At the Bird Feeder: Invasion

There was a big commotion on the deck; some European Starlings arrived:

At the Bird Feeder

The Northern Flicker is now a regular, and some Purple Finches have settled in as well.

I was just setting up to take these Mourning Doves in a row with Blue Jay in the background and the red marauder scampered in spoiling the shot:

Trax'n'Stats

Had a lovely morning over at Blue Mountain.  It was +4ºC and more like Spring skiing than Spring skiing.

I parked at the top and started with a run down (as opposed to a lift up) right down at the bottom of the photo.  I didn't ski everything as some runs were closed for the racing and they have a couple of SnowParks.  The weather changed, got quite windy and the light went flat when it clouded over - it's starting to snow now. Here is where I went:

And here are the stats:

It was a bit more busy than usually with a couple of 150+ participant high school races and some colleges/universities are on Reading Week. I always take the singles line and it all moves fairly quickly. My MOST favourite ride up was my last with two extremely nice young men on snowboards.  They were well kitted out and chatted between themselves about their cameras and where the best camera location is for a boarder (on the board? on a leg? on an arm?).  Out of the blue one of them turned to me and kindly asked about my day AND the other admired my jacket AND noticed that my goggles band match the jacket!  How nice. (And that really is what it's all about: meeting nice - preferably young - men on a chair lift!)

The most amazing part of the day was locating the mini putting area that Cathy and I played in November.  Well, here it is with at least half of it under a whole lot of snow!

Pickle'n'Pepi

I had a fabulous visit with the grandpuppies (over on the East Side) this week. Oh, their parents were there also and we had a laid back few days just relaxing and catching up.

This is The Pickle:

And this is Pepi (in the 2nd position):

The Boys love their Granny (even if I do say so myself) and there was a lot of this:

Pickle retired early most nights:

Pepi is (mostly) Japanese Chin - a most cat-like dog:

It was really super to spend time with family. I love you guys.

Out the Window

The Northern Flicker has been round for a couple of days now, but as soon as I think about reaching for the camera he takes off.  Yesterday he was having quite the time with the suet hanging in the cages.

Mr and Mrs Cardinal have been around.  I quite like her subtle colouring:

A Bluejay action shot:

and others:

Quotes

While in Vail, we went to a wonderful Wine Maker Dinner at our hotel: The Sonnenalp.

The presentation of the meal was spectacular and it was all delicious. I am sorry that I did not take my camera.  We had 5 courses, not counting the amuse bouche.  The main course included Skippy Kangaroo ...

Anyway, the owner of the winery: Melville Winery spoke to us about the wine on offer: 1 sparkling, 2 whites and 3 reds that accompanied each course ....

1) They "grow wine rather than make wine"

2) "Wine is not to outshine the food"

The next day, we overheard a young ski instructor settling into the lunch table with his charges: "Here's the rule guys, don't throw out any food, bring it to me first."

Just listenin' and just sayin'.

Slightly Less Vertical

Just before going to Vail I got an iPhone and I absolutely LOVE it!

I got the SkiTracks app and here's what I skied on Wednesday here at Devil's Glen (of course there is snow ...)

The stats:  1 hour and 51 minutes of skiing - 15 runs -  4989' descent vertical (maybe one run in Vail?) - distance = 8.2 miles - max altitude 1732' (no headache).

The best part of the app is putting on the animation afterwards.  A small star goes s l o w l y up the lift and then very quickly down the run and then it goes s l o w l y up the lift and then ... - it's hilarious.

I also got a pedometer with a GPS but it doesn't send a cool photo of the track.

Never Say Never

My friend Wendy and I had a our Skype chat this morning (she's a snowbird in FLA) and for one reason or another we reflected on some memories of the 'good old days' and remembered that some people actually drove a car in their ski boots. Of course, they were somewhat more flexible than today but nevertheless we agreed that it was a silly and unsafe thing to do... We would never do such a thing ...

I got myself organized and drove down to the club.  I had rented skis in Vail so I just had to take down my ski boots and helmet and other bits and pieces. After putting on my gear I walked over to the ski locker ... and ... found it empty. Geez...

I had forgotten that with Himself we had skied at Blue Mountain and my skis were still up at home.

