Day 159 - Tunnel

Thought of the day: Today we drove home from Copper.  We drove in pretty heavy snow in the beginning and ended up in a sunny, snow free Boulder.  It was a short vacation but it was good to get away from town, even for just a little while.  People can not really get away from existing problems by getting away, but going on vacation is like hitting the snooze button on most, if not all, of your problems so you can get a much needed break.  Your perspective may also change during the break as the problems may seem less daunting and significant as the physical distance between you and the problems increases.  However, based on my own experience, this type of perspective changes tends to be short-living and can evaporate quickly after you get home.  Of course, if you are embarking on a journey seeking internal changes instead of seeking pleasure, the result may be different if you are successful as the internal changes tend to stay with you.  Very few of us make an effort or are lucky enough to make such a journey, though.

Photo of the day:

Driving through a tunnel on the way back from Copper.  In Colorado, driving through a tunnel can take you to an entirely different weather condition and landscape, so it's always exciting to find out what's at the other end.

Day 158 - Copper Morning

Thought of the day: It snowed most of the night and throughout the day in Copper.  There was a lot of fresh power on the mountain, especially in the trees.  Jasmine discovered her love for tree skiing when we were at Steamboat last month.  She and her friend skiied in the trees pretty much the whole time when I was with them this morning.  Tree runs are not my favorites - they are fun but can be more dangerous than groomed runs - but I will need to ski more in the trees otherwise I won't be able to keep up with the girls!

Photo of the day:

Morning in Copper - from our condo, we could see ski tracks and tire marks on fresh snow.

Day 157 - Burning Stones

Thought of the day: We ate dinner at a grill and bar in Copper Mountain Resort tonight.  The interior of the restaurant was a large open area illuminated by lots of different kinds of lights.  And there must be more than a dozen large flat screen TVs running different programs all at the same time.  The sounds and flashing images were so overwhelming that all the kids wanted to do was to run around wild instead of sitting still at the table. I am glad that we don't take our kids to such places often, otherwise there's a risk of having their growing brains permanently mis-wired by all these stimulants, perhaps in the same way that we get our adult brains constantly rewired by smart phones, twitter, facebook, and the like.


Photo of the day:

Skiers spending some quiet time at night next to the fire at Copper Mountain's Burning Stones Plaza.

Day 148 - Copper

Thought of the day: After returning from a good day of skiing, I read and watched news for a short time but it was just long enough to get me depressed: house vote to ban public funding for NPR, situation in Libya, and worst of all: more bad news from Japan - it's hard to believe that the unimaginable human tragedy can get even worse.  So many bad news, tragedies and senseless acts in the past few years from all around the world - why?  Has it always been like that and I just haven't paid attention?  I can't help but wonder how much longer we can be cocooned in our comfortable life.  I can't help but fear when the tide of events will catch us.  I can't help but wonder where we are heading as a race.  Yes, I'm sure a lot of doubts and fears will dissipate by tomorrow morning when the sun rises and I have had a good night of rest, but will anything have changed fundamentally?  Probably not.  Looking at it in a positive light, perhaps all these doubts and fears are what it takes to keep us grounded, no matter where we are, no matter what we do.

Photo of the day:

Ski day at Copper: windy day, icy bumps, slushy runs - they desperately needed snow!  However, my recently adjusted boots were more comfortable and I had great company, so I had another fun winter day in the mountains. (Cell phone photo)