Sept 22nd

It's not nice to see what Alzheimer's is doing to Willis.  It's 
robbed him of his memory and now it is affecting him physically as
well.  He walks with a stoop and shuffles his feet. Seeing him
now, it's hard to believe, that in July of last year he ran the 
Midsummer.  His daughter expects that he will eventually require
a wheelchair.  

He was asleep in his chair when we arrived, but woke up immediately
and said "Hello Prince", when his dog jumped into his lap.  I thought
that if he remembered the dog he might remember me too but that wasn't
the case.  Linda said that if we took him for a walk it might help his
mind somewhat so we walked about four blocks and back.  My attempts at
conversation with him only got half sentence responses and those were
not on the same topic at all.  My visit became worthwhile though, when
in a quiet moment, he asked "Are you still working in Red Deer?"  That
lucid moment was his only recognition of me and it was over by time I'd
made my reply.  Sad to see him that way but at least his gentlemanly
manner has not changed.

As for myself I hadn't considered entering the Beach to Beak up until
a couple of weeks ago when I realized that it's date coincided with my
days off.  I haven't been running regularly at all.  My crash training
consists of five four mile distances, in the past ten days ... running to
work!  That plus another fourteen k on Thursday.  Methinks it's a good
thing there's no Knox Mountain downhill for the start of this one!  

I'd hoped to have time this morning to complete the Bike Barn write up
as per usual. However, I'll forego that in favour of making it to Kelowna
in time to register.   

Ron

July 20th

For those of you regulars that might have wondered "Where's Ron?",
a brief explanation.  Last fall, seeking a change, I closed out my
forestry gps business of fifteen years and headed to Alberta to find
work in the oil patch.  My intention was to get on a drilling rig but
instead I took work with an well service company in Red Deer.  That 
job didn't offer enough in the way of physical and I quit it in mid 
June and started with a drilling rig early this month.  Nothing 
sedentary about this job ... I'm happy to say. Twelve hour shifts, 
with fourteen days on and seven off. Those days off have allowed me 
to finally get the web page updated.  My good intentions of doing it 
on a work day never materialized.  The next time that happens, and I'm
not on days off, I'll hold off on the write up and, at the least, complete 
the links to make Peter's scoring summaries available.

Working out of Red Deer I'd thought that perhaps Revelstoke would be the 
one race that I might be able to make.  However, I'm now four and half
hours north of Edmonton and that's too much of drive.  I have run zero 
races this year!  I haven't projected my days off beyond August but I 
intend to be back in Summerland to direct the cross country and if I 
can I'll make it to the November banquet as well. No intentions of giving
up this web duty either.

I'd like to pass on too that I phoned Willis recently.  As many of you know, 
Willis has Alzheimer's and resides in a home in Sechelt.  I can't say for sure 
that he knew who I was or that he remembered anything of what I was talking
to him about. I think he's become very good at covering up his lack of memory
but we did have a conversation of sorts.  I'd mention things like the
Midsummer coming up and recall that as the last race he ran.  His responses 
were all 'sure's' and 'yahs' but I don't think he really had a memory of 
what I was talking about as he never added anything other than those affirmative
responses.  His daughter tells me that his disposition hasn't changed.  He's
his same content, easy going self, but he now lives in the moment.  Willis will
be 85 on August 8th.

Ron