Day zero was preceded by the previous week and the last day in Denver. The last day was a scramble at work day and then a scramble to pack and prepare for the long flight. I was very preoccupied with work details right up until travel day and found myself sending emails and double checking software deployments. Me Thinks things were well in hand.
I didn't get the suitcase out until late in the day, and then simply found the few clothing items I'd wear over and over while in Greece, and tossed them in. The other itmes I'd bring were electronic like chargers, cables, some pharmaceuticals for Maria, and reading to to (maybe).
Packing went fast and I didn't agonize over much. Since Demetrious and Maria's summer home on the beach is well provisioned, arlene said that we would likley bring more back then we would need to bring with us. I went to bed early.
I woke up about 4:AM, made coffee and started preparing for the travel day. Al Morris is going to pick me up at 6 and get me to the airport extra early so I could ask to ride standby on the 8:20 Atlanta flight instead of the 10:20 flight I was actually booked for. I printed out the tickets and shut down all the electronics in the office and the rest of the hous. That was a satisfying feeling.
I added whatever else I needed for the backpack, which was throwaway reading stuff in case I got stuck in an airport along the way, laptop and charger. I added the camera, thinking there may be interesting airport activites to photograph.
Al calld and frantically asked me wtf and how to route around the construction on our street. I'd forgotten about that and realized that givenhow much pain and difficulty I had to find ways around it, i'd better just jump in the car and find him first and then lead him to the blue house.
After a few moments of last minute indecision about keys and emtpy house details, I grabbed my shades and we hit the road. 6:AM is a good time to go to the airport, but there was still plenty of traffic. Al's badass new BMW got us there fast and he was dropping me off at the Delta curb by 6:25ish. I offered Al a hug, which he declined, acknowleged the August 3rd pickup details and then said something like "dont' get taz'd in a riot bro".
Checkin and security went fast, and the gate agent set me up on the earlier DIA to ATL flight. Excellent. In ATL I grabbed a bite and after being assured that my bags were checked all the way through, waited at the gate for 4:30 by alternately reading "Inkheart" and geeking out on the computer.
As usual, I waited to be the last one on the plane, since I don't want to be on the plane any longer than necessary and because I didn't have a mega carry on bag to force into an overhead compartment. I found my seat and was a little psyched that it was next to the mega hottie I'd noticed (several times) while waiting for the flight. We exchanged pleasentries and I settled in.
"Eva" (pronounced with a long 'A') was upset that her seat had been changed and that now it sucked that she was over a wing and it was the noisiest part of the plane and that they told her it was so that she could be on a window but her other seat was a window and that just seemed unfair. I told her it sounded like bs to me and that they probably just move people around for whatever last minute juggling seems necessary. I also suggested that if she makes a big deal out of it they may cave, or to simply to ask some nice person to switch seats later on. She said she didn't want to be a "beeatch".
We had a nice long flight and talked a lot about her Albanian-Greek-American experience and that she now lived in Vegas as a dealer in one of ot e casinos, and that she had just gradutated from cosmetology school and was going to visit her family in Athens where she grew up and then was going to Mitilini for a month or something like that. Despite here early impression of a whiner, she was a delightful conversationalist and very friendly. She shared her "sleeping aids".
Eventually I slept on and off during the flight. Since the movie was hard to hear over the engine noise and the nearest screen was too far to see very well, I read a bit and took frequent walks to get water, or another glass of wine.
When we were getting closer we looked out the window at the beautiful Itallian Alps and guess how long before we'd land. By now the flight attndants were showing their wear and rather tossed the breakfast sandwich and banana to us.
Eva, being the savvy traveler and Athenian, offered to help me through customs and to the baggage pickup. I knew that my bags were checked all the way through to Thessoloniki, but I knew I had plenty of time and was happy to hang out with her a bit longer.
After hanging out and talking a bit more while she waited for her bags, I thanked her for being such good company on such a long flight bid her Adieu and found my way to gate B9 where the last leg of my journey was to depart from.
By now was was feeling pretty grungy and I did a GI shower in the bathroom and waited for the flight. No delays here or anywhere else along the way.
When I arrived in Thessoloniki, I got off the plan and onto the shuttle to the airport. Once more through customs and found the baggage area. After waiting and not seeing my bag, I asked someone who told me that non-EU bags were at a different carousel and that theh were probably already there. I found it and in fact there it was, waiting for me. I though "Arlene will never believe how perfectly my trip went!"
