherine (Jeremy's better half).  We swung aound and found--thank you Beau--Iron Man, a Black Diamond under the lift line.  Had I seen it before I plunged off, I never would have gone.  Steep wasn't too bad, but nasty morning moguls everywhere.  Katherine was the only smart one and went around. I got half way down and then cut through the woods to the next run over.  Hell of a way to start the day, I'll say.

But then we went over to the Dreamcatcher lift, which is much easier; the guys took a first run down Chimera, a Black Diamond, while Katherine and I skated down a groomed blue run, Alpenglow.  I was not embarrassed at all--it was smooth, wide and lots of fun.  Even found a little powder.  On the second run, the other snowboarder of the group went with us, preferring not to challenge the moguls again.  It seems it is easier to navigate the moguls on skis than on a snowboard...something about speed of making turns. I second that, and they can have 'em.

After a few more runs, the Big Boys (the expert skiers) went to the top where it's all black and mostly Double Diamonds (called the Ninety Nine 90 Express).  They later said it was fun, but one of the best (Jeremy) got dinged up a bit, so I can imagine what would have happened to me and my comrades.  Josh and I stayed with Sarah, her husband Dave, and one of the twins, the Swiss Miss, I think (that's another story). We weren't together long because at the top of the second lift (Day Break) Josh and I went down under the lift onto a  cute little blue run called Dawn (lots of powder) and the rest went home. That run was so much fun, despite some bumpy spots, we took it again 3 or 4 more times. Then I was toast, and we headed for home.

Got some video running down Cascade, but missed Josh's big pileup on the side of the run--literally.  Some skiers were dogging me on the left and I was being funneled right into Josh as he sat on the snow.  A quick jerk on the board and up the hill I went, missing him by about a foot. I have a video from that starting point, but it needs to be trimmed to post (too big).  It's a bit annoying unless you've never seen a snowboarding video before, and maybe even then.

Best run of the day was a tossup between Alpenglow and Dawn, the former being sweet and easy to cruise, and the latter having a generous portion of glorious powder. Worst run? No question it was the first one on Iron Man.

And yet, the worst part of the day was still ahead.  Folks were scurrying about, going down to Park City to try to catch the previous day's lightning in a bottle at some bar.  I hung out at the house for chat and a few beers, then headed back to my hovel to do some laundry.  I had changed out of my snowboad boots and was carrying them in one hand, with my board in the other.  Slow steps down the driveway to the parked car.  One step...another, then boom! Feet went out, I got horizontal somewhere around 24" with nothing for it but to come down on my ass! I had to lie there for a bit to be able to get up, with a bruised left hip, but more importantly, a strained right groin.  Apparently I didn't hit exactly flat and got torqued a bit.  If I hadn't been wearing my backpack...who knows?  Another sign from the universe about getting a helmet?

After composing myself I headed back to the PCPC for dinner--a sandwich this time, and another conversation with Hazel.  Laundry was OOTQ, so I just limped home to tend to my wounds.  Tomorrow is another day...

Utah - The Canyons: Less than Grand

Ah, my first run at the Canyons (formerly known as Park West...much inferior under that name).  I made it to the house by the appointed hour and everyone scattered.  Made a few runs off the nearby Iron Mountain lift, then worked over to the other part of the mountain to meet up with the guys.  Included one snowboarder that I could keep up with and two 3 skiers I couldn't.  But we all stayed together.  This resort has some strange elements.  We came down a steep and icy run, which turned into a run-out, which led to a hill.  An uphill hill! In the middle of the run...WTF?  The best, though not only, way up was to grab onto a rope tow and hold on for dear life (snowboarders, that is, since we always ride sideways); the other option was to walk up--not the preferred choice. Very strange way to run a railroad.  The other peculiarity was the so-called Orange Bubble Express.  This was a regular chairlift with a protective orange plexiglass "bubble" that could be pulled down to shield against the wind and cold.  With the orange goggles I had on, it was surreal.  What wasn't obvious was that there was a midpoint download that was optional.  Of course we took it and came off short of the end.  Upon polling the rest of the group at lunch, it appeared that everyone did the same. Poorly marked and thus Annoying (with a capital A).

