letter feb 21, 2010

Dear Everyone,

This letter is late also! I have a good excuse this time, though. Last weekend I took a trip with the boys, joined by Jim, Michael and Andrew Tuchler to Keystone, Colorado. Did you know this resort was built by Ralston Purina? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone,_Colorado. Anyway, we left Friday afternoon from Midway via Southwest. We got to Denver around 6 PM, and had our luggage and car by 7. However, the normal two hour drive along 70 was messed up by the weather. We passed many trucks pulled over on the side of the road putting chains on their tires. We didn’t get to Keystone until after 10:30, and no one got to bed before 11.

I had made prior arrangements through snowventures http://www.snowventures.com/ (we used them two years ago for a Park City trip) for lodging, car rental, lift tickets, and equipment, so all we had to do Saturday morning was show up and take delivery of our tickets, boots, skis, helmets, poles. It all went pretty smoothly, and we were up in the gondola a little after ten. The weather was cloudy, windy, and snowy. We were all pretty tired, and we only skied a couple of hours before lunch and a couple hours after. The kids really enjoyed the hot tubs, which were just across the street from our condo. Jim drove us 15 minutes south afterwards and we (except Andrew, who was sleeping) had dinner in Dillon at Ruby Tuesdays http://www.rubytuesday.com/ . After dinner we watched the Olympics and went to bed. Sunday was much the same, except we got a better start up the mountain. We divided the kids up, and Jim spent the day skiing with Andrew, while I went with Michael, Lucas and Jasper. I must admit I was disappointed that we didn’t put the kids in ski school, both so that they could improve, and second so the adults would have a chance to ski some more difficult runs. But it was fun to ski with the kids. Afterwards we went hot tubbing again. We went to Dillon, and ate at Noodles and Co http://www.noodles.com/ . I took the kids to see Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief http://www.percyjacksonthemovie.com/ , (skip this movie) while Jim spent some time with an adventurer friend of his who had recently been bowl skiing in powder above his head. Monday we got up, drove to Denver, and flew home. This was a fun trip, but it really would have been better if we had been able to get a couple more days away from work and school. The kids all behaved pretty well, improved their skiing a bit, and didn’t lose too many hats and gloves.

Meanwhile, Nicola had her wisdom teeth removed while we were out of town. Her roots were not impacted or crowded, and she has come through the process like a trooper. She is having a follow up visit today, but it looks like everything went well. Jasper has a last swim meet this weekend before the state regional meet next weekend. He has qualified in one event and hopes to make one or two more. Lucas played his first (maybe last) tournament in the 15/16 group and won his first match, but then lost to the 4th seed. High school tennis try-outs are in ten days – wish him luck. If he doesn’t get on the team, maybe he will do track. Otherwise I see him leading a dissolute life.

This weekend Jasper had his last meet before the big regional meet. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the regional cut for any of his races this time, but he was less than a second off for the 500 free, and less than ½ a second for the 200 free, so he’ll only swim the 50 free in the last meet. Lucas and Nicola went to the ‘turnabout’ dance at the high school this weekend. Lucas was asked to the dance by a girl who was in the freshman play with him; Nicola asked a boy that she knows from working backstage. Everyone got pretty dressed up; maybe Cindy will post some pictures of this in the future. It seems both of our children have a lot of friends through the theatre. Nicola has also been working hard on her poetry presentations with her club. The next two weeks is the crunch time for the poetry competition.

Work is fine; I don’t really have anything to say about it. I am reading the history book that Barbara and Roger were raving about over the last few months, Empires of the sea, http://www.amazon.com/Empires-Sea-Battle-Lepanto-Contest/dp/0812977645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266598683&sr=8-1 . It really is that good. I finished the last book in McCormac’s Border trilogy. Luckily for me, it wasn’t nearly as despairing as the middle one. The ending was fairly strange, with the main character having a dream about a dream….I am also reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Sensibility-Monsters-Jane-Austen/dp/1594744424/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266598817&sr=1-1. So far not nearly as good as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Classic-Ultraviolent/dp/1594743347/ref=pd_sim_b_1. I also read Andrew’s recommended The Bridge of San Luis Rey http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-San-Luis-Rey-Novel/dp/0060580615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266598942&sr=1-1. Better than Our Town, but I am not sure what discussion will take place. And of course, I am in the midst of many other books of mystery, thrillers, and science fiction.

Love H.