what i MEANT

i MEANT to go up to the mountain today and ski just a little because it's the official closing weekend nevermind next weekend's bonus days, but they won't be open during the week and i never do know if they will spin the number one chair, so saturday or not i went up to say my farewell to peggy dow's and my favorite lift op down at the bottom says as far as she knows they're not planning to spin the number one chair next week.

i MEANT to stay an hour or two or maybe three but it was stunningly beautiful and there was a little party kind of going on all day up in the tower if you count a half dozen people admiring the view a party and i sort of do, because usually it's pretty solitary up there.

i MEANT to go home early and have lunch and do my grocery shopping, but all of a sudden it was one in the afternoon and the pond skimming was starting.

bonus.

i had not realized that the pond skimming had been moved from last week on account of weather.

fantastic.

so i skied too long and then stood in my ski boots on the hill next to the pond to observe a ski country rite of spring at its finest.

i have some nice pictures for you of a pretty day on the mountain and some crazy pictures of the pond skimming, but i am too tired right now to process those and post them.

and yes, for those of you not living in a ski culture, in the spring at most ski areas they make a pond and yes, skiers come flying down the hill and attempt to skim across the pond, often in costume.

many of them go swimming and ski patrol are there to fish out the unlucky and also to hand out fluffy white towels.

the crowd whoops and hollers and even the people who come out soaked and covered in livid red bruises -which you can see, because some people's idea of "costume" is skis and a speedo- even THOSE people seem to be having a good time.

even the tiny little girl who went face first into the pond and came up sputtering and started to cry decided that the glory of the moment outweighed the discomfort and she stood with her arms above her head accepting the cheers of the crowd.