Uplifting News
We know many of you have stories, some good and some bad, of living through the last few months. Last week, we asked you to inspire us with your good news stories. You didn’t disappoint! Below is a collection of the inspirational, the uplifting, the acts of kindness, cute kids, even the amusing. Thank you for sharing your good news with all of us. If it puts a smile on just one other member’s face, then we’ve done good, together.
From Judie and Alan Markow:
Mid-March was not what we expected. Work ended precipitously, and we had to think about packing up and going back to our non-ski-season home, approximately an hour and a half away. Our winter house-mates – two J-1 visa-holders from Lima, Peru, were scheduled to depart the Reno airport on March 15, and we figured we would leave Tahoe after we saw them off. That’s when the next surprise occurred: Peru closed its borders and the girls could not go home.
We stayed in Tahoe for a few more days hoping the Peruvian consulate would reveal a plan to get its citizens home. Both girls began their university classes online, sometimes having to start as early as 5 a.m. Pacific Time. We had so enjoyed having Ruth and Naylin with us that we weren’t at all upset that they were staying longer. We watched TV and movies together and introduced them to evening adult beverages (they were 22 and 23, so we weren’t going totally rogue). Finally, at the end of a week, we decided we’d all go back to our home in Lincoln, CA, rather than stay in Tahoe any longer. We had taken them down for a few days earlier in the year and they loved the house and the greater shopping opportunities nearer to Sacramento, so they enthusiastically agreed with our decision.
To get us all in our RAV4, we had to stack three suitcases on the roof, covering them with protective plastic in case of rain or snow (both of which we experienced on our way down the hill). The rest of the car was stuffed full with our belongings and theirs, as well as our two dogs. We felt like the Beverly Hillbillies, albeit without grandma in a rooftop rocking chair.
Lincoln was a treat for the girls, and for us as well. We had been empty nesters for more than a decade and having two “children” around felt good. The two were such sweet kids; they’d come for a kiss and hug each night before bed. But all good things must end, and two weeks after we got to Lincoln the word came from Peru that the trip home was imminent. We had one day to get them ready to board a flight from Sac to LA, and then on to Lima and 15 days of quarantine before they could see their families.
It was a sad farewell, followed by an empty feeling when we returned to a childless home. We’ve followed the kids through their quarantine ordeal and stay in touch with them via emails, Facebook, and What’s App. Their parents have written to thank us for the care we had provided, but we neither expected nor needed such thanks. It was an indelible coda to our parenting experiences, and one we will always treasure.
Attached is a picture of the four of us. That’s Ruth Salcedo on the left and Naylin Ruiz on the right.
From Urmas Franosch:
When the ski areas closed, we didn’t mourn…we organized! We organized posses of snowboarders, AT skiers, Telemark skiers, light touring and skate skiers, and we continued to slide over snow-covered terrain. Many of us were not normally seen playing together, but now we loaded our toys into individual vehicles (maintaining social distancing) and headed to Carson Pass, Sonora Pass, or Virginia Lakes and went out. We chose different routes, depending on our desires and abilities, but also the characteristics of our equipment. An early start was important for all – the skate skiers enjoyed crust cruising on the frozen lakes, while the yo-yo skiers and boarders appreciated uphill travel on firm snow. A rest and snack break was very welcome after the climb and lasted until the snow softened to the optimum consistency. Sometimes it was a little soft, but a few times we enjoyed perfect corn snow – a condition more rare and as enjoyable as the fabled pow.
These photos were from our group of two telemark and two AT skiers, taken May 24th near Sonora Pass.
From Stephanie Wilkerson:
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were out photographing wild mustangs. We came across a very young horse that was stuck in a barbed-wire fence. It was alive but it was hard to tell how long it had been there and how bad the injuries were. We were able to free it from the fence, but she just collapsed after. Extremely dehydrated and exhausted. We spent the next 3.5 hours bringing water from a stream and giving it to her, cleaning her wounds, and trying to encourage her to stand. Finally, she got enough energy to try to get up, we were both helping to support her. After three or four tries she was finally standing again! After 30 more minutes of rest, she started to wander off on her own and graze and drink from the nearby stream. Our day went from feeling completely helpless and sad to a great feeling of accomplishment and joy to see that she still had a chance to survive because we happened upon her.
