It was a nice clear day yesterday when I took this photo. There is only one in this post. Only one? Yes, this time there is only one. I was driving by the place here, and I didn't have time to stop, so I could only get this one shot. I wasn't sure it would come out good, but I got lucky.Very many of you know exactly what you see in this winter scene, but for some of my friends in warmer areas it may be something new. No matter where you are, this one should be interesting. This picture shows one of the main things that makes winter and snow very fun.
If you look closely, you can see that these are kids all bundled up from the cold, but having a wonderful time. There is a hill behind them that is the reason for the fun. You can see that most of the children have a board or something similar with them. These kids are doing what we call sledding.
Sledding, for those of you who don't know, is when you go to the top of a hill, lay down on that board, or sled, and send yourself hurtling down the hill as fast as you can go. When you get to the bottom, you walk back up and do it again. The burst of speed you get when sliding down that hill is fun for anybody, but especially a kid. The bigger and steeper the hill, the more fun and excitement you will have.
I haven't been sledding since I was a kid, but I used to go all the time when it was snowy. I was lucky for a while back then, because we had a big hill right behind our house. I've mentioned before that I grew up right in the middle of the city of Detroit. Most of you know Detroit. It's famous as the Motor capital of the world.
This is a well populated city, but my dad used to find all of the out of the way places for us to live. We needed them for our farm animals. And because my parents weren't from such an urban area, they didn't like the closeness of the city very much. So we lived in the most open spaces we could find.
Because of that, I think I got to do some things that most city kids never dreamed of doing, like living in front of a fun hill for sledding. I really had forgotten about that place until now. I'm glad that memory is back. It was a fun time in my life.
Things like sledding are something you just can't really do without snow. Winter has a lot of disadvantages, like the cold weather, but there are very many fun things that can only be done if you have snow. I'll be looking around for some of the other things.
I think I'm going to have to gather up Alice, and some of the other kids, and take them sledding this year. Maybe I can even ride down a hill a few times. That would bring back some fun for me. It seems like only yesterday that it was me hurtling down a hill like the one in the photo. I'm ready to go again!
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I read about sledding, I think about sleighing, I am singing Jingle Bells.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun it is....
Remind me of Calvin and Hobbes when you mention sledding
ReplyDeleteSledding is so much fun! It's the thing I like most about snow, but I don't go often. I hope to go this winter sometime now that I have my toboggan back from my dad's and a van big enough to take it in. Playing tackle football in the snow is great fun too. You should try that with your kids--it's really fun because no one can run very fast in deep snow!
ReplyDeleteI have awarded you the Lemonade award for your blog because it shows an attitude of gratitude and is uplifting. Pick it up at http://zemeks.blogspot.com/2009/01/thanks-angel-for-lemonade-award.html
Nice of you to think about something that we all take for granted in snow land. I just never think about the fact that lots of people don't get to do this.
ReplyDeleteRainfield - I wonder if I could figure out how to take a picture of a song?:)
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Kruel - As soon as I read your comment, I pictured those two trouble makers in my head.:)
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Karen - I've played tackle football in the snow before. Nobody will ever play it with me anymore, because I cheat too much.;)
Thanks. I'll be right there to take a look.
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Sharkbytes - It's easy to take for granted the things that we see so often. I think bringing them to focus can help even us. I wonder what I can show that I don't usually think about.
Oh, I think you haven't been sledding since you were a kid anymore since you have too much snow. here, we only have snow in the mountains and very seldom at lower elevation, but i always see to it i go up the mountains to sled and snowshoe and don't ask me about how old i am, hahaha! my excuse is i came from the Philippines, so I am entitled to enjoy what I missed when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteBetchai - I guess it's easy to forget the things that were there all of our lives. You get to have a unique perspective; you get to appreciate some of these things because they weren't always there for you. That makes you able to see some things more clearly than the rest of us.:)
ReplyDeleteLet me see. If we can have sound of silence, why can't we have pictures of song?
ReplyDeleteRainfield - Yes, you understand exactly! If there is a way to do it, I will figure it out.
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