Two weeks posting this week as we’ve been a tad busy.
Lazy start then off to Heber for bowling with Mike and Joe.
Afternoon is the highlight of the week with a trip to the supermarket. This week it’s Fresmarket for a change. Won’t be shopping there again – too pricey.
In the evening Mike picks me up and we’re off down to Salt Lake for a minor league baseball game. My very first game, so lots of questions and I’m still not sure I fully understand it – need a YouTube video – see below.
It’s all very civilised and thankfully faster and more action than cricket. We had great seats, not vey crowded and a lovely balmy sunny evening. Great special deals on beer, even if it is all American, and you can have a drink watching the 
game. How civilised is that. Not a single punch up in the spectators and hardly any swearing. Although like all sporting events the world over it seems like the umpire was incompetent and at least 25% of the spectators could have done a better job. Quite a few families and women spectators. All very relaxed and they even have a train ride for the kids. Bumble Bee mascot marauders around the spectators and even have a Mexican band playing music. Best of all they have great junk food selection, hot dogs and pretzel to name but a few we sampled.
Sat behind us was an all American gob. Everything is bigger over here and this guy certainly had the gob on him to meet that exacting bigger standard. He never shut up, loudly boring the women next to him and the crowd with his life story, the great I am. The detective in me can only assume that he was on a first social media date with the women next to him. And I can only assume that if she wasn’t deaf it will be his last. Why do I come to that conclusion that it was a first date? She was too old to be his daughter. Certainly couldn’t have been his wife as married couples don’t talk that much in all of 50 years of marriage. No sane women, who wasn’t stone deaf, would ever go on a 2nd date with him.
But it was so kind of him to share his upbringing; his mummies discipline; his moral rectitude; his Bluetooth use of Facebook; his travels; but the piste resistance had to be sharing with the crowd full details of his colonoscopy and other medical procedures.
A great evening and despite the gob very enjoyable. Will have to go again when the kids come out.
The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision. Consensus once held that today’s baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders, popular among children in Great Britain and Ireland. American baseball historian David Block suggests that the game originated in England; recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of each other, and that the game’s most direct antecedents are the English games of stoolball and “tut-ball”. Block discovered that the first recorded game of “Bass-Ball” took place in 1749 in Surrey, and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. This early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants.
By the early 1830s, there were reports of a variety of uncodified bat-and-ball games recognizable as early forms of baseball being played around North America. The first officially recorded baseball game in North America was played in Beachville, Ontario, Canada, on June 4, 1838. In 1845.
My first baseball game was a great experience. Wonderful choice of Junk food.
Lazy morning.
After lunch I finally manage to lead a bike ride. Only 3 of us but it was a good ride from Maxwells all the way up to the Old White barn. It was tough but we just about made it, even the electric bike lady, and my watch confirmed I was still alive. Back to Maxwells was all downhill, that’s my sort of ride.
For some bizarre reason PCMSC doesn’t approve of ebikes. What the hell, I really don’t give a rats, if it means that people get out, enjoy themselves and possibly get a bit of exercise why does it matter?
In the evening we go round to Carols for dinner. So good to see her and Angela after two covid years. Wow, Angela’s shot up and is so grown up. Carol has a lovely 4 bedroom town house down at Jeremy Ranch. We’d so much to catch up on.
Up early for shooting. Mike said we could pistol shoot with some newcomer guy called Jim. Turns out that Ken – the guy who originally taught me to shoot a pistol was doing a free defensive shooting class. 100 rounds of structured drills. Bottom line on defensive shooting seems to be keep shooting at your own pace, don’t pause or stop until the threat has been completely eliminated, that’s a euphemism for very dead. The last drill was 5 rounds at 1 second intervals; drop the empty clip; reload; then 5 more rounds at 1 second intervals. Squeeze that trigger slowly.
I had no idea this was going to be on the agenda, but I am glad I did it. What amazed me was how the rapid firing seemed to get more on target than the earlier drills with more time to aim.
After that it’s a couple of rounds of Clay Pigeon shooting. Not too bad on the first round, 12 out of 25, trying to focus on the follow through. 2nd round was a miserable 9 out of 25, trying to focus on starting with the barrel horizontal. Being a man there’s no way I can do two thing at once, but the free tuition is very welcome. Next time it’s focus on follow through, horizontal barrel and don’t forget to chamber the round.
Yea, it’s Jaspers 9th birthday. Get to FaceTime him and see all his presents. Looks like he’s had a great birthday. Pity we couldn’t be there for it. He’s a great kid, growing up and so proud of him. Happy birthday Jasper.
After lunch Wendy and I do the Snow Top loop. I wanted to check it out for an easy hike. It’s another one of my favourite hikes, but a counter clockwise direction means you end up on a never ending, steep, switchback. Think best to go round clockwise. I’m in the dog house because I wanted to storm on up the switchback to get the ticker pumping. By pushing yourself it’s the only way I’m going to get acclimatised to 7,000 feet.
