trying some new hairstyles

 
 
 

exploring the cabinet

this is the one safe cabinet in our kitchen that we haven't child-proofed. Just a bunch of tupperware and water bottles and such, pretty safe for Alina. She does a good job repeating Helen with some of her stock words - mama, dada, doggy, kitty, grandma, papa, oh no.

tennis anyone?

Casey and I enjoyed a good lesson today. John had us working on our backhand, and a bit of serving. only an hour long, but it sure was a great way to get out of the office and forget about work for a bit. I am excited to sub in the men's 4.0 league Thursday night, and the usual clinic on Friday.

easy to wipe out her dad

 
 

Alina in the DC airport

we were in Dulles airport for several hours due to the weather delays. Alina had plenty of time to walk around with her little potato head suitcase.

 

a couple more from VA Beach

this was a great seafood joint we all had dinner at one night.

 
 

Alina going swimming

this was in the hotel room in VA Beach, before we headed down to the indoor pool.

 
 

window open

yes, my office window is open now, and it's january. Streets in town are just about dry. It was 12 degrees at 6am when I left for work. That just means one thing...it's about to snow again. Still trying to shake my cold. Bill & Mary are coming up this weekend for Bill's birthday.

tired

a lot going on lately at work. not sure what happened to a slow latter half of January, but it's long gone. Ever since Alina's eye infection, Helen and I have had a little cold that has just been a pain in the ASS to get rid of. My throat has been sore for a while. I hate to go to the doc prematurely, but if I feel this way middle of next week, I am going in for a check up. Work's crazy, we're short staffed, but things overall are really good.

VA Beach

this shot was taken from the balcony of our 10th floor hotel room yesterday at sunset. too bad it's mid-January and in the 40s out there!



we went to Pops' service and interment today. what a great man he was, and I am fortunate to have met him and spent some time with him. A brilliant man he was, served in WWII, and was later I believe a patent lawyer in the golden years of Eastman-Kodak up in Rochester, NY. Hill Riddle told us some stories about him over breakfast today. He fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal, and was decorated with many war medals. Hill said he threw them all away. I suppose it helped ease some of the painful memories. I don't know much about WWII, except the little I have read online and watched some documentaries on the History channel. Pops was vehemently opposed to the war in Iraq from day 1. Even though I wasn't against it then, I certainly am now. But I still support our troops, always have and always will.

popsicles

more gondola pics

the last shot is coming back down the hill towards the town base station, which is in the middle of the picture. Alina enjoyed the views as much as I did.

 
 

gondola ride

before watching this year's Ullr parade on Main St, Alina and I took our first ride on the new gondola. she loved it, esp. the bumpier sections when we passed under the towers, pullies and mid stations.

 
 

early in

Since Alina again can't go to daycare today because of her eye infection (bacterial conjunctivitis; runny eye; mattery eye), I came in to work at 6a so I could get in 4hrs before Helen needs to do the same. It was kinda cool getting here in total darkness. The office is so quiet and it is so easy to get some work done (or post a blog!). In a perfect world, I'd come in around 6:30a every day. Once 8am comes, and we turn on the phone lines and unlock the front door, chaos usually ensues. I thought we were adequately staffed this season, but perhaps not. Scheduling is difficult when we need to keep this office open 7 days a week, for 11hrs per day minimally. 8-5 M-F would be a cake walk, but it's not possible in our business.

Looks like 3-4 days of good snow starting tomorrow night. I am fully planning on making some turns this weekend.

ice rinks

my neighbor's ice rink

 

early stages of ours. we need a gutter here, and somewhere safe to direct the water & ice away from the path next to the garage.

 

house

shots from the back of the house as Alina and I came home from our short walk. it was sunny, and 31 degrees, but it felt much nippier due to a slight breeze. at least we weren't getting raked by 80-100mph winds like the front range today.

 
 

Beaver Creek snowshoe race

Helen did awesome taking home 2nd place overall for the women, and a check for $125. she ran a 1:07 for 10K. you try that back home on big hills wearing snowshoes, let alone at 9,000'. we had a good time. I snowboarded for a while before. colder than I remember Beaver Creek ever be, but fun nonetheless. While Helen was racing, Alina and saw what life was like on the other side...as we pretended like we were rich and hung out in the lounge and lobby of the slopeside Hyatt.

 
 

snow

some shots of the steps from the garage leading up to the back of the house. this place really looks like a ski town now. and just wait til tomorrow's pics. the wind outside now is sustained 25-30mph, with gusts prob over 60. we'll see some knee-waist high drifts in places. hopefully Beaver Creek has a bit nicer weather. I'm hoping to make some turns on the board there in the morning before Helen's snowshoe race.

work has been crazy for 3 weeks. luckily the mass exodus begins tomorrow. the denver weathermen are calling for another big storm for Colorado next Thur-Fri...yes another, as in 4th one in 4 weeks. I am sure they're sick of it down in Denver. But we here in the mountains can use plenty of it.

 
 

zoo

that best describes how Breck is now. 30,000 people are here in our town that has a year-round population of about 3,000. every bed and condo, new and old, is full this week. luckily we stocked up at the store and don't have much of a need to visit Main Street. I almost feel sorry for the naive families that travel over the Holidays and simply have no idea how crowded it is here now.

Scott called me today. Sounds like he's working after all. Besides pulling a few shifts at the Blue Spruce Inn, he is the resident parking Nazi for the HOA where he lives in Frisco. Don't piss him off, he'll slash your tires! Maybe I'll get to go skiing with him this year. I am looking forward to seeing his shiny day-glo one piece Bogner that he assuredly must have picked up while skiing in Europe. We'll see.

we like the wagon

 
 

just a couple more pics from skiing the side door

 
 

more pics from the ski tour

 
 

New Year's Eve ski tour

this was just past the new bridge by the Reiling dredge. the man-made piles of river rock from the dredge boats looked really neat covered with lots of natural snow.

 

New Year's Eve

we walked down to Dennis' with Doug & Susan last night. took the kids in the wagon. There's a pic of Helen doing a shot. Glad I documented it, as it happens about once a year.

 
 
 

this is where the action is