It’s mid-December, not even officially winter yet, and this Ripper has been on skis for more than 20 days already. And I’m not talking about just a few groomed runs on man-made snow. We’ve been skiing terrain that typically doesn’t open until much later in the season. For those of you who follow Senior Ripper’s Instagram account, this isn’t a surprise. You’ve been following the kitchen deck bistro table for over a month (I figured it was time for the bistro table to be featured in a post!). I’ve gone through two tanks of gas in the snowblower already (and broken 3 shear pins!). This is why we are here!…

I had the honor and privilege to be a spectator when my nephew recently tackled the 2022 Ironman Worlds in Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island. To start, let me set the record straight. It is not an aspiration of this Senior Ripper to be an Ironman. But I stand in awe of those who participate in such a feat. It is a superhuman achievement, consisting of a 2 1/4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a full marathon of 26.2 miles! The accomplishment is inspiring, but not to the point of my actually wanting to try it! Our infatuation with our nephew’s Triathlon career began in earnest this…