Spring Skiing

 

A few years ago - Copper Mountain

Milo and I took our evening walk to retire the colors (take the flag down).  It was a beautiful evening with the feeling of spring in the air.  The birds are singing their songs and the snow is melting.  There is still snow that fell the 18th of December on the ground. I had to tell Milo about my love of Spring skiing.

I have been skiing for over forty years.  When I was younger I would brave the nastiest winter weather just to gently slide down the side of the mountain, carve nice turns and otherwise feel like I was flying.  Falling as I tried to unload off the chair lift was common place.  I seemed to get on the chair behind a beginner who lost all sense of balance when the boots were attached to the skis.  If you have ever watched a Warren Miller ski movie, you know what "you want your skis, go get em'" means.  Beginners always fall when they first try to unload (and so do the people behind them).  The binding throw and the skis come off.  The skis then get thrown out of the way.  If you want them, you go get them.

  As I have grown older, spring skiing has become the most favorite thing in life for me.  The wind is no longer trying to blow me off the chair lift.  The sun is high in the sky and the rays are warm.  The lift lines are shorter and there are fewer people trying to run me over.  I have been know to tote some wine, cheese and rolls in my back pack and look for a nice quiet cat trail.  Finding some sun, lean my skis against my poles and enjoying the company of my best friend, I would lay back and enjoy all of my surroundings.  One never knows when a cute blonde will ski by!

 

Ah.....Spring!

My favorite Ski area is Vail, Colorado.  It has some of the best power skiing in it's back bowls.

 

Game Creek Bowl...Vail

 

And then there is shopping in Vail village.  You can't see them but there are many places to enjoy apre'ski in the village.

Dan, David and Phil....3 brothers....top of the gondola ...Vail - Spring 197?

OK, Now that I'm feeling better about life, I had a pretty good scare this last week.  I was having chest pains again.  After my last "event" I wasn't about to sit back and wonder when I was going to have another "event".  Last Thursday I went in for a treadmill stress test.  I had my follow-up visit today.  The doctor is very happy with the results.  I don't usually talk about my health but I know there were some prayers being said in my behalf.  Prayers do work!  Thank you to all that prayed.

For those following the progress on the fire house, here's the latest picture.

 

S

FPD station #1 rebuild

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Warmer Days to Come

 

Sawtooth Mountain, west of Sunshine. Bring your fly rod!

Now that the weather is moderating and the wind isn't blowing as hard, Milo and I can return to our extended morning walks.  It won't be long until the bears awake from their long winters nap.  I'm sure they will be hungry.  The birds are making sure we know Spring is just around the corner.  They are filling the air with many tunes.  This morning Bob stopped the school bus and threw Milo and Malcom a treat.  The sun was just peaking over the horizon giving us a glorious sunrise.  As we passed the school house, I paused to salute the American flag.  Looking up I saw a jet leaving it's con-trail against the blue sky.  It was extremely high, flying from the west to the east.  I imagine a San Francisco to New York flight.

It was about 4 1/2 years ago that my life changed.  I was throwing horseshoes with one of the neighbors when I felt the pressure.  It was as if someone put their thumb in the middle of my chest and game me a gentle push.  I paused for a moment and then sat down.  The pressure went away.  It happened a few day later while watching TV with my son Nathan.  The next day I went to the hospital to have it checked out.  They were happy to see me!  When I was released following my "procedure"  I began to view each morning with new meaning.  I have always been one to look on the brighter side of life, but now each day brings greater joy.  I hope it continues.

The firehouse (station #1) is coming along nicely.  They are starting to work on the roofing and the siding.  I'll post another picture again soon.

Personal future plans include a trip to North Carolina in May to visit my close friend Chris and hopefully, a week later, tickets to see Celtic Woman at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

Be of good cheer, hug you family members and smile.

David

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Morning Walk with Milo

Milo and I enjoyed our morning walk in the cool mountain air.  The sky was clear.  Milo bounced down the driveway.  We could finally get to the flag pole without walking on ice and snow.  My dog is so funny...he sits at attention while I raise the flag.  I reminded Milo that the spaghetti feed is this Sunday....he wagged his tail.  I also told him about the eclipse of the moon that will be happening Saturday night.  It begins early and will be about half over by the time the moon rises here in Colorado.  The folks in the British Isles (if the sky is clear) will enjoy the experience, as will our friends on the east coast of the US.

The re-build of our fire station #1 is coming along well. Here's a couple of pictures.

 

And as a reminder of the fire last year:

 

Taken the morning after the fire.

The fire

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Spaghetti Feed

 

Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, dessert & soft drinks *BYOB*

When: Sunday, March 4th

4:30 to 7:00 Food service

6:30 to 8:00 Free Bingo with fun prizes

 

Where: Firestation #2

Cost: $5 per adult, $3 per child under 12, maximum $20 per family

 

Please carpool and park on the north side of the road only.

