neighbors

We trained slalom yesterday and had today off. Highlights included hitting area thrift stores in search of a used bike for my teammate Ant (no luck) and watching Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket on DVD. (It didn't measure up to his subsequent films, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. I can't wait for his new one to come out.) So yeah, not much news to report, except that I'm going to Vail for the next two days to compete in some able-bodied races, and that I'm going home to Maine next Wednesday for Christmas. Oh, and that I have a new roommate; Josh moved in last night.

I have new neighbors. The day I was moving into my condo here in Fraser, a real estate agent I know was showing some other condos to a couple from California. They were really nice and helped me move all my bags and boxes from my van into my place. We got to talking, and apparently they had just sold their house in California, bought a motor home, packed up their three kids, and driven around the country for a year or so. They had relatives in the Denver area and liked Winter Park, so they were looking at properties. They ended up buying a place in my building.

Now, I've run into Sam (as the dad is named) several times since then, and I've always had a generally favorable impression of him — until today. As Josh and I were headed out to get some breakfast, we ran into Sam and his two daughters. Sam was smoking a cigarette as they played in the snow. I introduced him to Josh, and we exchanged a few lines of small talk. It turns out Sam and his wife are home-schooling their kids. Sam ended one of his sentences with, "...but only God knows for sure." Now, you can call me judgemental, but I'm a little wary now. I just have to wonder about the effects of secondhand smoke and fundamentalist Christianity on small children.