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Favorite Family Photos: Snowboarding 2011
This photo was taken in February 2011 while snowboarding at Raicho Valley in Toyama Prefecture. It’s rare that a shot taken by me with me in it actually comes out, but this one did. I really like it. Brings back a very good memory! Snowboarding on sunny days with tons of fresh powder snow is one of my biggest joys in life. The perfect confluence of conditions and weather is very rare, and to be savored. By this time, Luke was getting really good and could keep up and sometimes go faster than mama or papa. This made for unforgettable moments where the three of us would zoom and zig-zag down a slope together. Talk about perfect exhilaration!
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If something bad happened and you could only save a handful of your photo collection, which ones would choose? That’s the question guiding this series of blog posts I’m dubbing “Favorite Family Photos”. It’s a chance to look back at the past 10 years and revisit special moments in our family’s history. These are our best and most precious memories.
Favorite Family Photos: Luke’s 1st time snowboarding
This shot is one of my favorites- taken in our back yard when Luke went snowboarding for the first time. He was about four at the time. I’m crazy about snowboarding, so this was a big deal for me- being able to zoom down mountains with my son. It all started on this day.
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If something bad happened and you could only save a handful of your photo collection, which ones would choose? That’s the question guiding this series of blog posts I’m dubbing “Favorite Family Photos”. It’s a chance to look back at the past 10 years and revisit special moments in our family’s history. These are our best and most precious memories.
TFiJ37: Max’s 1st time sledding & skiing
Here is the 2nd in a promised series of videos on our experiences from the legendary winter of 2011. Of all our family members, Max especially had a great time this year. For the first time in her life, she was able to go sledding and skiing. Shinobu and I really enjoyed introducing these staple winter activities to her and watching her play.
TFiJ32: Shredding Cow Mountain
Here’s a video clip that shows a family doing something they really love- carving tracks in pure powder snow! Known in snowboarding lingo as “shredding”, this clip features rock and roll highlights of Luke, Mama, and me tearing it up. I hope you can get a sense of the thrill this sport can provide! We live only 25 minutes from Ushidake ski area. “Ushi” means cow, and “dake” means mountain in Japanese, hence the title of this video. I think it used to be an old cow pasture… Anyway, it’s a great place for snowboarding because of the very wide slopes. They leave lots of un-groomed snow on the sides, which makes it great for snowboarding. This video is dedicated to an old colleague of mine at TCFL, Stephen Davies, who passed away recently. Stephen and I really bonded over snowboarding. He was the person who taught me how to ride on the soft powder. I really got hooked and have been crazy about it ever since. I’ll miss Steve, but I’ll always think and be grateful for meeting him when I’m on my board riding down a mountain.
TFiJ14: Luke learns snowboarding
Wow, we sure had a busy weekend! Luke went snowboarding with mama on Saturday, with papa on Sunday, and then had his first official big swim race yesterday (February 11th is a national holiday here). I took some video on Sunday, and wow! Luke was AMAZING! You have to see him go, especially when compared with three weeks ago, when he started snowboarding for the first time on a ski slope. The kid is a star, and is a natural at sports! With his mama’s tireless and excellent instruction, he has picked up the basics of snowboarding WAY FASTER than I did! And he’s only SIX YEARS OLD! Check this video out- the story of Luke learning to snowboard. It’s a dream come true to be zooming down a mountain with my son!!! I can’t express how amazing it feels. I’m really excited for the future. We’re going to have a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy watching our amazing little boy zoom as much as this doting parent has!
TFiJ13: 2nd time skiing 2008
Well, here’s another skiing & snowboarding video for you! A few days after our first time out, the weather became simply fantastic, so we had to go out to Cow Mountain (Ushidake) again. Shinobu’s father was able to come with us this time, and Luke was really good. I also had a chance to cruise in some powder snow, which was quite nice up at the top of the mountain. There was not enough snow at the bottom, however, so I wasn’t able to take out my new swallow-tail powder board (next time!). Anyway, here you go- more Toyama winter family fun!
TFiJ12: 1st time skiing 2008
Hey all, long time no post. I’m back with another video podcast episode, this one focusing on our first time skiing this season. Our little adventure took place during the annual new year holidays, which lasts for three full days. New Years is the biggest holiday of the year around these parts, the time of year when everyone gets together to watch TV, go shopping, and if the weather is good, head out to the mountains for some skiing. :-)
This clip sees our family head out to a sports shop to get Luke some new skis, as he has already outgrown the stuff we got for him two years ago. After that we headed home and tried out his new gear with our Wii Fit, this amazing balance board gizmo that allows for some amazing balance-related gaming. Finally, on January 3rd, we managed to head out to Ushidake, a small family ski area only 25 minutes drive from our house. It was Shinobu’s first time out in two years, since last year she couldn’t go due to her pregnancy. It was a cloudy day, and the snow wasn’t great, but we had a blast. Luke took a while to get the hang of it, but soon he was zooming down the mountain. How cool is it to fly down a mountain with your children? Totally way awesome cool.
As usual, I to see a high quality QuickTime version of this clip, click here.