From Shaun Reid:
I’m a ski instructor and coach at Bear Valley Mountain on the weekends. During the week, I travel pretty frequently for my regular job, so I miss a lot at home, which is obviously where all of us are now. It’s been really sweet to hear my nine-year-old Chloe on her Zoom class, giggling, saying hello to her friends and teacher, and getting excited by learning new things, like how to make ice cream! And honestly, her teacher has been absolutely fantastic. The teacher took this thing head-on and went above and beyond distributing books and supplies to every one of her students’ homes.
Here’s a photo of our family in the snow, Chloe next to me. My wife, Stacy, and older daughter, Hannah, in back.
From Dana Hernandez:
As soon as the stay-home order began, the owner of the mixed martial arts gym I work at contacted me and asked if I wanted to do daily live streams of martial arts workouts with him. We streamed every day for eight weeks and have grown an online community in countries from South Africa to Germany to Mexico. Many people have commented to us how much these free daily workouts have helped their mindset during these trying times. What I attempt to convey to these wonderful people is that the streams have helped me just as much or more!
From Chip Lambert:
Arguably, one of the greatest skiers/instructors in PSIA-AASI W now resides in Reno, his remaining family, in Germany. Jorg Dutschke was moved from the Tahoe City home he built over 40 years ago. His total kidney failure compels him to be close to the dialysis center that cleanses his blood three times a week. Bringing him back from the brink, his “family” of ski instructors and former ski instructors is looking after him and supporting his care. Instructors Mo Mailhot, Leslie Saxe, and I, along with former instructor Patrick Arnello and wives of instructors Sally Muhlgraber (Hansi) and Nancy Cerceau (ex-Christian), have supplied his support and care. Most, drive from Truckee to assist him to dialysis appointments, shop, work on business affairs or just share stories and photographs of ski events and races — of which Jorg won many. All of the while, we are aware of how susceptible Jorg is to a SARS-CoV-2 infection. His spirits and strength seemingly improve each day and now that we have the location and schedule for acquiring Austrian eclairs and German bread, life for Jorg is good. Well, at least better.
The photo is from early in our careers, probably around 1982. We were a little bushy, having a beer on the Alpine Meadows deck.
From Alex Kuprin:
Alex didn’t write a story about himself. Instead, he wanted to share this entertaining BBC News photo story of how other professional athletes are keeping up their game in lockdown: Coronavirus: Professional athletes train in lockdown
From Sammy Kizlin:
Over the last few months, 2020 has challenged me with many moments. I want to call them moments and not issues because issues are more problematic than moments that might only knock you off your feet temporarily. After a moment is over you realize the good that has resulted from that moment. I lost my job due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I had complications in my relationship that caused it to end suddenly. My dad passed away due to dementia. I was struggling after all these moments. Prior to 2020 turning bad, I was the supervisor of a kid’s ski school program at Sierra-at-Tahoe and loved every aspect of my job. To help teach and guide new instructors and children in my greatest passion for skiing and snowboarding brings me absolute joy. As a supervisor, I faced many challenges and a certain amount of stress but at the end of the day, these kids and instructors were all trying to enjoy their moments in snowsports and I had the privilege to facilitate that. Then, the year turned bad.
But as the difficult moments passed, I picked myself up and continued doing the activities that I am most passionate about. Skiing, snowboarding, climbing, skateboarding, mountain biking and traveling. Anything to stay active physically and mentally. We all are going through some sort of difficult moment and as hard as it is, it is just a moment and it too shall pass. Keep doing you. Stay active. Stay healthy. Do you. At the end of the day, these moments will make you stronger and remind you that you are not alone. We will get through this together. There is so much to look forward to like skiing next season or whatever it is you’re passionate about. These have been my thoughts during the last few weeks and it has helped me a lot and I hope it helps you in some way.
Here’s a photo of me and my best friend doing what we love the most. Skiing!!!
