Day 165 - Loveland

Thought of the day: We spent the day skiing at Loveland with a visiting friend.  It was windy and snowy most of the time but there was also some fresh powder to be found with very few skiers to share with.  Lila put on real skis and boots and had a few good runs down a tiny slope.  She didn't seem to mind the blizzard condition a bit until later in the afternoon when she had a melt-down of sorts.  So I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the warm and cozy cafeteria with her napping in my arms and watching the skiers racing down the slopes.  I was envious of them and yet, at the same time, I felt quite at peace.

Photo of the day:

Blizzard at Loveland Ski area. Cell phone photo (my hands were freezing for taking this photo!)

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)

Day 145 - Bug Hunt

Thought of the day: I never feel comfortable in my ski boots.  I have been through several pairs but none of them seem to fit well.  So after having been told a millionth time by different people to see Larry the bootfitter, I finally made an appointment to see him.  Considering his reputation of being one of the best bootfitters in the country, his store front in downtown Boulder was very low-key and unassuming - I thought I was at a wrong place until a woman, another client, called me in.  The store also had a laid back atmosphere inside and his assistants were very polite and patient in hearing about whatever complaints you had of the boots.  They frequently shuffled the boots back and forth between the clients and the backroom, where Larry apparently situated himself.  Boots were magically "fixed" by the invisible master when they came out of the backroom.  It was a strange yet interesting experience.  Larry is among the lucky ones who possess special skills and knowledge and put them to use every day.  He must feel pretty good about what he is doing, knowing that his clients will appreciate him every day when they are on the slope.  I can't wait to try out the adjusted boots this week and join his legion of happy clients.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine (and Lila) participated in a special field trip today with a small group of friends.  They learned about bugs and looked for them in a marsh.  Even though it's winter, there are still a variety of bugs to be found, if you try hard enough.  After spending over an hour inside Larry's Bootfitting watching ski videos, I was glad to spend some time outside with the kids.