...Ski Beech...

Hi Everyone,

...so sorry I fell off the internet for a couple of days...I had the best of intentions though...I thought that I'd post from our cabin in the North Carolina Highland woods...but apparently the internet does not reach there...at least not with any wireless connection that I could grasp...

...and then at the lodge where there (probably...I didn't actually check) was wireless...I didn't blog...because...well...skiing...

...so...what would have been 3 posts...is now only going to be one long one...

...we got checked into our cabin...which was nice and warm...as the wind was howling...and that reminded me of falling asleep to the sound of the wind in North Dakota...very pleasant memories...

...saw the slopes for the first time...we came around yet another mountain bend and...with that same sense of excitement and wonder with which we approached the ocean as children on a family vacation...when you can smell the salt air for miles and then all of the sudden you can see the ocean...

...and then climbed the mountain and entered the resort...

...and stepped out onto snow...I'm loving my vegan boots...so cozy and warm...I searched the blog for them...I got them for Christmas a couple of years ago...but apparently they didn't make it into a photo then...

...Scout gets his gear...remember he snowboards...

...the crowded lodge...

...some pretty snow covered trees...

...our first glimpse of the crowded slopes...we've had two solid weeks of 60-ish degree weather...so the resorts have been unable to make any snow...and then this weekend the temperatures aren't going to get out of the 20's all weekend and natural snow is in the forecast too...so they're taking full advantage of the colder weather...and the skiers have turned out in full force as well...

...the fine mist from the snow making machines coats everything with...well a fine mist...and in the below freezing temps it freezes on everything...sweaters...skis and poles all have a coating of frozen mist...

...so we got in the rather long queue for the lifts...in reality though we only waited for this short one for about 15 minutes...Scout said he waited an hour for the one to the top...

...I just love riding the lifts...it's one of my favorite things about skiing...this is the view forward...

...down...

...and back down the mountain...

...the misting snow making machines were set up all along the trails...and man...are they ever loud...

...down we go...

...snow making also makes for some pretty poor visibility...

...our passes were good until 10 PM...

...so Scout decided to take a break from boarding and go tubing...

...he said it was a lot of fun...the ride down was really fast...and the ride back up was really slow...and cold...

...they kept this fire going in the center of the lodge/shop area...nice for warming hands...

...time for some night skiing...visibility was even worse at night...

...and someone snapped this photo of me...I always find candid photos of myself funny...and here I've just come down the mountain...and I'm looking at something else with a sort of bewildered look...it's dark...but I've still got my goggles strapped to my helmet from the afternoon...see what I mean...funny...

...what do you think of candid photos that you find yourself in?

~Wishing you a lovely start to your week!