K is for Kite Boarding

 

So my hubby likes to kite board.  It’s where you get on a flat board and get pulled along by a large kite across the water... or snow... or sand... depends on the weather and your terrain.  He’s a bit of a daredevil... or was.

One thing about getting older is those things you loved to do to be challenged somehow seem scarier, and it’s more of a challenge to even think about attempting them again.  Like hang gliding... yeah, my hubby used to do that too.  But after a somewhat serious crash, he hasn’t quite gotten up the nerve to try again.

Oh sure, he pulls his hang glider out, wipes it down, checks all the lines, makes sure all the mechanical parts are working well, and then he puts it back up again. No plans for a trip. No, hey let’s join the group over in Lassen, or Woodrat, or along the coast.  Sure we stopped at Point of the Mountain in Utah last summer to watch the hang gliders and paragliders, but he didn’t think about bringing his hang glider, nor has he talked about making another trip out there.

I’m like that too.  I have a snowboard I haven’t really used since before I left residency in Buffalo... almost 9 years ago.  Sure it’s in the attic... along with my boots, helmet, day bag, etc.  I think about going sometimes.  I think about the challenge of the mountain and how fun it would be to be standing on top of Heavenly again looking down at the lake... and then I think about my knees, and my feet, and how I’d probably be out of breathe getting off the chair lift...

Getting older sucks...

My Husband, the Dare Devil

I love to sail, and for a while in residency, I crewed on a J-24 during the summer

races on Lake Erie just off Buffalo, NY.  Almost falling into the drink as we made an

emergency tack to avoid a collision is about as exciting as I want my sports to be...

Unless you count snowboarding, which I did do for several seasons,

the longest being during our stay in Boston from 2004 to 2005.

Nothing like going down a mountain in 30 degree weather

and hoping you don't hit a tree... or fall off the ski lift

in spectacular fashion in front of everyone...

No, I like my sporting life to be tame.

And, then there's my husband.

When I first met him, he was a windsurfer.

Soon, I was learning the language of windsurfers,

and when we finally moved together to Minnesota,

I learned about the windsurfer widow's life:

trips to places to windsurf

hooking up the equipment

tearing down the equipment

etc.

I tried it once.

Fell into the water multiple times.

Decided I'd rather be a spectator.

Then he decided to kick it up a notch.

Kite boarding.

Snow kiting in the winter.

Kite surfing in the summer.

A lot more speed and excitement for him

with less equipment to have to haul around.

And trips like our honeymoon meant kite surfing for him

and white sandy beaches for me.

A win-win.

Then we moved to California,

and he found the next thrill...

hang gliding...

I can honestly say, that there was a lump in my throat

on the first day I saw him voluntarily launch himself off a cliff

and into the air.

I'm a medical doctor.

An ER physician.

I've seen people on their worst days,

so I know what can happen.

Until that moment, I didn't think about it 

happening to him.

And, now, three years and many many flights later,

the lump isn't so bad.

I still hold my breath as he takes off,

and say a silent prayer to the God who protects

drunks and small children that my husband has a good flight

and comes back to the ground in one piece.

Getting my ham radio license has made it a bit easier. (KK6FZZ, btw)

I can now provide ground support with weather reports

and instant communication while he's up in the air.

But still, having taken care of three of his fellow pilots

in the ED while on duty, I know there's always a risk.

Of course, there's a risk getting out of the bathtub,

or crossing the street, or sitting in a parked car.

But, those aren't as fun as flying along with jet planes

and eagles...

or so he tells me....

Here's a link to his first blog post:

Jerry's Lite Air Adventure Blog

which, after I read it made my lump in my throat come back...

along with the video I created from our

Memorial Day Weekend trip to, where..?

Oh, yeah, go hang gliding...