After lunch, we met up with a straggler and had all but two of the group together.  That lasted about 15 minutes before several of us got separated again. That happens.  I ended up exploring an area of the mountain that was honeycombed with multi-million dollar homes.  Pretty amazing.  But the runs were either narrow or long, neither of which sat well with my tired, old, post-lunch legs.  Yet I persevered to get back to the transfer lift that ran between a primary staging area (Tombstone lift) and the area where the house was.  Every other lift in areas I have been to in the West, except for high mountain lifts, closes at 4 PM.  Most of the lifts in Park City close at 4.  It seems every lift at the Canyons closes at 3:30.  The lift operator wouldn't let me up when I arrived at 3:45, even though that was the only lift that would get me back to the house.  His "explanation" was lame. Again, WTF? This is an exclusive (and expensive) area.  And, to add insult to injury, they wouldn't even send a courtesy van.  Unconscionable. I should write a letter. Probably won't.  Larry was kind enough to drive over and get me, and there the universe showed its sense of humor.  I had to describe where to come for me...had I not spent 30 minutes the night before erroneously exploring that part of the mountain while trying to find the house, I would have had no clue what to tell him. Makes you go hmmm..

The area is full of rich folks, which makes you wonder if these peons weren't exacting some type of class envy revenge.  The house the gang stayed in was spectacular--we were guessing around 3 or 4 million to buy.  And location...wow.  Look at this.

The runs here are numerous and, unlike Park City, diversified, and the staff is as friendly as members of the Gestapo can be.  (I saw a lift operator cut a little girl's lift ticket off her coat and send the whole family down the hill for a new one because she had a child's ticket and was a year too old--very unyielding, just like my lift operator. Bastards.)  The snow is good, the runs are good (for the most part), and the house is fantastic.  But the short hours and the expensive lift tickets--for a dollar less at Park City you can ski/ride from 8:30 AM to 9 PM--makes this not my favorite place.  The rule-bound mentality is just such a drawback. (I realize this is Utah and rule-bound is their official state state of mind, but c'mon...cutting the ticket off the coat? That would never happen in Colorado.)  I have two more days on my ticket and plan to use it to the max, but will be more careful where I am at the witching hour.

Lunch and dinner with the gang was a hoot.  These are some twisted folks, who have lots of fun together.  This trip, apparently, or ones like it, is a regular occurrence.  Many (or most) of the things said were unrepeatable, either in the sense of I don't know who will be reading this, or more importantly, in order to adhere to "the Code."  Whether it was someone hitting on one or the other of the "twins," a birthday boy downing shots of some strange concoction whenever we sang Happy Birthday, or other outlandish inducements given  to do even more outlandish things, there was no shortage of laughter.  For dinner we ended up at Butcher's Chop House--a bit anticlimatic unfortunately.  I don't recommend it; the food was not bad, but the service was terrible--it took almost 2 hours to eat.

Hopefully it will snow again tonight and keep it up tomorrow!

[Next day: I do not know, but have heard that other outlandish things went on back at the house that night, possibly involving the hottub, but I couldn't really say for sure.  All I know is it was easy to follow the trail of bloody footprints up to the lift the next morning.]

Utah - Damn, Fell off the Horse Again

First, let me say that it is terrible to get old and not be able to do the things you did when you were young(er). I used to go skiing with my Dad and be on the hill every day from when the lifts opened (around 9 ish) until catching the last lift up to the top (ever my goal) at 4. Best of all was to ride the last chair before the lift shut down.  S-w-e-e-e-t.   Now I wake up, groan around a bit, and wonder if it's worth it to buy a half day ticket. S-a-a-d.

I was awakened by a phone call from a business associate and stayed on the phone with him and doing various things until about 11:30. Then came emails. [Sigh] I suppose I could say I was resting my legs for tomorrow when the powder makes everything slower and more exhausting, or that the conditions had been getting thinner each day and it was getting dangerous. (See yesterday's post.) But maybe I have to admit I was just still tired. Whatever…I stayed in, don't judge me.

