Tuesday Evening and Overnight

Volunteer Elder Care – cook dinner, care for, and stay overnight with my girlfriend’s mother.  This allows her to stay in her own home.  She is 99 this year!

Some of My Hobbies

• Golf:  when Gary and I became a couple, he said “if you learn to golf I’ll learn to ski.”  The rest is history, LOL.  I have to say, though, that I’m the better skier and he’s the better golfer.  I guess that’s fair.  It was a ‘win’ for the Patrol, though, because Gary finally joined the Patrol so we could spend some time together in winter, having no idea that this would turn into a year-round job for me – and sometimes him too.  He is a valuable member of the Hidden Valley team, following up on patient care and functioning as a medical resource for other patrollers in our Aid Room.  Just FYI, he’s a CRNA too.
• Training:  I used to work out at a high level, even competing in smaller triathlons in my 40s.  I kinda got lazy for awhile but recently got back to the gym.  I really needed help so hired a personal trainer 3 days a week.  Hannah has helped me achieve fitness – in flexibility and overall strength – and the gym even voted me Rock Star of the month last February because of my dedication and improved fitness.  PS:  I also have learned that simple sugars and refined flours are poison to my body so keep their intake limited.
• Hiking:  My youngest son lives in Utah.  He and his gal love the outdoors as much as I.  So when I visit we definitely take advantage the great outdoors.  The are foodies too, so we treat ourselves, of course.
• Cooking:  Sometimes I have the time, sometimes I don’t.  My girlfriend Jinia from Anesthesia School said she didn’t know I knew how to cook for years. 🙂  When I have the time, I can cook a great meal.  I am not a baker though.  One of my favorite experiences was talking myself into the kitchen of a Michelin 1-star Chef on a charter cruise in Scotland last year and convincing him to let me be his Sous Chef.  What an amazing experience.  I even got to prep with one of his knives, and you may know how sacred a Chef’s knives are to him (or her)!
• Decorating:  I’ve moved a lot!!! so love moving the furniture around.  Everything we own is versatile and I love to make our place look as good as I can.  Doesn’t mean it’s ready for House Beautiful but we’re comfortable.  Gary and I live in a nearly 110 year old home and recently did (had a contractor do) some major remodeling.  Our kitchen is GREAT!, Chef ready; and we finally have hot running water upstairs.  Many of the things hanging on our walls were either cross-stitched by me or framed by me.  Although since joining the Ski Patrol I’ve had time for neither hobby.
• Learning:  When I decided to semi-retire, I knew I needed to keep my brain fit along with my body.  So I asked myself, “what do you know how, or want, to do.  Well, I have always wanted to learn languages and I KNOW how to be a student, so voila!  I enrolled in a spanish language course.  ?Habla espanol, anyone?