Taking it outside

Today the temps in Maryland hit 60 degrees in many locations.  It was too nice a day to go to a crowded indoor public session, so diaristdaughter and I decided to head to a nearby outdoor rink in Annapolis at the Quiet Waters Park.  I reverted to my old skates since I have a dance lesson on Tuesday night and wouldn't have a chance to have my blades sharpened if the grit on the ice was bad enough to dull the edges.

We arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon.  Quiet Waters is a very pleasant county park, popular with walkers and cyclists.   The rink wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be.  We paid our fees and laced up our skates.  Diaristwoman and her mother went for a walk.

As is normal with outdoor rinks, there were a lot of compression ridges in the ice as well as standing water in places.  It took me about a half hour to get comfortable with the feel of my old skates.

You can see the standing water in the center of the rink.  The far end was also a tad on the swampy side.  You didn't want to fall!

The ice was very slow.  I tried a couple of spins and quickly gave up.  The mushy ice just wouldn't permit the blade to spin.  I limited myself to forward stroking and swing rolls with a few Mohawks and 3-turns just to keep things interesting.  After an hour and a half my legs were beat.  Mother-in-Law suggested dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant.  It didn't take much arm twisting.  I'd like to try this rink again when conditions are more favorable.  I plan to have the blades on my old skates moved to match the location of the blades on my new boots so that I can transition between new and old skates with minimum foot reeducation.  That way the old skates will be perfect for outdoor adventures.