Mt Hood in my Rearview Mirror

Feeling slightly glum, I rolled out of bed near 615am PT, my adopted Oregon rise time. The upside was that the sky was once again clear and that we'd get in another day of excellent skiing provided that Mindy felt well enough. Because it was Sunday, I skipped my sit-ups and push-ups just as I would back at home. I made coffee and surfed the internet all the while listening to some Kenny G from my iPod. Life is good! I got my run out of the way in a hurry feeling a little anxious about the day ahead. I was out the door before 730am. The temperature was warmer than Saturday and the sky still clear. Once again , Hood was out in all of her glory. Back at the condo I decided to wash all of the dirty dishes and start packing up the food for transport back to Glenn's. I woke Mindy when I headed up for a shower. It was 845am. Both Glenn & Mindy were up after my shower. I packed my suitcase before heading back downstairs. Packing-wise, I was ready to go. While Mindy showered, I made sandwiches for the three of us. Afterwards, I loaded all of the cold storage food into the cooler for travel. Because I was ready to go, I was pacing around while waiting for Mindy & Glenn to get to the same point. I decided to use my energy productively and started loading the Escape with what was ready to go. By 1015am we were ready to head out. Mindy felt much better, so we planned to ski Timberline until 3pm or so. The park closes at 4pm on Sunday's anyway. We turned in our condo keys and bought lift tickets. They warned that the parking lot was likely full and that we might want to consider taking the Fusion shuttle up. We didn't heed her warning and headed that direction in the Escape. We stopped at the village fuel station first to fill-up. Gas was $2.99 per gallon. The entrance to the ski park is right around the corner from the gas station. At the bottom of the hill were signs indicating a full lot. We drove back to the condo to inquire about the shuttle. They let us park our vehicle in their lot, and pointed out that the shuttle stop is directly out front of the office. Cool! It's$5 per person round trip - not bad. However, we'd learn later that the whole shuttle process is very disorganized. But even then, it's still a good deal. We were atop the mountain and on the slopes by 1115am. We knew what we wanted to do. Ski down to the Pucci lift then eventually make our way up Palmer. We did it twice top to bottom, skiing balls to the wall most of the way down. I was in the zone. But let me tell you, that really takes it out of you. After those two runs, Mindy wanted a break. We all agreed. Because I'd be driving back to Portland later, I didn't drink any alcohol. I think Glenn had a beer and Mindy a glass of wine. I had water and some chicken wings. During our break we caught the third period of the USA/ Canada hockey game. The USA tied it up in the waning seconds of regulation. The place went nuts. nearing 2:30pm, we headed out for our last go at it. We were gonna ski down Pucci to get to the Mile, but Glenn talked us into pegging up the hill leading away from the day lodge to the Magic Mile lift. We did it but it was grueling, especially given the brilliant sunshine and unusual warmth. We made it up the Mile and onto Palmer for one last hurrah. They were placing the 'lift closed' sign at the entrance just as we pegged up the snow covered wooden ramp. Just in the nick of time! We took our time skiing down Palmer. Mindy was running on empty. Somewhere along the line, we lost Glenn. I half expected him to be waiting strategically to be the lone skier to descend the run. But as it turned out, he was already down and waiting at the top of the Mile. Once he spotted us, he took off down that run. I knew what he was doing. He was hell bent on getting one last ride up the Mile just as we discussed. Mindy cited aching legs, and I wasn't too far behind. Not wanting to risk injury, we both decided to call it a ski trip. We had a ball and skied even more than we originally envisioned. We headed to the day lodge and the shuttle pick-up area still unaware of Glenn's whereabouts. We watched two shuttles come and go and still no Glenn. Mindy went looking but returned empty handed. We tried his cell - not turned on - of course! Glenn skied up just as the last shuttle was pulling up to pick us up. They loaded us is like sardines as we headed down the mountain towards Collins Lake resort. It was good to see our rental still there with all of our gear loaded and still in one piece. I was a tad worried. That's my nature. We took one last look around then headed towards Glenn's place. The drive didn't take nearly as long as I remember it taking, and that included a mile long bumper to bumper ride down route 26 into Sandy. We were back at Glenn's sometime after 6pm. During our drive back we caught several glimpses of Hood off in the distance. Breath taking! The weather in the city was awfully nice - spring-like. It was sunny and 60. All the fruit trees were in flower as were many spring bulbs such as the daffodil. It smelt like spring too! Glenn allowed me to park alongside his Honda keeping the rental off the street thus preventing a side swipe. That's all we needed! We unloaded all of our gear into Glenn's place. As we did, I commented that we'd be loading it back in less than 10 hours. Inside we quickly organized our luggage for home. That took about 30 minutes. Afterwards we settled on Vancouver Pizza for dinner. We tried to get Glenn to invite Judy, who sprung for all of our mountain munchies and drink. She bought all top-notch stuff too. Glenn didn't want to. We didn't push it, much the same way we reacted when he refused to invite Tom Shepherd. Mindy showered before we left for dinner. I simply freshened up. I knew I'd be showering early in the AM after my run. We stopped for gas on the way to Vancouver Pizza. We're supposed to return the car with a full tank (within ten miles). It took just a hair over 2 gallons. Great mileage! Onto Vancouver Pizza. We arrived around 730pm. I was already getting sleepy. Glenn ordered a beer. Mindy went with water. I went with Coke. We ordered some bread sticks and a large gourmet pizza - a Tchaikovsky. The bread sticks were essentially pizza crust with dipping sauce. The pizza was just OK - not that flavorful - bland really. The owner stopped out to mingle with the customers, which is a tactic that works for me. I was impressed. Glenn struck up a conversation and completed a survey form. We weren't there longer than a hour. Mindy picked up the check. Back at Glenn's Mindy readied for bed. Glenn and I stayed up and watched the DVD, The Day After Tomorrow. I worried about the time given that I needed to be up by 230am for a pre-departure run. I managed to see most of the movie although I dosed here and there throughout. I asked Glenn if he wanted us to wake him upon our early AM departure - 4am. Yes. I headed to bed.