In the afternoon I wandered over to town and checked out the wonderful local Utah stores, e.g., Sports Authority and WalMart. Got some Duck Tape for my ripped board bag, a Park City shirt, another pair of goggles, and some socks. Oh, the excitement of it all…help me keep from swooning.

It got really thrilling when I went to find the rest of the Jax crew in the fancy subdivision in the Canyons; who would name a residential subdivision "The Colony"? Who lives there, ants? Lepers? You might expect something from M. Night Shyamalan. And yet,…very expensive houses all around. I spent the better part of an hour finding the place, thanks to the SFB in the guard house. He directed me the wrong way twice. That way included 2 trips up a steep road, across a narrow bridge which led to nowhere and tooling around other peoples mansions. The real thrill came from the fact that it had been snowing since the top of the page (Firesign Rules) and the Ford Focus is not a snow-mobile. Steep, slippery roads with falling snow = stressful driving. That jerk. Hmm, what do I recall about fool me once, shame on you, etc? Next time down the hill I took a different route but managed to miss the house all on my own. One more U-turn and I was there.

I had purchased some beer as a house warming gift for the crew, and was dressed quasi-cowboy style in my Broncos coat and gambler's hat. The look on Melissa Nelson's face when she answered the door was priceless. Apparently they were expecting food and not me, and she didn't recognize me (the hat?)--imagine the awkwardness, I didn’t help by saying "Time for a party…." Finally, mercifully, I said my name and was ushered in. A small moment in life to puzzle over. Anyway, the house is fantastic, and that's only the part that I saw. I think there are 9 or 10 inhabitants--I will be another during the day--and it still looked empty. Of course, several were sleeping, but who's quibbling. The fun starts tomorrow at 9 AM when the lifts open. As I do not enjoy being square, I will attempt to be there. Rock on!

Dinner at Park City Pizza Co, tucked away in a small strip mall near the Usual Suspects, was excellent--a gluten-free pizza (whatever that means). May well eat there again.

Here's the link http://www.parkcitypizzaco.com/.

It was accompanied by an excellent Amber Wheat draft (called Hazel, brewed by Uinta, and no, that's not a typo).  


My God, It's Sarah Palin!



Utah - Back in the Saddle

Today I worked my way over to McConkey's Lift.  There was not much doing there--the "Signature" runs, both Double Blue, were pretty chopped up, so I stayed on the opposite side.  Not much thrill there, except for my initial candidate for Run-o-the-Day which was Tycoon.  A beautiful smooth Blue with more than a touch of steepness at the end.  But better to move on.  I targeted the King Con Lift, and painfully made my way over there. (A boring story, so boring even I can't remember much about it.)


It was fun, but.... This area, along with the 3 almost identical runs off the Pioneer lift, is a great example (IMHO) of the weakness of Park City.  Whoever set up the mountain thinks it is fine to cut a slope into a dozen runs that are so indistinguishable that they have their names posted at the bottom of the run so folks on the chairlifts can tell what is what (although I can't really disagree with that practice, even for diversified runs).  Sitka, Liberty, Shamus, all impossible to tell apart once on them, or even from the chair.  The runs were certainly fun, well groomed and just steep enough, and collectively they are probably my Run-o-The-Day.  But as they say, Seen one, seen 'em all.  That has always been my chief gripe about PC, but that was before I was a Black Diamond Rider.  I hope tomorrow to try some more of those, but from looking at the map, they seem to be likewise afflicted. Ah, well, we'll see.

Clearly the Worst-Run-o-the-Day goes to Gotcha Cut-Off. I think it is there just to allow regular Blue Riders a way down without attempting a Double Blue or a Black. Either of those latter options would have been preferable.  The conditions on it were HORRID--brown dirt, little trees, and rocks were centered in the middle of tight curves.  It reminded me of one of the roads in NC that winds down the mountain almost at an angle.  I passed two young girls who had taken off their boards and were walking down.  Though I managed to get through the crud in one piece, ironically I hit a bad patch on a stretch of icy, curvy slope and went A-over-Tkettle without warning.  It hurt more than my pride, as I landed on my elbow and, to a lesser extent, my head on the hardpack. Double ouch!!  Though it hurt a bit, I had no fear of permanent damage (who could tell?) but it was an odd injury.  There was a residual discomfort, but no blood and surprisingly not even a knot on my noggin. I expect a headache sometime tonight.  Time will tell.  If I start babbling or repeating myself, might be best to tell me. Time will tell.  If I strart abblling or repetating myslef, mihgt be best to tell me.

