Self-Portrait, Skiing

Sometimes, I just get in a goofy mood. I went out skiing again with my friend today, and thought I'd play a little with my camera. (It could be a new Olympic biathalon, cross-country skiing and photo-shooting!) The fun thing is, with a digital camera, you can goof off, and laugh for a moment about the picture, and it really doesn't cost much at all, even if you get it printed off.

This is supposed to be an action shot, but it's really not. You can tell because my knees aren't bent enough.

Bending my knees enough seems to be a problem for me cross-country skiing. Odd, because they bend just fine on my bike. There were a few moments today when I actually got into a rhythm for a few steps, but then I'd think about it and lose the rhythm, and that was that.

MSILF oops, StyleyGeek (sorry, you two) suggested ice skating a couple posts ago, when I was asking for winter sport suggestions. I ice skated perhaps three times as a high schooler, and every time my knees ached afterwards because I fell on them all the time, over and over again. (Somehow falling on ice seems more painful than falling on snow, too.)

My friend, though, loves ice skating; she remembers growing up ice skating during winters, when parks around here tend to fill up an area with water and it becomes a skating rink. Where I'm from, those areas would be ponds for a few days and then dry spots. I've never skated outside, and think of it as a purely indoor sport; my friend couldn't remember that she'd ever skated inside.

Such conversations make me think about how very different it is to grow up in a snow area compared to a non-snow area. Folks from here learn to deal really well with winter, and I need to learn more of those skills.