I went upstairs and heard Demetrious call out to me and then saw Aidan running toward me. I dropped my bag and picked him up and hugged and kissed hime and told him how much I missed him. It was beautiful.
The drive from Thessoloniki to Kasandra and Gerakina Beach took an hour and as we drove the memories of my past trips came back to me quickly. We stopped at the "Lidl" grocery store to get dinner stuff and headed to the summer home.
When we arrived, Arlene and Luka came out to greet us and we carried in the groceries and after a look at the beautiful Agean sea, I lay down to sleep.
I slept like a rock, but Aidan came in after a bit and tapped me "Daddy, let's go out in the canoe!!" I felt like I'd slept for a month, and it took me a while to regain conciousness and tbe energy to get up. I found my swim trunks and we walked down to the beach.
The 'canoe' is really a fiberglass platform shaped like a surf board and with one little seat and two little indentments to put your heals. It's really a sort of kayak-surfboard hybrid. We carried it down to the water and had a blast capsizing it and paddling around the cove.
We found that two is the max on the kayak, but there were arguments about who got to ride on it.
It was absolutely beautiful in the evening on the water. The sun got low on the horizon and the air cooled a bit. The sand was no longer blistering hot on your feet. We swam and paddled until it was time for dinner which was quite late.
Yia Yia and Papoose prepared a fabulous dinner of Greek salad, beesteakie, green beans, fried eggplant and zucchini, sardines, and bear. We sat on the second floor deck with a view of the sea as the sun went down. The moon sparkled on the water as the lights across the sea got brighter. There were no bugs, and Demetrios joked about how bugs in Atlanta must be dumber than bugs in greece because they get zapped by the bug electrocution device but bugs here don't.
We watched a movie, had ice cream, and I fell asleep downstairs with Aidan.
More to come
--
- Ed
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
MLK Weekend Skiing with the boys: Monday
Sunday night before I crashed on the couch (after skiing all day with the boys) I agreed to ski again with Alan McQueen and his daugher Emerson.
He was going up to WP and was looking for another bunch to go with. It seemed like a great fit since all the kids could ride in back and the two adults up front. We agreed to meet at the SE parking lot at Morrison.
We got there a little late, but Alan was a little later because he'd forgotten his ski harness backpack. I played hacky sack in the parking lot and cracked up the boys by occasionally throwing it at their windows.
Alan arrived and we loaded up and headed off in his rig. It was a pretty fast drive, with fast moving traffic. Near the turn off to Empire it bottle necked, but not for long. We were over Berthoud pass quickly. We went to the Galloping Goose area of Mary Jane, rented skis for Luka, got the 5 and under passes and decided to drive to the same place Aidan and Luka and I had parked at the day before.
We rigged up, got on the bus and were at the slopes quickly. I talked Alan into going up the Zephyr first run, because of it's great green cat track. The ski harness he and Emerson were using added some complications though and Luka got tired of waiting. After waiting a bit, he urged us to move on, and we did.
Luka had dramatically improved since the first runs the day before and we were able to make run after run on the Zephyr lift. Aidan made a plan that was to ski down to the Prospector lift and ride up and ski those runs. We managed to stay together until Aidan took the family terrain zone. It turns out that went past where we wanted to go to cut off to "Mock Turtle". That run would take us to Olympia Express where we could get up to High Lonesome.
Since Aidan overshot the turn off to Mock Turtle, Luka and I continued on, expecting that Aidan would find his way back up to meet us. We Made it to the top of Olympia Express and decided to go look for Aidan at the bottom of Zephyr lift. On the way down we got a call from Aidan who had met a family who made the call for him. We met at the bottom of Zephyr lift.
We then all took the Zephyr lift up and made two more runs before calling it an awesome day.
At the bottom we called Alan and Emerson and coordinated our rendevous for apres ski hot chocolate and beers.
He was going up to WP and was looking for another bunch to go with. It seemed like a great fit since all the kids could ride in back and the two adults up front. We agreed to meet at the SE parking lot at Morrison.
We got there a little late, but Alan was a little later because he'd forgotten his ski harness backpack. I played hacky sack in the parking lot and cracked up the boys by occasionally throwing it at their windows.
