February 2008 - Mammoth Mountain and "The Ski Amigos"
Leap Year 2008. February 29th. The day that gives
that mythical, magical, miracle 366th day every 4 years.
Where better to spend that extra 24hrs than high in the
snowy Sierra's. The 29th was a Friday and was the
start of a 3 day ski trip at Mammoth Mountain in CA.
It had been a long while since I've strapped on the
planks. It had been 4 years to the day - to be
exact. Leap Year 2004. Yeah it was at Mammoth
Mountain. Huh. What's with that? Kismet aside,
this was a fantastic trip. I wish Virginia could
have joined us - but maybe next time.
We enjoyed lots of snow. Let me make sure
you understand: LOTS OF SNOW! Like 12 ft base on
the ski runs. Kudos to old man winter.
We also enjoyed lots of food. Let me make sure you
understand: LOTS OF FOOD! Kudos to amigo Greg for the
memorable breakfasts and dinners.
Lastly we had lots of fun. Again: LOTS OF FUN! Kudos to
all us amigos for making the entire trip a "wicked
blast" as they'd say in Boston.
Above are a few images that show the stunning beauty of
the Sierra's in winter. The group shot is at the
summit of Mammoth (11,000 ft). Below is the 6min
video. You'll see us skiing downhill,
cross-country (at nearby Tamarack Resort) and general
clowning around. Enjoy!
The flash compression made this particular video come
out slightly jerky and fuzzy. The DVD version
looks really great. Email
me for the DVD copy - I have extra's and will send
one via snail mail.
BOOK REVIEWS
Thanks to those who take the time to send them.
This month, Virginia has submitted a review of "The
Climb of My Life". As always, I encourage your
thoughts about your latest read!
Annie Leonard and "The Story of Stuff" I've become more Green
in my old age. I've always been a recycler -
but with the alarming rate of which our natural
resources are being transformed to pollution, it's
really not enough any more. I'm trying to move
from recycling to precycling - trying to purchase items
that were packaged in recycled or minimal packaging, and
if possible, the item itself made from post consumer
waste. It just made sense to me. It's not news to
most people that we simply can't sustain our current
consumer consumption practice.
One day my friend Bill Schaeffer sent me a link to Annie
Leonard's "The Story of Stuff". It tied
together and confirmed all the things I had been
thinking about as far as consumerism, packaging,
landfills and such. Yet - this is
brilliant because she explains everything in a way the
kids can understand - so they can start to appreciate
what happens when they 'buy stuff'.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/ Take 20
minutes sometime to check it out. Have patience
while the presentation loads. Browse the website.
Order the DVD and have your kids watch too. It's
an important message.
The Daily Coyote This cool site has pictures of a coyote growing up
in the care of a woman photographer after it was
rescued as a pup from the bottom of a well in rural
Wyoming. The coyote pup fell in love with the
woman's cat - they are best friends. Very cute.
http://dailycoyote.blogspot.com/
