Snowboarding 101

Everyone says you are never too old to learn something new. I think mostly young people say that. You know the ones in their 20's and 30's! Well, I had my doubts. There is a time in your life falling down isn't appealing anymore. If you fall down you don't ever want to do what caused the fall again. So why was I going into an activity knowing I would fall over and over. I guess the desire to try something that might be easier on my no cartilage knee trumped my common sense. What ever it was I was on my way to try snowboarding! This picture below might be the only one of the set where I actually look like the snowboard and I belong together.

I paid for my lesson and found out my instructor was a girl! Woohoo, I said, now I can cry. There was no crying. Getting the basics down here before I get on the board. Her first questions to me was, do you know which side is the front of your board? HMMM. 50/50 chance. I guessed wrong. Opps!
Can you hop on one foot and move around in a circle holding the board up? This is not going the way I planned. That was hard. We only had to do that once thankfully, and I am not sure what the purpose was. Maybe to see if I had any coordination????
It took about 1/2 hour before I was on the chair lift. No problem getting on but off was another story. CRASH. Didn't hurt! Good! I might be able to do this! This was my favorite position. Resting.
No rest for me. I always wondered why the snowboarders sat in the snow. It is not relaxing to stand like it is on skis. You have to have your edge engaged the whole time so you don't go sliding. Knees to hands to...
Semi upright!My instructor Kat had me move across the mountain first before she pointed me down. Look of fear on my face I know but I did it.
More resting. Love this part!
It was hard for me to face down the mountain and stand up. Very painful for me knee. So I got to learn the flip right away. Swing those legs up and over and let the momentum take the board and you flip over. Charming pictures! Thanks Mike!
I have flipped.
Still going across the mountain with just a little turn down and then right back up. The skills needed for snowboarding are nothing like the skills needed for skiing and I kept trying to use the skiing knowledge I had to turn. Not a good idea. Crash. At this point I didn't have any crashes that really hurt. My instructor took it slow and steady.
This is the wrong way to turn! I was in the middle of a crash right here. Thanks again to my photographer. :) Initiate the turn with the front foot(that makes the board start to turn) and follow with the back foot so that the board isn't on its edge like it is in this picture. I finally did get the toe to heal turn down. I just couldn't turn from my heals to my toes to get the board going the other way. SO...... I flipped again!
More resting. This was very hard work and I was glad I was in OK physical condition. Glad I workout or it would not have been a fun day. Not really sure I would describe it as fun anyway. Successful maybe.
Lesson was over and I was hungry for a buffalo burger. I think Mike was too. He looks a bit out of control here. Give me my burger!
After lunch the big decision. Do I go out on my own! Legs shaky, body shaky, I decided yes. I just wanted to get off the chair without falling. Off I went and... I crashed getting off the chair again. At least I have something to work on next time! :)
Feeling a bit more relaxed here. A bit!
I am not sure what my arms are supposed to be doing here. Pretty sure flailing isn't it.
There I go turning in a big "C" turn and then stopping and flipping so I could do it again. My instructor told me that she usually doesn't teach the "C" turn on the first lesson. True? I don't know but it made me feel good.
My falls were not bad at all except for one. Right on the tailbone. Hurt Hurt Hurt. Still hurts and it is hard to move actually. That has to go away before next week. Ice/Heat, Ice/Heat. Mike took a couple more runs after I stopped. He enjoyed his day because he didn't have me bugging him about skiing on chair one, going to the top. Asking him if his legs felt good enough to ski on different runs. He just got to go at his own pace without any pressure. Pressure from me? Hmm! On the way down the mountain Mike spotted a bear! Turn around Jackie and I will take your picture with the bear!!! Really? Turned out to be a wooden bear. I let him tromp in the woods for the photo opp because my tailbone did not want to climb!
Here he goes! Climbing the bear.
Da Dah!!!!!

I felt good about the day. It was a ton of work. I wasn't cold for minute. Took a while to get down the run but I could do it. When I did something right I could feel how much I relaxed and it felt good. I have a long way to go but I can do this! Next week on the toes and turning! Tonight Ice/Heat!

Saints Championship Game Jan. 2010

Trip to New Orleans To See The Saints Play the Vikings

I left Spokane on Saturday morning to go watch the NFC championship game in New Orleans. After a stop in Salt Lake I arrived in the Big Easy at 9 pm, took a cab to Mosca's on the West Bank and had a nice Italian dinner with my son Steve, his wife Michel, and the rest of Michel's family (sorry no pics). The following 3 pictures show Steve and Michel's quaint home, in mid city New Orleans, and the Bayou that's across the street. There was a 4 foot alligator taken out of this body of water a few days before I arrived. No wonder you never see anybody swimming here! This is a cool little area with its own grocery store, several good restaurants and a coffee shop.

Sunday at about 2:30 Stephen and I headed to the game and the fans were rollin' in. Our first stop was a tailgate party two blks from the Dome at the Korner Krew tailgate party where Steve's neighbor, David Davis and his buddies were cookin' up the grub. These guys make enough food for about 100 people and anybody walking by can come thru the line and eat (no charge).
David Davis and Steve feelin' the Big Easy vibes at the tailgate party.
Here's David showin' me the fixins: smoked boudin sausage, Deep fried catfish, Smoked jalapeno deer sausage, oyster stuffed pork chops and several pasta dishes. Delish!!! Everybody was chowin down including me.
The guy with the black shirt and glasses recognized Steve and the conversation started.
The big guy next to Steve is a defensive lineman for the Saints, Rodney Liesle 6 4" 315 lbs, who was just placed on injured reserve as he hurt his knee 2 weeks ago.
Here's Steve pumping up the crowd with the Who Dat chant. "Who Dat say they gonna beat dem saints"!!!

Just one of many dressed up for the game

It's a party!

Four Saints fans wanted their picture taken. The dark black man is drinkin straight gin. His buddy has the big stogie. The guy with the 8 jersey is Alan Savoie, a big saints fan.
OK , the smaller gentleman w/the apron is the guy who makes it happen at this tail gate party. He cooks all the meat. He's currently cookin' smoked jalapeno deer sausage and stuffed pork chops. The stuffed pork chops were HUGE and absolutely delish, so was the sausage.

David's cutting the chops.

The next 2 pics are of yours truly and Brian Freese and his wife. They wanted a picture with me because I was Steve Gleason's dad. This guy is an engineer that works with the same company that Stephen works for.

Here we go onto The Super Dome. There were small jazz bands all around the Dome playing their hearts out for the saints.

Just another Jazz band playing their hearts out

This woman is desperate for a ticket

A great picture of the "Who Dat Nation"

The saints stretching before the game

Here we go right before the game

The Saints driving with the ball.

Steve talking with his Boss's wife up in the Shaw Suite. That's where I took the pics of the field.

These two characters work for the Shaw Group. The guy on the left is Remi Bonnecaze and I forgot his buddy's name. Two nice guys!

This is the "Big Dog" CEO that runs the Shaw Corp. When I walked into the suite I asked him if he worked for Shaw. He looked at me kinda funny and said ya, What's your name? My son hadn't shown up yet, he was still down on the field.

Celebration after the game

Steve and I in the suite after the game

Stephen and his little wife Michel

Remi and his buddy that sat next to me in the suite. These guys were funny. They got a kick out of me asking the CEO if he worked for Shaw.

A lone fan walking out of the dome with my son's jersey on. He said Steve Gleason was his favorite player. Steve introduced himself to him. This was a day in the life of Mike Gleason. A Good Day! A Blessed Day!