Look Nannie

Look Nannie, take a picture of the moon!

How could I resist?

After-dinner activity

When I'm home, Rosie loves to go outdoors with me after dinner. Each morning I let the male goats out of their pen to eat, and every evening, we swap them, so the girls can go out and eat. We do this every day - and the goats know exactly what time they are supposed to swap.

Rosie likes to walk with the goats on their goat path. The goats prefer to walk in the same exact spot every time they go out, and they've paved a path that Rosie likes to walk, sometimes the goats walk in front, and sometimes Rosie does.

Then Rosie likes to sit on a stump and just look out over the grass. It's her most peaceful time, and her favorite place to be.

All this Olympic stuff

With the Olympics coming to an end, and then my visiting Calgary, I started thinking about how I used to live close by one of the Olympic sites, near Squaw Valley, CA.

Twice a week I drove past that Olympic torch. The kids always asked about it, and I told them tidbits, and helped them learn general knowledge of the Olympics themselves, but we never really visited any of the venues in Squaw Valley, and truly, I didn't even know what year the Olympics were held in Squaw Valley until this week. Sad, I know.

The Squaw Valley winter Olympics were held in 1960, and became home to many Olympic firsts, including:

The first athlete's village
The first time athletes would be able to walk to nearly every venue
The first time the closing ceremonies were produced by Walt Disney
The first to have television broadcast rights sold to the highest bidder
The first (and only) time the bobsled event was not included in the winter Olympics (too expensive)
The first time in 28 years that the Olympics was held in North America

The winter Olympics were awarded to Squaw Valley in 1955, and because the area was almost completely undeveloped, the cost of building the venues and developing the area was over $80,000,000.00 - I'm not sure how to even say that amount.

30 nations participated in the 1960 event, with 665 athletes. It's grown quite a lot since those days.  And right in the middle of the Cold War, communist countries were allowed to visit the area and participate in the winter Olympics (under the mumbles and protests of the U.S.). That was a very big deal. It all seems sort of silly now, but those were serious, paranoid times.

Squaw Valley is still a wonderful gorgeous place, though today, I am not entirely sure it's large enough to host an Olympic event. Still, I'm glad it happened, and even though we never visited the venues, it's nice to know we once lived so close by, and somehow, that makes me feel a tiny bit a part of it.

Blowing my mind

120 MPH - 62 seconds - 75 degrees F outdoors.  Wooohooo!!

Calgary Summer bobsledding (motion sensitive people beware)

Slopes of Calgary

In 1988 Calgary hosted the XV (15th) winter Olympics. 1988 was only the second time Canada had ever hosted the world event, and sadly neither time led to any Gold Medals. Still, it was pretty spectacular.

Today the event venues are still here, and though the city is just a bit run down it's still a gorgeous location.

From my hotel balcony I can see this view of the ski jump and downhill events. Summertime doesn't do it justice and still it's a striking view.

At least Canada took some Golds this year. And they are so proud of their trampoline Gold Medalist, the airport was packed today to welcome the athletes home.

What day is this? Where am I?

On the way to Atlanta William told me he thought it was so strange when I would come home and say I could not remember where I had been, where I was going, or what day it was.

This week he said to me that he was beginning to see what I meant.  What a very long week.

Is it Friday yet?