Giovanni's first ski race

He really isn't in the race class yet so this was kind of a test to
see if he could move up into it. He did well. His time was not great
but his two instructors told me they were pleased and he will start
training with the older kids. Next problem is that he doesn't want to
be the youngest in the group.

I'm Too Sentimental

I have decided to take Julia skiing every Wednesday after school instead of giving her formal lessons.  It's also meant to be a kind of father daughter time.  But yesterday we invited a girlfriend of hers to come along.  We all had a great time skiing for just a couple of hours.  My sentimental moment came as I watched the two of them skiing along on a pretty flat area ahead of me.  They were laughing and talking about silly stuff that only a 10 and 12 year old can enjoy; I began to imagine them some years in the future as adults doing the same thing, but having new things to talk about, children, work, husbands, boy friends, good times and bad.  I became sad thinking I wouldn't be there to see that but also happy to think and hope that they might still be friends able to enjoy something together partly because I gave them this little experience.

Grow Big Breasts

Catchy title isn't it.  My 10 year old daughter and 8 year old son where looking at each other the other day when he told her that she needed to drink a lot of milk so her breasts would grow big.  He is a very logical thinker and so one can see how he made the connection.

How Italians Use Cell Phones

I read a study on how people in various countries use their cell phones.  The comment they had about Italians was that they expect to be able to use them on the ski slopes.  Funny thing is I never really thought about it until I read the article.  I guess I'm becoming more Italian as I just assume that it will work and it generally does.  We use them to meet up with friends, check up on each other and all the normal stuff people use them for.  Texting is a bit difficult while going down a run.  We give Giovanni one to take with him during his ski lesson in case of problems.

Nice Weekend Skiing

We took the camper up to Pecol which is about an hour by car and a little more in the camper.  For the last 100 meters I had to put on the chains which is not so much fun on those big wheels but I'm getting better at it.  The reward was being able to park right next to the ski run that connects a chair lift with a gondola.  So we were really just a couple of meters from it.  On Sunday I actually skied right up to our door.  Anyway we all skied on Saturday all day from about 9:30 to 4:00 just stopping for lunch back at the camper.  It was really a perfect day full of sun and great snow.  Skiing in Italy is really a treat for those of us who don't have a desire to kill ourselves doing moguls on the supper step.  There are some steep runs but they are generally nicely groomed.

Sunday the kids decided that they would rather play in the snow so I just went out for a couple of hours.  Having a season pass takes a lot of the pressure off.  That is one can go for a short time without having to buy an all day ticket then feeling guilty for not using it.  I've used it 10 times so far so a few more and the rest is free.