hello and welcome to the land of... did I say no snow, in my last post? What I mean is, forty inches of freshies. No, that is not a typo, that really is what Copper is reporting. Just as we were beginning to get really despondent about the amount of brown grass and sunny skies, a big, slow-moving storm got trapped above us and sat here and dumped on us for three days, then moved on just in time for another snow to move in for the last two days. And believe me, it could not have come at a better time. It's early enough in the season that I have time to snowboard. And snowboard I have. The new board is sporting some pretty deep rock gouges by now, a result of such fluffy, tempting pow over rocks bare until this storm. That's ok, since it was such an inexpensive investment.

I have ridden four of the last six days, and plan to go again in the morning. My legs are feeling the effects, but that's ok. I have stopped going to the gym almost as soon as I started. I enjoy running and lifting, I do, but I have forgotten how many other people are there as well. And while I do enjoy dabbling with free weights, the free weight room is always packed with big, ripped guys. Not conducive to feeling comfortable with my 15lb weights. I feel very conspicuous and in the way. And as much as I enjoy free weights, I hate weight machines, since I am always having to share them with either someone who stacks them so heavy I wonder why I even bother with my spindly little arms and underdeveloped back and core, or else I come back for another set and do the same thing to someone with even spindlier arms and even less developed back and core.

It is still snowing outside, tree branches laden, lights from town reflecting off the clouds and illuminating the mountainsides. I am at home waiting for Bobby to get done working. I built a fire when I got home, and by now the house is warm. I have my reggae playlist bouncing out of my computer speakers, whites in the washer, dry socks on. It's good to be able to spend an evening at home. It has been awhile. Don't get me wrong, we like our company, but it feels really good just to vegetate sometimes. I am already feeling myself becoming extremely mellow, like as if I may just need to go to bed early.

We have had a bit of a run of activity lately. Besides the daily snowboarding in between the money-making portions of my days. On Thanksgiving, we went to our friend's house on the other side of the Cove. It was a good day. I took dinner rolls made out of Heartland Mill flour, and added them to the spread of turkey (real and fake), stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, red wine and pies. We watched the video of our host's kayaking trip in Equador last Thanksgiving, and wished we were qualified to tackle the Class III and Class IV portions. At least I did. I'm pretty sure B did not think it looked like as much fun as I thought it would be. We left and went to Marci's as soon as the festivities died down, and got there in time for second dessert with Marci, Danny, Austin, Cassandra, and Frau the cat. (We often quote the Pippin, a Hobbit in The Lord of the Rings, when referring to our eating habits around here-
"What about breakfast?" "You've already had it." "We've had one, yes. What about second breakfast?" "Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip." "What about elevensies? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, don't he?" In addition to second breakfast, we have added second dessert to the list.)

On Saturday we went to the same friend's house for their annual ski season kick-off party. Bobby was a bit late showing up, since he had decided to take his snowmobiles for a spin around the snowy neighborhood and ended up having to tow one of them home. Good thing he didn't wait to take them for their first ride of the season up on Vail Pass or somewhere further from home. We munched appetizers, caught up with acquaintances not seen since last ski party, judged chili, and finally all sat down in their garage with a movie projector, and watched the ski movie Claim, from Matchstick Productions. It couldn't have been a better evening for a ski season launch, since the snow was finally falling, at the rate of over an inch an hour.

The next morning, I caught first chair at the Basin, and rode down in 15 inches of powder, fresh on top of the seven inches the day before. I waded through snow knee deep in line waiting for the chair to open- definitely a sign that one's chances of finding powder are good. I carved the first set of tracks through the deep stuff on the edges of the runs. On my second run I flatted out, dropped my nose, and buried my board, and consequently myself, under about two feet of snow, and had to unstrap and dig myself out. Stepping off my board, I sank in to my hip. By the time I got myself dug out, I was sweating, and the line was beginning to grow to early season powder day proportions, so I drove down the hill to Keystone, getting there about nine thirty. I met some friends from the night before and made several runs with them, then got a phone call that my parents were on their way up.

For the next two days, my parents were here, as well as a family from Center, CO, up to enjoy a bit of high country atmosphere and some first-time snowboarding. As soon as they left, Wendell arrived from Cedaredge, and Donny arrived from Colorado Springs. I spent the next day snowboarding with Donny, taking it easy, hitting all the little kickers, working on the 180's, a bit more difficult with a longer, heavier board.

(much later) I may have nodded off at this point, about twenty four hours ago. And now, I am back in my warm living room, a fire crackling, my legs twitching from an afternoon of first snowmobiling, then snowboarding, then skiing. It was one of those perfect days again. I didn't earn much money, but play hard, I did.

After inspecting a surprise arrival this morning, I met B back at the house and we took the snowmobiles up to Vail Pass. This morning promised us a bluebird day, 3 degrees under a sunny sky, but the clouds moved in mid-morning. It was ok. Cloudy skies trap the heat better than clear skies.

Vail Pass was good, promising another winter of sick turns, both on machine and snowboard. The snow was already several feet deep, just deep enough to tempt us to make some powder turns, just thin enough to make hitting buried rocks a real concern. We did tear up a meadow a bit, and B gave me a huge compliment when he said I was turning into a regular powder monkey. Not sure what that means, but it followed a high-speed, careening trip through the meadow, machine bucking through snowdrifts, staying upright and not getting stuck. The powder right now really is amazing- weightless and fluffy.

I met Austin and Cassandra at Keystone after we returned home, and made one run with them, a long run, since Sandra is still learning how to snowboard. I made another run with just Austin, then, as soon as they left, the last pink fading from the sunset over Keystone's lights, I put on my skis and skied for several hours. I am feeling good about my new sport. I know I still swing my shoulders just a bit, as if I were on a snowboard, and I forget to use my poles occasionally, and I would have my butt handed to me if I were to ski with several friends who can remain nameless. But I can get down, and haven't fallen in quite a while, and I make up for in speed what I lack in style. Good form can be such a pain. The only reason I am so concerned with it is because my goal is to be able to ski bumps, trees, and off-piste conditions, and without good form, one sacrifices a bit of control.

There was a free concert in River Run, at the base of the new gondola, which meant a lot of people on the slopes. It was the last of the "Friday Night Lights", the concert series Keystone replaced the 36 hours of Keystone with this year. Three weekends in a row, bands have set up in the Hunki Dori lot, just to the side of the new gondola, and people have partied and danced after the lifts closed at 8:30. I really wanted to go to at least one of them, since I didn't hate any of the bands playing, but it just got too late. I quit at 7:30.

And now, I am tired. I should sleep, since I will be spending tomorrow evening, night, and all day Sunday being guardian to a 3 year old and a 5 year old at their parent's house while the parents are job-hunting in Steamboat Springs. Just the thought of that exhausts me. I have a feeling I will have to crash a bit by the time this week finally ends. Jay and Wendy are coming up Sunday night and spending several days, which means I need to get clean sheets on their bed, since I will be babysitting when they arrive. So, to my friends and family, and faithful blog-readers, have a wonderful week. And check back in a week or two... I am sorry that my blogging will have to become more sporadic in the next few months. Or don't read the blog, just come see us...