Mothers played daughters at this evenings end of the season soccer practice. Despite a respectable showing, experience and wisdom were no match for youth and talent. Jeanine demonstrated excellent field position and made several good defensive plays.
I finally got a chance to see an orthopedist about my ailing left knee. The good news is that I do not have arthritis beyond what is normal for someone my age and this is not the cause of my pain. The bad news is that I have a very clear case of patellar tendonitis sometimes called Jumper’s Knee. This condition is very treatable with rest and will take care of itself if I stop playing soccer. Fortunately there are only two games left in the season and I will have the entire summer to recuperate.
The doctor did notice something else, probably related to a previous injury, that he felt might be the underlying cause of the tendonitis and ordered an MRI to confirm his suspicions.
Kyle and good friend Nick Jessee have started a landscaping business together. I have been very impressed by Kyle’s entrepreneurial approach, commitment to customer satisfaction, and strong work ethic. I can recommend these Yard Dogs without reservation to anyone in need of hard working, inexpensive landscapers.
Nico and I returned today from Colorado a day later than planned after missing the only flight of the day out of Montrose due to a navigation error while driving back to the airport.
We have to leave the closing celebration early to catch our flight but not before Nicolai stops to speak with Tom Shadyac, director of I Am, the best film of the festival in my opinion and one worth seeing at any cost. I Am, an autobiographical documentary, explores what it means to be happy and calls into question the notion of the American Dream and our culture of consumption. Shadyac offers an alternative paradigm for fulfillment based on connectedness and kindness. Viewing the film was for me a life altering experience and I cannot recommend it highly enough to others.
Throughout the festival, Nicolai has been approached by fans who wanted to congratulate him on his story, and he has been very gracious with all of them. His charm, however, seems in greatest abundance when those fans are young women of his own age. Celebrity is not without its rewards.
The festival ends with a picnic in the town park where filmmakers and film goers mingle while enjoying great food and live music. A great way to end a great Memorial Day weekend.
Nico’s Challenge screens for the second time this morning at the Palm Theater on a truly massive screen. I decide that it is OK to bring my camera on stage during our Q&A session and capture this nice image of Nicolai responding to a qestion from the audience.
Appearing to defy gravity, Nicolai strikes a pose with the Mountainfilm banner early in the morning before people and cars crowd the main drag
The view from our balcony as the sun sets.
We finish the day by attending talks given by Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, where he discusses his latest book Stones to Schools and by photographer Chris Jordan who presents his work depicting the sobering impact of plastic refuse on our environment.
Although he does not know it at the time Nicolai shares the top of a climbing boulder and chats with Lynn Hill, generally regarded as the greatest female rock climber of all time.
Nicolai is a panelist for a Breakfast Talk, entitled Africa’s Challenges, sharing the stage with Dr. Rick Hodes and Prudence Mabhena to discuss what life is like for people with disabilities in Africa. Hodes is a surgeon specializing in spinal reconstruction who lives in Ethiopia with his adopted family of twenty performing free operations to straighten crooked backs. Prudence is the lead singer for the band Liyana featured in the Oscar Award winning short documentary Music by Prudence. Born without legs and one arm, abandoned by her parents, she has risen to fame on the wings of her angelic voice.
We take the gondola into town early this morning and setup my travel tripod for this signature photo of the weekend.
Film screening is suspended mid afternoon for an ice cream social at the center of town. Nicolai and I meet a number of great people while enjoying the music and splendor of the day.