Hosted by Team Sunshine

"Building Stronger Community in the Sunshine Fire Protection District"

 

Sunshine Fire Protection District Station #2

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Busy Weekend at the Firehouse

 

Sunshine Fire Protection District Station #1

It was a very busy weekend at the firehouse (Station #1).  The walls and the rafters went up on Friday.  This building will house one fire truck.  The other three trucks /engines will be housed in station #2.  This building will also hold a meeting / training room.  Believe it or not, we used to keep 3 fire trucks in the same footprint.  It was a tight squeeze.

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The Peoples Republic

Boulder, Colorado,  my home town?  Maybe, maybe not.  Boulder seems to be the butt of many jokes.  It seems to have a reputation, at least around Colorado.  The city started out as a supply camp for the many gold mines in the foothills to the west.  The new town of Boulder City was made the home of the University of Colorado, a land-grant institution.  As the gold mines played out or closed because of the Second World War, the city grew around the university.  The Federal government chose Boulder as the home for the Department of the Interiors division....NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research ) and UCAR (The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research).  Boulder is also the home of Naropa University, the only accredited Buddhist-inspired university in the United States.

Life in Boulder seemed to be as normal as possible throughout the 50's.  As the university grew and with the social upheaval of the 60's, so did the liberal attitude of the city.  The University of Colorado became know as the "Berkeley of the midwest".  During the 1960's and 70's the city fathers wanted to preserve the small town feeling of Boulder.  They began to purchase the land circling the city, creating a "green belt"  The land was to be void of any expansion, remaining as open prairie.  Boulder became a town of rich, intellectual liberals.  Boulder is strongly Democratic. The US congressman is Mark Udall, son of former Senator, Secretary of the Interior and presidential candidate, Mo Udall.  In the last election, Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate chose Boulder to announce his candidacy.

I was just reminded by Deb at Frosty Thoughts, who has lived here all of her life, that I need to mention the hippies.  During the 60's and 70's they invaded the area.  There are still remains of their communes.  Our neighbors, Mike and Jennifer own property just below us that was a commune.  Most of the residents lived in Tepees and ran extension cords between them for power.  Some were even know to carry guns.  (I wonder what they were trying to protect....maybe some evil weed that still grows in the valleys.   LOL)  You would be surprised how many of those 60's - 70's Hippies still live here.  Some are worth millions, go figure?!?!

It is still not illegal to go topless in Boulder as long as it is not for shock effect.  Naturally, it is not something you see in the streets, but going topless in the water falls up Boulder canyon doesn't bother anyone.  That is unless you are having your Jewish mother visit you from New York, but then, that's another story.  Any trip to Boulder must include some time on the Pearl Street Mall.  What a great place to watch people.  You will find the balloon man, several musicians and street buskers, along with some great shops and restaurants.

Boulder is a "green" city.  The recycle center is one of the busiest places to be on the weekends.  It is also a very healthy city, where exercise and outdoor activities are encouraged.  It is full of bicycle trails and walking paths to discourage driving.  The bus system runs public buses to the ski area (Lake Eldora) just west of town.  The Bolder Boulder is an annual 10K race held every Memorial day.  Tens of thousand runners from all over the world participate.

The city fathers have done everything they can to encourage small, home owned business to flourish.  The national big box stores are not welcome (but what about their tax base?)  The big box stores are all located outside the green belt (and so is the tax base).

Mind you, I am not complaining, it's a fun place to live.  The "Boulder attitude" has made interesting copy for the media.  We are often called "thirty square miles surrounded by reality" and "The Peoples Republic of Boulder." 

 

The south end of Boulder.....nice power line!  It was a little hazy the day this picture was taken.  The mountains are generally much more visible.

One thing I can guarantee you, I was born and raised in conservative Wyoming and I'm still a cowboy at heart.  When I moved to Colorado, I gave up my fishing license to some of the best trout streams (next to Idaho) in the country.

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Our Bass Player, Rob

After several days of mild weather, Milo and I took our walk on a noticeably colder morning.  I had to share some sad news with Milo.  The bands bass player, Rob, passed away on Monday.  He was a mild mannered man who always amazed me on his ability to play the bass guitar.  Rob never had a bad word to say about anybody.  His outlook was always positive.  When we played, he never missed a note.  He was the kind of musician you didn't know he was there.  His musical ability blended perfectly with the rest of the group.  The last gig we played together was on December 9th.  Rob's memorial service will be held on Monday in Boulder.  He is now walking hand in hand with the Lord.  He will be greatly missed.

The work has started on the re-building of the Firehouse.  For those who missed the story, our original fire house (station #1) burnt to the ground a year ago.  Fortunately, most of the equipment had been moved to the new fire house (station #2).  I will continue to log the progress on the completion of the re-build.

 

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