Blue Diva, meet CFG

When Zoe was 16 (I had moved out), she asked both parents for a van as a                  Christmas present. Her plan was to live in the Deschutes National Forest. 

I asked what prompted this idea. 

She said it was so she wouldn’t be a burden on either of us. 

If you’ve never felt like you’ve failed as a parent, just have your kid make that statement to you. 

My ex was regularly telling her that they’re broke and will be poverty stricken because Bad Dad left. All while they were living in a million dollar house in a very nice neighborhood, with mortgage payments equal to my tiny apartment’s  rent. Zoe figured she could help reduce costs by living in a van in the woods.

I will never forgive my ex for putting those thoughts of fear into Zoe’s head.

Zoe’s first car was an estate sale PT Cruiser that lasted about two years. She then went thru two old vans that needed lots of duct tape. After the last van rebelled, i said she could have Bernard, my 2009 Subaru hatchback. A great car with relatively low mileage, and a stick shift that she’d have to learn. 

Took her 15 minutes to get the timing down. 

Now 4 Wheeled Bernard (Lagat, IYKYK) is feeling his age. 

I’m on a job in San Francisco. The rental house I found is big enough for two,    just in case she wanted to visit over the summer. My music DJ kid finds a huge 3 day music festival in Golden Gate Park that she and a friend will attend….then Zoe asks if she can live here the entire summer. 

Dad always plans ahead. 

Zoe’s stage name is Fruit Girl. My kid is nothing if not quirky. 

Bernard shows a caution light the week before Zoe comes down. She brings him to the dealer…I ask her to pay and I’ll Venmo her. 

She says the payment will exceed her credit limit and the car will take a week for repairs. 

I thought this was an oil change. 

Yes, with fluids top off. 

And a cracked suspension arm. 

And a head gasket leak. 

And bald tires. 

Five grand. 

Nope. I planned on getting her a car for graduation, and now that transaction will happen a year early. 

I told her about the new car at lunch yesterday. A Subaru Outback with room for her artwork and music gear, the vehicle to launch her into adulthood. 

She burst into tears, said she feels guilty about me spending the money. Says she doesn’t deserve it. 

Gawd. I wonder where she learned that from? 

(He asks as he looks in a mirror at a guy who has told himself the same thing many times)

That kid is gonna break me in half. 

After Zoe calmed down, she told me she had something important to tell me. 

Yikes. Leaving school? Pregnant? No. 

She said she’s quitting pot. She had been using for appetite stimulation (she’s very thin, the consequence of a dysfunctional family breakup), and for emotional escape. And she’s been very open with me about it; 3 years of voluntary therapy at the same time. 

Never been more proud of my kid. It’s been amazing to see the trust rebuilt between us. 

Sent her pix of the car: the color is Cosmic Blue Pearl (how fitting). She named her Blue Diva. 

I could save $200 by going with standard license plates. 

Nope. Kid’s getting custom plates if the letters are available. 

FRT GRL. 

'A fine line between genius and madness'...

Had a great visit with my kid.  

Seems like it's been months since she left. More like 5 weeks!

I asked how many DJ EDM gigs she's done since her first in September. The tally is up to around 20 already. 

She never turns down sushi....nor does her dad. 

I think this was her first drink in a grown-up bar; Lark's at the Ashland Springs Hotel....her wine-tasting class has been paying off, as she picked a really nice red. 

Later that night, she had a gig at the Trap Door, where she is now the official house talent. 

The next morning is one for the books. A little backstory...

I ran the insane 1989 Mt Marathon race in Seward Alaska while in the Navy. At some point, I shared this photo with my kid....i had just coughed up my toenails after (barely) surviving a 3000' climb in a mile, not to mention the subsequent descent.

When I visited her in Ashland and went to her semi-private art studio. I turned around as she pulled out her present, and then my jaw dropped.

Right before I burst out laughing. 

She has my sensibilities, no doubt. An incredibly thoughtful and hilarious gift. 

If you're ever in Ashland, check out the Ashland Springs Hotel. A century old renovation, simply gorgeous. 

Oh, but there's more...my man Chris, a Navy roommate from 87 years ago, tells me that he's getting rid of this contraption. 

It's some kind of synthesizer, mix master beat generator thingamabob, the perfectly tool for any EDM DJ nowadays. When Zoe started drooling, Chris agreed to ship it to her. 

And oh btw....Chris is the guy who took the picture of me at that Alaska race! It's a circular world, to be sure. 

Back in the day, I think he said this about me...

Too 'good.'

Prairie View's best

Wow, this one hurts. 

We lost another giant. 

As an 11 year old in 1976, I discover Olympic Track and Field. Hasely Crawford, Bruce Jenner, Don Quarrie....

and some good looking guy in the 400m final. 

I don't remember what it was about him, and I don't recall any interviews. It just felt like the man had presence. 

In 2010, I'm at Autzen Stadium, about to work my first NCAA Championships, and we're having a meeting the day before the event starts. I know no one besides a small handful of people from Oregon. I'm taking it all in, not really listening, and then I hear: "Meet Referee Fred Newhouse."

I had been away from track and field for decades, and only came back when I moved near Hayward Field. And yet hearing that name made me sit up.....is there any chance there are two Fred Newhouses in the world?!?

Laurie B is the chief umpire...I run up and beg her to introduce me. 

What a thrill to share the track with him so many times since. 

In 2012, I'm a trackside volunteer at the Trials. This little snippet resides in my blog....

(yes, I know he officially took silver...I told him I was going to Havana and retrieve the gold he earned)

A nice story of two titans....Fred and Alberto

A great video of Fred reflecting on his past. 

