Mountains and musings

It's a LOT steeper in real life...really...well, it looks steeper from up above.

Okay, maybe I am a little bit nervous about wiping out in a big way. A LOT nervous, truth be told, but that won't stop me wondering when I can get out on my bike again.

I don't know if it's the challenge, the adrenaline, the fresh air, the view or getting out with my friends that does it for me, but I strongly suspect that it's a combination of all of these things. I'm all for taking up new sports and, at 37, I think I'm doing pretty well. In the last year, I've tucked ice hockey, x-country skiing and mountain biking under my belt and I feel great. I am getting more fit than I've been in many years and am enjoying our Kootenay lifestyle to the absolute maximum.

There are days when I long for the convenience, variety and hustle-bustle of the big city, but I've come to appreciate the quiet, relaxed pace of our little town. It's true, shopping can be a bit inconvenient and living on "Kootenay Time" is periodically frustrating, yet the benefits continue to outweigh these little issues.

Quaint venues for great concerts, being in the wilderness in a matter of minutes, a bounty of beautiful towns merely a stone's throw away...

I thank the powers that be (oh, and my husband) regularly for bringing us here.

Life is good.

The demise of Mayanese

It seems I spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about my children's development be it physical, mental or social. I tend to want to hurry them along whether it's to get the training wheels off so we can do some "real biking", learn to swim underwater, wipe their own bottoms or tie their shoes.

I know that I will be kicking myself when they're grown up and I am grasping to remember all the things about them when they were little. "Time rolls quickly - remember that!" my little Italian nonna-neighbour reminded me this morning when she saw Maya and her boy buddy walking hand in hand. We were laughing about her holding hands with a boy when she's 16. This time be upon us before I know it whether I like it or not.

We were shopping for underwear for the big monkey last week and Maya spotted a training bra adorned with sequins and some print or other. "Look, Mom, it's a Hi Ho Musical bra! Oh, I mean High School Musical...silly me!" For months, she's been referring to that highly-desired-but-mommy's-too-mean-to-let-them-watch-it movie as "Hi Ho Musical". I was actually saddened to hear her correct herself.

It brings a smile to my face every time I recall Jordan telling me that some men have long sidebrains. What??? Well, those would be sideburns, of course. And her picking pine noodles on our walks and complaining about their prickliness in her pockets brings back the days when we would visit our neighbours in Richmond and scoop all the pineneedles her chubby little fists could hold.

Time rolls quickly...it surely does. At least the Baby Alive is still cuddled lovingly and called "Live-a-baby" - for now anyways.

By the seat of my pants (or, with a little skill and a lot of luck!)

What the hell have I gotten myself into?? It's fine to talk the talk, but now it's time to do this and my guts twist with fear. A deep breath and I turn my attention to the beautiful view of the town below...far below. I try to listen to the wind through the evergreens thick in their splendor just in front of us. I see the trail markers and feel somewhat reassured - at least we're unlikely to get really lost. My eyes drift to the scat of unknown origin and I'm reminded that we're never alone in the wilderness despite the intense solitude felt on a quiet hike. This is not a quiet hike.

"Are we good?"

"Yep."

"Ummm...uh-huh."

Mike's off. I see his back, broad and confident, disappear around the first corner and I can hear his bike rattling and thumping away down the trail. A quick backwards glance at Greg with a stern reminder to give me LOTS of space, a big push of my steely cold pedal and I'm gone. No turning back.

I grab handful after handful of squealing brakes, feel my back tire sliding, hear my chain bouncing, sense my pedals hitting rocks and work to swallow the sense of doom working its way up my throat. I try desperately to remember all the little tips I've been gathering these past days - 60/40 front and back brakes, keep the front tire straight, look ahead, DON'T hit your brakes before an obstacle...

Mike's voice cuts through the clutter in my brain, "Hairpin turn!" and that's when I realize that I'm doing it. I'm letting go and allowing gravity to do its work. I call back to Greg to make sure he's good and finally I see Mike waiting up ahead.

I stop, legs absolutely quaking with adrenaline, but I'm all smiles and I can't wait to finish the other 2/3 of the ride. Greg catches up and we're off again.

Fun on a rainy Friday

My goodness, you would think it was March in Vancouver rather than June in Trail. It is freezing and alternating between pouring and hailing...no camping for these monkeys this weekend!!

In my travels around the web this dreary day, I kept coming across something rather entertaining...a mosaic made of pictures that you choose from the results generated by searching Flickr for your answers to 12 questions. By the way, no matter how many times I rewrite this, it makes no sense, so here's what you do:

Open three windows. One with the list of questions (keeping this blog open will suffice), another open to Flickr and a third to Big Huge Labs' Mosaic Maker and on their page, choose to create a 4 column by 3 row mosaic.

Answer the first question, type your answer in the search field on Flickr and choose one of the images from the first page to represent your answer. Click on the photo then copy and paste the url into the #1 spot on the Mosaic Maker. Do that for all 12 questions, then click create!

Here is my mosaic:

And here are the questions, with my answers:

1. What is your name? Carolyn

2. Your favourite food? Pizza

3. What high school did you go to? KSS

4. Your favourite colour? Turquoise

5. Your celebrity crush? Hugh Laurie

6. Your favourite drink? Cafe latte

7. Your dream vacation? Galapagos

8. Your favourite dessert? Cheesecake

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Satisfied

10. What do you love most in life? Laughter

11. One word to describe you? Reliable

12. Your Flickr name? Kootenay mama

To see the credits for these great pictures go here and then let me know what you come up with for yourself!