Spring skiing

So here I am on this fine Monday a little bleary-eyed and tired (and not at all from the two beers I drank yesterday — yeah, I totally drank two beers in one day and lived to tell about it.)

Phew, what a weekend.

Friday, our dear friends and next-door neighbors, Jenn and Davy, had a party to celebrate Davy's last day as a paperboy.

Davy took an early-morning paper route to make some extra cash, but soon he'll be working in his natural environment again — a brewery. He's a brewmeister (and a distiller, he works part-time in the local distillery here making sweet-ass vodka) which, according to Bill, makes him the best neighbor ever.
(Here they are waiting for the lift at the local ski hill yesterday.)

Davy and Jenn are the best neighbors ever and it is only marginally because Davy brews beer and makes an enchilada casserole bigger than any enchilada casserole has ever been made before (We dubbed the behemoth "the Davy pan.")

They are great people and we're very lucky they moved in next to us. (In the six years we've lived in our house, Davy, Jenn and 4-year-old Kate are the third family to live in that house — we're trying not to take it personal).
Kate and Mar are pretty good friends and love playing together. This is a shot I took of them getting ready for their ski lesson yesterday — Mar's in the lavender waving at the camera and Kate is in the fushia facing away.

I spent yesterday waiting at the bottom of the bunny hill alternately taking still photos and video of the girls skiing.

They are so little, yet they ride the lift and ski down with such confidence and nonchalance. One time Mar rode the lift all. by. herself. I nearly cried seeing her little skis hanging from her little 5-year-old legs all alone up there. But she smiled and waved, not worried at all.

She's close to not needed the "edgie-wedgie" which keeps the tips of her skis together, thereby helping her to snow plow. The instructor said she has great control over her skis and is advancing wonderfully. So Woo for Mar!

Bill spent the day trying to keep up with Sean, who's 15-year-old legs don't ever seem to tire.

I took that photo and the one of Jenn and Davy from the outside of the lift lines. I'm like some crazed, stage-mom, living vicariously through my kids. I wait at the bottom of the slope then shimmy along the edge of the lift line so I can get pictures of their faces.

The lift operator realized that I wasn't going to stop so he showed me a place where I could get better pictures.

Even though I decided to neither ski nor snowboard this year, I've really had a great time watching and drinking beers in the lodge (I know, me drinking beer!). Not once have I wished I was participating.

I think, however, that next year, I'll take up skiing again so I can ski with Mar. Bill can board (and fall on his ass) with Sean. It's a good plan.

Before I close for today, I must mention the pizza joint we visited on Saturday.

Bill, Mar, groovy-cool Markel and I drove the many miles (OK, it's probably like 10, but for here, it's a long way) to a new place in the town of Fruita. It's call Hot Tomato. ( Special K was in Denver for a trip with some students, which you can read about in her fab blog here.)

They have excellent stromboli and great sausage rolls.

The best part of the trip was the amazing spring weather we enjoyed while sitting outside.

Mar had a great time playing on the planter and we got to eat some really good food outside.

It rocked, fo' sho.'