Sunday, February 28, 2010

Goodbye Olympics! Winter's Last Hurrah


The  2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, were so enjoyable to watch the past sixteen days and I was so proud of all the remarkable athletes from all around the world, and the magnificent efforts and sportsmanship they displayed to make their countries proud. 

Canada was a gracious and friendly host, and I am happy that all their dreams and expectations for an outstanding Olympics were met in many ways.  I congratulate them on winning the highest number of gold medals at fourteen.

I was excited for all our American athletes, and the outstanding total of thirty seven medals that they won!  It broke the record for total medals won by one nation at a Winter Games set by Germany in 2002, and was the first Winter Olympics in 78 years in which the United States won more medals than any other participant.

It was a memorable Olympics in so many ways, but I think the most memorable moment for me was watching the Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, who skated to win a bronze medal just days after the death of her mother.   What bravery and composure she displayed during her beautiful programs!

What was you most memorable moment of these Olympics?


We survived nineteen + inches of snow on Friday, and this photo mosaic shows how we spent most of the day.  The snow came with high winds and the snow drifts were waist high in some spots!  Luckily we had two sunny days this weekend and quite a bit of the snow has melted, so now life goes back to normal.


I am even seeing some signs of Spring approaching, as my daffodils are beginning to grow.  Nineteen more days to go!

Happy March!



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47 comments:

Joanne Kennedy said...

Well to be honest I didn't watch much of the Olympics at all this year. I sort of feel bad about it but I was just to busy to sit and watch for hours like I have in the past. I didn't see even one minute of the the ice skating and that is my favorite.

WOW! You did get a lot of snow. I heard about it on the news and wondered how you were holding up there.

Spring is just around the corner though so soon we will have sun and flowers and days spent outdoors!

Hugs,
Joanne

Debbiedoos said...

You guys have been getting hit hard this year! My Dad lives in Long branch and he has been sending me pics, I can't get over it. It is almost over!

The Muse said...

I liked seeing the true admiration all the athletes had for one another!

hey...is that green i see peeking from the snow???

pam said...

The Olympics just about did me in. We kept staying up so late at night. My husband kept reminding me we could record it and watch tomorrow but NO...I had to keep watching each night. So many amazing moments...so many families who sacrificed to get their kids to those moments.

I can't believe you have spring flowers trying to pop out...with all the cold and snow...that's crazy.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Pat, I LOVED the Olympics this year--better than some of the past years. We watched it every night and to be honest, I will miss it!!!!

I loved the same thing you did... I sat there and cried and cried when that little skater did so well after the death of her mother.

I also cried when Lindsey Vonn won her medal. OH---there were so many great spots. The four-man bobsled winning for the first time in 60+ years...

LOVED it...
Hugs,
Betsy

Sea Witch said...

Watching Shaun White and the half pipe. This young man truly can fly. Sea Witch

RoeH said...

Yes....I'm so sad it is over. I always am. I think I watched every single event the past two weeks. I'm sure I missed something but I'm not sure what. I'm even thinking of moving to Canada just to have their National Anthem. I've always just loved it. Wasn't Michael J. Fox cute?

Four more years?!?!?!? Too long away. :(

The Muse said...

my beloved was delighted with your suggestion of deviled eggs!!!

dianasfaria.com said...

Great post Pat!
The Olympics are always fun to watch. I loved the women skiers the best.
& yes - I am so psyched today is the first day of March!

Old Kitty said...

Hi

Goodness look at all that snow! Good grief!! Glad to hear you are all ok. And what a lovely, lovely shot of your daffs just peeking out from that snow blanket. Spring is finally here - oh I hope so anyway!

I loved the figure skating too - my favourite in any winter olympics. And I thoroughly agree about Joannie Rochette - what a supreme professional!

Congratulations USA and Canada!!!!!
And all the other nations too who participated and who had their chance at glory (small yay for Amy Williams..!).

:-)

p.s. it rained non-stop all weekend here but today, the birds are chirping, the skies are blue and the sun is out all bright and shiny and yellow. Ah, Spring...

Take care
x

My name is Riet said...

It sure was a wonderful time watching the olympics. I enjoyed every minute of it. Wow, you had a lot of snow but spring will come I am sure of that.
Have a nice day

Allie and Pattie said...

Pat, my family loved the Olympics and the kids learned what curling is!
My NY friends and family have been sending us snow pics-what a year! I'm betting you're glad you had a good melt this weekend. Stay safe and warm!
xoxo Pattie

Gracie said...

Best moment? The very last one, when one of our youngest athlet won the men's slalom....