Alan arrived and we loaded up and headed off in his rig. It was a pretty fast drive, with fast moving traffic. Near the turn off to Empire it bottle necked, but not for long. We were over Berthoud pass quickly. We went to the Galloping Goose area of Mary Jane, rented skis for Luka, got the 5 and under passes and decided to drive to the same place Aidan and Luka and I had parked at the day before.
We rigged up, got on the bus and were at the slopes quickly. I talked Alan into going up the Zephyr first run, because of it's great green cat track. The ski harness he and Emerson were using added some complications though and Luka got tired of waiting. After waiting a bit, he urged us to move on, and we did.
Luka had dramatically improved since the first runs the day before and we were able to make run after run on the Zephyr lift. Aidan made a plan that was to ski down to the Prospector lift and ride up and ski those runs. We managed to stay together until Aidan took the family terrain zone. It turns out that went past where we wanted to go to cut off to "Mock Turtle". That run would take us to Olympia Express where we could get up to High Lonesome.
Since Aidan overshot the turn off to Mock Turtle, Luka and I continued on, expecting that Aidan would find his way back up to meet us. We Made it to the top of Olympia Express and decided to go look for Aidan at the bottom of Zephyr lift. On the way down we got a call from Aidan who had met a family who made the call for him. We met at the bottom of Zephyr lift.
We then all took the Zephyr lift up and made two more runs before calling it an awesome day.
At the bottom we called Alan and Emerson and coordinated our rendevous for apres ski hot chocolate and beers.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
MLK Weekend Skiing with the boys: Sunday
Aidan Luka and I skied at Winter park on Sunday January 17th and on Monday January 19th-Martin Luther King day.
We had two great days of skiing, with lots of helmet cam footage to show for it. Luka learned to ski this weekend!
Saturday evening we spent with Nick and Elizabeth and kids. I made a sortie over to Breeze Ski rentals to get Luka skis for Sunday. When we got home from visiting, we rallied all our gear together and Mommy got vittles for us to eat on the Mountain.
Sunday
Sunday morning we rallied early and made it up the mountain with no traffic. We got a good parking space at the Blue Spruce lot, geared up and were on the bus to the slopes. I showed Aidan how to bind his skis and poles together which seems to drastically help ski logistics frustration.
We started at the discovery park area and had some frustration with luka and turning. He would bail out by sitting down and sliding. We did a few runs there but Aidan was getting bored. We got separated at one point, but Aidan appeared at the top of the lift. He'd been waiting for us.
I decided to take Luka up to the top of the Zephyr since it services some nice long green runs and because Aidan could ski the big blues. I had Luka hang onto my ski pole while I pulled him along the too gentle cat track (it looks like "March Hare" but it's hard to reconcile memory with the map). This was very successful and he was able to figure out how to turn his skis to stay with me. Further down, where it was steep enough, he was able to figure out how to turn and control his speed by snow plowing.
We lost Aidan at one point, but I had made him memorize my phone number and I recieved a phone call from a ski patrol who had him at the top of Gemini Express. We skied down as quickly as we could and met them. We thanked the ski patroller who explained that Aidan had been helped by a ski racer who hooked him up with the ski patrol.
We met some parents we know at Docs Bar and had lunch. Their kids were in ski school so no hope of hooking Aidan up with any peers.
We did a bunch more Zephyr top to bottom runs. During one of the Zephyr runs, I was giving Luka a little push, and I sort of ran him over. When I did, his legs must have done the "splits" and the "edgie-wedgie" snapped. The helmet cam footage is pretty dramatic and audible!
Luka was kinda freaked out because "I needed that!". I assured him that he could make it down without them and he had to try. I pulled him down the track and he did very well keeping his skis straight and then snowplowing when he needed to, and turning just the right amount. In a few minutes he had it figured out and he was doing better than he had with the edgie wedgie!
It started snowing lightly and without edgie-wedgie, it was all very dramatically rapid improvement. We did run after run and Aidan was very proud of his little brother, and told him how well he was doing. I was pretty proud too.
We finished up the day at about 3:30 or 4 and jumped on the bus back to the car. Everyone was pretty tired, but no complaining. The snow was picking up a bit, and so the drive over Berthoud pass was slow, but steady. Once over the pass it was dry as a bone and no traffic!! Both boys fell asleep and I listened to Physical Graphiti.
