I have the good fortune (or misfortune, depending on your point of view) to live in NH. While we apparently have Spring, Summer and Fall, if you blink, you might miss those seasons. The main season is winter.
While last winter was mild, I've heard dire predictions about what this winter is going to be like. Anyway, I like winter. Last winter, I was able to go out running a lot - over the snow and through the woods. I also bought myself my first pair of snowshoes and went out a few times. Unfortunately, the snow wasn't deep enough for more snowshoeing outings.
I'd have loved to have gone cross-country skiing and skating. I've never skied, and I've only skated a few times. Unfortunately, equipment for those sports is expensive, and rentals are never very good.
This year, the plan is for me to extend my activities to Nordic Skating and perhaps some skiing.
There's a great place near where I live that maintains a 4 mile skating trail (on a lake):
![[Image: winter_skating_trails.jpg]]()
The nearest cross-country skiing trails are a short walk away.
The plan is to buy some NNN boots, blades and bindings. That should allow me to buy the skis if I can get the money together. Fingers crossed that I can do all this in the coming season. Impulse buying during the season is expensive, so I want to spread out the purchases and have them ready for when I need them.
--------------------
That brings up an interesting (if embarrassing) story.
I didn't grow up in a place where I could go ice skating. I only started skating about a decade ago, and I've never had a chance to make it a regular thing. I'm usually pretty good on my feet, and I picked up some ice skating basics ---- enough to skate steadily and turn as required. Stopping is a bit of an adventure, but it's never stopped me from going out there and doing it anyway.![Biggrin]( "Biggrin")
I quite like it, and would like to make it a more regular thing.
Anyway, about three years ago I lived in Boston and decided to go skating with my wife, daughter and a friend of my daughter's. So we headed out to Frog Pond on the Boston Common. The weather had been pretty warm about then, but the pond was still maintained for skating.
When we got on the ice we realized that my daughter's friend was the best of us all on skates, I was next best, my wife was sort of competent and my daughter was pretty bad (disappointing, given the money we'd spent in the past on training for her). The pond was crowded, as usual. The ice was in pretty bad shape, and as I skated around, I noticed that there was a spot that was worse than the rest. I alerted my family to it and avoided it when I was going around.
Anyway, after a few turns round the pond, I started getting my 'skating legs' under me and was gliding away blissfully..............
..........right up to the point where I looked up to find some guy standing over me asking, "Are you okay, man?"![Blush]( "Blush")
![Blush]( "Blush")
To this day, I cannot remember what exactly happened in the moments preceding my fall. I'd obviously had a concussion.
In typical male fashion, I said something like, "Yeah, I'm fine." and staggered off the ice, trying to figure out what had happened. I had fallen near the bad spot on the ice, and I can only imagine that I wasn't paying attention and hit it. As I said, there's a gap in my memory there.
Anyway, I got off the ice and stood at the pool-side waiting for my wife to come around. There was no sign of her. Then I saw her coming out of the dressing rooms. She'd apparently fallen at about the same time I did - on the other side of the ice. Her wrist was hurting her. I had lacerations on my face (and a bruise that developed into a lovely black eye the next day). A fine pair we made that day.
We collected the kids and headed out to a Dunkin Donuts to take stock and warm up a bit. By that time my wife realized that her wrist was not well at all. We left there (inadvertently leaving behind my daughter's friend's skates in the DD - never to be seen again), took the T and dropped my wife off at the hospital on the way home. I got dinner ready for the kids and sent them to bed. My wife returned from the ER much later to tell me that she was going to have to see a specialist (that resulted in a surgery down the line).
That was the last time anyone from my family skated.
![Biggrin]( "Biggrin")
While last winter was mild, I've heard dire predictions about what this winter is going to be like. Anyway, I like winter. Last winter, I was able to go out running a lot - over the snow and through the woods. I also bought myself my first pair of snowshoes and went out a few times. Unfortunately, the snow wasn't deep enough for more snowshoeing outings.
I'd have loved to have gone cross-country skiing and skating. I've never skied, and I've only skated a few times. Unfortunately, equipment for those sports is expensive, and rentals are never very good.
This year, the plan is for me to extend my activities to Nordic Skating and perhaps some skiing.
There's a great place near where I live that maintains a 4 mile skating trail (on a lake):
![[Image: winter_skating_trails.jpg]](http://www.lakemoreyresort.com/assets/img/page-inline-photos/winter_images-iceskating/winter_skating_trails.jpg)
The nearest cross-country skiing trails are a short walk away.
The plan is to buy some NNN boots, blades and bindings. That should allow me to buy the skis if I can get the money together. Fingers crossed that I can do all this in the coming season. Impulse buying during the season is expensive, so I want to spread out the purchases and have them ready for when I need them.
--------------------
That brings up an interesting (if embarrassing) story.
I didn't grow up in a place where I could go ice skating. I only started skating about a decade ago, and I've never had a chance to make it a regular thing. I'm usually pretty good on my feet, and I picked up some ice skating basics ---- enough to skate steadily and turn as required. Stopping is a bit of an adventure, but it's never stopped me from going out there and doing it anyway.
I quite like it, and would like to make it a more regular thing. Anyway, about three years ago I lived in Boston and decided to go skating with my wife, daughter and a friend of my daughter's. So we headed out to Frog Pond on the Boston Common. The weather had been pretty warm about then, but the pond was still maintained for skating.
When we got on the ice we realized that my daughter's friend was the best of us all on skates, I was next best, my wife was sort of competent and my daughter was pretty bad (disappointing, given the money we'd spent in the past on training for her). The pond was crowded, as usual. The ice was in pretty bad shape, and as I skated around, I noticed that there was a spot that was worse than the rest. I alerted my family to it and avoided it when I was going around.
Anyway, after a few turns round the pond, I started getting my 'skating legs' under me and was gliding away blissfully..............
..........right up to the point where I looked up to find some guy standing over me asking, "Are you okay, man?"
To this day, I cannot remember what exactly happened in the moments preceding my fall. I'd obviously had a concussion. In typical male fashion, I said something like, "Yeah, I'm fine." and staggered off the ice, trying to figure out what had happened. I had fallen near the bad spot on the ice, and I can only imagine that I wasn't paying attention and hit it. As I said, there's a gap in my memory there.
Anyway, I got off the ice and stood at the pool-side waiting for my wife to come around. There was no sign of her. Then I saw her coming out of the dressing rooms. She'd apparently fallen at about the same time I did - on the other side of the ice. Her wrist was hurting her. I had lacerations on my face (and a bruise that developed into a lovely black eye the next day). A fine pair we made that day.
We collected the kids and headed out to a Dunkin Donuts to take stock and warm up a bit. By that time my wife realized that her wrist was not well at all. We left there (inadvertently leaving behind my daughter's friend's skates in the DD - never to be seen again), took the T and dropped my wife off at the hospital on the way home. I got dinner ready for the kids and sent them to bed. My wife returned from the ER much later to tell me that she was going to have to see a specialist (that resulted in a surgery down the line).
That was the last time anyone from my family skated.