In 2004, the Guttmacher Institute anonymously surveyed 1,209 post-abortive women from nine different abortion clinics across the country. Of the women surveyed, 957 provided a main reason for having an abortion. This table lists each reason and the percentage of respondents who chose it.
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Percentage Reason
<0.5% Victim of rape 3% Fetal health problems 4% Physical health problems 4% Would interfere with education or career 7% Not mature enough to raise a child 8% Don't want to be a single mother 19% Done having children 23% Can't afford a baby 25% Not ready for a child 6% Other
Conclusion 92.5% of abortions in America seem to be done purely for convenience. Contraception is readily available, even including the morning after pill. I leave you to draw your own conclusions on the coming Rowe v Wade battle.
Lazy morning.
Wild turkeys on the roadside. Pity Thanksgiving and Christmas are so far off.
Have a walk to Merril’s at the Outlet Centre to get a pair of hiking trainers for Wendy. Can’t find any that fit well. Gets a pair from Columbia and they’re cheaper and she even negotiates a further reduction – smart shopper.
I try the Levi store for some grey / blue jeans but alas no.
The rules of baseball explained:
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, including crap web sites, flaky software, rampant stupidity and a complete lack of common sense all around, especially from politicians.
The courage to change the things I can.
And wisdom to know the difference and avoid reading the Daily Blood Boiler, AKA The Daily Mail and The Daily Express.
Wherever possible I complain, especially to those companies I like and respect. Purely because I strongly believe that by listening to your customers you can improve. I realise I might as well chalk pentagrams and stroke a toad, as most people no longer give a damn. Yes, I know they’re on minimum wage, but they don’t seem to realise that unhappy customers result is in business failure, results in unemployment.
Up and out for 10:00 to play Pickleball. Great game just wish they didn’t play so early. Don’t they realise geriatrics don’t get up early.
It’s snowed and frozen over night so spend 5 minutes freezing to death as I clear the car.
After lunch Wendy and I go for a stroll up to the supermarket, and catch the bus back with our shopping.
Why is Park City paradise? Well if you’re a skier it has some of the greatest skiing in the USA. But as they say you come for the winter and stay for the summer.
There’s just so much out doors to do it’s amazing, especially if you join the Park City Mountain Sports Club and / or the Newcomers Club. Both offer amazing outdoor, indoor activities along with a great social life.
My typical week here is as follows:
Monday – Picklball in the morning then a hike in the afternoon. Wendy volunteers at the Christian centre in the afternoon.
Tuesday – I lead a leisure hike along with Wendy in the afternoon.
Wednesday – pickleball in the morning, a walk with Wendy in the afternoon and then down to the gun range for some target practice with a choice of 9mm’s in the evening.
Thursday – Tenpin bowling in the morning and sadly supermarket with Wendy in the afternoon – it can’t all be fun.
Friday – I lead a leisure bike ride in the afternoon and Wendy volunteers at the CC.
Saturday – clay pigeon shooting in the morning and an exploratory bike ride in the afternoon.
Sunday – an exploratory hike with Wendy.
On top of that we usually have at least two nights wining and dining in our out.
And that’s why it’s paradise, plenty of exercise, never a dull moment and great weather.
The latest lunacy in Great Britain:
Doctors have voted to stop billing foreign patients for NHS care.
Medics backing the motion said charging made health staff ‘complicit in racism’ and ‘racial profiling’.
Up to 500 delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of abandoning the fees at the British Medical Association’s annual conference in Belfast.
Meanwhile our NHS can’t keep up with UK demand. Is this what the NHS was founded for for. Lunacy, it’s about time that these senseless wokes were consigned to a mental institution.
Lazy morning.
After lunch Wendy tootles off to the CC whilst I lead an easy hike around Masonic Hill. One of my favourite hikes with great 360 degree views around PC.
One of the walkers, 82 years old, starts feeling dizzy. Says he gets these dizzy spells on hikes. OMG is he going to peg out? Has he signed the waiver? Should he really be coming on hikes if he’s that unfit? There’s still about 30 minutes of ascent until we reach the top. We slow down and let him take the lead. He survives along with everyone else. A gorgeous sunny hike.
I’ve talked Mike into playing pickleball again so we set off down to Basin Rec. Looks like most people have gone to the 8 free courts at Willow Creek so we set off there. Only recognise one player. Have about 6 exhausting games. At least my watch says I’m still alive. The players here tend to be in fixed groups of 4 with less mixing it up like there is at Basin Rec. But it’s free.
After lunch Wendy and I take a 3 mile stroll to the supermarket and back to get some baked beans. Tonight’s teas is Mikes awesome ribs he gave us and some of the best Tiramaso we’ve ever tasted – a Red Cross meal.
Hey, great news, apparently you can freeze baked beans so you can buy the cheaper bigger tin and freeze those you don’t use.
The latest to add to my American vocabulary:
THE QUICK AND DIRTY
* An out-of-pocket expense is something you have to pay yourself.
* Being out of pocket means being unavailable or unreachable. Bizarre.
* Out-of-pocket behavior is doing or saying something inappropriate.
