In the year 1885, American inventor LaMarcus Adna Thompson patents a roller coaster. Life has been one ever since. My son-in-law has never been on one or to an amusement park for that matter. That’s why we’re taking him to Disneyworld for Christmas. It will be worth the price of admission to watch him relive a childhood that apparently he never had. Granted, there are few such parks in the Northwest where he grew up, His thrills have been found on mountaintops – climbing, skiing, and hiking. My amusement park adventures date back to local carnivals in my hometown and a “daring” mini-coaster ride on what I think they called the Mad Mouse? Mostly, it was a merry-go-round, a bunch of carnie games, Tilt-A-Wheel, House of Mirrors maze, and a Haunted House, as I recall. I first went to Disneyworld as a young adult just after it opened 50 years ago.

 I started today feeling a bit puny and only ran the minimum mile. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, including my sluggish pace. We went out to dinner last night at Luna, a local restaurant owned in part by Alabama football Hall-of-Famer Marty Lyons, who went on to play for the New York Jets. Afterwards, we sat under the stars on a park bench and listened to a group play a set of one-hit wonders. It was a great “Date Night.” I only had a couple glasses of wine, so I don’t think that it had an influence on my condition this morning. Without much energy, I’m sitting here watching the Netflix series, Outer Banks, thinking that it’s really nothing more than a childhood flashback of The Hardy Boys. 

This afternoon the Portland Timbers meet New York for the MLS soccer crown. It will be played on the Portland pitch, a first time advantage for the home team. I still have the scarf from the 2015 Championship, six-years ago, framed in my office. It could happen again today, a bright spot in what has been a tough few years for all my teams, as I vented about in yesterday’s post. (See Post #1884). My Portland friends are getting together for a special “Leadership Luncheon” to enjoy the game, reminiscent of the watch party in the Skype Studio where I saw victory all those years ago. Go Timbers!