Skating

I meant to post these pictures a couple of weeks ago but just haven't gotten around to it until today. These are from earlier this winter. We had a cold beginning with no snow and it made for perfect conditions for skating on the lake. So I called up a couple of my friends and they came out to join the boys and I. Troy was even able to sneak away from work for a little bit and join us.

We skated on Sawyer Lake, the lake that SBR is on. Skating on the lake is a lot different than on the ice skating rink. It's a little bumpier, but there is also a lot more area to cover. Plus, the added thrill of having that nagging thought in the back of your mind that it could be slightly possible that as you are skating merrily across the lake, you hear a loud crack and plunge into the icy water.  I try not to talk like that around the kids.

But skating on the lake is a lot of fun, and it's special. It isn't possible every year. The conditions have to be just right. A lot of cold and no snow for a long enough period of time for the ice to get thick enough. One of my favorite things about being on the lake was thinking about is how the very spot I was skating across is the exact same spot where this past summer I was skimming across the water in a tube being pulled behind a boat. Usually you don't get to be in the middle of the lake unless you are on a boat or riding a jet ski. Even then it's not the same because you are sitting in the water. In the winter, you're on top. Totally different sensation.

This was our first skate of the season, and even though it was a chilly day, we had a lot of fun. The boys got to practice their skating, which always includes a lot of falling.  I forgot how much my feet hurt in skates! Yeouch! I guess they aren't conditioned yet. At times I felt like my toes were flaming balls of fire, and although I don't usually have arch issues, my arches were screaming!

All happily sacrificed for the sake of giving the boys a unique experience they might not have again for awhile, and for the sake of sharing a fun memory with some good friends.