Now get out there.

I think its a matter of ski and let ski! Is it really about how much snow you get and what your mountains look like that makes us content skiers? I know that if I went around telling everyone how good it was where I am and how crappy it is where they are I would A~ not have many friends to ski or ride with and B~ I'm probably not happy where I am skiing and riding. Skiing for me and the people I spend time with doing it with do it because they love it no matter where they are. Whether its on skis, a board or a sled its all about that sensation of sliding on snow that I think we all can all relate to, is it not? Yeah were getting skunked right now here in VT but the snow will come and if it doesn't well that's just the way it goes. We had an awesome year for trail riding last year and well what do you know I managed to break my first bone and lost three months! three months! I still managed a good season despite my broken wing and explored the White mountains which are stunning in their own right, point is I made the best of it.  A comment on my blog comes to mind as well from a very northerly poetic person " Our mountains don't need us to defend them as they speak for themselves". So here's to where you are and where you might  find yourself in the future, because where ever you find yourself; its all good.


Now get out there.
 
On a lighter note I had a rare and wonderful conversation with my grandmother of 90 years!  She has good days and bad but today she could hear me loud and clear as she said " Were getting 5-6" of snow today I just might go sliding"  What was that? I said "Well you know when I was younger I loved to slide on snow".  All I can remember for the last 50 years of knowing my grandmother was that she hated the cold and complained of it constantly.  But here she was years later remembering the feeling of sliding on snow and well like I said old, young, ripper, weekend warrior, east or west we can all say that there is just something about the feeling of sliding on snow.  Now thats something I think we can all agree on.
 
Tristan

Sunshine

So I was thinking about little people as of late and it just so happens that for the last two days this sweet little ray of sunshine has been in the shop and shes' all smiles and giggles. How is it that this little tiny person does it? Sure I've heard her cry and scream but this Rose cheeked kid just has something about her that well other kids just don't. So as I approach my finer years I start to think; am I going to be able to show my child how to live life? Love seems to have a large capacity for margin and error and pull us through tough times but I think raising a child has more to do with the way we look at life. What do we value and covet in life? For every person one can expect very different answers but ideally I think it takes two very special people that can show and share with that young person what life truly means through unique experiences. Those young formative years that maybe we cant remember early in life are truly very important and have more to do with who we are or end up as than we may think. So as I write I cant help but smile as I look forward to meeting my little ray of sunshine someday soon. I look forward to showing that sunshine just how fun life can be and I think I have a pretty good idea of just how to do it!

A Fun Ride

Today I took a bike ride by myself; out Route 12, up Gould Hill and up to and around the ridge that North Street runs along. What a beautiful day for a bike ride. As I rode out to Gould Hill, another biker passed me, apparently too busy to say hello. Or maybe huffing and puffing too hard. Anyways, I passed this same rider again as he came zooming back down Gould Hill; his grimmacing face was hunched over his handlebars. Again he must have been too busy/huffing to say hello. I've never been one to care much about pace, speed, or milage. But some people take themselves very seriously.

As I rode up into the hills of central Vermont, I heard and saw and smelled so many wonderful things. The dandelions and other green leaves are popping up everywhere. Daffodils are blooming. Damp, heavy clouds hung in the valley headwalls and in the sags between summits. It looked like thunder and sunshine both at the same time. But the birds were singing, so I knew it wouldn't rain on me. I even heard the distinctive call of a red-winged blackbird; the arrival of these particular birds means that Spring is now truly here. The sweet, sappy, stinking smell of dank, thawing earth was on the wind. A light mist hung over the reservoir and over streams and open fields. My legs and lungs felt worked and my mind was cleared. And on my way back into town, I passed someone I knew heading out on a run; it was nice to see a familiar face and to say 'hello.' Again, what a beautiful day for a bike ride. I just wonder whether huffing/puffing/zooming man noticed any of these wonderful things.

Don't forget to have fun out there. Happy trails!

True happiness is

So I was thinking what exactly makes people happy? Is it all the same for everyone? Is there one single thing wer'e all looking for and when we finally find it, does it just make sense and we become complacent? Or is it completley personal and unique to everysingle person? I think to many times we doubt how and what we feel true happiness is. Is life really working to much?, suffer, get a college degree, suffer more, figure out how to make a lot of money? start a family? I'll be honest, I never ever thought of these things at a younger age. I guess you could say I was pretty naive? I hated school struggled my way through it and never really bought into what everyone else around me felt wich was get ready to grow up its gonna hurt! Yes I did go to a private college on a scholarship and yes I pissed it down the drain about six months later. But by then I was simply lost and tired of listening and following what everyone around me told me I " should" be doing with my life and blindly agreeing. All the while having no clue as what I really wanted to do. So where am I today? We'll alot has happened since I awkwardly graduated high school and dropped out of college. I would be the first to admit that life is trial and error. One cannot simply bat a thousand and be lead along through thier life. It took me awhile to figure out who I really was, and where I wanted to be. Who I wanted to share it with and how I felt life should really be lived. I now find myself with one extrodinary woman, a dog who has always know how to live life from the very beggining and a place here in the Green mountains that I share with a group of amazing people who I think share the same feelings about life I do. I know I love the mountains, people, good food, that life is not about how much money you make but how you earn it. If I look at my life right now I am by far the richest person I know. I live in the best little east coast ski town where I can boot my way up to Hubbard park and make turns after work. I ski everyday, ride my bike, walk to work, conspire at work with amazing people, sew christmas stockings; who knew? I know I like to walk long distances not knowing excactly where I'll end up. I happened to meet an amazing group of people along the way that I consider family and in one way or another I think about quite often and we all stay in touch. Point is life will never just tell you who you are but it sure will help you figure out who you can be as long you find yourself doing the driving, or in my case walking, skiing or riding. So heres to us, may we all have the confidence and courage to follow our feelings and aspirations. Sure life is tough but deep down we all know it should be full of happiness and love as well. I hope you all may find or have found that happiness. I know I have.

Tristan