Tag: skating

Early 2026

Scarlett, Lisa and Cooper skating on a freshly frozen Lake Windermere.
Scarlett giving me the eye!
Cooper practicing his one-timers (look at the whip in that stick).
Lisa teaching the kids Grandma still has it!
Lisa about 40 years ago skating in the same spot.
Cooper takes Scarlett for a ride.
The kids make a crash landing.
Lisa and Lola sliding down the hill.
Cooper and Kelsie staying warm.
The Old Man rings in the New Year. Two posts and in!

Late November

Young Cooper who I will not be able to keep up with much longer.

It was good to put the skates on, doubley great to be joined by Cooper and Kelsie even if they didn’t have their skates. Kelsie still thinks it is unsafe. Considering there is still open water not far from shore she is probably right. Still I insist that Lake Windermere has to be skated in November.

Getting in a few strides.

It seems, every year, the skates are further down to lace up and don’t seem to go as fast as the year before, regardless the ice still feels good.

Skating

A spectacular day, after so many with cloud cover. Lisa and I headed beyond the ruck to skate beyond Windermere.

Each year we get older and loose a little balance. Thats the way it works. We try harder to compensate, but are mindful not to bump our head.

science and soul

The fog gives way to stars where the creek turns steep.

Pretty good days. The lake has frozen hard and clear. Without snow it is a skater’s dream. We headed out after work on Friday, tossing the puck around, stopping once and awhile to admire the fine day. We stayed until the stars started to appear.

Young Jake legs it, the puck in front of him as he dips west heading north on a pure breakaway.

This morning low cloud blanketed the valley. It always seems cold to me when this happens. This evening Willow and I headed for the mountains with hopes to push through the clouds into the stars.

We followed the creek we are used to. It took less climbing than I initially figured before the stars appeared in the treetops. The sky was warm, twisting in my mind, while long lost spirits flowed through me stealing my breath.

Sometimes that’s all it takes.

Scientists just discovered the sun and our solar system are moving 7km faster around the Milky Way’s central black hole than we previously thought. A reminder we are always moving and science is always evolving depending on the latest research. It’s the best we have to go by and should be trusted. Still I will have to recalibrate my instruments and amend my plans considering we are going to be swallowed by the centre of the galaxy sooner than expected.