Grandmas and Grandpas

Yesterday Jack went to a birthday party at a skating rink. He cried almost the whole way there, saying how much he hated to ice skate, even though he has only tried it once back in Dublin and probably didn't even remember it. When I picked him up after the party, he was having so much fun that he didn't want to leave, and he was begging me to stay so he could keep skating! I really wasn't dressed for an ice rink, so I promised him we would go somewhere today. It turns out some friends of ours were going skating at a hotel near our house that has a pretty home-made looking rink, but they had skates to rent so it worked out perfectly. Unfortunately they didn't have those cute penguins that beginners can hang on to for balance, but Ava eventually go the hang of it and Jack was whizzing around the place (while also falling a lot). It ended up being a lot of fun, and now Jack wants to learn how to play ice hockey, so we will have to try to find a place to do that. While we were skating I saw a grandma there with her grand daughter and I was totally impressed that she was cruising around on ice skates! Then it made me realize that Polish old people really put the American elderly population to shame. Ava and Jack's school is out in the boondocks, near a lot of farmland. Whenever I drive to or from school, I am amazed at the number of old people out doing manual labor or just being active. Driving tractors, walking horses, pulling wheelbarrows full of stuff, walking up hills carrying big bags of groceries. In general just out and about with no canes in sight.  Or they are riding bikes everywhere - we saw this a lot in Ireland too. They are definitely a hearty breed - but they could take a few lessons in politeness and common courtesy from Americans. They rarely ever smile, and they are always cutting in lines - at the grocery store, at the post office, you name it. Just the other day an old guy raced from his car to beat me into a pharmacy and let the door slam in my face. Ah well, they still totally impress me!

Here is the babcia on skates earlier today

and a little video I took on one of our drives to school - hard to actually see him, but I would say he was at least 70 years old. You go grandpa!!!