Grandfather moments

Boulder Coasting Hill Jan. 1st viewed from the warm car - Reid, Boden, and Rico are on the hill.

Making a construction using saw and other items in Boden's Christmas gift from last year on Jan. 2nd.

Jan. 4th arrival at Eldora for last day of vacation trip to the slopes - Babbo, Ried, and Boden, and a stranger in pink.The above photos record highlights of the last week. It was good to see the sliding hill, but it sure was a cold day and it is a wonder Reid and his friend, Dason, didn't freeze in the two hours they were out. Working with Boden was a pleasure. He had full concentraton for two hours of construction work and handled the saw, drill, scredriver, and hammer very well. We found several items to nail or screw on the base and ended up with quite a creation. The skiing was a joy. The two boys were so good together helping each other and following directions so we all had a good day in spite of some wind. It is so nice to see how adaptable they are to the cold and willing to head out after lunch for three more runs. The sun was warm, the snow soft and sparkling, the trails almost deserted, and the enthusiasm was high. Riding the triple chair together provided time for chatter and planning the coming descent. Each of us had turns leading the descent and planning the turns and both boys caught a bit of air on several jumps. Reid served as a source of power for Boden on a couple of flat areas and did a nice job of keeping him moving, pulling him along at the end of his pole. It is something I'm just not comfortable with now. I look forward to another trip but the pressure is on to head up the big mountain so I'm planning on some trips to get in shape - the four of us did one run from the top on our previous trip and I came down last feeling a bit tired so some training is due! Mom came along and joined us for lunch and drove home - a big help.

Mom and I saw two films this week. Finally saw the Social Network and would recommend it. It says a lot about the personality of Zuckerman - do any of the Dobbs Ferry family remember him? We figure matt and he are just far enough apart to have missed being in school together. The acting is good - not up to The King's Speech - but the flow of the movie and the presentation of the story line is vwery interesting and well done. I fint it turned me off of Facebook even more and raises many questions in my mind about this person who is changing our world so dramatically. His power over cultural change may be as great as Alexander the Great's at a comparable age. Alexander, by forcing mixed marriages, laid the foundation for Hellenistic culture - Facebook, by readjusting concepts of privacy and communication, may be laying the foundation for an equally dramatic change in how people relate and understand the world. How's that for an historian's perspective?

We also saw the broadcast of the opera, Don Carlo, live from the Met last night. A wonderful performance of that great five hour opera that ties together a love triangle, the struggle for Flemish freedom from Spanish rule, and the concept of duty. It is a very forceful story that was timely when written by Verdi as Italy struggled for unity and independence in the mid to late 19th century.