Well, our Samuel isn’t going to live somewhere else like William is, and he didn’t really change his name, but – in keeping with a long tradition of writing Day names backwards (starting with Serca Elppa Snosrettap) he created his first email address. And, for those of you so inclinded, he would love to correspond (new email acct and nobody to email!)
His email is: leumasyad@yahoo.com
So, ydnic, gerg, enniad, yrral, mot, yar, and yelrihs – welcome another backwards boy – leumas. By the way Adam’s address is madayad2@yahoo.com
I survided my weekend, but on the way home from church on Sunday, my power steering pump went bad – which, I found out yesterday, is because the rack and pinion unit had gone bad (even though it was a brand new unit). Of course the useless extended warranty wouldn’t cover the power steering pump because it was “consequential damage” caused by the aforementioned rack and pinion. They raised my blood pressure as I attempted to pry out of them what I felt I had paid for (i.e. COVERAGE), but those insurance-nazis didn’t listen to reason. So, I took what I could get (which did cost over half of what I paid for the insurance) but, I really wanted it all taken care of.
Today…a “wintery mix” as they call it locally…that is rain, snow, ice. And it will be 70 in a few days I’m sure. But, if that storm keeps rolling across the nation that was in Kansas yesterday…VT will probably get more than a “wintery mix”…probably get a couple of feet of snow!
Did I mention that we went skiing last month? We went to Banner Elk, NC. Had a blast! I hadn’t been skiing since I was a kid! We had friends from Pensacola who offered to share a big house with them at Sugar Mountain Resort – which had been given to them for a week. So, we took it! Marilyn wasn’t feeling well and didn’t ski but, the boys were ski machines. I started them on the bunny slope…and tried to teach them how to stand up, then how to stand up after you fall down, then how to walk up to the J lift (boys kept going backwards in line…knocking people down like bowling pins).
After a half a day of mastering that…we went up a notch and got on the lift. This was frightening to me…as it had not drop down bars and I had a 10 yr old and a 7 year old with heavy skis on who had never been on a lift chair…and you’re 40 or 50 feet in the air with nothing in front of you. Fortunately my friend’s kids were more experienced so he helped me by riding with one of my boys while I got them used to it.
It was interesting to watch because for the first time in his life Samuel (you know him as Leumas) could do something better than his big brother. He was a fish to water (probably due to a low center of gravity…). Adam was somewhat intimidated by the speed…and the crashing (which he did frequently). Samuel, however, just FLEW down the hill scaring the living daylights out of me. On his first time down the intermediatte slope he just went into a tuck position and went straight down the hill. It became apparent that he was not going to make any attempt to slow down…and in a couple of minutes would burst throught the Ski Lodge windows traveling about 50 miles an hour.
So, I got behind him and starting yelling, “Sit Down!! Sit Down!!” And he did. But, he sat right down on his skis…and continued picking up speed. So, I got up beside him and yelled….”Lie down!!!” (Seven year olds can do this….)…he just lied straight back until his back was on the snow…arms straight out…snow flying everywhere and he came to a powdery stop. I came up to him to see him covered in snow…lieing on his back, staring straight up at the sky. “Are you okay”, I asked? “Cool”, was his one word response.
Thus we began learning about inertia. Adam never gave up and got much better. But, the first time we went to the top of the mountain Adam, Samuel and myself stood there looking at the valley WAY down there…Samuel just goes into his speed skiing stance and bolts down the mountain…so, I had to send my friend after him. Adam, however, stood there going…”Dad, I don’t think I can make it!” ” You HAVE to make it”, I responded…”we can’t sleep up here, and there is no other way down”.
I can still remember the first time I went on a “real” ski slope in VT as opposed to the hill beside our house. I was probably in third grade…it was at the Snow Bowl…and I can still remember my sense of inimidation when I got off the lift…turned around and saw how high up the mountain I was, and realized that I had to ski down the whole thing! It can be intimidating. And, so it was for young Adam.
So, off we went down the mountain. Ski 15 seconds and then Adam would fall down (usually mostly on purpose as the speed would begin to scare him). Of course then trying to stand back up again took 5 minutes. We had been doing this for a while and not even 1/3 of the way down the hill when we hear yelling from above and to the right. It’s samuel (with my friend) on his way up for his second run down. Samuel made it down three times to our once.
So, we had a little 3 day break doing something that we had never done before. I was a tad apprehensive too…hadn’t done this forever…when I fall will my bones bend…or SNAP!? Never found out. I just didnt’ fall down (well okay…once coming out at the top of the lift…Adam drove into me and we wiped out…they had to shut down the lift cause we piled up in the middle of the area where everyone exits the lift).
I WAS, however, REALLY sore! At night time we went “tubing” (flying saucer bottoms like we had when we were kids…with inner tupe sides….very comfy and very fast). That was really fun.
Our first night, we brought the boys (it was our boys and the other family’s boys – they have a 10, 12 and 15 yr old) to a Japanese Resturaunt which amazed them (we don’t get out much…).
So, then we came home to Thompson’s Station and I walked around like an old man for a day wondering if that discomfort was worth the fun. But, it was.
That’s what I did on my winter “vacation”?
Don’t forget to email Samuel…