Skiing Palmer

I was up at 615am. And like I'd done the past two mornings, I pulled back the drapes enough to reveal the weather. Much to my liking, it was clear with dappled sunlight bouncing off the mountain peaks. That added an extra bounce to my step as I headed downstairs for exercise and ultimately my run. Just like home, I started some coffee then completed my sit-ups. Next, I turned on the TV catching the morning news, something we never do at home. There I caught the weather forecast which was far better than what they predicted for us just the night before. instead of clouds and snow, we were expecting partly cloudy skies with periods of sunshine. Cool! I completed my push-ups then made a cup of coffee and took to the internet via Mindy's laptop. I wrote part of my Friday blog before heading out on a run. I was very excited about a run through the village of Government Camp in the early morning sunshine. Last second I grabbed my camera hoping for some good mountain shots. The clear skies left cooler than expected temps. There was a thin coating of black ice on the asphalt. I had to be extra careful for the run's duration. As hoped, the view of Hood was as clear as it could ever be. I had goose bumps while snapping the first few photos. It looks enormous from the village. Mindy & Glenn were up near 9am, both as happy as I to see the brilliant sunshine. We already knew that we'd be skiing Timberline again today. We were hoping to ski Palmer, the highest point on the mountain - some 8540' that's only opened on clear days with relatively calm winds. According to their webpage, today was one of those days. Aside from that, we were nearly certain that we'd be skiing for free since our Friday lift tickets were never validated. We headed up the road to Timberline at roughly 11am. As we neared the crest, we found cars parking along the roads edge, perhaps an indication that the parking lot was full. Uh-oh! Yep, it was. We circled two or three times, twice asking lot attendants where we might park. Both times the same response - an uncaring shoulder shrug. Not one of us thought that was customer friendly - until then, something totally uncharacteristic of Oregonians. On our third pass, we found a loophole parking slot (perhaps the very last) close to the groomers and parallel to the road down. The downside was that it left us one hell of a hike up to the day lodge, but given the alternatives that others behind us were facing (no parking), we were more than willing to accept our fate. We geared up Escape-side then started out trek up. I asked Glenn why we couldn't simply step up onto the Molly's run and ski down. We opted to try. As we climbed over the small bank of snow with relative ease, we found others doing the exact same thing. We all already had our lift tickets - why not? Worked perfectly! We skied down cutting across to the Pucci lift. The groomed trails were much nicer than the day prior, and at least for the time being, fast. Our goal from the outset was to ski Palmer. We road Pucci up then cut over to the Magic Mile lift. On our way up we could see that the Palmer lift was moving, something we hadn't anticipated. Instead, I expected to compete for the Snow Cat ride up (ten per run). Very cool! The mountain was out in all of her glory. The sunshine on our backs was very warm even though the air temp chilly. Atop the mile we skied over to the Palmer lift - our first time ever. You have to peg up a snow covered wooden ramp to get to the lift house, but it was worth it. Finally, we were riding up Palmer. Excited, I had Mindy phone Bob I. to tell him where we were. He answered but we quickly lost the signal. Try again later. Atop Palmer, the peak of the mountain looked as if one could reach out and touch it. We could see a few hardy hikers making their way to Hogs Back. The air was noticeably thinner making catching one's breath a bit of a challenge. We took a handful of photos then anxiously started our trek down. The run looked almost flat from the Mile and even from the lift. But the terrain was actually anything but flat. Instead, it was a wide, long stretch of soft moguls. The snow was absolutely incredible - loose powder but not too deep. We blasted down but stopped frequently for air. The altitude took some getting used to. It's a lot longer than it looks from below too. Finally down to Silcox Hut we kept going skiing down Magic Mile, which was groomed much smoother than Palmer. We flew down the Mile, an absolute treat! At the bottom of the Mile we decided to keep going all the way down the mountain to the Jeff Flood lift taking the Kruiser trail. And that my friends kicks some ass! I tore it up. As we neared the very bottom, the snow was getting gooshey - no doubt a product of the brilliant sunshine and warming temps. It was expected to approach 36 degrees. All three of us agreed to do the same run over again - Palmer, the Mile, and then Kruiser - nearly 4000' vertical feet and according to a few locals, somewhere between 3 and 4 miles long. This time, however, clouds moved in as we ascended Palmer. We couldn't see 50' in front of us after disembarking the lift. It made Glenn nauseous. We decided to wait for some clearing before skiing down. It didn't take that long to burn off enough to see. Plus, the lower we got down the mountain, the clearer it got. The cloud cover was high and thin. By the time we made it to the top of the Mile it was clear sailing again. Once again, we skied it with reckless abandon all the way to the foot of Jeff Flood. By then the snow was really getting soft. We decided to take a break. In the lodge, we managed to find a table. We ordered a pitcher of beer and a plate of nachos. Our break lasted just over an hour, best guess. We headed down Pucci and back to the Mile. Palmer was closed - still socked in under cloud cover. We skied the Mile twice in a hurry just beating the lift-closed sign on our second ride up. We skied to the bottom of Flood one more time - very soft down there. Felt like a pencil eraser on the bottom of my skis. We moved from the Mile to Molly's for a couple invigorating black diamond runs. We begged off for our second break afterwards - our legs now weary. We found a table easily this time. Lots of people/families leave the mountain after 3pm. The skies cleared again leaving just scattered colorful clouds. As the evening set in, the mountain was as picturesque as ever. I took a number of photos from the lodge bar's elevated deck. Included in those photos were a few of the full moon rising in the east - awesome! We befriended a table of youngsters immediately south of us. One of the girls was a nurse, the other I can't readily recall. They were all four snow boarders. One of the guys was from Germany. After finishing our second pitcher of beer for the day, we headed to the gift shop to buy the kids souvenirs. We bought a couple t-shirts, some stickers, pins, pictures, and a bottle of Advil. We headed back out for night skiing but under the light of a full moon. The mountain was again visible, but lit up only by moon light. Very lovely! Before heading down the first run, we skied over to our car and dropped the souvenirs. After one or two runs, Mindy declared herself unfit for more skiing. Glenn and I skied on. Only later did we learn that Mindy headed off to the mountain's first aid building citing a racing pulse, escalating blood pressure and blurred vision. She immediately removed the Transderm motion sickness patch she'd been wearing for three days. Among other things, they recommended no air travel for at least 24 hours. We decided it was time to head home (back to our condo). Our slope-side parking spot again served us well. We were back at the condo in no time. Given Mindy's medical scare, I quickly scoured Southwest's website for help moving our flight home heeding the mountain nurse's recommendation. Actually, it was easy. Just like that, we'd be flying home early Monday morning in lieu of Sunday afternoon. Mindy was still a little off her mark. Because of that, she headed to an early bed. Glenn and I stayed up watching some Olympic coverage then the DVD, Inglorious Basterds. I fell asleep for a few winks throughout the movie but managed to see the end. I woke on the sofa around 1am.

