Heights, Speed and Greed

We woke up to a kitchen of ants. So after de-anting the place and a cup of tea, I made breakfast. Zach was the first to discover that only one burner on the stove worked. So feeling like I was on a cooking show (like Cutthroat Kitchen) that had surprise challenges, I got to work making pancakes and then scrambled eggs. Joe cooked some vegetarian sausage in the microwave and we were ready for breakfast.

After my Zoom meeting, we headed to The Alpine Slide, Big Bear's family recreation center. First we did Soaring Eagle, a ride that simulates a Zip Line (sort of), for the not so courageous. We were taken backwards about 500 feet to an elevation of 100 feet and then released to return to the base platform. 

Next was the original Alpine Slide. Joe and Zach used to attend Awana camp nearby every summer and this was a popular excursion for the campers. We took a chairlift to the top of the mountain/hill, grabbed a bobsled and then rode down a winding track to the bottom. You could control the speed and there were two tracks, one for the slowpokes (like me) and the other for the speed lovers.

Our final activity was miniature golf. Both David and Joe got a hole in one, but David had the lowest score (one below par), Mr. Horvath would be pleased to see that David's golfing experience with Pro Kids paid off.

After a few hours of fun, we headed to the Village to do some shopping. I bought a Christmas ornament and then waited in the air conditioned car while the others shopped. David found a gift for his friend DeRon and Joe bought some bear salt and pepper shakers.

I was feeling a little light-headed adjusting to the high altitude so I took a short nap when we got home. After the nap, I joined the boys in a rousing game of Monopoly using their Switches. They were busy buying up properties, but I wasn't landing on any properties to buy. When there were only a handful of properties left, the boys were willing to trade a few properties. I focused on the cheap side of the board and quickly built hotels. Every time the boys came around Go, I would say "Welcome to my neighborhood" as I collected money from them. Joe was the first to go bankrupt and he sold his property to Zach for $1. David was next. During the game, I was slowly making dinner using the one working burner. We finally stopped to eat our tacos and burritos and then Zach and I finished the game. It didn't take long for Zach who had 3/4 of the properties to drain me of my capital and I was forced to succumb to bankruptcy as well. All in all, it was a four hour game and I was ready for bed!