Joe joined the snowboard team at school. Previous snowboard experience?… almost none. Some plastic play snowboards at the water tower hill in town (affectionately known as kill hill) and I think some playing around on a friend’s snowboard but not on a real hill.
Joe long boards and I didn’t think it was a huge stretch (I’m sure there are those that would say they are whole different worlds) and when he expressed an interest in joining the team, I knew it was gonna be a huge start up cost, but… at least at the end of the season, you keep your gear. So, we discussed and the whole setup became Christmas for Joe.
Boots, bindings, helmet, board, goggles, face mask, coat, snow pants. Everything a growing snowboarder needs.
He has gone twice now. Once with a friend and once with the team. Today I brought him on a Saturday for some more practice.
I watched him go up for his first run on a hill that is pretty much all in view while he was getting his sea legs.
Then after one further run, he announced he was hitting the chair lift. The end of observation time. Unless I could put one of those 1970 bike flags on him, there is virtually no way to know if the blob you are watching come down the hill is your kid or not. 90% of them have the same coat or helmet and casual observation is virtually impossible.
He did send me this chair lift selfie.
Reminder to self. Next year bright yellow snow pants or some bright colored coat.
I knew what I was getting into when I told him I would bring him here. So… to the café/lounge I went.
I brought all manner of entertainment.
Book, laptop, headphones and The Blues.
https://auralretentive.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/trip-to-d-c-part-2-the-blues/
I heard The Blues on the background while at Alan’s, but hadn’t yet had a chance to really really listen to it. To listen to the painstaking transitions that Alan produced as he crafted the separate Big Bill vocals with the songs he introduced. I have to say that if he had just given me a copy of this I would never have known this was pieced together.
As I write this I hear the intro from Big Bill to the “Sunnyland Slim – Tired But I Can’t Get Started” cut that I converted for Alan and sent to him for his mystery project.
It occurred to me that I blogged about it unknowingly back then. Here is the post:
So cool to finally hear the full finished product. The amount of work that went into this is kind of staggering when you think about it. Particularly from someone just learning editing and Audacity and such. Hats of to you Alan. A masterpiece of sound, on top of what the actual recording means to us.
That number again is 337-5252. I SURE got the blues this mornin’. Now come on.
As I sit and listen to this I am warm, I have power and internet, a chair and table to work on and a great view of some of the hills.
Can’t complain. I can see the skiers and boarders,
but alas, will likely never know which one is Joe. I texted him that I was upstairs in the café and he texted back “Alright. Thanks for the heads up.” He has his phone with him. His helmet has speakers in it. Ah… technology.
I should put my knock off go pro on his helmet. !! That would be awesome for his races. Hmm….
The Aural Retentive 