We were home by 5:30. The boys were excited to see mom and I crashed on the couch.
We had two great days of skiing, with lots of helmet cam footage to show for it. Luka learned to ski this weekend!
Saturday evening we spent with Nick and Elizabeth and kids. I made a sortie over to Breeze Ski rentals to get Luka skis for Sunday. When we got home from visiting, we rallied all our gear together and Mommy got vittles for us to eat on the Mountain.
Sunday
Sunday morning we rallied early and made it up the mountain with no traffic. We got a good parking space at the Blue Spruce lot, geared up and were on the bus to the slopes. I showed Aidan how to bind his skis and poles together which seems to drastically help ski logistics frustration.
We started at the discovery park area and had some frustration with luka and turning. He would bail out by sitting down and sliding. We did a few runs there but Aidan was getting bored. We got separated at one point, but Aidan appeared at the top of the lift. He'd been waiting for us.
I decided to take Luka up to the top of the Zephyr since it services some nice long green runs and because Aidan could ski the big blues. I had Luka hang onto my ski pole while I pulled him along the too gentle cat track (it looks like "March Hare" but it's hard to reconcile memory with the map). This was very successful and he was able to figure out how to turn his skis to stay with me. Further down, where it was steep enough, he was able to figure out how to turn and control his speed by snow plowing.
We lost Aidan at one point, but I had made him memorize my phone number and I recieved a phone call from a ski patrol who had him at the top of Gemini Express. We skied down as quickly as we could and met them. We thanked the ski patroller who explained that Aidan had been helped by a ski racer who hooked him up with the ski patrol.
We met some parents we know at Docs Bar and had lunch. Their kids were in ski school so no hope of hooking Aidan up with any peers.
We did a bunch more Zephyr top to bottom runs. During one of the Zephyr runs, I was giving Luka a little push, and I sort of ran him over. When I did, his legs must have done the "splits" and the "edgie-wedgie" snapped. The helmet cam footage is pretty dramatic and audible!
Luka was kinda freaked out because "I needed that!". I assured him that he could make it down without them and he had to try. I pulled him down the track and he did very well keeping his skis straight and then snowplowing when he needed to, and turning just the right amount. In a few minutes he had it figured out and he was doing better than he had with the edgie wedgie!
It started snowing lightly and without edgie-wedgie, it was all very dramatically rapid improvement. We did run after run and Aidan was very proud of his little brother, and told him how well he was doing. I was pretty proud too.
We finished up the day at about 3:30 or 4 and jumped on the bus back to the car. Everyone was pretty tired, but no complaining. The snow was picking up a bit, and so the drive over Berthoud pass was slow, but steady. Once over the pass it was dry as a bone and no traffic!! Both boys fell asleep and I listened to Physical Graphiti.
We were home by 5:30. The boys were excited to see mom and I crashed on the couch.
Ski day 1-8-2010 with Aidan and Luka
Aidan, Luka and I drove to Copper Mt. Sunday to spend a day skiing together. Luka would be in lessons for this day, but Aidan and I hoped to do a few runs with him afterwards.
We rallied early and arrived at Copper at about 8:30 so we avoided most of the ski lesson and ski rental lines. It was still a little painful, standing in (the wrong line) but we got him all set up with boots and skis, found his instructor and we said a tearless "byb, bye" to Luka. Aidan and I headed for the lifts.
Aidan and went up the High Point lift and talked about which runs we would do. We talked about ho slow the High Point lift was and decided to go up Excellerator to the top. We made 3 or 4 runs before going inside for lunch.
Although mom had set up us with good grub that morning, I had been so flustered about getting everyone together and on the bus from the parking lot, I didn't take any with us. Aidan and I stopped at the lodge to warm up.
Like my buddy Al says, taking your own lunch is the way to go, but that the "cool" people pay 5 bucks for a beer and 6 bucks for a hamburger. That recollection must have been from years ago.
$7.50 for a hot dog for Aidan. No, it didn't come with a
drink or fries or anything except a "7.50 for a freaking hot dog?!?"
From me.Does that make me one of the cool people?
