I love traditions and things that go on for a long time with other people. My traditions: I have been to or at least bet on every breeder's cup since 1985. Excepting deaths and births I have had Thanksgiving, with the same exact meal and same exact people, since 1958. I went skiing the day before Thanksgiving from 1981 - 2019, but the pandemic, lack of others and climate change ended it. I go to Saratoga every summer and have since 1978; and since 1990 I only go inside the building to get to the infield and look at my all-time favorite horse's grave. Yup I cry, every time, simply because her win in the Alabama stakes prevented me from finding out what happens when you cannot pay up to a connected bookie and because I was 25 feet away from her 2 months later when she was euthanized. After breaking her leg and hurting the rider, she manged to get up and limp off. They caught her, got her to lie down and then killed her. 35 years ago annd I can still see it. I go to the clam box with family every summer and have since 1961. Tonight starts monthly dealer's choice poker game after summer break. I am the second newest member of the game, having only played for 27 years. We have a Christmas party, the Saturday before Christmas, every year and have sinc 1993. My newest one? I spend Patriots day (Boston Marathon Day) at a strip club and have since I watched Muslim terrorists kill locals in 2013.
What are your traditions?
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last commentI guess I don't have any.
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Well maybe one. I tend to summer at the family cabin at 5,000 ft elevation in the mountains north of San Bernardino CA at Crestline/lake Gregory. It's a little bit west of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake. It might hit 100° during the summer but I don't need to run air conditioning because the cabin is shaded by a huge California oak tree that gives the cabin 90% shade. Whereas my house in Arizona You GOT to run the air conditioning during the summer. So I actually save money on my electric bill by hanging out at the cabin. and its only a two and a half hour drive to Tijuana. (That is if my timing is good to avoid the rush hour traffic.)
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Plus it also more convenient to the OC Vietnamese coffee shops.
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The view from the back porch at the cabin.
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^ If that is the view I get to retire to I will consider my life well-lived.
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Ski remember when they put that cocksucker on the cover of rolling stone?
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Ugh this is depressing to me because some of my traditions have died.
Townie night - for almost 25 years my friends and I would go out the night before Thanksgiving and then all crash at my house. It got so big I had it catered a few times. One year we even rented a limo. Then the bar we always went to got sold. People got married, people had kids, and it died.
Went to breakfast with my dad and his friends on Christmas Eve, then we wound up in one of his friends garage admiring his new motorcycle and drinking. That was 29 years ago. That started a tradition of a garage party happening on the weekend before Christmas or sometimes Christmas Eve. All those guys are in their late 70s now and two have passed away. Still do the party every year but it’s much tamer than they used to be. Sons and grandsons have been coming to it for years.
I started playing basketball once a week with this random group of guys when I was 23 years old. Eventually it grew and I brought in several of my close friends. That went on for a decade. Eventually the school where the gym we played in was bought and torn down and we all lost touch with each other.
A few years later a guy who lived down the street from me said he was playing basketball and brought me one night. I was shocked, 3 of the guys I played with before were in that gym. Most of the rest from the original group had moved away. We still play to this day, only taking a break in 2020 and part of 2021 because of COVID. We all have given each other COVID twice (2 breakouts, one in 2022 and one in 2023). One guy plays that’s 83 years old, but we also have a few high school kids that come that are on the high school team (2 have scholarship offers at small colleges nearby). I’ve become close to the 3 guys from the original group even though they’re all at least 10 years older than me. We do several activities outside of basketball now too.
Used to go to Vegas every year for March madness with my buddies unless March madness site was close to us. That went on for almost 15 years and it died too.
Lastly my wife and I go on vacation to the same place every year since 2008 (with exception of 2020). We broke down and bought a timeshare in 2021. Great decision and we have no regrets at all being locked in.
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