Some readers might take this as a call to badger me further about getting a helmet, but I object.  A helmet would give me a false sense of security and give me the opportunity to get looser and injure something else.  This was a freak fall, akin to the last one I remember (that doesn't sound good) when Brant and I were in Utah in 2007.  That one involved some blood, and a helmet would not have made a difference there.  Rock on.

Rest of Jax folks come in tomorrow, but not in time to ski, unless they want to hit the night slopes. It will be nice to have some company on these long, lonely runs.  Am missing everyone back home, and hope someone can remind me why I just had to do this.

Utah - OK, I'm Here, How About a Break

OMG, what a horrible night's sleep (from Sunday)! A spot on my left leg was cramping so badly I thought I would wake up. I couldn't get it to go away, no matter what I tried. I rubbed it, I stretched it, I cursed it--not easy to do while sleeping--but nothing. Then I tried pointing my toes, which is always an invitation to a calf cramp, and, strangely, got enough relief to go back to my normal deep sleep. I'm not sure I brought enough Advil for this trip!

Finally woke up (damn alarms!) around 11. It was supposed to be snowing today (we hope for it every day), but it didn’t. I felt pretty queasy, so I decided to take the day off and do a little work. Emails, phone calls, the usual; I would have had to do it one day, so today was fine. I couldn't tell if it was AltSickSynd or sheer exhaustion, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Went shopping later in the day and found a little pub that served Newcastle. What a relief! The Fresh Market here is not at all like the one in Jacksonville. It's a lot like every other food market out here, especially City Market. Found a neat UnderArmour Cold Weather shirt at the local Sports Authority, but it was the wrong size. Not to be deterred, I spent a few hours finding it online and ordering one. So there! To bed at 2 AM not the best way to get ready for a full day…but it's my nature I suppose.

Utah -The Journey Begins. At 3 AM….

The trip started inauspiciously, by not finding my A team snow clothes…when I was in Jax and couldn't find them, I thought they must still be in Lakeland. Wrong. Even had to go to Sports Authority to pickup some thermal gear and new socks. But I got all packed with backups by Sunday early in the morning, chanced it to take a nap, and (thankfully) woke right up at 3 (ouch).
Flight was from Tampa, and one reason for leaving so early was to try the economy parking lot. Seems they took a new approach to economy parking--it's now a covered garage with a regular shuttle to the terminal. Very nice.

Now we start the Good News/Bad News feed.

G.N. = I got to the gate in plenty of time (1 hour early) to get an exit row…

B.N.= It was in the middle and was one of those exit seat rows that didn't recline

G.N. = I rushed to make my connection in Atlanta and walked from the arrival gate right onto the airplane for the next leg…

B.N. = I didn’t have time to ask for an exit row and even though it was a window seat, my "neighbor" was a giant. (Maybe she was Samoan, returning to school?)

G.N. = I slept the entire flight after we leveled off--4 hours of desperately needed shuteye…

B.N. = given the space limitations, I ended up sleeping in odd positions, resulting in a sore neck (damn).

G.N. = Although it was a connecting flight, my snowboard bag arrived with me…

B.N. = The Delta baggage gorillas must have been having a tug-o-war with it because it was badly torn on the top edge.

G.N. = I had forgotten which car agency I rented from, but the first one I tried (Thrifty) had my reservation (shortest line too)…

B.N. = (not much, but now that I've started like this…) I left all my travel papers--including my voucher for a free lift ticket--at the car counter and had to go back (but Jessica had saved it, so Yea!).

The car is cute-ish (Ford Focus) and big enough for the one person who is me. On to Park City!

