When we arrived, April and Colin had set out a spread comparable to Thanksgiving Day. He made an extra batch of stuffing and a delightful onion relish dressed with fresh parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. I loved the garlic green olives and the goat cheese on crisp crackers. Kaoru and Justin were already there and the four of them were laughing and telling stories.
Ivy joined us at the ice rink, even though shoulder surgery prevented her from skating. Steve made one very slow circuit of the rink, gripping tightly to the rail. He was terrified of falling on those fragile knees. My years of skating experience seemed inconsequential. It must be fifteen years since Colin and I used to skate at the college rink for hours at a time.
I was telling Kaoru that I first started skating in my uncle's grape vineyard on Chestnut Street. Puddles between the rows would freeze over and my cousins and I would skate from patch to patch. Later, my dad built a rink in the backyard with a border of snow. At night, he would go out with the hose and spray the ice till it was glassy. When I was in seventh and eighth grade, the village had public skating on Canadaway Creek on Forest Place in the afternoon and early evening. It was such fun!
I never missed a figure skating program or competition on tv. Olympic champion Peggy Fleming was my hero. If there had been any way to get lessons, I would have gone on because I loved it. It wasn't until the college build Steel Hall that I was able to teach my boys to skate.
Kaoru and Justin each have their own skates now and are spending hours at the outdoor rinks on the weekends. It's so good to see them enjoying this activity together.
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