Snow Blind at Timberline

I got up somewhere near 615am PT. Noted first was the rain pounding against the condo’s windows. That couldn’t be a good thing. I got out of bed without disturbing Mindy and headed downstairs to start coffee, exercise, and then my run. I tuned the TV to channel 8, Portland’s NBC affiliate. The weather forecast called for rain all day long on the lower mountain but snow above 6000’, about the elevation of the Timberline lodge. The Timberline website confirmed that the heavy rain below was heavy snow there. They were predicting as much as 11” up top. Aside from a challenging drive up, that sounded good to my ears. I finished my exercises and enjoyed coffee. I started my Thursday blog too. I delivered Mindy’s coffee then headed out for a very wet run around 745am. I didn’t mind the rain. I ran a little further than I did on Thursday, although at the outset I found it difficult to catch my breath, no doubt a product of the higher elevation (4000’) and an uphill ascent. The condo was quiet upon my return and stayed that way until 10am or so. I was surprised that Glenn & Mindy slept so late. I felt terrific, by the way, after 10 hours of sleep the night before and very little alcohol consumption on the ski slopes before. Mindy & Glenn both were bummed seeing the heavy rain outside. I reassured them that it was snowing on the slopes. We confirmed our plans to ski Timberline. I offered to make everyone’s breakfast – egg Mcmuffins. It didn’t take long to make them - sausage, egg and cheese on an English muffin. After breakfast everyone showered. There’s no doubt, all three of us were moving at a more leisurely pace than the previous two days. We didn’t head out for the mountain until almost noon. My only concern was whether or not we’d hit inclement weather on the winding 6 mile road up and have to stop and chain up. We stopped in the condo’s office to buy lift tickets -$40. Cool! The first 3 or 4 miles was all rain, but it started snowing from that point forward, although very passable until the last half mile or so. As Glenn likes to point out, it’s important to maintain your momentum. As luck would have it, we were slowed by a sedan moving with overt caution effectively killing any momentum we had. As we crept to the crest, the Timberline parking lot was in total white out. Just in front of the slow moving vehicle immediately in front of us was a tour bus. It had chains on but was moving super slow too. Geesh! I was very nervous. My saving grace was that we were finally there. We found a parking spot unusually close where we geared up in a heavy snow. For Mindy & I, this was our first time skiing Timberline with our own gear. And because we already had our lift tickets, we could go directly from the car to the slopes. Very cool! Finding ourselves in heavy snow atop Hood isn’t a rare event. It’s happened to me more often than not actually, but this afternoon’s conditions might’ve been the most difficult ever. You could see just tens of feet in front of your face and then the vague silhouette of the tall timbers lining the lower mountain trails. Scary! On top of that, the snow was incredibly thick, wet, and untraveled, certainly not the most ideal ski conditions. We skied it anyway. There’s something mystical about Timberline for both Mindy & I. The terrain is beautiful – hard to match anywhere. As we ascended the Pucci lift through the snow covered pines I shared how good it felt to be there. I probably visit the Timberline website 200 days out of the 365 each year. It feels like a second home. We headed up Stormin’ Norman next. The ride up was fast but in total white out conditions. As exited the lift even Glenn was hesitant about skiing the run. I wanted to badly but as I started down it was like skiing in milk. I thought better of it and pegged back up the initial hump. We headed back to Pucci. We took two or three runs down the mountain, and once down Jeff Flood. Like I’ve never experienced before, the snow was ridiculously grabby almost stopping me in my tracks. I’d liken it to mud. Mindy fell a couple of times due to the snow conditions – nothing too hard. We decided to take a break at our favorite ski lodge bar. In the bar we ordered a pitcher of their Hogsback Oatmeal Stout for Glenn & I. Mindy ordered a cabernet. For lunch, I ordered their hot wings while Mindy ordered a salad. Glenn refrained from food. While eating/drinking we met a couple just in town from San Diego, although he grew up in Washington. His wife and 10 month old child had never seen snow before. I was surprised they drove up given the treacherous conditions. They weren’t skiing, just site seeing. The Timberline Lodge is a national historic landmark – a treasure to be sure. Mindy gushed over their young boy, who had just started walking last week. The father shared that he had chains in the car but wasn’t sure if they’d fit since they were hand- me- downs from his boss back in San Diego. Yikes! Glenn ran into an old ski club buddy from 20 years past. They chatted briefly. Mindy found herself still hungry and ordered a hummus plate. Like most of the food on the mountian, it was top notch, certainly better than the lodge food at MRM, although I’m not intending to slam our local ski resort back home. We headed back out for more skiing. If anything, the snow was wetter on our second run, and the skiability of the all the runs only worsened. What was a lot of fun was the slalom course set up on Main Pucci Run. We skied it two or three times. It was snowing so hard that each time we boarded a lift we had to sweep an inch of snow from beneath or asses. An hour into our second run, my gloves were soaked through and through, and my ass was wet too. Surprisingly, though, I wasn’t cold. We skied a few black runs. Mindy fell a lot, not due to the slopes complexity, but rather the thick grabby snow. She’s never skied in conditions like these – ever. I shared that you need to almost hop out of each turn and into the next with total conviction. Easier said than done, however. After another 30 minutes of nearly impossible ski conditions, Mindy declared herself through. At one point along the cruise down we could see the road down the mountain. It was becoming snowed over fast. I was worried about the need to chain up. Glenn and I were satisfied with the skiing we’d done and agreed to call it a day. And honestly, as much as I wanted to keep skiing, there was little point in continuing. The conditions were anything but favorable. To get to the lodge, we had to ride up Molly’s then down again and make our way to the Pucci lift. It was difficult to see the lodge just in front of us. The one benefit of the heavy snow was that we were able to ski all the way to the car – a first for me. I was very nervous about the possibility of having to chain up. The snow in the lot was deep and I’d have to read the instructions then crawl on the ground to put ‘em on. The thought terrified me. I was hopeful we could manage our way down without them, although I wasn’t willing to risk our lives. After 15 minutes of removing our gear and clearing the snow off the Escape, we were ready to descend the mountain. I couldn’t see anything but white in front of me – OK maybe the orange poles sticking up from the walls of snow, but I had no idea how to navigate out of the lot to the road down. I curtly asked Glenn over and over for help. His directions didn’t suit me so I continued to ask. He became incensed/irritated with my repeated request. I was panicked – couldn’t see dick! Finally, we found the path. The temperature was 31 degrees, and the road snow covered. I proceeded slowly, cautiously. I seemed to have the control one would expect. We hadn’t gone a mile before the snow gave way to wet & rainy pavement. Thank God! It seemed the worst was behind us. The further down the mountain we went the better the road became. We arrived back at the condo around 6pm. I threw all of my wet ski gear into the condo’s dryer then turned on the garage heater to warm the car as well as our skis that we hung on the provided racks – again very nice accommodations. If we were correct, our lift tickets would get us on the mountain again Saturday since they were never ‘validated’ by staff. If so, what a savings that would be. And given the crazy conditions, none of us would feel like we were cheating. We hung at the condo only long enough to change into our hot tub attire. We were determined to make it to the pool/hot tub at least once. We walked. It was just across the way. We were the only ones in the tub. I brought a beer in plastic tumbler and a flask of lemon nip (thanks Scott). Mindy loves the lemon nip. We tubbed for about an hour or until we were pruned beyond recognition. J Feeling lively and fun, we agreed to head back to the condo, changed into street clothes, then head out into the village for some night life and food – Charlie’s first. Charlie’s is an oldtime ski pub with a limited barside menu. As one might expect, the décor is mostly old ski gear, complete with old skis, posters, and even some really old lift chairs. I enjoyed the décor as much as the diverse crowd. We sat along a large sofa just off the right of the stage, where a blues musician started playing his steel guitar. With plenty of room still available on our sofa, we made room for three ladies out on the town without their men. Mindy struck up a lengthy conversation with them. I joined in too, Glenn only passively. While enjoying some beer and wings we watched the Olympics in the background. We had a nice time. We headed back to our condo just before 10pm.Boy, aren’t we the party animals! Mindy was quick to head off to bed. Glenn and I stayed up and put in the DVD, Bolt. I poured another beer and popped some popcorn, just like at home. After woofing down the corn, I started to drift. I allowed it. I woke to an empty downstairs at midnight.

