A Whole New World for Larry

I stepped off the plane Friday morning to 75-degree weather and Larry waiting at the curb in a boat of a Caddy. Yes, that's right. Larry has embraced life as a snow bird. I have to say, he's almost got it perfected.

It was obvious that in Larry's three weeks away from home living the good life in Florida, no one has been around to give him a proper teasing. It only took about thirty seconds for Michelle and I to get him back in line. I started by saying, "Oh, Larry ... you've come south for the winter, you're driving a huge Caddy ... you're OLD!!"

I'm so glad to see my mom and Papa Larry having a good time in the Golden Years. He's sitting here right now watching me type, moaning and groaning that I'm being too mean and saying that I love being mean to him.

Since my mom went to bed at 8 p.m., Larry and I had to find some way to entertain ourselves. He has been bragging that he learned to use the internet last week and actually sent out a few emails under Carol's watchful eye. But tonight we made a big step. Some might even call it a giant leap. Larry and I created a gmail account of his very own. And then we started a blog for him. Not only has Larry entered the 21st Century ... now he's in the blogoshere. We may never be the same.

If you're ready for a good yarn (with a little truth worked in for flavor), check out Larry's blog: spursandsaddles.blogspot.com.

Why ski when you can toboggan?

For three hours last night I felt like I was 10 years old again.

Growing up, the first big snow of the winter brought on a sense of wonder, adventure and kamikaze tendencies for my younger sister Bethany and me. When I was about 10 and Bethany 8, we created a path from the retaining wall in the back yard that went through the trees and down a steep slope to the empty lot below the house. When I say steep, I mean really steep. The kind of steep that when viewing through 30-year-old eyes looks like a death wish, or at least certain carnage. By the time any adult witnessed our launch we had already completed countless successful runs and for some reason no one stopped us. I don't know how many years we used the sledding track, but I can't remember ever getting hurt. What I do remember was the feeling of hitting powder at the bottom of the run, the tube coming to a halt and ending up with snow covered eyelashes.

The snow covered eyelashes were what brought it all back to me yesterday. About 7 p.m., Tiffany, Michelle and I loaded up and drove to Fairview to meet up with a few other friends. With tobbogan, saucers and three Stiga snow racers (in case you're interested) in hand, we played on a hill in Fairview Canyon with the abondon of children.

The hill is nestled in an S-curve of the road that goes up Fairview canyon, making it the perfect spot for grown-up sledding. This means instead of riding down and walking back up the hill, we pile the sleds in the back of the truck (along with Mike and Lane) and drive to the top of the hill after each run. The trail seems to have been made by back-country snowboarders who come there during the day. The day-time run sounds a lot smarter, but there was somthing enchanting about hitting the hill in the light of the full moon.

After a lack-luster run on the saucers, I decided to give the heavy-duty toboggan a go. It was so much fun, I stayed on it the rest of the night. Michelle and I ended up making at least four long runs down slopes, among trees and through mounds of powder. We kept getting better at steering the long board each run. On the last run we took together, there was one point where we were going so fast the powder was flying up into my face until it was so covered I couldn't see anything. Because I'm old and chicken, I bailed off the front of the sled. Michelle ended up half on the toboggan, half in the fluff. The toboggan somehow, was half on me. We laid there laughing so hard we almost couldn't get up. I had so much snow covering my eyelashes that it made the sky sparkle. And for three hours, I felt like I was 10 again.

Snow ... snow ... snow

I really do like a fresh blanket of snow. Especially the day after the storm if the sky is blue and our mountains sparkle.

But after shoveling a foot of snow (I really do mean at least 12 inches) from my driveway, which is disproportionately large in comparison to the size of my house, I promptly booked a ticket to visit my parents in Florida.

Happy New Year!

Michelle, Tiffany and I rang in the New Year in fine fashion. Thanks Mike & Wendy for the fab fondue. Thanks Terry & Angela (aka Tang) for games, laughs, carmel corn and the requisite Diet Coke. Thanks Leslee & LeGrand for waffles and fireworks. Could it get any better??

Ode to Pie Fest

Actually, the limits of my creativity are reached long before I write poetry, so there will be no odes to Pie Fest ... But I will put up a few pics ...