Day Fifty
Today was our fiftieth ski day for the season.
Allie, the Ski Valet, was glad to help us get out there -
Having a Ski Valet is nice - somebody to put your boots on the warmers when you walk in, then, as you come out of the locker room, she hands you your warm boots - by the time you're booted up, she hands you your skis and poles. You go out, ski, and when you come back in - just hand everything to Allie, and she puts it all away.
I was thinking about just how crazy this year went - from us driving up to Sunrise last autumn and buying season passes, where we thought "we'll just drive up and take three-day weekends", then sometime in December Ethel found our first Love Grotto, a cabin in Pinetop were we could stay; at the point, she said "Let's set a goal of skiing fifty days, while living in Phoenix".
It sounded pretty crazy :)
As January went on, with us skiing Sunrise just about every day, we left there for MLK weekend to get away from the crowds - and we skiied at Wolf Creek Pass and Purgatory, and found the condo at Cascade Village, and - in a sudden fit of insanity - we made an offer on it.
Then, since we'd bought a condo at Purgatory, we had to buy passes at Purgatory, and that wasn't early-season pricing, either - full price. Plus we bought into the Durango Mountain Club, where we got amenities like Allie the Ski Valet, valet parking, a workout and fitness center and spa and pool at the base of the mountain, clubhouse with continental breakfast every morning, and hot Starbucks all day long.
So I suppose what I'm saying is
early-season passes at Sunrise $$$$
Two days shopping at ski swaps $$$$
- new gear and clothing and helmets
Cabin rentals in Pinetop $$$$
Buying a condo at Cascade $$$$
Full-price passes at Purgatory $$$$
Durango Mountain Club memberships $$$$
Skiing fifty days while living in Phoenix ....priceless : )
Allie, the Ski Valet, was glad to help us get out there -
Having a Ski Valet is nice - somebody to put your boots on the warmers when you walk in, then, as you come out of the locker room, she hands you your warm boots - by the time you're booted up, she hands you your skis and poles. You go out, ski, and when you come back in - just hand everything to Allie, and she puts it all away.
I was thinking about just how crazy this year went - from us driving up to Sunrise last autumn and buying season passes, where we thought "we'll just drive up and take three-day weekends", then sometime in December Ethel found our first Love Grotto, a cabin in Pinetop were we could stay; at the point, she said "Let's set a goal of skiing fifty days, while living in Phoenix".
It sounded pretty crazy :)
As January went on, with us skiing Sunrise just about every day, we left there for MLK weekend to get away from the crowds - and we skiied at Wolf Creek Pass and Purgatory, and found the condo at Cascade Village, and - in a sudden fit of insanity - we made an offer on it.
Then, since we'd bought a condo at Purgatory, we had to buy passes at Purgatory, and that wasn't early-season pricing, either - full price. Plus we bought into the Durango Mountain Club, where we got amenities like Allie the Ski Valet, valet parking, a workout and fitness center and spa and pool at the base of the mountain, clubhouse with continental breakfast every morning, and hot Starbucks all day long.
So I suppose what I'm saying is
early-season passes at Sunrise $$$$
Two days shopping at ski swaps $$$$
- new gear and clothing and helmets
Cabin rentals in Pinetop $$$$
Buying a condo at Cascade $$$$
Full-price passes at Purgatory $$$$
Durango Mountain Club memberships $$$$
Skiing fifty days while living in Phoenix ....priceless : )
Hmmmmm. Lemme see here. You've spent more on skiing this year than I have in my entire life, and you're still skiing an eight year old pair of Volkl's? Ethel has got a parka that looks like it was featured in Hot Tub Time Machine?
Something is wrong here.
I will be delighted to bring my top of the line, made in this century gear to Purgatory next year, as long as I can give it to Allie and impress her.
You have to promise to bring Lucy the Wonderdog. No need to set traps to find out if she is couch surfing, as she is allowed anywhere she wants to go. I am sure Ethel agrees.
ps: the couch folds out, right? Damn well better.
Reply to this
Wow.