The Princess has no Pants

I slept really well on the soft pillow-top mattress in the master suite. But come 530am PT I was awake and pawing at Mindy. It must’ve been between 615-630am when I popped out of bed for good then grabbed the pile of running clothes I had strategically placed by the door for an easy, non-disturbing exit. I prepped a pot of coffee, did some sit-ups, and turned on the TV over the fireplace. As daylight set in, I could see that it was snowing moderately. After push-ups I pulled out Mindy’s laptop then attached to the condo’s wireless network. I was particularly eager to review the Mt. Hood snow report. I was surprised to learn that we’re expecting up to 30” of new snow on the mountain through Friday night. Cool! I delivered Mindy some coffee, her request, around 7am. Then, after giving the Yahoo headlines a cursory review I did some writing in my blog. I drank two cups of coffee before stretching and dressing for a run. I left the condo with Glenn and Mindy still asleep. I ran east and slightly uphill towards the entrance to Timberline. There was about 2” inches of slushy snow on the road. The Village of Government Camp snow plows were already busy clearing the parking lots, cul-de-sacs, as well as the one main road in the village. All totaled, it looked like about 8 inches fell overnight. I didn’t push my distance beyond about 3 miles knowing that I’d be getting a really good work out on the slopes throughout the day. It was 815am when I got back to the condo. I walked over to the pool/hot tub. Doesn’t open until 9am. Mindy got up soon after I was settled back inside the condo. She immediately offered to start making breakfast – bacon, eggs, and toast. Glenn rose about a half hour later, or about the same time our breakfast was ready. We reviewed the day’s plans over breakfast, agreeing to ski Mt Hood Meadows. Meadows offers skiing from 9am-10pm on Thursdays and arguably has the best and most varied terrain. We’ll most likely ski Timberline on Friday. After showers we were ready to hit the slopes. Unlike Timberline and SkiBowl, which are essentially adjacent to the Village of Government Camp, Meadows is a 9 miles drive up the road. We didn’t care. As we exited Collins Lake we stopped at the office to inquire about discount lift tickets. We knew from last evening’s arrival, we’d most likely have to listen to a brief sales pitch for their new Grand Lodge before be able to receive the discounted tickets. Mindy went in to check it out anyhow. She returned with a snow park parking pass only. Said we’d have to do the quick sales pitch but that they insisted it would take only a minute or two. Why not? We drove next door to the office to meet Valerie. Valerie was brief and to the point. She verified our names and current lodging accommodations then measured our interest in touring the Grand Lodge. Maybe later. She understood our eagerness to ski and quickly processed our request for Meadows ski passes. We got them for $49 each – an $8 savings over their mid-week rate, but she emphasized that the price remains the same even on weekends when the standard rate jumps to $74. Nice! We headed towards Meadows curving our way around the mountain. I wondered if we’d encounter chain restrictions. It was snowing at a pretty good clip, but for the time being anyway, the plows were doing a great job staying on top of it. We arrived at the Meadows ski park after a brief 15 minute drive. No sooner had we parked and started gearing up did Mindy announce that she forgot her ski pants. Glenn unsuccessfully tried talking her into skiing in her long johns and spandex ski tights. I knew better, especially on a snowy day – maybe on a sunny day. I’ll admit it now. I was PISSED! We’d had to drive back down the mountain and back to our condo. We dropped Glenn at the resorts entrance so he could ski. We drove off. The road conditions were worsening by the minute. I was betting we’d have to chain up somewhere along the line, but happily we didn’t. The drive back went OK as we went in and out of snow squalls. After a 30 minute ordeal, we were finally back at Meadows. Glenn was waiting at the lodge entrance. Said he just decided to wait for us. We were already geared up. We went right for the Mt Hood Express lift and up the mountain. I can’t accurately recall whether the mountain revealed itself on our initial run or if it was the second, but either way, the peak of Hood magically reveled herself shortly after our arrival. Despite a forecast for all- day snow, the skies turned blue and remained that way all day. The slopes received at least 8” of fresh now prior to the noon time clearing so the going was a little difficult, especially on the lower mountain. As I hoped they might, they opened Vista, the Meadows lift that equals the Magic Mile at Timberline. We headed up. Absolutely gorgeous – breath taking – incredible – heaven on earth. The run descending to the west takes you around the rim of a valley overlooking Timberline and the entire Cascade range. We were in awe. The skiing was awesome, too. The snow at that level was more piste-like making the cruise fast and curvy. I loved it! We took that long, lovely run three times before declaring it break time. Unless I’m mistaken, we took no black runs prior to our break. Most looked a little too rough to my eye. The recent heavy snow left most of the black runs with moguls galore – a Meadows trademark. Inside we found a table looking up the mountain where we could see the mountain’s peak. We ordered a pitcher of Ice Axe IPA. The food offerings here at Meadows are top notch, and so are their prices. A burger, for instance, is $11.50. I went with their Cuban and some chicken tortilla soup. Mindy had a burger and soup. Glenn, waffle fries. We must’ve spent a good hour breaking. At the table next to us was a group of mostly male seniors yucking it up. One guy in particular must’ve viewed himself as the alpha dog. He was loud and in every conversation. Somehow, he managed to fold the terms roadkill and Ebola into nearly every conversation. It was somewhat annoying but also funny. As we geared up for another run at the mountain I raised my glass and shouted Ebola!- much to the liking of our neighbors. Our second run wasn’t as long as the first. We skied a few black runs this time too. Mindy & I both took a tumble on a short, but heavily moguled black run. While helping Mindy gather her skis, I spotted what looked like a black wallet come sliding by, apparently dropped by another skier coming down the same run. Kind of funny. I snatched it up learning that it was a digital camera once we were back at the lift. That tumble tapped most of Mindy’s reserves. After another run she declared herself done for the day. In the same breath, however, she insisted that Glenn & I ski more. We did. We skied several more runs before heading in for some water. I was dehydrated. I drank only water this time. I almost fell asleep in the comfy leather chair. After another 30 minute break, Glenn and I headed out for a few more runs - three to be exact – a blue and two blacks. I skied without another tumble but skied both black runs ultra conservatively. My legs were gone and the ankle rub in my left boot was killing me. Glenn and I headed back to the lodge. Glenn went for his stowed back pack while I phoned Mindy asking her to meet me at the ski rack where her gear was stowed. After meeting Mindy, I went for the vehicle while she and Glenn waited. The lot now nearly empty, was iced over. I had to be careful navigating in my ski boots. Even though near empty, I still had trouble locating the vehicle thinking it closer than it was. I walked back and forth looking for it, and at least at one point worrying it stolen. It wasn’t. I finally hit the unlock button and noticed a white vehicle far away chirping its lights in unison. It was ours! I quickly debooted then drove to the lodge’s entry to fetch both Glenn and Mindy, who by then were starting to make their way towards me. We were back at the condo at 7pm. It seemed so much later – no doubt a product of the time zone shift. We had talked about hot tubbing but everyone got overly comfortable, including Mindy in her PJs and Glenn rushing off for a quick nap after citing dizziness from witnessing our winding drive home from the back seat. I started reading, but eventually dosed off after practically chugging a cold can of 7-Up. I was craving that ice cold soda. I slept until 9pm. Mindy headed to bed shortly after I woke and made myself a turkey and cheese sandwich. I dosed again while reading. I was brutally tired. Waking again around 1030pm, I moved to the sofa and slept there until 1am. I shut down the gas fireplace and headed up to bed.

Council Crest, Multnomah Falls, Horse Feathers brew pub, tire chains, and Ski Bowl

