September 2003
I flew from Harrisburg, PA on Saturday, September 6th, and connected with my flight to Denver via Cincinnati, Ohio. Got to Denver around 1:30 PM, and was immediately paged by Kim, telling me where to meet her. I made my way out a side entrance one floor below, and saw a jeep pull up to the curb. It was Kim, who practically began running to greet me before her car was in park. She gave me the longest, deepest hug I've ever had. It was truly an awesome experience to finally be with her. We talked the entire drive back to Colorado Springs. Two hours that just flew by.
It wasn't until that evening that I got to meet Cody. We had talked on the phone for almost a year, and it was great to get my hugs in. Kim said he grew four inches since January! He's about 5'10" now. I met Kyle later that evening, and although he seemed a bit on the shy side, his greeting towards me was very warm and sincere. We spoke briefly, because he was getting ready to go out with some friends. Most of my evening was spent yakking away, and by night's end - with the time zone change Cody took me to his room, which he so graciously gave to me for my week's stay. I hit the sack early and slept like a rock.
On Sunday, September 7th, after breakfast, Kim, Kyle and I went to a classic car show at Pike's Peak International Raceway. Cars from the 40's, 50's and 60's. Some restored vintage models had price tags on their windshields of $35,000 and up. It must have been over 1,000 cars there. And the custom, air brushed trucks! One owner was sitting by his custom yellow truck, twiddling his thumbs, as the spectators walked by oohing and ahhing at the workmanship. When someone asked him what he hauled, he answered, "Just my wife."
Our next stop of the morning was the appointment that we made to meet Apolo. We caught about 45 minutes of training - mostly relays. Before Apolo came out to meet us, I met a female member of the team. Her name is Allison Baver. She is awesome on the ice. Kim introduced us, and I asked where she was from. I almost flipped when she said Reading, PA. I told her that I was from Harrisburg, PA. We live only one hour from each other! Well, I found a friend - a homegirl! We talked for a short while, and then she left to change. Apolo finally came out to meet us, and Kim introduced us. They made plans for dinner the next evening. Apolo was in a rush, because he had another workout. Allison came out after she changed, and since she was a friend of Kim's, and my new homegirl, I asked her if she would join us for dinner. At first she was reluctant to accept because she didn't want to intrude, but Apolo said, "sure, okay." We then went our separate ways, and Kim and I began to choose our next adventure for the day.
Around noon on Monday, we took a drive up to Pike's Peak. Colorado Springs has a truly magnificent vista. The terrain is flat, and off in the distance, the Colorado Rockies shouted out at you to look at them, from almost any part of town. Take a look…
View of the Colorado Rockies
When we came down from the mountain, we stopped in a quaint little town called Manitou, CO. There is a strong Mexican and Native American influence in that town. It also has an interesting fountain near the Mexican restaurant where we had lunch. The town folks bring buckets and bottles to fill them with the naturally carbonated spring water. After we ate, Kim asked the bartender for a cup so we could get some water. Kim said, "I heard it has calming, medicinal qualities," to which the bartender replied, "So's bourbon." The water tasted like seltzer water. We headed back home, and rested a little while before dressing for dinner.
Cody and Kyle were invited to dinner too, but Cody decided to eat before he left, because he was not fond of sushi at all. Kyle and Kim, on the other hand, love it. Well, are you ready for my fish tale…
We all met at the restaurant around the same time. We stood by the door for about 5 - 10 minutes until there was a table for us. Shortly after we were seated, our cold drinks were brought to us, and we were given menus. "What does this say?" I thought, as I scanned down the list. "Ah Ha… there's some chicken here. I can handle chicken." But it was Chicken, bla bla… taki something. Apolo, being the gracious host, was describing the dishes that I pointed out, because they were all in Japanese. Every dish he named, left my mind before he took his next breath. Our soup was brought to the table. Apolo informed me that it was Miso soup. It had an interesting taste. It was a brown color - sort of like the drink Yahoo - with bits of tofu in it. I wasn't crazy about it, but since it wasn't much, I ate it quietly. We all ordered. Cody got a beef dish, I got the Chicken bla bla… taki something, and the rest of the group ordered sushi. Everyone's dinner arrived at the same time. Everyone picked up their chopsticks, and after perusing the sushi platter, they began to choose their first choice. My dinner came. I looked down at it, and saw the chicken, coated with a batter of some kind, accompanied by a dipping sauce. The rest of the plate was filled with fine, shredded cabbage. Plain cabbage.
I tried in vain, to work the chopsticks. I thought to myself, "Is it a right- brain function, or a left- brain function, that gives you the ability to handle these things?" Because for me, it was a no-brainer. I couldn't get the hang of using those chopsticks to save my life. I got a little frustrated, and began to harpoon my chicken with one chopstick, until the waitress brought me the fork I requested. Kim turned to me, with a piece of sushi in hand, and said, "taste it." "What is it?" "Eel." (It looked like a small tongue lying over a tight wad of rice, with a seaweed girdle around the middle.) To satisfy her, I quickly took a bite, and remembered that I ate eel. for the last time. I didn't make a face at all. "Isn't it good," Kim asked. I replied, "It's okay."
Everyone was holding their own with the sushi. I was asked to try the raw tuna. Being opened- minded to new experiences, (yeah, right), I reluctantly ate it. And ate it, and ate it. The seaweed just wouldn't go down. I drank some tea, and went back to the safety of my chicken bla bla… taki something. Another order of sushi was ordered, and they dove in for the second round. Trust me, Allison could hold her own with the sushi too! It was close to dinner's end, and there were a few pieces left. Someone asked me to try the salmon roe. This one was a biggie. I mean big! I put it on my plate, and began to cut it with a fork. The whole table, practically in unison shouted, "no! you have to put it all in your mouth at the same time." Okay, so I did. I began to warble the first words that came to mind. " Thith isth dithguthting!" The chewing wouldn't end!
By the end of dinner, I asked for a doggy bag to take my chicken bla bla taki something home. I was too full of SUSHI!
My batteries were dying in the camera, but I managed to take a few pictures after dinner.
Apolo, Barb, Cody and Kyle
Barb, Kyle, Cody, Kim and Allison
I got to spend a lot of quality time with Cody, and went to my soccer game to see Kyle play. Kyle is an awesome soccer play, with the perfect build and speed for the game. He scored three goals, one of which was scored with a head shot to the net. They won 10 - 1. The next few days were spent just taking in the sights around Colorado Springs. Kim had an appointment one afternoon, so she dropped me off at the Olympic Training Center. I went on a tour of the facility. At the time I went through, the rifle team was the only group practicing.
The best, I mean the very best part of my whole vacation, was getting an 1/1/2 hour massage - complete with heat treatments, and aroma therapy. I almost levitated off the table. That's how relaxed I felt.
Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure..
Tony Goskowicz, Li Yan, Kim and Apolo in Colorado Springs
Apolo after practice
Apolo and Barb in Colorado Springs
Thursday, September 11th, was my last day in Colorado Springs. Kim drove me to Denver that afternoon, because I preferred to take an early afternoon flight on Friday. I checked into the Best Western, and Kim, Cody and I lounged around after we had lunch in the Hotel Pub called "Morgan's". They left about 5:30pm. The hardest thing I had to do, was to say goodbye to Cody. He gave me a loooog hug, and said, "Thank you so much for coming. I'm going to miss you so much." I miss him. I really miss him. The time went so fast. I now have an extended family out west.
Kim and Barb