Greetings

Sunday brought a couple of greetings. My girls returned home and I can't say how happy I am to have them here at home again. It makes the house feel...like home.

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Sunday also brought a greeting from a friend now gone.

Hope got in the car at the airport and as we drove home, she recounted her recent visit with our friend, Anthony.

She said she had a dream where he appeared out of nowhere. Hope said she had had difficulty remembering Anthony's face but in her dream, his familiar countenance was unchanged.

He first appeared to her with his back turned and when she realized it was Anthony, she asked "What are you doing here?". He turned to her and gave her his familiar grin.

Hope said he was so real, he was almost 3-dimensional in her dream.

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And for me? I'm so happy he drops by to say hi and let us know he is doing just fine. We still miss you, my friend, but thanks for saying hi.

In the line of fire

From insult to injury to....

As an official, you are always in the line of fire. You do your best to maintain a good position in order to have good sight lines. Yet you are constantly adjusting your position on ice due to the position of players and the puck.

I typically rely on good skating and anticipation to put myself in the right position where I can see but where I'm not going to be hit by players and puck. It does not always work quite the way you want it to. I have been hit with my fair share of pucks. I have been hit by my share of players. That said, I can not remember ever being knocked over by a player. I have surprised most of them by still being upright in the end (it does not hurt to be a strong skater on the ice...all the way up to the pros).

Last night, however, I zigged when I should have zagged. A player came out from behind his net and I adjusted by giving him the boards in the corner and plenty of ice to skate into by not getting out into his skating lane.

He never looked up.

And from ten feet away, I never stood a chance. A clearing shot right to the nuts.

He apologized profusely, during the rest of the game and several times after we had all left the ice. I just wanted to puke.

Is it better today? Yeah, I think so but only time and the return of my wife will tell.

But you know what? God, I still love this game!

Rides

The past few weeks have been filled with rides (the family is out of town and I've been trying to fill the loneliness of the empty house with a bit of outside fun). We have spent time at Nederland and Lair of the Bear putting in a few miles and getting some newbies out on the trail.

Yesterday, Flanders and I were a bit torn on where to ride. Ned seemed like to long a drive and we had just been at Lair the night before. In the back of my mind, I heard a little voice ask, "Where would Anthony go for a ride?"

Centennial Cone.

I was excited to ride a trail I had never been on before. And excited as it was one of Anthony's favorite local rides.

The wild flowers are out in force. So much yellow, red, purple and white. And their magnificence filled the air. It was refreshing to be out in the open looking down into Clear Creek Canyon. The trail was loose and exposed and it should have been the perfect ride.

Unfortunately, a stupid fall before the ride even began had left my right knee with a great deal of pain behind the kneecap. It felt like I turned back before I even really began the ride.

But I'll be back.

7/8/09 - 37 Years

It's funny, anniversary dates have not meant much to me in the past. Perhaps since, for the longest time, I did not have one. I was aware that family, friends and colleagues would celebrate the yearly occurrence but the significance of these dates was quite ethereal to me. It almost seemed to me like just another year to be viewed with the same irrelevance which I regard my birthday.

But as I grow, I learn.

It is not simply another year. An anniversary is the celebration of life together. Love shared. Hardships overcome. Joy seen from a pair of eyes that also see as one.

Days often seem to fly by and intermingle with the next. It is not often that we slow down and take pause to reflect on the life we lead as individuals, as pairs and as groups. And it is oh so important to remember to not let life pass us by but to relish each of the days life grants to us.

I spent a few days at home in the past week visiting with family. I saw my childhood house as a place that does not only harbor old memories for my parents. They have continued to add new memories to the house. Rock walls. A patio. Bee hives. Running water.

And I now look at my parents with greater awe. The life they continue to create and nurture with each other. The guidance they can offer to me as a new parent who aspires to follow their lead. I realize what an accomplishment it is to spend 37 years together and to continue to be happy, in love and never tired of each others company.

Happy anniversary Mom and Dad!