"Swedding"

Or SLEDDING, as it is more commonly called.  In a moment of blurred speech, I called it swedding and I was promptly teased for being drunk (I was not.)  The term stuck for most of the day... 

What day, you ask?  Well, New Year's Day, of course!  Eldest Hartman brother had a lady-friend guest in from out of town, and she currently resides in Arizona.  Although she has certainly seen snow before, we decided that she needed to partake in some good old fashioned sled riding.  Our mountain of a backyard - and a half-dozen sleds collected over the years - was the perfect backdrop.

Determined

A smart dog knows when to abandon ship

Although I was primarily the picture taker, I did take one journey down the hill with the fastest of the three sleds that we were using.  Because I broke my leg 8 years ago (actually, it was almost exactly 8 years today) I was nervous about using my legs to slow down to make the turn at the bottom of hill.  So, instead of braking, I ended up going right past the turn, through the pakasandra (sp?) garden, and off of the retaining wall into the driveway.  While that sounds sort of crazy, it felt much safer to me than braking with my legs, and was actually quite amusing.

And I survived to tell the tale

Elder Brother Hartman asked me to wear my ski goggles, and I happily obliged

Braver than me

It was a good time and soon after going inside, we promptly fell asleep.  A great way to start the new year!

Team photo that I took with my extended right arm. Pretty good, huh??