Reply to this
I took a look at the post, and suddenly realized I didn't know if you were "wow"ing the idea of somebody getting fifty days while living in Phoenix, or "wow"ing the picture of Allie : )
Reply to this
I'm just 'wow' on the whole picture.
When I read your blog I have a tremendous feeling of inadequacy. Not only can I not spell inadequacy, but I don't seem to get 1/10th of the things accomplished in a day that you do. Some of that must be because I'm spending time reading your blog... some because I don't have quite as much disposable income... but mostly because I just don't use my time efficiently. How do you do so much? I guess that's like asking those fast runners "how do you run so fast?" they don't know, they just do it.
In any given day somehow you are able to get about twice as much stuff done, whether that is work or play. I'm impressed. I don't think I'm going to try to emulate that. I'd die.
It probably takes me longer to write this reply (and read it over 5-6 times) than it takes you to snap the picture, write the original article, post it and ski another run or two. I wish I could say I was "quality" to your "quantity" but I also know that isn't the case.
And you watch Television! If I had a television I would get even less accomplished.
And Allie is cute too, that seems obvious.
Reply to this
I too have a tremendous feeling of inadequacy when reading Fat Charlie's blog, and for the same reasons Chris mentions. Very, very occasionally I manage a day that I can refer to as a Fat Charlie day - the kind Jim seems to have every day.
I had a good day at work yesterday - managed to do everything on my "to do" list. That's rare enough to blog about. But enough other things came in during the day that I think I still ended up behind where I started.
As for asking those fast runners "how do you run so fast?" I'm now at an age where I wonder how I used to run so much faster than the best I can manage now.
Maybe I should take up skiing. In all my years of running marathons I haven't ever heard of a marathon valet.
Reply to this
Chris -
I don't watch television, actually, unless I am at the gym - then I try to make sure that one of the monitors is on HGTV.
No, wait - not true; I do watch college football on TV in season. And right now we still have the TV turned on at the house (we turn off the cable after football season, but this year we left it on because we were gone, but Silas was at home alone). Ethel's supposed to get it turned off soon, though.
I "get so much done" because I have a fear that I won't get anything done. Currently, I'm at home with a broken collarbone and ribs, and unable to get ANYTHING done (this is the first time I've tried to type since the wreck). It feels weird to go to bed at night, knowing that all I've accomplished is talking to a few people that I sponsor, and having watched ten Buffies
I suspect that I'd rather not have the fear than doing what I do to try to appease it - so far, God hasn't removed it.
Reply to this
@buddha - 1) I love my boulder gear parka, I will be buried in it. I've finally beat it up enough that I can start putting on the duct tape. I don't want a new parka....ever!!
2) Those are MY old volkls. I love them just like I love my parka (although they do not have any duct tape...yet..). I do not want new skis! However, I have decided that I do need some fatties. Powder skiing (something you pnw folk don't get to experience due to the extremely wet heavy stuff you have to groom!) clicked for me this year and I want more more more more. But, not on my skinny groomers. So the next ski purchase this family makes will be fats for me!
3) Unfortunately, Lucy will never get to come to the condo because she barks and barks and barks. Not fair to neighbors.
4) The fold out is a queen size, although Silas says the mattress is horrible...so I'm currently shopping for a new sofa bed mattress.
Reply to this
@Ethel -
1) Don't call him "buddha" He's TWO Buddha. There are some marked spiritual & emotional differences between Buddha and Two Buddha.
2) I think that we should bring Lucy to the condo because - obviously - her brain is already oxygen starved. 8850 feet of elevation should be just enough to push her over the edge.
3) Silas and the Mattress - It's my fault. I put that pea under there.
@Chris - thanks!
Reply to this
I knew a guy who's nickname was re-Bob.
He told me once how that happened, I don't remember completely. There was some kind of convergence of people named Bob and he became reeBob
I picture TWO Buddha as being really really fat. Probably not physically possible.
I'm just Chris. Some people of certain acquaintance in Northern Colorado know me as "Cranky". A complicated and involved story.
Reply to this