Disc Golf Fun

Lately Nick and I have really been digging Disc Golf. For those of you foreign to said sport, let me sum it up: It is a combination of golf (as in following those guidelines) and Frisbee (so instead of using a club and ball, shooting for a hole in the ground, you use a Frisbee-esk disc and aim for a metal basket). There is a 9 "hole" Disc Golf course about a mile from our home at Cornwall Park. We have enjoyed many of sunny afternoons there, trying to work on our skills or in other words: trying not to make dents in the trees. We recently took a trip up to Glacier to check out their 36 "hole" course. This course is no walk in the park...it's more like a high endurance hike. The entire course is laid out in a heavily forested area. It is common to "tee off" on one side of a ravine, aiming for the basket on the other side. Or shooting from the base of a huge hill side with the basket at the top (invisible from your starting point). The most challenging task is trying to configure the best toss through a maze of trees. Unless of course you had a really bad shot and end up searching for your disc through the muddy marsh or piles of tree trunks, branches and sticks...that is way more tough. Word to the wise...never buy a green disc. Mother Earth will adopt it rapidly.

Now I wouldn't say that Nick and I will be signing up for the Sunday afternoon tournaments that they have at Cornwall, but we have come to be great fans of this activity. It's a great way to add a little diversity to the common walk in the park, reestablishing that feeling of dirt under your feet after a long winter. We have recently started setting bets and a reward is given to the person with the best (lowest) score. Let's just say that Nick owes me many Mallards Ice Cream cones. Wanna join us??? We would love play with you!

Oops! Nick had to do a little hunting to find his disk...Get out of the woods!

I'm working on using my torso for extra power. Cousin Matthew taught me that...

Do you see how beautiful nature is??? Can you find Nick in the photo?

Crystal Mountain Gett-a-Way

This weekend, Nick and I met up with the Lopez clan at my parent's cabin at Crystal Mountain. We really enjoy our time up there during all seasons because of the vast scenery changes. Currently, there is about 1.5 feet of snow still sitting around the property from the huge winter snow dump. We use this time to tromp around in the snow, knowing that the next time we'll be up there, the warm spring sunshine will be shining on us.

On Saturday, all 6 of us headed to the ski resort area for a few miles of snow shoeing (snowshoes were new Christmas gifts for the Lewis and Vann households this year). This was my big day back to expelling energy since the whole week before I was laid out on my sick bed. Needless to say it was a HARD little jont with the fam. My sister having the energy of horse, pushed me up the steepest hills we ventured up. Matt, brother in law, and his long legs did laps around the rest of us on our assent. Thankfully, my family is beyond understanding and were willing to slow down a bit for me. Yet after too many deep breaths and slight pangs of dizziness, I waived my flag and turned around. Nick joined me in the lodge where I laid across 3 chairs and passed out...waiting until the rest of the family was done with their oh-so-energy-sucking adventure. I must say, even though I had to bag out early, it was beyond wonderful to be up there and breath the fresh mountain air. It was a surprisingly clear day and embraced the fact that our cheeks would get a little pink...nothing like spring sun!

Mom's bringing up the rear...dad next...then me. The rest of the crew are frolicking ahead of us...

Ami pushing me up the Hills...

Sunday was yet another day up at Crystal Ski Resort for Dad, Nick and myself (Ami and Matt headed back south, while mom and Brea stayed at the cabin to relax and make cookies - yummm). We hit the slopes hard and had many Thanks to God for blessing us with yet another amazingly sunny day! This was the first time back on the slopes for dad in 6 years! Due an accident on the mountain resulting in two shoulder surgeries...he decided to take some time off. He even sold his skis! But alas, Nick talked him into it and so he ventured up with us (and Nick's new A-Line Arbor board). This was by far one of the best days skiing I have ever had. Certainly not skill wise, but weather wise! There were hardly any people up there, we wore light clothing, ate lunch outside and had a crystal clear view of mountain ranges from the top, Mt. Rainer and Mt. Adams included. The snow was a bit slushy towards the end of the day, but really didn't affect us at all. Dad had a blast and already started talking about his next trip up for next weekend. Best of all, we came home to a huge batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies! Ahh, I love weekends!

Check out the view!