I woke Wednesday morning around 730am PT (you can take Jimmy out of the ET zone but you can't take his body clock away). I exercised and made coffee. I also fiddled with Glenn's TV for several minutes hoping to catch the news/weather for the mountain. It hadn't dawned on me that Glenn's didn't have a digital converter attached to his cableless TV. There was no hope of over the air TV. I eventually figured out how to log on his MAC as a guest and checked the mountian weather via the net. I was a little worried that our rented SUV was only a two-wheel drive. It didn't come with tire chains either, which often are a necessity up on the mountain. Oh Boy! The forecast called for up to 7" of new snow, but most of it up around Timberline Lodge - not down at Government Camp. I was still a little concerned. I left for my run down to and along the Columbia River. It was a nice run under very mild spring-like conditions. The temp hovered near 50 degrees in the city. Flowers and trees abloom everywhere. It was raining lightly but I didn't let that dampen my spirits. In fact, I enjoyed it. Mindy was up when I got back to Glenn's place. I was anxious to get our big day underway. Glenn will never be considered an early riser. I'm thinking he wasn't up until 9am or so. Everyone showered by 10am, Mindy first. While Glenn showered I loaded the rental, a Ford Escape, with all of our ski gear and suitcases. We were taking everything we flew in with along with Glenn's stuff. We had quite a bit of food & drink going along too. I was worried about having enough room but we managed. Glenn was pretty adamant about stopping for some tire chains, sharing how costly and unsafe it can be if they're required and you don't have 'em. We headed out of town towards Council Crest located just above downtown Portland. It's a quick drive from Glenn's place. To get up there you drive up through a posh mountainside village with beautiful homes and lush, moss covered gardens. Just as Mindy predicted, the sun busted out a few times as we arrived at the park. We took in the sights, snapped some photos, and briefly reflected on our marriage vows three years ago yesterday. We didn't stay long. Next stop, Multnomah Falls. Actually, we made a brief pit stop at Glenn's bank so he could make a car payment. Said he doesn't trust online banking. The drive through the gorge was as lovely as ever. We must've seen three or four rainbows as we weaved in and out of themany low hanging cloud bursts and sunshine. Multnomah was her usual beautiful self. But just like Council Crest, we didn't stay too long. Almost on queue we found ourselves in a cloud burst of rain. We hit the restroom, snapped some photos, then bolted back to the Escape. Next stop, Hood River. We wound our way through the gorge towards Hood River. During our drive, I decided that it made sense to try and pick up some tire chains. I was hopeful that we could find a tire chain retailer in Hood River. Glenn shared that Les Schwabb, a regional tire retailer, has a full refund policy if they remain unused - sorta like having an insurance policy. I spotted a Wal-Mart as we entered town. Thought we might stop after lunch. And speaking of lunch, we had to decide where to eat. I shared that there were three brepubs in Hood River, at least according to my internet research. We'd eaten at Full Sail brewery the last time out. I was eager to try another. I couldn't remember the names. We ended up at Horse Feathers brew pub that sits high up on the Oregon side of the gorge overlooking the Columbia River. The windowside table provided a breathtaking view of the river and downtown. We were their only customers for a short while. Cynthia, our server, was very kind. She helped us pick out souveneir t-shirts and a pint glass. When asked, she shared that a Les Scwabb tire center was just down the road past the Wal-mart. Also echoed the return policy that Glenn remembered. Mindy & I shared a reuben quesadilla, and all three of us had a cup of clam chowder that was to-die-for delicious. This will come as no surprise; I drank their IPA. Glenn and Mindy enjoyed the Porter. All of it good. We left happy! We found the Les Scwabb easily. A kid outfitting a car with tires when I walked up was quick to assist. Very friendly, very helpful. I got a lump in my throat when he shared that the chains were $100. He reiterated their return policy. He insisted on running them out to our waiting car. He did it with an unusual amount of enthusiasm. I shared his eagerness to help with Mindy, who was waiting in the car. Glenn shared that all Les Scwabb employees go through Disney-type training and tout customer service as their number one priority. I could tell. Worth mentioning is the gift they give customers who buy a set of new tires - steaks! Onto Mt Hood and our condo. It was just before 3pm, and given that our condo check-in time was 4pm, we were right on schedule. It remained warm and green on the backside of Mt Hood. However, about 15 miles from Mt Hood the temperature started dropping like a rock. It went from a balmy 48 degrees to 34 in no more than ten minuntes. We pulled into Government Camp at 345pm. I was surprised to see relatively little snow in the village. There have been times when the snow's piled over the roof tops. We pulled into the Collins Lake condos only to find a note on the door indicating that the manager left to run a brief errand. Undaunted, we headed to the Mt Hood brewpub essentailly next door t oenjoy a quick beer. It started to rain pretty hard, although the rain was said to be pure snow up at Timberline. The only problem with that was that we planned to ski Ski Bowl tonight, which is just across the street from our condo and low on the mountain. In other words, rain! We met Anna at the Mt Hood Brewing Company. She was a cute 25 year old server. We WERE the only customers in the place. Naturally, she was very attentive. She made Mindy an ice cream float with their Stout. Mindy couldn't finish her beer, and even took a brief nap by their fireplace - a familiar spot for all of us. :) We headed back to Collins Lake condos at 430pm. Check-in went without a hitch. The kid checking us in said we were the 2nd group to check-in from Columbus, Ohio. The other couple was from Upper Arlington - last name Spence. Our condo was everthing we hoped and even more. What was especailly nice was the private lower-level heated two-car garage affording us the opportunity to pull inside to unload our gear in comfort. The private garage also has a ski work bench complete with racks and tools. Nice! The condo itself is finely appointed wiht everything we'd need - 3 bd rms - 2.5 baths - 3 flat panel TVs - iPod dock, BluRay player, etc. Very nice! The pool and hot tub are located just across the private drive from our condo. It was still raining. We all decided to rest before heading off to ski. Glad we did. All off us did some reading. By 5:30pm the rain changed to heavy snow. I pointed that fact out to both Mindy and Glenn. That's all we needed to see to get motivated for skiing. We geared up and headed just across the street to Ski Bowl West. It was snowing harder than I think I've ever seen. We could hardly see - literally. The lower levels of the mountain were slushy and lacking the amount of snow one would typically want/expect. It was deeper and dryer as we ascended the mountain. We were completely reliant on Glenn guiding us up and down the mountain. We were a little creeped out by the aging double ski lift with no bars and no meaningful side rails. yikes! Not only that, the seats were covered in 2-3" of fresh snow. We essentially had the The ski park all to ourselves. Glenn lead us up two lifts to the top of the mountain - about a mile or two up. We took a green trail down winding through a gorgeous pine forest in an absolute blizzard of heavy wet snow. We looked like snowmen getting off the lift - literally. We had to keep Glenn in check. It was now clear how Mindy & I ended up on a difficult black run on Mt Hood Meadows two years ago. It almost happened again. Glenn said he hadn't skied SkiBowl since 1993. The skiing ws slow and challenging, our skis buried deep in the thick wet snow. Despite the difficult conditions, we had fun. It was a winter wonderland like no other. After a couple of runs, we took a break in the Bier Stube lodge. I was hungry. However, because of the low patronage, the food staff was reportedly done for the day. The bartender saved the day, offering that that they still had chilli and chicken noodle soup available. My stomach barking for food, I opted for the chili. It was goooood! Mindy went with the soup. Glenn and I shared a pitcher of Broken Halo IPA. Mmm, good! We watched Olympic downhill skiing, where the conditiosn looked similar to ours. Lindsey Vonn wrecked into the snow fence in the hard to see conditions. Ouch! Meanwhile, Mindy said she was done - tired, damp and cold. Glenn and I finished our pitcher then headed back out. It was again snowing like the dickens. My gear was wetter than its ever been. We headed up the same two lifts we took initially, all the way back to the top of the mountain. The snow stopped for a while making the trip down a litle faster than earlier, but still a challenge given the depth of fresh stuff easily covering our ski boots. I called Mindy at the mountain's base. She settled our tab then met us outside at the ski rack. We loaded into the Escape and then headed back to the condo. It was closing in on 10pm. Mindy was quick into her PJs. Glenn and I made Jack & Cokes and then watched the DVD, Step-Brothers. I fell asleep mid-way through the movie.

3 Years of Marital Bliss .. what else would I say? Oh, yeah ... We're Off!

I drifted off to sleep rather easily not to wake again until almost 230am. I felt wide awake but knew better than to profess my night's sleep over. I laid there for about ten minutes before making the decision to get up and head downstairs. I pee'd, blew my nose, and gulped some much needed water. I sat down in front of my PC for a couple minutes only to realize there wasn't anything productive I wanted to do at that hour.

I decided to move to the TV instead. I scrolled through the guide looking for something interesting to watch. I settled on a National Geographic Channel program investigating the smuggling of Nigerian children that were eventually offered up as human sacrifices in London. Focusing on the TV brought back the sleepies in a hurry, but the disturbing program I was watching was hard to put down.

