Mountain climbing in high heels

Man, that's for me. I was facinated by an old movie the other day in which Joan Crawford went mountain climbing in high heels. I kid you not. There she was, perched on a rock, gazing out over a Swiss horizon, resplendent in her makeup, fashionable 'afternoon' outfit, nylons (seams perfectly straight) and high heels. I loved it. She was trying to escape the lover she didn't feel worthy of, but of course he caught up to her and they had a moment. Everything turned out perfectly. Wasn't that always the case in l930's Hollywood.

Made me think of my 2008 visit to daughter Susanne in Vancouver, when we tramped through the gardens at UBC and I had to bail because of my arthritic hips. And I was wearing hideous Adidas shoes! She was not moved by how hard it was for me to walk. But, I can still navigate a cocktail or dinner party in my high heels. I also make it a point to travel in high heels -- kind of a tribute and throw-back to the days of elegant travel, when people actually dressed up to torture themselves in airports, on cruise ships and in train stations.

Hard to believe, but I was quite the athlete in high school. I had to run with the boys to get any competition. Problem was the most athletic girls in high school were relegated to the cheerleading sqaud. Yes, if you could do a cartwheel and jump around, you made the squad. Now I never admit I was a cheerleader, even though the position had a bit of prestige "back in the day". But when I realized I had a daughter with extraordinary athletic ability, I vowed to support her every step of the way in whatever sport in which she excelled. Trouble was, she excelled in everything. Many the morning I jumped into the car at 6 a.m. in my nightgown to drive her wherever she had to go to play waterpolo or run cross country in high school. She became the captain of the women's waterpolo team at Queen's and a world-class triathlete. I remain in awe of my daughter. I am even convinced she could climb mountains in high heels, if challenged.