I will really miss the Olympics. As I did the opening, I sat through all of the closing and enjoyed it, too.
I didn’t purposely turn on the Woman’s Mountain Biking but it was on the screen as I went by so I thought I would watch it for just a minute. I was so wrapped up in it, I just sat there with my mouth wide open. I could not believe my eyes, 18.2 miles of dirt, grass, gravel, and you name it. At first, I thought they were just going to go over unpaved road, and then they climbed over boulders and quite literally flew from one point to another along the route. By then I was hooked and lost forty-four pounds just watching. (Guess I should do that more often.) The fans were cheering mightily, as they did for every venue, whether it was under their country’s flag or not.
I could have done that. I still have the scars from riding my brother’s hand-me-down bike when I was a kid. Another ten years of practice and I could have whipped right through that course!
Sunday morning I should never have turned the TV on – (oh what can it hurt, I’ll only watch it a couple of minutes). Men’s basketball was on. I was sucked into watching the whole thing, dashing in and out of the room, showering, getting ready for church, and fixing a dish for the church potluck. Could not stop with the end of the game, had to watch them getting their gold medals. Flew up that twisty road to church and made it with 10 minutes to spare. I was afraid to try my casserole. I probably left out a few ingredients; however, that probably wouldn’t make any difference in the taste!
I didn’t even know about Rhythmic Gymnastics. It was another one that I got into by accident and couldn’t move away. The beautiful ballet with colored ribbons they whirled around them and into the air to catch three or four pirouettes later. I was literally moved to tears by the Russian dancer who won.
Flag raising ceremonies ran at various times of the day and night so I didn’t see all of them but it was fascinating to watch their reactions, from big smiles, to solemn faces, to tears rolling down their faces, even the guys. I’m so glad the guys didn’t feel exempt from the tears.
It was an amazing two plus weeks watching these terrific young people.
Back to work. See you at the Winter Olympics! God Bless until next week.
Minshall’s RVing Alaska and Canada is available thru Amazon.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
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