The ride was uneventful, highway most of the way. I found the hotel easily, Chateau Après, and everyone was friendly. It is a bit of a dump--somewhere between an old Day's Inn and an old Motel 6--without the amenities we tend to take for granted (like an ice bucket!) but it is cheap and adequate for the one person who is me. And, of course, location, location, location. It's less than 600 mincing steps to the slopes.

Odd, they gave me room 115, my identification number with the firm. Hmm…it's a "firm" trip after all. Coincidence? I think not.

 I got my board all set up, dressed (no small feat) and headed out by 1:30, actually on the mountain shortly after 2. As I mentioned the program they have gives away a full day's ticket the day you arrive with just an internet voucher and a boarding pass. OK, 2 hours for free, big deal. What I didn't know was that it was good for night skiing too. Well, night riding, actually. Are you there KITT?

 I didn't waste any time--fell getting off my first lift, awkward, but with a low newbie quotient. This taught me why people use stomp pads on their boards--new board + snow = slickness.

 I was amazed at how quickly it came back, and also at how hard it felt to turn toeside. Very odd…toeside (on toes, facing the mountain) was my favorite side before. Board just didn’t seem to want to go there; heelside turns were fine. I worked my way around the mountain, at least as much as I could in 2 hours, gaining confidence and speed with each run. No blacks today, but I found a few double blues that were fun (Prospector, Silver Queen). My favorite run of the day was probably Payday (I did it enough, day and night). I managed to hold off going into the trees until late in the day, and then just the edges (tiny bits of powder left from days ago). On one run I rode up the lift with some younger guys (my guess, early 30's) and came down with them for a bit. I must have been showing off a little, because I got going w-a-a-y too fast for a good part of the run. I lost them when I stopped to recover and they went on. Damn those young legs!

 Speaking of which, my legs and wind were surprisingly strong. Of course, they could have been better if I had held to my exercise schedule (or had one) pre-trip, but I feel I held up pretty well, all things considered. I fell a little, maybe twice, nothing major, and nothing stupid. All in all, a good warmup day.

 One disturbing thing I noticed was the tendency to get cramps in my back and rib muscles. Very odd--have never gotten them there before. My feet would hurt for a while, but then it would randomly go away; maybe something shifted in the boot. Also odd.

 The best part of night riding is the continuity from the daytime. There's not a rush to make the last lift or a worry about get stranded (as long as you've made it back over to the night area--that's another story, too boring to relate here). Early in the session it is still sort of light, and the trail lighting fills in the rest. It's still warm enough to not be icy, and the crowds thin considerably, especially early when anyone with sense has stopped for dinner. The downside is that there are only a few runs open, some blue some green. Still, a lot of fun for the first day.

 I did quit earlier than closing (9 PM, go figure) and cleaned up. Then it was a struggle to find a spot for dinner (got out late), but I ended up at Squatter's Pub.

It really does look like this:

They brew various beers sold locally with interesting names, hopefully you can make them out in the picture below.  My favorite name is a toss-up between Provo Girl Pilsner and Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout.

The place was OK, I guess, but I doubt I'll go back. The problem with brewpubs, is that the beer they serve is very often too green, very hoppy. Maybe that's just how they like it up here in the Wasatch….Speaking of Wasatch and interesting names, there is also a Wasatch Brewery up here that makes a Polygamy Porter and an Evolution Ale. I have tried (and like) the latter but couldn’t bring myself to try the former.

Apparently they make something for the Mormon population as well….

Winnie is Gone

After a difficult ending, we lost our sweet Winnie.  She fought bravely til the end, but like Evie, it was time.  When your pups don't want to get up or, especially, to eat, you know the time has come.  Having given us all so many loving, wonderful years, she deserved a dignified and peaceful end.  I hated not being in town, but Jane did the right thing.  We will miss her terribly.

End of an Era -- Goodbye Evie

Time waits for no man...or woman...nor is it very forgiving while it's not waiting.  Evie had 95 good years, and then the last one.  Her passing, the day after Thanksgiving, was a blessing for her and her beleaguered family.  She had gotten to the point that no one could ease her suffering, even though we all tried.  Now she and Harry are together again (hey, Fuzz, we held on to her as long we could...you owe us).