That monster relay team....2:58 on a soggy track 49 years ago. Look at the world class smiles!!!! (And look at Bennie's broad shoulders!)

Another blog goody from 2016, my first Olympic Trials as an umpire....

I loved hearing his stories....the 1972 Trials when he was killing the rounds? He takes the final out in 20.6 and fades like an old shirt....just hearing him laugh about that race made my day. 

He brought competency, decency, a sense of fair play to the track. 

A leader. 

We're all going to miss him. 

Methow Madness

Winter fun for me includes cross country skiing, and recently includes Sarah as well. She's a medical practitioner who skis me into the ground every time we head out.  

Except once. I was on turbo demo skis a day that she was sick. I actually kept up with her somehow. 

Maybe she'll keep me around awhile. Maybe she'll be tired of waiting for me!

(oh, btw....she's from MN and has a 300 page family genealogy going back to the early 1600s...the name on the book is the same as my former Navy roommate from northern Iowa...yep, they are very distant cousins! He has the same book....such a small world sometimes)

People in our area take their skinny skis up to the Methow Valley in North Central Washington, a magnificent network with 120 miles of groomed trails connecting the towns of Winthrop and Mazama. A few hours north of Lake Chelan, it's a place I've wanted to visit for years. 

Back story; I noticed (friend of a friend) Jim online and saw that he was all over the athletic world as well as the military, so I reached out and started a dialog 4 years ago. In 2021, I took a Seattle consulting job and had an awesome meetup with Jim, not far from the first house I ever owned near the Bremerton shipyard. 

Turns out, Jim and his lovely wife Janet are huge nordic skiers, and they own a house in Winthrop. 

As Sarah and I tentatively planned on a 50k ski race, we figured a training camp would be helpful. I reached out to Jim for advice on the area, and he graciously offered housing. Game on!

About an 8 hour drive north. We stopped in the German hamlet of Leavenworth. Ribs, braut, slaw...

And a monster pretzel...

Onward. Jim was nursing a cold, so we brought some medicine in the form of Pendleton Whiskey (Janet fired up the old fashioneds shortly after this picture). 

I have NEVER seen a private setup like this madness; a garage worthy of the (Nordic) Smithsonian...I'm going to invest in ski wax futures, because Jim is driving the prices way up. 

Mama, I'm home...

 

Not sure if this is Mt Bachelor in Bend, or Methow Valley. Just a pretty shot regardless...

First day was a warmup loop with our hosts on Sun Mountain, one of several major areas in the Valley. Then we ventured out on our own. My initial goal was to do 4 hrs a day at a slow pace. 

Anyone ever bit off more than they could chew? 

We somehow did 4.5 hours, albeit with plenty of stops, and somehow limped home. Jim and Janet's neighborhood has ski in, ski out capability, so we slid into the driveway hooting and hollering (and coughing up a lung or two). 

Dinner was incredible pizza at Rolling Huts. Jim noted that I nearly did a face-plant in the marinara, eyes drooping. 

Second day was for demo skis. We stopped at Winthrop Mountain Sports where Jim introduced us to his good friend Erik Bjornsen, 2-time Olympian, brother of another Olympian, and husband to yet another world class skier. 

The store is decked out with photos. Can't remember if this is Erik, or Gus K (another world class beast). The form looks a bit better than mine. 

This is Marine, aka Mrs Erik

This is what a gold medal looks like....HERE COMES DIGGINS!!

Pretty sure Nordic skiers are among the most fit. Below is Jessie's Olympic relay teammate Kikkan, her good friend Kris Freeman, and all of their abs. 

Tuesday was two easy hours to recover. Sarah's demo skis made her even faster, so I might have to hide her poles or something

Tried to have lunch at the Four Seasons below, but they lost our reservation. 

Dinner was a bison beef Bolognese that I whipped up. Bear approved...

Day 3 was Thompson Ridge, a 3-4 mile uphill grind with 1400' of climbing. I needed a gurney and an IV bag while Sarah just kept yawning thru the climbs. At least the return trip was easier, though some of the trails hadn't been groomed for a few days. 

Day 4 was a one way, $1 bus ride to Mazama. A quick run through the Country Store, where I saw this good looking beast that I was hungry enough to eat raw...

Now it was a 30k, 19 mile trip home down the Methow Community Trail (MCT). The first third was a gorgeous, slight downhill, including the Suspension Bridge. 

The middle section of the MCT is in the woods and the foothills. Meaning, uphills. Ugh. Speedy Gonzalez took off, and I slogged my way up in her wake. Brown's Farm to Wolf Ridge (lower blue section) was a bit of nastiness....

Then the last third was in the open valley, also gorgeous. 

Bear and Sarah are around the same weight, but his ski form isn't quite as good. 

Loading up and heading out after a fantastic week. 

On the trip up thru Leavenworth, we stumbled across a few amazing looking restaurants after lunch. So we made a note and went back to try Ludwig's. 

The spaetzle was ok but needing something....maybe some healthy vegetables. Or lots of bacon gravy. 

Pretzels always work!

As do pork chops, schnitzel, braut, red cabbage, potato salad. 

As a young-un, I remember driving cross country for hours without stopping. At my current, uh, ADVANCED age with three lumbar surgeries on my CV, it's much better to switch drivers every hour and stretch for 5 minutes! The trip went very smoothly. 

Many thanks to Jim and Janet for an amazing week and incredible hospitality. 

If you like that kind of skiing, you can't do much better than Methow Valley.