I eventually drifted off to sleep on the sofa. I woke an hour or so later and turned off the TV but left the audio running through the stereo. It was quite annoying but I couldn't muster the immediate energy to rise again to turn it off. I covered up with the purple throw and went back to sleep. I woke again near 530am, my usual work wake time. It felt good to realize I didn't have to be up. Good thing too. I was ridiculously tired.

I woke again at 625am to the sound of Mindy waking up coming downstairs and pouring some coffee. I was a little worried that she might sleep through her rise time after getting accustomed to me waking her. I allowed myself to sleep yet again. I woke for good somewhere near 710am. I hurried upstairs to brush my teeth after waking with horrible cotton mouth. Mindy was just blow drying her hair. I was still way out it, waking after a bad dream. The dream included Shawn and brother Tommy both making evil advances on my otherwise tranquil life. Weird!

I coffee'd with Mindy and the kids who were both up readying for school. I joked around with Jacob a little before he headed back to his room to play. Mindy and I exchanged happy anniversary's a couple of times. Mindy hugged and kissed both kids numerous times - one for each day we'll be gone. The both handled it well. Mindy left just after 730am.

I exercised, drank coffee and played on the PC until it was time to take the kids to the bus stop. We headed out at 755am. Bella seemed kind of needy. She and i made snow balls as we walked towards Jacob. He was making them too. I told Bella to watch close. I showed her how to guarantee an easy target. First, make two snow balls. Then, toss the first high and arching towards the target (Jacob). Then, when he glances skyward nail him with the other with a more direct toss. It worked perfectly. Bella giggled. Jacob giggled too, and started after me with his snow ball. I let him hit me with two or three. He got me on the arse one time pretty good. It stung!

We played until the bus pulled up. I tried to hug Jacob, but he wanted nothing to do with affection in front of others. Bella, on the other hand, wanted/needed some extra hugs and kisses. Very cute! Jacob wouldn't even make eye contact as the bus zoomed off. I understand. I was like that too.

Chrissy and I talked for a couple of minutes mostly about kids before heading back home. I poured more coffee and wrote my Monday blog before giving way to my run. After dressing in my base layers, I did my stretch routine. I left for my run by 930am.

It was drizzly and 31 degrees. There was a lot of dangerous black ice lurking on the roads and walks. Footing was at a premium. I was careful and on the lookout constantly. My vigilance paid off. No slips, trips or falls. I was back at home some time just after 10am. Before heading in, I grabbed the snow shovel tucked neatly behind a large bush and proceeded to knock the heavy snow cover off the shrubs in the front flower beds. They've been crushed under the weight of snow since Feb 5th's snow storm. Knocking the snow away allowed them to spring back into shape with relative ease. I was careful not to damage any of the greenery. Before heading back inside, I threw down a little salt on the walk to rid it of the nuisance ice.

Inside, I read Glenn's blog then sent him an email asking him if he had a blow dryer saving Mindy the trouble of toting one along. He responded quickly that he did. I relaxed only briefly before getting a shower. I wanted to run a couple errands before noon. After a quick shower I finished off my last minute packing then readied for a trip to Kroger and Target. I wasn't real excited about driving the BM'er in the sloppy weather. Not only was it wet, but it was slippery, too.

Taking the weather into account, I hesitantly decided to visit the W. Broad St. Kroger & Target. They're within the same shopping plaza. I stopped at Kroger first making sure to park far enough away from problematic looking cars but not too far out making my car a target. The clientele in that Kroger are quite a contrast to those in the Hilliard location. Yikes! I avoided eye contact with most folks. I was happy to find some lovely roses to have waiting for Mindy when she gets home from school.

Next stop, Target. I used the same parking philosophy at Target. Inside, the store was almost empty. Kind of creepy. It occurred to me that I haven't done much shopping at all since Xmas time. I was in search of luggage tags and greeting cards. I took my time perusing greeting cards looking for both the anniversary and birthday variety. I found some jelly-like luggage tags too. They were more expensive than I really wanted to pay, but hey. Homeward.

Once home, I went ahead and arranged the peach-colored roses in a vase. I even added food coloring to make the water orange. They look awesome! next, I printed off an anniversary letter for Mindy using a wedding photo as a watermark. It turned out perfectly. I scribbled a note in her card, too.

I pulled up my pack list one more time to ensure I had everything I wanted/needed. I had everything packed except for a few DVD movies. I decided to pack four in a CD magazine. I think we're good. It was 115pm. I was at a crossroad. Should I nap, write, or play? I decided to write the day's blog entry up through ... NOW! ...

After a long evening of air travel, we made it into Portland/Vancouver a tad early and arrived at Glenn's place by 1115pm PT. Glenn, Mindy and I enjoyed a couple of beers while catching up. Mindy headed to bed first.