Here is the formal obit:

Evelyn Fornwalt Copple, age 96, died in her sleep on November 25, 2011, under the care of Good Shepherd Hospice of Lakeland.  She was born and raised in Pennsylvania and moved to Lakeland in 1986 to be near her family. She is survived by her daughters, Jane Coyle of Lakeland and Jean Ross of Miami; seven grandchildren, Tim (Laura), Mike (Maranda), Pam (David), Michael (Lisa), Stephen, Brian and David (Sakhile); and 11⅓ great-grandchildren.  No service is scheduled, but donations can be made to Good Shepherd Hospice or Hope Hospice.

Obama Shoots Osama...

...or at least that's what one would think had happened by listening to the speech from the Great Satan. "I" did this, and "I" did that, gave the order, planned the plan, approved the op, blah, blah, blah.  I rather believe the insider blog that details how BHO not only couldn't pull the trigger, but was an obstacle to the launch of the mission.  Valerie Jarrett almost queered the deal, apparently.  Hooray for Leon Panetta who would not be denied (even a mild shout-out for Hillary C).

A friend sent me this:
Thanking Obama for killing Bin Laden is like going into McDonald's and thanking Ronald McDonald for the hamburger.

It's the guy cooking the burger that should get the credit, not the clown.

Whoever gave the word, the world is better off without that madman.  The angry lunatics may swarm, like whacking a hornets' nest, but I say fine, that'll bring them out in the open.  They want to be a hero and meet their barbaric idea of God, I say it's the least we can do to help them with that goal.
But the long-anticipated feeling of venegence--or is that Justice?--was not so overwhelming.  Maybe it has been too long, and the execution was an emotional afterthought.  I hope that this "show" doesn't help BHO (or TGS, as he should be known) get reelected.  Macho man, indeed! My ass.  If it does push him over the top, it will be the most expensive revenge we've ever gotten.

Another year passes....

It's been 6 years since Pappy left us, and it still leaves a hole. This pic is from one of our last family outings--to Olde Towne in Orlando (I think for my 50th birthday, actually)--and it exemplifies him in his element.  There's a sign at the bar behind him says that all firearms must be deposited with the proprietor--not this guy. Always the Rebel.  Grossi was in this shot, too, but I cut it--will put hers up in November.  It was ironic that I saw Murray Goff last night for the first time in 6 years, and only just thanked him properly (well, almost, but at least verbally) for the wonderful job he did at Pappy's service.  The universe has a sense of humor, thank God.  We will always miss you, Waldo!

Pappy's Birthday

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for today, not only because it was Pappy's birthday, but also because I spent so many of them with him on the mountains.

Pappy used to love to go skiing over his birthday so he could take all the guys out for dinner that night.  He called it the "Freddie Cates Memorial Dinner," so it was special in several ways.  His idea was that Freddie's gift to him of an interest in Venetia made so much money during the year that he had to try to spend it all that one evening.  And damn if he didn't try!  It got harder when the troupe got smaller, after Tom Oakley passed and Cookie stopped coming.  The best trip I remember was the last one we took, the one on which this picture was taken.  It was dinner at Aspen's famed Crystal Palace, a dinner theatre where the wait staff was also the entertainment, doing comedy skits and songs.  We all walked in and Waldo immediately waved to someone seated at a table as if he was a long lost friend--turns out they met on the airplane earlier in the week.  Next table over was a long time friend of his from Jacksonville...they finished chatting in time for us to run into my college classmate, Murray Goff, also from Jacksonville, coming down the stairs from the balcony.  Murray has never said to me in so many words, but I suspect Waldo had a bit to do with Murray's admission to Princeton.  Or maybe Murray just loved Waldo for who he was like so many other people did.  Murray: if I'm offbase on that admission thing, I apologize, no offense meant.  I'm sure my name was a help to get me in--the administration would have been nuts to pass up the chance to get another Richard L. Stockton up there--but I have no doubt Murray had to do it all on his own (or maybe with a kind word from Waldo in support).  I marvel at how easy it seemed to get into Princeton back then, as compared to how hard it is now. 

