[Previous entry: "Zzz - December 28, 2003 (Part 1 of 2)"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Zunday zleeper zkate (Zzz) - December 28, 2003 (Part 2 of 2)"]

01/03/2004 Archived Entry: "Christmas Lights Skate - December 22, 2003"

Our Special Christmas Lights Skate
On Monday Night – December 22, 2003

For a period of time, there’d been rumbling tremors within APRR about this Christmas Light skate tour. We wished it to be on the Monday or Wednesday prior, but too cold. Our snowmen & women conducted practice tours. Each skate night became an opportunity of reconnaissance. We could equally have been on ice blades with wool scarves strewn around our necks and shoulders. It was generally that cold. But to experience such a display of colored lights and red and green inflated vinyl statues. We risked the discomforts for the spectacular of multiple shapes and sizes of metal Christmas deer, strung with hundreds of strands of brilliant white lights, such as those hanging as icicles from the eaves of each roof. The Christmas and Hanukah spirit was abound in Atlanta’s Midtown area. It was high time to see its display.

We were delighted to have APRR’s Deborah D with us from her new Zepher Inline Skate Tours home in Montana. Isn’t it cold up there too? Her red hair flowed unfrozen alongside her face more beautifully than ever. And we had Ann S’s friend, Mo M, join us for the first time, and had a whole bunch of faces that weren’t with us during the previous frozen week. A holiday homecoming! Ken O and Ann S were the ones at center stage. They had laboriously planned, replanned, refined, and thawed-out the Christmas Lights Skate route. They knew precisely for sure where we were heading, and what it was exactly that we were to see. And knowing what was in store for us, the two guides were overly joyous – like parents knocking on our door in the morning… “It’s time to see what’s been wrapped for you.” But we were already anxiously there. (Thanks Ken & George for carrying the tripod !)

Touring Virginia Highlands in search of Christmas lights,
eggnog, and stocking stuffers to warm our hearts.

Amsterdam Ave.
(front to back, left to right)
Marc Sk8 Pierre
Allison B, Stephanie R, Gerry B, Jim M, Donald S, Yong HT, Greg T
???, Lisa M, Chuck O, Mims R, Jenny R, Jethro J, Caroline B, Nancy G, Ann S, Paula BP
George W, Ken O, Sam F, Keith, Deborah D, Carl C, Allen F, Bill B, Mo M

Mark R and sweet daughter Caroline
(notice the almost exact sameness in eyes, nose,
ears, cheekbones, chin, smile, etc, etc.)

North Morningside
(lying down) Chuck, Carl, and Marc
(kneeling) Deborah, George, Paula, Nancy, Caroline Rose, Mark, Allison, Jethro, Bill, Mo, and Ken.
(standing) ???, Jim, Greg, Yong, Caroline, ???, Rick, Keith, Lisa, Gerry, Sam, Stephany, Donald, Jenny, Mims,
Jim, and Ann.

Pelham Road
(lying down) Jethro
(kneeling/sitting) Chuck, Carl, Paula, Keith, Stephanie,
Gerry, Ann, George, Mo, Ken.
(standing) Jim, Bill, Deborah, Jim, Allison, Donald, Rick,
Lisa, Jenny, Mims, ???

Some most happy caroling skaters.
Deborah, Rick, and Mo
Donald in background.

Montgomery Ferry Drive.
Mims & Ann knock on an unsuspecting door while Lisa looks on.
Paula and Carl – George and Ken.

Montgomery Ferry Drive
Singing “…Here Comes Santa Clause, here comes Santa Clause,
right down Santa Clause Lane…”

Montgomery Ferry Drive
Listening to “… Here Comes Santa Clause, here comes Santa Clause,
right down Santa Clause Lane…”

Montgomery Ferry Drive
Allison B & “Sgt. Sweetie.”

Montgomery Ferry Drive
Skating carolers waiting for a door to open.
Though it never opened.

Montgomery Ferry Drive
Outside the door that never opened.

Caroline pulling her father up hill,
through the Ansley area.

Beverly Rd. & Avery Dr.

Christmas ornamentation off Park Lane
Mims, Paula, Jethro, Keith, and George

Sam points to a whimsical direction post that houses
multiple arrowed signs. One sign points to the Silver
Comet Trail – 17 miles “that-a-way.”

They watched in wonder and joy as the skaters passed
them by. And lagging behind, I unexpectedly skated up to
them, grabbed their attention, and snagged our image -
– they were wonderously overjoyed.

It is of course entirely my fault that I had not been able
to post this Christmas Lights Skate entry for well over
a week. Not only is Christmas and Hanukah past, my mind’s
no longer present. For the life of me, I can’t remember the
names of these two young ladies. In all honesty, I’d return
everything, I mean everything that I received for Christmas
if I could only have their first names - - simply to place
within these very words. I’d turn back the hands of time if
I could, just to give them this simple respect.

“Did he just take your picture?,” Sam asked them as I skated
off to join the rest of the group.

“Yessssss…..sssssss…” they simultaneously sang as if melting.

Chillin’-out on Monroe

Singing “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night” to a family.

Mr. Bill Graceful whimsically points “this-a-way,”
yet keeps his stride exactly – 17 miles “that-a-way.”