I am back in Alaska and Grandma Joanne is safe in Virginia. Karen is still in London, but leaving shortly for Sweden to coach a fellow eventer at a horse trial there this weekend. Other members of the US team are back in the states eventing with a different horse than their Olympic mount or staying in England to train for another big horse event there this fall.
Life goes on. I have been watching the Olympics with my family on TV, but they have not captured me the way the games did when I was in London. I prefer the BBC coverage, which contains no "up close and personals" or stories about bag pipe contests in Scotland, rather they broadcast the athletes competing, which speaks for itself. Also, I don't really like beach volleyball all that much, and at least here in Alaska whenever I turn on the TV that's all they are showing. (Maybe it's a response to our cold gray summer?) Everyone has asked me how the trip was, and my answer is wonderful.
Obviously, having a family member compete is huge, but the biggest surprise was that I got to take a trip to London and to the Olympics. Grandma Joanne said that none of the other games that she has attended were set in the heart of a city. Having the horse events in Greenwich Park would be like having them in New York's Central Park, rather than say up in the horse country of Millbrook or out in Old Westbury.
The other thing that I loved, loved, was how friendly everyone was, and I know I've said this before, but how democratic it all was. Everyone had to go through the same security, use the same port-a-loos, carry an umbrella in case it rained. The only VIPs in London were (and are still, for a few more days) the athletes, and that is how it should be. This Olympics anyway, the celebrities earn their fame by working hard and performing better than anyone else in the world on that day.
What a great lesson. How inspiring. It makes me cry to see how great they all are. I just wish American girls could see more women weight lifting, boxing, fencing, running, diving, playing soccer, swimming--and yes, even horse back riding, and a little less of the bikini clad beach babes. Thanks again for coming to the Olympics with me and for reading and sharing what I writer. I had a wonderful time. See you in four years? I hope so. If you want to check in with me in small-town Alaska, Google me, my blog is easy to find, and I have posted a lot of pictures from London there that I couldn't quite figure out how paste here that you may like.