Jojo said...

I feel like I missed almost all of the Olympics. I kept hearing people talking about them at work and I knew I was missing a lot of excitement.

Can't wait for spring and despite the cold and snow, it will be here soon! Don't you love when the daffodils and hyacinths appear?

Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

I was about to type "Spring is here" when it hailed and the sky is looking bad again. I have irises out! What is the weather doing this year?

I liked watching the downhill skiing. Some of those poor ladies though will have bruises on their bruises from the bad way they fell.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I'm with you on Jeannie Rochette. I was crying the whole time she skated. What a difficult thing for her to have done - but she came through in spades. Love the daffodil leaves peeking through - maybe spring will actually come.

Tracy said...

I have to say I didn't watch a great deal of the Games... I don't watch much TV really, neither does hubby. We're not very sporty people either--terrible--LOL! We kept abreast of all happening in the news, etc. And we did watch some, as I do enjoy watching figure skating, always have. So Joannie Rochette's fabulous skate and story was a super, top highlight of the Games. Such courage and honor and determination... Getting teary-eyed just thinking of her and her historic skate! It's been a really long, snowy, cold, gray winter...Spring can make her grand entrance any day now! Happy Week, Pat :o) ((HUGS))

Ann said...

We watched a lot of the ice skating. Your right about the canadian skater who lost her mom-she was such a wonderful example to us all.
Ann

Jenny said...

It really seems like it just started, doesn't it? Great post...Good morning! And congratulations on your win!

GardenOfDaisies said...

I can' believe your daffodils are trying to come up under all that snow! Spring is coming!!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

I thought our Tvo would melt!
We'd sit down and speed through the commercials and all the yaka-yak.
Now I guess I'll have to start cleaning house instead.

Vee said...

Ugh! You sure have had more than your share of snow. We had the same storm, but while terribly windy, it left only three inches of snow.

The last program we were able to watch was the pairs ice dancing...our digital tv went on the fritz. I was terribly disappointed and would've loved to see the ladies skate.

Joyce said...

I have to be in NY this week so I hope the snow melts because I only have short ankle boots:) I hate when the slush gets your socks all wet. The Olympics are magical events and I think the best part for me was the ice skating. Sad that someone had to die on the track and I keep thinking about his family and friends to get so close to the dream and have your life snapped up in a second at such a young age. When the Olympics were here in Atlanta we went EVERY day and closing ceremony was one I will never forget. Now go out and get rid of all that snow before I get to LGA airport:)
Joyce

Trotter said...

Hi Pat! March has arrived and maybe this awful winter will be gone...

Must confess that this time I didn't pay much attention to the Games; probably the hour difference and the fact that I took a week off in the first week of the Games...

Meanwhile, Blogtrotter 2 is still in Haiti, now at Malfini Beach. Hope you enjoy and have a great week!!

xinex said...

You have so many daffodils popping up. I bet you can't wait to see the lovely flowers!...Christine

Marg said...

Thank-you my friend, for joining in on the activities.
Yes, now it's time to pack thing up and enjoy the season of spring....
The memories will remain in our heart forever.
My daffodils are peaking through the soil.

happily retired gal said...

I'm a little sad that the Olympics have ended. I enjoyed everything I was able to watch but I missed events I would have loved to see. One thing I'll always remember is Shen & Tzao's beautiful short program. I'm glad they finally won the gold. What a LOT of snow ... hope you're staying warm in your beautiful wintry world!
Hugs and blessings,
Sacred Ruminations

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

My mom is from the mid-west and she always said that snow was a poor man's fertilizer.

I have not been watching any tv for quite a while now...I've even been skipping American Idol...so I didn't see the Olympics. I did hear part of them when they were on in another room.

Annalisa said...

we have watched the Olympics too, and so happy about our italian Razzoli winning the gold medal!
It has been breathtaking indeed!
Pity that it's over!

Annalisa

Carole Burant said...

After having had the tv on for the last 2 weeks from morning to night, I'm kind of at a loss of what to do with myself today! lol I've always loved watching the Olympic Games and I'm just so proud of every athlete who participated!! I think my very favourite moment was when Alexandre Bilodeau won our first Canadian gold medal on home soil with his brother Frederic, who has cerebral palsy, right there to cheer him on. Also Joannie Rochette's story was truly a sad but heartwarming one.

Omigosh, look at all the snow you got! That storm didn't reach us here, thank goodness!! lol xoxo

Sara said...

I certainly did enjoy the Olympics this year...it was fun to see the athletes doing what they love.