I turned heel and marched right back to the parking lot, with helmet on head and boots on feet.  I drove back up the club road with my ski boots on! It wasn't easy and I found that I with my rigid ankle I had to lift the whole leg up to change pedals. When I returned to the parking lot I took a new parking spot that did not require reversing.

Incredible.  I've never done that before.  Why today?

So, I carried on and seized the day.  Plate on the car beside me (second time around):

Parking Part II

In January I wrote about a wee parking issue that Himself and I had at the Royal York Subway Station parking lot: Parking Problems I

Well, we may not have parking machines in Duntroon, but they are in Collingwood.

They are marginally easier than the ones in Toronto and still require careful study with specs firmly in place (and *working on keeping blood pressure down).  Note the 4 steps clearly numbered:

The written instructions, however, do not relate to the numbers;

Before inserting the coins at Number 3, Number 1 on the machine is for selecting ones language of preference - *refer to keeping blood pressure down - (sorry about the reflection) - go back to Number 2 to confirm time and then take the ticket at Number 4 before putting it on the dashboard:

There was a small victory: the rate of 50¢ per hour somehow implies 50¢ as the minimum charge - not so, *cheer here ;).  I put in the first quarter and noticed that 30 minutes came up and that's all I needed for popping into the bank. Sorry Town of Collingwood.  I got what I paid for.

84,769 Vertical Feet

Cheryl, John and I had a great time in Vail, Colorado for 5 days of skiing.

I flew into Denver a day early and had a fabulous 24 hour visit with my friend, Esmée.  Neither of us took a breath!

Vail is a huge resort: Trail Map.  The snow conditions improved and our last day was magic ... the soft corduroy indescribably delicious!

Here's the gang preparing for us:

The on-mountain restaurants and facilities are excellent.  A greeter offers tissue:

The loos are pristine and very well equipped:

A personal favourite is 'The 10th' at Mid Vail where slippers are provided:

Hydration is the name of the game at 11,000 feet:

The lifts are efficient and the trails all link together using cat tracks:

John heads off for some off piste fun:

The village is all pedestrian friendly (heated walkways!) with lovely artwork and statuary:

And the locals very obliging:

It was a great holiday with excellent company, food, drink and of course, the skiing!

Got back to the Glen on Saturday night and woke up to 14" of snow on the deck .... What?

Leavin' on a Jet Plane ...

Not quite sure about the current John Denver obsession!

Off to Vail, Colorado to do some serious skiing on 'real' snow.

Pray for powder ...

Downton Abbey

Himself went back to Scotland last night so my lower lip is quivering just a wee bit.  The deck has not one snowflake on it.  I cannot even take a photo to show you, as it is simply too depressing.

So, before I assume my CB 'depressed stance,' I must think of something really excellent ...

Such as ...

Shirley MacLaine is joining the cast of "Downton Abbey" (Season 3) as the mother of the American born Lady Grantham.

Yes, yes, this is brilliant casting.

Not only will the U.S. audience be even more enthralled*, the dynamic between Maggie Smith, the Dowager Countess, and Shirley MacLaine will most certainly be nothing less than magic and no doubt somewhat electrical!!

In a previous post, Working Girls, I did not include Maggie Smith.  A serious oversight.  As we all know she is truly magnificent:

Dame Maggie Smith was born in 1934 and excels in any role she has been in.  A Google search takes a second or two to kick in as her career has been long and her accomplishments many.

Bring on Season 3 Downton Abbey! Starts in September in the UK ... you know where I will be on Sunday nights.

Reflection: I really enjoy this type of period drama.  Not only do I enjoy it, I become a part of it.  I mean I am really IN it.  One hour is not long enough.  I am really shocked to come back to the present day .... 

Let me explain: I had a fascinating psychic reading on the telephone the other day with Suzanne.  Luckily I taped the whole thing (23 minutes jam packed) and through my guide Suzanne shared extraordinary bits and pieces about me and several important things for me to think about. During the introduction, Suzanne noted that it has taken me a long time to 'come back.' Apparently, I was around in the late 1700's early 1800's and I find it difficult living today with such a different set of 'life' rules and sensibilites. Wow.  That can certainly explain some of my current intolerances ...

My Future: What I may do now is study hard and slowly become the Dowager Countess of Grantham.

*In the U.S. there are Downton Abbey groups/fanclubs who get together to watch each episode and the even dress in period costume. I'm moving ...