One of the joys of Senior Ripping is meeting like-minded people who enjoy many of the activities we love. During this holiday season especially, we are thankful for our family, particularly my inspiration for ripping at this age, my dad, who at 99, is going strong (here he is with Gail at this year’s Thanksgiving Day football game in Marblehead). But we are also grateful for our fellow Senior Rippers who enrich our lives in a myriad of ways, not just as companions when we ski, bike, hike and the like, but at our book groups, knitting groups, film watching, and exploring generally. Without them, our Senior Ripper life would…

One of the unanticipated delights in writing for this blog is the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into subjects of personal interest, for example, the article – A ski industry icon attends his 100th birthday party – in our local paper, The Park Record, caught my interest, perhaps my motivation was that my father-in-law will soon be turning 100 and we are in the midst of planning his celebration. I read the article with keen interest and was thrilled when a Google search turned up a treasure trove of information. Klaus Obermeyer is an inspirational character. To my surprise, Klaus is credited with designing the first puffy down jacket…

Don’t worry. I’m not going to go all preachy and explain our purpose on this earth. This is a bit more mundane, and is all about what really brought us to Park City. We had a post all ready for today, written by both of us, about seeking sunshine during the shortest days of the year, but I woke up this morning to a new post by one of my favorite bloggers, Bob Sharpe, aka Old Man Gravel, entitled Just Keep Moving. I recommend it to you all, and that you follow Bob’s blog. He is a bike rider from Iowa, who literally rides EVERY DAY, rain, snow or shine….

By sheer coincidence, we share the same hometown, Marblehead, Massachusetts. A beautiful town with a long history, Marblehead is also sporty. Best known as the birthplace of the American Navy, Marblehead Harbor is unique in its ability to shelter over two thousand boats of all sizes and shapes. Less known is its high school football team. A long-standing Thanksgiving tradition is attending the game between Marblehead and their archrival, Swampscott. The Magicians didn’t have much magic when we were young but have since dominated the rivalry. Racquet sports were our passion and Marblehead continues to offer residents not only tennis, paddle and now pickleball but also badminton. The Gut ‘n…