Ice dancing and ice skating and Snowboarding are my favorites - but, I did watch new stuff this year - like the luge and bobsled..

You got my snow - we have been crazy - We had those awful howling winds and lots of power outages...but, not a lot of snow.

Personally, I am ready for SPRING!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Pat, I can't believe the snow! You got a ton, didn't you??? WOW!

I'm going to play catchup on your posts. I've been missing my visits to your blog. Lots of craziness here...

xo,

Sheila :-)

Kathleen said...

The most touching for me was to watch Joannie skate days after losing her mom. Her heart was breaking..and seeing her dad in the stands cheering for her..what stamina!
I see nothing Pat, just snow!!!:(
Going to CTS tomorrow with Alma, need anything? LOL

Anonymous said...

Happy March, Pat!
Well, we enjoyed the hockey game yesterday, even though the USA lost. It was so much fun to watch those amazing athletes in action.

I hope more and more of your white blanket melts this week! We don't have any little plants peeking out of the ground yet. One day, they'll just surprise me with their presence!

Another great post! L, Dana

Are you counting the days until you get to hug that little Leo? :)

annie said...

I will be so ready for Spring this year.
We had too much bad weather this year so I hope spring will be kinder to us.
Happy march!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this wonderful post.
After the Olympic flame dims over Vancouver, B.C. I know the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will not be forgotten easily. Has there been a better thrill ride in recent years?
I hope the Olympics will be a lasting memory for all people around the world. Here in Canada we are blessed with a beautiful country.
We love to have visitors.
Please come back and visit again.
- Cheers Gisela.

Junie Moon said...

All the snow falling this year has been amazing to watch. While everyone's photos are gorgeous, I do know it causes all sorts of problems and hope you stay safe and warm.

Dub and I thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics -- we are big Olympics fans and try not to miss anything.

Claudia said...

I don't want TV but was riveted to the games - mainly skiing, skating and hockey. Too many ads, not enough of stunning Vancouver. The winter games remain my favorite - so daring, fearless really and always beautiful. At least your snow melts. We still have the snow cover from the Christmas snow storm. Daffodils? In May!

Jeanne said...

Hi Pat, I too loved the Olympics so much. The highlight for me was watching Joannie skate for her mother.
A beautiful girl skating her heart out when her heart was broken. My moment was when she blew a kiss heavenward to her mother. Sigh.

I am so proud of our American athletes winning 37 medals as well as the many gold medals won by the Canadians. A wonderful Olympics to remember.

Our poodle is a full bred AKC mini. She will take on more of a poodle look when we get the nerve to shave her cute little face. My dh says no to that. HA! I want to see photos of biscuit on your side bar too. Maybe you already did it. I'll go back and look.

We too are getting several inches of snow as I write this. A full fledged winter wonderland. We cannot leave our mountain at all. Too dangerous. We are chilling and trying to get CC to go to the bathroom in the snow. No go so far. HA!

Have a happy day.
Hugs, Jeanne

Anonymous said...

I thought Canada was a wonderful host, too. I was pulling for their Women's Curling Team.

The Winter Olympics are SO lovely!

Nola said...

Weren't the olympics awesome? And yes, Canada was a great host! They sure fought for that hockey gold medal, congrats to them. Congrats to all our winners, too!

CatHerder said...

My daffodils are coming up..but we are due some snow again tonight!!! oh no!!

Anonymous said...

I thought about you many times during all that snow. We had about a total of 6 inches, which is not much compared to yours. Yep Spring has got to be coming.
QMM

Lorrie said...

I thoroughly enjoyed this Olympics Pat. I loved watching the snowboarding this year--they really are defying gravity with those stunts. I also love the skating and skiing. I agree that Canada did a wonderful job hosting.

I am so excited to see your bulbs peeking through the snow--what a shoveling job you had with 19 inches!

Proud Italian Cook said...

I love that last photo Pat, there's still hope, winter is having a hard time letting go, although I was happy to see there was still some day light left at 5:40 this evening!

GailO said...

I love the pic of your daffodils sprouting in the snow!

I watched quite a bit of the olympics...fell in love with the skateboard and ske aerialists...I can't imagine being crazy enough to do that!

Louise said...

I would think Amy Williams, who I am sure you know won the gold medal in the Skeleton, would to us Brits be the most memorable moment of the Winter Olympics. Another memorable moment for me was the number of amazing crashes in the Women's Downhill, and of course as you say Joannie Rochette, I cried for her. I am so pleased you managed to plough your way through all that snow. Of course when we had our major snowfall in the UK, we were sunning ourselves in Australia! Great show shots Pat! x