Addiction

 Recently I had a conversation with my son about addiction.  We both have observed addictive behaviors in close friends and family.  They have both prevailed and have been conquered by some.  We mutually celebrated the recoveries and lamented the challenges for those continuing to have difficulties.  

 Our conversation moved on from destructive addictions to what we considered a welcome addictions.  Because this is essentially a ski blog you can guess what addiction we came up with that we thought was a delight.   You guessed it!   Downhill skiing as much as possible!  As an early retiree, he has had the good fortune to exceed 100 days or more on the slopes for many years.   In my retirement over thirty years I have managed to hit the slopes for over 70 days a season.   At 91 now, I am not sure how long that is going to last!   As you might expect the father and son addiction to skiing has been passed on to the children and siblings.  

In closing it would seem that addictions build communities either of mutual misery or mutual celebration.  Humans are certainly social animals both for the good and evil.  My prayer is that good will win out.   I am so fortunate to have a wife who raises me up when I feel despair.  May we all have a partner that prods us toward the good.

Reunion Surprises

     This past Saturday I attended a Cornell University alumni reunion breakfast for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the college from which I received my Bachelor's degree in 1957. My 69th reunion, so not necessarily a year I would see many of my classmates.  Which was true.  However, I always enjoy updates given by the Dean and chatting with random folks from other class years and some of the old ones that shows up every year.  

    On the ski lift I am known for giving a six minute interview of my companions when I a riding solo.  Likewise in the reunion setting I do a similar thing which often morphs into a much longer interchange.  One of the chance encounters last Saturday certainly meshed with an individual who was accompanying her father at his 70th class reunion.  Tatiana turned out to be an avid skier who lives in New Jersey.  She grew up in the Horseheads area of New York and has some familiarity with upstate ski areas as well as spending some time in Vermont.   As her family grows she enjoys the slopes as much as possible.  However, we commiserated on the vagaries of weekend skiing at resorts near urban areas and even here in upstate New York.  We shared experiences of skiing in areas we both have visited.  I told her of my son-in-law Terry Barbour who has been Ski School Director at Mad River Glen.  And the rep of the area with the mantra "Ski It If You Can".   She is not a geezer by any means, but I was sure to let her know of this blog so she can aspire to skiing to a ripe old age and enjoy it.

Beyond the above encounter perhaps it was no surprise that an old friend back for his 76th reunion and I lamented the loss of old friends over the years and ending up being the most senior folks in the room.  We may be most senior but we still have a bit of a fire in the belly that keeps us going. 

Summer is progressing here and once in a while I drive by my local ski area to gaze at the bare hills and visualize the snow for the coming season.  Must keep in shape to be able to go at it again.

Best wish to geezers and youngsters that might be reading this.