Don't Waste a Vacation Day

It was close enough to 530am to be considered "up as normal". Despite it being a Monday I didn't have the same blue feelings typically associated with the beginning of a work week. Probably not a fair comparison, however, given that this would be the first and last day of my work week. What's more, I actually had the day scheduled off, but decided to keep it in my back pocket for later. After all, our flight doesn't leave for another day. I started my exercise routine and completed it by 550am. Per the usual, I enjoyed a steaming hot cup of coffee while perusing the internet. Even though it was a few minutes earlier than normal, come 605am I decided to wake Mindy. Downstairs I skipped more internet time in favor of a longer, more fulfilling meditation and stretching period. Both were successful. While laying on the floor stretching, I could hear moderate rainfall beating against the skylights above. That's a sound I haven't heard for weeks on end, another benefit of a cold winter. I was ready for my run even before 635am. It was still raining, but not as heavily as it was while I was stretching. I shrugged it off and darted off into the dark moist air. I ran four miles without any trouble. It was warm enough that starting the Honda proved unnecessary. Mindy had fried eggs ready and waiting. Jacob had already eaten and was back up in his bedroom. Bella, Mindy & I enjoyed some quality time together before Mindy bolted off to school. She had a beef roast in crock-pot and asked that I remove the plastic-cardboard liner still frozen and stuck to the bottom before leaving for work. Of course, dear. She was gone. I put away the fruit and cleaned up a little before heading up for my shower. Bella followed closely behind. The kids and I met downstairs at 753am. It was still raining. Bella and I both grabbed umbrellas. Jacob didn't want anything to do with one. I snuck and made a snow ball for Jacob. We had a little battle before the bus showed up. It was fun. Although I didn't really want to, I'd be driving the BM'er again today. I was hopeful that my Trooper would be ready sometime mid-day. Both my boss and peer acted surprised to see my mug show up in the office. I alluded to the possibility but never confirmed my attendance 100%. My boss wondered if I planned to extend my vacation by any length. Nope. I explained that because we weren't leaving until Tuesday and the fact that we were essentially packed and ready I saw no need to waste a vacation day. The call about my Trooper never came. Aarrow is getting really bad about calling proactively. I resisted the urge to bother them all morning long. I tied up several loose ends through the day, some work related, others personal. I called Aarrow around 130pm. Trooper wouldn't be ready today and possibly not even Tuesday. Dave shared that the intake manifold gasket was leaking and that they were gonna put a factory gasket on this time in lieu of the after-market variety. However, he said the fuel injector o-rings were leaky too and wanted to replace them as well. Said he wouldn't have those parts until sometime Tuesday. Moreover, he was hesitant to quote me a price, instead citing his desire to consider the repair history. Feeling a bit over the barrel, I chose to be gracious and kind. We agreed that the Trooper would likely sit there until next week and that he would call me with the final cost. As for the proactive call, I wasn't gonna hold my breath. :( My boss suggested we make a Chipotle run around 230pm. Tempting, yes, but I knew if I did, I'd ruin my dinner appetite, and we were having roast beef. I graciously backed out. I even offered up some of my nuts to help tie him over. I emailed Glenn mid-afternoon to see if he had multiple pocket flasks for the mountain. He responded after a few short minutes that he did. Great. That would save me a trip to Meijers in search of one. I worked until 515pm, set my out-of-office and then left for home. Mindy called while in transit. Talking on the cell phone isn't easy driving anything, but it's especially challenging while driving the BM'er. I kept our conversation brief and to the point. Safety was paramount. Mindy had a lengthy staff meeting after school. I beat her and the kids home. My dad showed up before she and the kids. Mindy invited him for dinner. I was expecting him. I asked Dad to hurry in and not let Sparky out. We both got a little chuckle. It's all part of the healing process. Among other things, we chatted about our trip while waiting on Mindy to arrive home. She and the kids pulled up a few minutes later. Dad agreed to shuttle us to the airport, mind the house and mail, and feed and walk the dog. Oh, no, wait, no dog. Dad helped Bella with her homework (spelling words) while Mindy got dinner going. This, the phase I rarely see. Jacob asked me to check his homework - multiplication/math. Looked good. Jimaken stopped over just before we sat to eat to pick-up some of the kids gear and to review the logistics of their stay. Dinner was served by 6pm - roast beef, salad, peas, and mashed potatoes and gravy. I snacked on some Hot & Spicy Cheezits while waiting on dinner. I shouldn't have. I ate too many. As a result, I couldn't eat everything on my plate before my stomach felt full. It made me sleepy, too. I started clean-up with my head in a sleepy fog. Mindy started baking chocolate chip cookies for dessert at roughly the same time. Jacob and Bella were feuding/arguing back & forth for what seemed like an hour. Jacob insisted we play Apple to Apples. Dad agreed to play, and so did Mindy. I wanted a nap but forced myself to partake in some family fun. Bella played in her room while we played Apples to Apples. Meanwhile, Jacob was wound up, loud, and borderline obnoxious throughout the entire game. I hate to say it, but much like I would've acted at a similar age. Come to think of it, I should've been beaten more frequently. :) We enjoyed warm, out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies during the game. They were yummy! I let Mindy win the game. Dad headed for home around 730pm. I sent him home with our flight itinerary. Mindy sent him home with some veggies. Mindy insisted the kids shower before bed. Jacob's hair smelt to high heaven. I suggested she start buying him heavily perfumed shampoo. I did some last minute packing, updated my blog from the weekend, and changed into my PJ's. We joined the Olympics around 830pm watching snow skiing and ice dancing. I tucked the children into bed around 845pm. I fell asleep on the sofa. Mindy headed to bed at 10pm. I was officially on vacation. I didn't immediately follow. I stayed up for another half hour before joining her.

Melting Snow & Sunday Dinner

A very non-descript photo of Pluto - fitting for an object suffering from an identity crisis

Being a creature of habit, it should come as no surprise that I rolled out of bed at 730am. I quietly brushed my teeth and gathered my running gear only to have Mindy ask for hug before I snuck off down the stairs. Before doing anything else I prepped a pot of coffee. Once that was underway I slipped off to my PC to play. Because it was Sunday, I didn’t plan to do any sit-ups or push-ups. I spent my free time writing in my blog and planning what I needed/wanted to accomplish during the day. For starters, I wanted to be completely packed for our trip by day’s end. If completed, I’d feel pretty darn good. But equally important was finishing/filing our 2009 tax return. I hoped to get that out of the way too. The house remained quiet even at 930am. I decided to go ahead and knock my run out right then. I completed a stretching routine then headed out the door for a typical three mile Sunday run. The streets were as dry as they’ve been for the last couple of weeks making my run that much easier. What a welcome change that was. The temperature was already over freezing. As a result, the snow pack was melting in a hurry. And with the rising temps and lots of intermittent sunshine, I expected the melting to progress at an even faster as the day wore on. Expecting big rain on Monday. That'll melt snow quickly. Mindy & the kids were up when I got back home. Mindy shared her desire to go into work and prepare sub plans leaving me at home with the kids. I didn’t mind. I had nothing planned aside from taxes and packing. Bella asked me to replace the batteries in one of the Wii remotes. Soon after that they needed me to fix the wireless mouse on their PC. It never ends. Bella whispered in my ear that her momma dropped the mouse and ever since it’s been erratic. I didn't mention it to Mindy. Just before Mindy headed off to school I made bacon and eggs. Everybody had some bacon, but I’m the only one that ate eggs. While trying to get the kids’ mouse working, I received a pop-up reminder to create back-up discs for their laptop. That’s right. I hadn’t done it yet. I took the necessary time to create them. It took a while longer than I expected but was glad that I did it. To finish my packing meant that I needed to pack all of my running gear and undergarments for skiing. All of them needed washed. I took care of that next. Also to that end, I gathered up my ‘B’ grade running gear to use over the next couple of days so I could pack the good stuff. While the laundry whirled Jacob and I watched more Olympic action – biathlon & ski cross racing. Both were really fun to watch. Mindy was still at school come 330pm. I figured I’d better get a shower and changed since we made plans to do Sunday dinner with her family. Mindy was home by the time I finished my shower. Good timing. We left for Gloria’s at 430pm. We’ve been to Sunday dinner only one other time this year. That’s it. We were looking forward to seeing everyone. Craig & Jeff were already there when we arrived. We learned right away that Larry’s mother passed away earlier in the day. She was 84, I believe. As we understood it, Jodi & Larry still planned to make it for Sunday dinner. Everyone else arrived over the next half-hour/hour. After some family-time dinner was served – lasagna. It was really good. I had two helpings, but could’ve eaten more. But thankfully, I talked myself out of it and didn’t over indulge. Secretly, I was holding out hope that we’ve have chocolate pie for dessert (my favorite). Well, that wasn’t to be. Instead, we had ice-box cookies. But that wasn’t a bad thing. They’re very good, and much lighter than chocolate pie. We stayed later than usual. Mindy had niece Lindy trim Bella’s hair. Then, Mindy had her own hair textured. It was approaching 8pm. Mindy, Craig, and Jodi all have birthdays coming up in the next 2 weeks. Gloria suggested we have a progressive euchre event at her place. Sounds interesting, but after considering everybody’s schedules it was hard to find a date in close proximity to their birthdays. We eventually settled on Friday, March 12th. Jodi suggested that everybody bring a pizza from their favorite shop with plans to share. Good idea. We finally left for home just after 8pm. Mindy phoned Lindsey along our drive home after seeing a missed call from her earlier. Apparently, Kelly’s been saying some pretty horrible things to Lindsey, and she just needed to share how it made her feel with someone with a caring ear. Kelly’s been known to say some pretty mean, spiteful things. She’s always been that way. Sadly, she’s a very sad, very angry person. I feel sorry for her. Lindsey really needs to find a way to get out of that house, but I am not so sure that she has her priorities properly aligned. We arrived home before 830pm. Mindy sent the kids for showers all the while she prepped Monday’s lunches. I told her not to bother making one for me. We tuned the TV to the Olympics and joined the men’s downhill combination already underway and prerecorded. During a break, I went to the PC to see how the Buckeyes fared in their game against Michigan State. Mindy thought she heard her sister say that we won, but I thought she said that she ‘hoped’ we’d win. Either way, we won! We watched Bode Miller win the gold in the downhill combination. Meanwhile, the USA men’s hockey team was playing Canada. We found the game on the MSNBC network. We switched back and forth a couple of times between that and the ice dancing competition. We tucked the kids into bed around 930pm – much later than usual on a school night. Back down stairs, I poured myself a drink of Cap’t Morgan’s rum, Fresca, and fruit punch. I also grabbed a bag of pretzel sticks and continued watching the Olympic hockey action. Bella eventually moved to the balcony asking if she could have a couple pretzels. I caved a let her come back down and join me on the sofa. She watched the end of the hockey game, which we won, and then the some of the ice dancing. Mindy sent her back to bed around 10pm. Mindy & I stayed up for another 30 minutes, maybe.