When in the lodge we were waved at by two girls and their mom. It turns out that one of the girls recognized Aidan and the mom recognized me. She hand I had met mt biking along the cherry creek single track area back before they turned that section into a golf course. We both sort of acknowleged that we were right about how that section of trails was already under threat way back then and now has been taken over.
The girl (can't remember her name) works at Picolos so we'll have to visit.
Aidan and I made our way down to where the ski school was. We made several runs up and down Kokomo and the other beginner lift but no sign of Luka. We went inside to look for him at the ski school. They pointed to the magic carpet outside the school. That's where we found Luka.
...And we had luka in ski school at $150.00 for the day. When I got
there to pick him up he was playing on some dinasaur playset thing
instead of skiing. Another what the *&%^! moment.
I had him put his skis on and I took him up the magic carpet 3 or 4 times. It was clear that he had not learned anything at all. He couldn't turn or stop or anything. He would go straight down the hill and let us catch him.
Since we weren't supposed to be in the learning area, we got kicked out and Aidan and I took Luka up the Kokomo lift. We did one or two runs, but Luka was clearly at the earliest stages of skier-hood.
We decided to return the skis and hit the road.
When we left, ski traffic was at high tide, and so I turned off into
silverthorne to find something to do and to let traffic burn off. We
found a movie theater and were just in time for "Avatar in 3D". $8.25
for the two kids and $8.75 for me. I got the large popcorn and large
drink for me and Aidan and nachos (which he wouldn't eat) for Luka.
So, I was one of the fool people who spent somewhere around $200 for a
day in the mts.
Next weekend we do it again. This time I'm packing gatorade a bag of
chips and we're heading home at 2 pm. Ill teach the kid to ski myself.
We rallied early and arrived at Copper at about 8:30 so we avoided most of the ski lesson and ski rental lines. It was still a little painful, standing in (the wrong line) but we got him all set up with boots and skis, found his instructor and we said a tearless "byb, bye" to Luka. Aidan and I headed for the lifts.
Aidan and went up the High Point lift and talked about which runs we would do. We talked about ho slow the High Point lift was and decided to go up Excellerator to the top. We made 3 or 4 runs before going inside for lunch.
Although mom had set up us with good grub that morning, I had been so flustered about getting everyone together and on the bus from the parking lot, I didn't take any with us. Aidan and I stopped at the lodge to warm up.
Like my buddy Al says, taking your own lunch is the way to go, but that the "cool" people pay 5 bucks for a beer and 6 bucks for a hamburger. That recollection must have been from years ago.
$7.50 for a hot dog for Aidan. No, it didn't come with a
drink or fries or anything except a "7.50 for a freaking hot dog?!?"
From me.Does that make me one of the cool people?
When in the lodge we were waved at by two girls and their mom. It turns out that one of the girls recognized Aidan and the mom recognized me. She hand I had met mt biking along the cherry creek single track area back before they turned that section into a golf course. We both sort of acknowleged that we were right about how that section of trails was already under threat way back then and now has been taken over.
The girl (can't remember her name) works at Picolos so we'll have to visit.
Aidan and I made our way down to where the ski school was. We made several runs up and down Kokomo and the other beginner lift but no sign of Luka. We went inside to look for him at the ski school. They pointed to the magic carpet outside the school. That's where we found Luka.
...And we had luka in ski school at $150.00 for the day. When I got
there to pick him up he was playing on some dinasaur playset thing
instead of skiing. Another what the *&%^! moment.
I had him put his skis on and I took him up the magic carpet 3 or 4 times. It was clear that he had not learned anything at all. He couldn't turn or stop or anything. He would go straight down the hill and let us catch him.
Since we weren't supposed to be in the learning area, we got kicked out and Aidan and I took Luka up the Kokomo lift. We did one or two runs, but Luka was clearly at the earliest stages of skier-hood.
We decided to return the skis and hit the road.
When we left, ski traffic was at high tide, and so I turned off into
silverthorne to find something to do and to let traffic burn off. We
found a movie theater and were just in time for "Avatar in 3D". $8.25
for the two kids and $8.75 for me. I got the large popcorn and large
drink for me and Aidan and nachos (which he wouldn't eat) for Luka.
So, I was one of the fool people who spent somewhere around $200 for a
day in the mts.
Next weekend we do it again. This time I'm packing gatorade a bag of
chips and we're heading home at 2 pm. Ill teach the kid to ski myself.
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