Off down to Heber bowling alley with Joe. Bugger me all the lanes are pre booked for a group of kids, As if they couldn’t have spared one lane for us geriatric regulars.
Plan B go for a walk around Round Valley. Sunny, windy and cool. Yet again I have no hat as I thought I was going bowling. Fried yet again.
Afternoon is the usual treat of a trip to the supermarket with Wendy. This time I think I have a plan. These are advertised as being good for external pain relief. Will have to try them to see if they make a trip to the supermarket pain free.
Watch this. It just shows how disgusting this illegal immigration fiasco is. Get them sent to Rwanda. Screw the progressive do gooders. Ignore the legal challenges. Get a plane load off to Rwanda and post videos of it on YouTube and the problem will go away. This government needs to grow some gonads. We’re being ripped off.
Mind you we think we have a problem with 20,000 odd last year. America has that number a day crossing their southern border. At least they have some common sense with Title 42, which allows US authorities to expel migrants seeking asylum, because of the Covid risk, without being given the chance to put forward their case. Children and some families are exempt.
Lazy morning.
Afternoon Wendy’s off to the CC and I’m supposed to be leading an easy bike ride. No one turns up so no ride.
A gorgeous warm sunny day. This is more like it. Hopefully the snows behind us now.
In the morning it’s a trip to the Outlet stores for a pair of casual, lightweight trainers. as usual they don’t have the ones I originally wanted in my size, but find an alternative pair. Sketchers, so lightweight and comfortable.
Then after lunch Wendy and I explore a hike off North Old Ranch Road. Awesome views with a steep downhill section great for mountain bikers. Wendy didn’t approve of it but I’ll keep it for an Easy Hike. Really should have been wearing my shorts, much too hot for jeans.
Does this pipeline stretch all the way back to the Ukraine?
Another gorgeous hot sunny day. This time I’ve got my shorts on. Explore a circular hike around trailside with Joe. Just over three miles, no shelter but will make a great Easy Hike even if there are too many bikers at the weekend.
Late afternoon Kim and Phil arrive. We haven’t seen them since our Japanese cruise, so its great to see them again. They’re here all week staying with us and in their Airstream over in Heber.
Great meal followed by a few bottles of wine and some whiskey and bourbon. Wow, I do like that Basil Haydn Dark Rye and so does Kim. It’s amazing.
After a great evening I stagger upstairs to the instant rest of the righteous. They’re definitely a bad influence. In japan they even got Wendy rat arsed on Martinis.
American Haute Cuisine at its finest.
Drive over to Heber to teach Phil how to play Pickleball. He’s a natural, takes to it like a duck to water. Typical when an ex tennis player takes up pickleball, within minutes they’ve mastered the strokes. So frustrating for those of us who did not play tennis and have to struggle on.
In the evening we go over to Phil and Kim’s Airstream for dinner. It’s a gorgeous evening, so just like being in Belthorn, we get to sit out for dinner.
Pickleball it’s really Geriatric Tennis
Pickleball is a racket/paddle sport that was created by combining elements of several other racket sports.[2] Two or four players use solid paddles to hit a perforated polymer ball over a net. The ball is much like a wiffle ball,[3] with 26–40 round holes. A pickleball court is similar to badminton, with a net similar to tennis, and the paddles are similar to those in table tennis.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game, on Bainbridge Island, Washington.[4] In 2022 pickleball was adopted as the official state sport of Washington.
The spread of the sport is attributed to its popularity within community centers, physical education classes, public parks, private health clubs, YMCA facilities and retirement communities. There are thousands of pickleball tournaments throughout the United States, including the U.S. Pickleball National Championships, U.S. Open Pickleball Championship, Major League Pickleball, as well as numerous international championships.
https://www.prageru.com/video/why-i-stopped-teaching?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_4281784
Off swimming with P&K. First time in about 10 years.
So I chuck my towel and clothes in the back of the SUV, along with car keys in the pocket and close the boot. The damn car then locks me out. I’m spitting feathers. Fortunately Phil has AAA. The guy turns up in about 45 minutes and it takes him just 3 minutes and hey presto the cars open. How worrying is that.
Phil and Kim outside the No Name Saloon.
In the afternoon P&K come on my Snow Top hike. What a bizarre mix of weather, sun, cloud, windy and sprinkling of rain.
Our flight of Whiskey tasting.
Kim helping Wendy with a few drinks.
Kim outside the No Name Saloon.
Back home for some more drinks. P&K stay overnight to save the drive back to
Drinking as usual.
Lazy morning. Then out for a subway lunch with P&K.
Set off up to the ski jump museum and eat their splendid repast. Sadly it’s closed, opens tomorrow. So we can’t even take a stroll to the top station to take a death defying view down the ski jump.
Kim at the old barn.
In the evening Phil and I go down to the gun range for some target practice.
Tried to join us for lunch.
Pleasant evening with some alcohol.
Just to give you some scale of the crass stupidity of the progressive woke lovies over here Phil relates how Los Angeles council gave $5 million to BLM and defined it has a “Social Justice payment”. To fund it they cut planned pay increases for the next 3 years.