The Party I Wasn't Invited To

This picture was taken by my friend Rusty Thompson. I took ten shots of him prior to this and none of them came out. I am trying to become more proficient at the manual settings, but clearly I am not there yet. As we stood together on a safe spot Rusty asked me if I'd like him to take a picture of me slashing this wall. It was a kind gesture. I switched the settings to auto, zoomed in a touch and passed over the camera. I cropped and stripped the color from the shot, but think it is a nice capture.

Snowboarding has meant a lot of different things to me over the years. I have been a college student snowboarding every spare minute I could muster and a bonafide snowboard bum working nights in a kitchen and coaching on the weekends to support my full-time shred needs. Snowboarding even provided a good living for me and my family for a time when I was coaching and teaching - and also afforded me the time to understand snowboarding from another perspective. I have had the fortune of writing for some snowboard magazines and web sites and work for the X Games. My first board was a Burton Elite 150 with a split tail, concave, and skegs. Now boards have rocker and magna-traction and the kids dress in super-expensive and super heinous gear.

I'm grateful to have been through so much of the history of snowboarding and to have shared it with a lot of good people. This season I have no season pass for the first time in 21 years. I have been getting out on the split board pretty regularly and have had very amazing turns for the amount of time I have been out there. The resort is having a banner year and some days I feel like there is a party going on right up the street that I wasn't invited to. I was invited, but declined a coaching gig this year because I need to have a greater commitment to my family and new business. Part of me feels sad, but my days are full and when I do get to ride I sure appreciate it.

When Rusty and I exchanged hoots as we passed each other leapfrogging from safe spot to safe spot, it felt as good as the first time I felt snowboarding. It is a blessing to have something as simple and fun be a part of my life.

Forty

I met Jimmy Hewitt when we were 14. We became fast friends and have stayed thus for two and a half decades-plus. When his wife, Maury, called and asked if I wanted to come to SF to surprise him for his 40th birthday I was beside myself with giddiness. Her thoughtfulness and sneakiness blew me away. Too boot, she managed to get Nathan Anderson, another one of our closest friends, in on the occasion and worked it out so we could fly there on her frequent flier miles. The set up was perfect and Nathan and I arrived at SFO within a half hour of each other. Maury picked us up and baited Jimmy back home from a bike ride where we surprised him by springing out of bed when he came into his room. It was priceless.

Given that three of the four of us are tea toddlers, the evening was very mellow. We dropped the kids off with grandma and went out to Goat Hill for some pizza and a lot of good conversation. I'm grateful for the opportunity on so many levels. To be with such amazing people, in a great city like San Francisco, and celebrating Jimmy's 40th birthday - a milestone, no doubt - was surreal. The clouds draping the city, conversation drenched in years of friendship, and fluidity of the time between last face to face visits eddied around the motions of the evening. Togetherness with loved ones to celebrate Jimmy's oldness.



Round two of the surprise was a surprise party on Saturday night. Nathan and I held Jimmy's attention and kept him from the homestead long enough for Maury to sneak friends and family in. Once again we got him pretty good with a roomful of "surprise" yelling folks and a huge spread of food to dive in to.

A big part of the surprise was having Ken Fish in the mix - he is another friend I've been close with since I was 15. There were more friends in the mix that also filled the scene with meaning for me beyond Jimmy's birthday, but it was all within the context of Jimmy's celebration. Togetherness. Instead of spreading out to talk to everyone, I got right into hanging with Fish and his husband Robbie. Maybe a little guilt about not saying hello to everyone, but it was great to reconnect with Fish and Robbie.

A few of us, including Lola Bell and Charles Carbone, went out on the town in North Beach after the party. The city was raging and it was fun for such a homebody like myself to go out and be in the center of the night life in the city. A late night with thundering music, dancing ladies, and more great times with friends fit perfectly into the weekend.



Maury was unreal in her ability to let Jimmy just cruise. The kids spent a lot of time with us, but she made sure they were covered when we went off on our long walks through the city and they were not up for it. A huge breakfast feast on Sunday morning started the day. Fish re-joined us. We got to check out City Hall and a little holiday festival on the lawn out front with the kids. And then we spent the afternoon walking the city - one of my favorite things to do.

Taking time to enjoy the company of such great people was inspiring. We are all at challenging times in our lives and it was cathartic to be able to talk to my friends about their challenges and sharing my own. Six kids between the three of us, three wives, and our own personalities and circumstances have certainly changed the way we perceive life. I am grateful beyond words for such a nice weekend, the graciousness Maury extended, and the togetherness I was a part of.

Living in the Past

I recently spent some time digitizing photos from my collection. It was a fun project. If we were Facebooking back in the day, these were the shots I would have used to define my 20's (the 90's). Lots of amazing adventure in a world full of friends and amazing geography.