Pond Hockey

One of my favorite things to do in life is skate on a pond.  As many of you know I've played hockey all of my life and there's a certain meditation I've found being on the ice - the rest of the world, my problems, whatever is going on, all seem to disappear and there's a magic unlike any other as my skates hit the ice.  This feeling is magnified and amplified on a pond, outdoors, with the breeze in my face and surrounded by nature.  While the skating conditions may not be ideal, the atmosphere is unreal.  Fortunately, neighbors and family friends have a pond in their yard and when the weather cooperates, pond hockey happens.  Here are a few of the photos from a few days a few weeks ago:

(A shot of the ice, late at night, as the drizzling rain came down)

(The ice was so bad at one point I decided to wear a helmet...  I'm a pretty good skater for those of you don't know or who have never seen me play.)

(Here you can get a sense of the rain and how wet it was while we played.  I literally took my skate off and poured water out of it when we finished.)

(A shot of the ice)

(I grew up playing hockey with Kritty's brother and luckily for us, he was a goal tender.  Even luckier, he decided to go home and get his gear and suit up.  We stayed out until midnight on the worst ice I've ever skated on just because we had a tendy.  Special thanks Kritty.)

(A few of the players from left to right - Chevy, Barry, myself, Frankie, Trevor, and Kritty without his pads on earlier in the day.)

(Not quite sure what I was doing here - I do know rum and coke slushies were being made, hence the blue cup in the foreground.)

(This sweater was a gift from a family in Canada, the Anhorn's.  Currently, at least in the realm of pond hockey, it stands undefeated at 6 - 0.  Not sure if it will be retired, although I highly doubt it.)

(The one afternoon I was able to make it out before anyone else got there - Heaven on Earth)

(Chevy, myself, and Frank, with Stu-Ball photo bombing in the background)

(The one night my nephew made his way to the pond - it's always a pleasure to skate with him)

(The happiness is evident)

Secret Garden

Lately, on Sundays, Katrina and I have been taking bike rides to explore more around Suwon.  Fortunately, we've had some great adventures and have found some pretty awesome things pretty close.  This past Sunday I wanted to go to a 'water park' I've seen on my way to Seoul. Well, the water park wasn't working, the pool and slides were closed.  However, we did find a secret little garden area which was pretty awesome!  Then, we went to McDonalds, got some milkshakes, and drank them in the park!

(Secret Garden with waterwheel and coy fish)

(Katrina outside a gate)

(Both of us as we crossed the bridge into the magical garden)

(Some awesome looking statues we found.  We came to the conclusion it used to be an amateur amusement park back in its heyday...)

(More secret garden action)

(Contemplating something - I liked the fountain in the background)