And so, another February 10th comes and goes, and I prepare yet again to head to the slopes, this time to New England.   Ah, the memories.... he would be happy.  Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Stupor Bowl 2011

I don't remember any of this, and it's the day after.  Oh, yeah, the Steelers lost. Or was it that that other team won?  Shit.

Weekend at the Beech

Ah, the best of intentions can be killer...or is that a killer?  The plan for the "weekend" trip to NC was to get the boys off to the slopes for a bit, and to become more familiar with the impending daughter-in-law.  A short visit to the Charlotte Casa was in the mix as well.  And we thought it would be cool for Winnie to see (and play in) some snow, since we obvious weren't going to get her out to Colorado in her present lifetime.  Thought sure the two parts of her genetic make-up would LOVE the snow...turns out, not so much.  Maybe if she had been younger, who knows--Sassy had a great time, but Winnie was pretty miserable.  Might have been the 49 steps from the house to the road that got to her (and to me, who shovelled most of them after the first snowfall).  The place was pretty much like all rental units in NC, very Timbers 6-ish, but with better decor. 

Jane and I got there the night before the kids, so we had a chance to scope it all out, and I got to ride all day Friday by myself, since B and S got held up in town (natch).  Beech Mountain is...how to say....small and mostly flat.  The "black" runs they had were actually one longer bluish run split into 2 (maybe 3) trails.  One good thing, it was the least crowded of all of them. And that was a big issue on Saturday when B and I  went out.  The slopes were so covered with participants, it falls into the "I wouldn't say your mother is fat, but..." school of hyperbole: I wouldn't say it was crowded, but at the base I couldn't fall down without hitting at least 2 people sitting on the snow. And that was the best result, because when they were upright, they were positively dangerous.  Really. 

There seemed to be some nice houses on the slopes at Beech, but location, location, location.  There's a reason that big houses on or near the slopes in the west command millions of dollars--that's were the good snow is.  Ah, well, another experience to remember.  B and I had as much fun as we could, and Shelley (who was injured) spent a good bit of time with Jane and learned to knit.  A good result all around.  Now to start planning the wedding!

Gators Take Lions "Out Back"

....and whup 'em up good.  A sloppy, even crappy, game, but not without its excitement.  What can you say about 6 INTs (5 for them), a blocked punt, a fumble into the endzone, and a pick-six to seal the game?  Pretty much that first thing I said.

Ah, Ahmad Black is the hero of the game, as he has been the hero of the season.  How fitting for an over-achiever who was "too small" and "too slow" to play safety to be the star on this under-achieving team.  A feel good story, for sure.  And he seems like a good kid as well, one we hope will get the big bucks at the next level.

Have you noticed how much ink Mike Pouncey gets in the various media services?  Is that because he talks better than he snaps, or just because he'll give an opinion on anything, anytime?  He has certainly become the "little brother" of the twins--hope he gets picked by the Steelers so the set can be reunited.  And Gruden sure loved him during the bowl game--raved about his skill as a blocker, etc, though he seemed to shut up a bit when that snap sailed over Reed's head.  Guess he'll be a great guard playing beside brother MP1.  (Who, BTW, is going to the Pro Bowl as a rookie! What?!?! A rookie, you say? From Pittsburgh?  Damn, that's unheard of .... at least within the last 50 years.  Big, huge, mega props to you, Maurkice.  You da man!)

But I digress....
It was so special that Urban's last victory was against a legend and his outmanned team, who managed to keep with striking distance until late.  It would have been unseemly to hang 50 points on the Lions with JoePa on the sidelines.  The irony is that one of Urban's role models growing up was Paterno, who, by the way, will still be coaching when Urban isn't--that is, NEXT YEAR! How times have changed....
Gators get a chance to try again next year with most of the same guys and a new coach, plus Driskel.  Go Gators!!!

Last Bumper Sticker of the Season:

Rap is to music as Etch-A-Sketch is to art.