Big Fat Packing

I was up somewhere near 730am. That’s well within the ‘normal’ range for a weekend/vacation wake time. At first glance, it looked like a sunny day was in the offing - a continuation from Friday. Excellent! Just as I headed out the door Mindy asked that I bring her coffee . Even though I was done sleeping, I was still a little groggy. And I remained that way until my calisthenics were in the bag and I had sucked down my first cup of coffee. I must’ve delivered Mindy’s coffee around 8:30am. Back downstairs, I returned to my PC where I played for another hour or so. I also listened to VM left by Bob I. from the night before. That dog! He and Mary Ann were skiing in Brighton, Utah. Left the VM from the ski lift. Glad they were able to work out the trip. It's hard for me to think of anyone more deserving than Mary Ann. Mindy & I talked about the possibility of skiing today, but that would mean throwing away an opportunity to get our gear packed for our own fast approaching ski trip. I thought better of it. Mindy joined me downstairs around 9am. Meanwhile, the kids slept in until almost 10am. That’s about the time that I left for my run. It was a nice winter day for a run – not too cold and sunny. For no good reason, I opted to run just three miles. After my run I called Ashley to measure her interest in celebrating her birthday by going to dinner. She reported having a cold and not feeling well. Took a rain check. Mindy still planned to pick her up a gift card later that afternoon while out at Target. Some bad news, Mindy received a call that brother-in-law Larry’s mother was hospitalized after a severe stroke. Mindy wanted to head to the hospital. Over the next hour, we both took showers. Mindy decided to take Bella along too. Jacob stayed home with me. While Mindy was gone, I tuned our skis by shaving the edges and waxing the bottoms with the rubber stone and wax Bob gave me for Xmas. Was easier than I thought. And the skis really soaked up the wax. After letting them set for 30 minutes, I packed them in our ski duffle. Next, I pulled the liners from our ski boots. They were still damp from last weekend’s outing. I placed the liners on heating vents upside down so they would dry. I then cleaned the boot shells and made sure all the screws were tight. I had a separate suitcase set aside for our boots. I made sure to put our identification on the inside and outside of each. While packing our ski gear, I had my ski pants and jacket in the wash. They both needed it. Sometime mid-afternoon, I headed outside to clear the ice/snow away from the storm drain basin along the curb. It was packed in three feet of ice and snow. The temperature was over freezing for the first time in a while, and that coupled with sunshine made for ideal melt-off conditions. While out there, I chipped away at the iceberg resting at the foot of our driveway, too. I couldn’t get it cleared 100%, but got through more than half of it. To help ensure timely mail delivery, I also carved a clearer path to our mailbox. Mindy & Bella were back before 5pm. We discussed dinner plans and eventually settled on the Big Fat. Because we had the kids, we figured earlier was better than later. We watched a handful of winter Olympics events through the early evening, or until we readied to leave for the Big Fat. We tried reaching Renee to see if she might want to join us for dinner. We got her VM. We headed out just after 6pm. It doesn’t take long to get to the Big Fat Greek from our house. We asked to be seated with Katarina but her tables were 100% booked for a party of 28 arriving around 7pm. We ended up with Alexzandra. We weren’t there five minutes when I had to curtly remind Jacob and Bella about their restaurant manners. Leading up to it, they were each throwing mini tantrums over the food selections. We allowed Jacob to order from the adult menu. All we asked was that he ate it all. Like Mindy, he wanted the salmon. Bella opted for the kids menu spaghetti. And being a creature of habit, I went with the broiled sea scallops cooked in a white wine & garlic sauce. I added a small Greek salad, too. Mindy had a glass of wine. Jacob and I had water. Bella ordered Sierra Mist. Dinner was delicious. Then again, it always is at the Big Fat. Everybody seemed to enjoy their food. We ordered a piece of chocolate cake to share for dessert. I picked up the check. Happy Anniversary dear! We talked earlier about hooking up with the neighbors after dinner. They were kidless and supposedly doing a Cameron Mitchell restaurant with Mike & Julie. Mindy phoned them on our drive home. Turned out, they hadn’t even left for dinner yet. They were waiting on the in-laws to free up to watch the kids. Said they might be doing Barley’s instead. We asked that they call when they were back, but neither Mindy nor I were too sure that we’d make it that long even though it wasn’t quite 8pm. I resisted the urge to get in my PJs thinking that we might be visiting the neighbors, although Mindy changed as soon as we got home. We all settled down in the family room to watch the Olympics. I made a Jack & Coke around 830pm. And then, come 930pm, I caved and went for my PJ’s. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was comfy. The kids weren’t pleased and acted up. Mindy offered bed as a solution to their whining. They wanted to head down to the neighbors. Aside from Mindy & I being tired, the neighbors weren’t home yet. We tucked the kids into bed by 10pm. We stayed up just a short while longer watching the Olympics.

BM'er & Domino's

I was up at 530am after another good night of sleep. It was already Friday, my favorite day of the week. From my perch, the work week had absolutely flown by. A quick glance out the window confirmed no additional snow and clear skies overhead. That was especially important information given that I planned to drive the BM'er into work later. My exercise regimen went without a hitch. Soon it was 610am and time to wake Mindy. Like most days, she asked that I crank up the heat. After following her instructions, I retreated to the familyroom to do meditation and stretching. Both went well. It was near 640am by the time I was dressed for my run. The coming daylight was obvious from the run's outset - a sure sign that spring's just around the corner. So far, winter has flown by. Shoot, we'll be setting the clocks ahead in just over three weeks (March 14th). That'll cast my run back into darkness for an additional month. Because it was in the teens, the road surfaces froze over making footing a bit easier than it had been most of the week. My run went well. Back at home and just in the door, Mindy brought me her car keys so I could warm the Honda. She had fried eggs waiting at my usual spot at the breakfast table. Mindy was dressed in her Brett Favre jersey. Not sure why, so I asked. She and one of her students agreed to do so. Soon she was off to school. We made tentative arrangements for her to run me back to work to pick-up one of my vehicles at the day's end should the Trooper be completed sometime during the work day. The kids and I were ready early - 751am. This was a Rachel day, so we picked up more than we typically do. We headed out at 757am. Jacob threw several snow balls my way missing with each one. I shared with Chrissy my plan to drive the BM'er to work. We joked with hat & gloves, but for the first time in recent memory, I would actually drive it with the top up. I enjoyed a second cup of coffee inside before loading my gear into the BM'er. The BM'er started easily. Thankfully, I've started it about once a month this winter. The top didn't want to go up too easily but I eventually got it. I was careful backing out the driveway and over the mound of snow at the foot of the driveway. It bottomed out a little but nothing to be concerned about. Off I went. During my drive in, I heard a radio commercial for Hugh White Honda. At its close, they shared that it's located at Georgesville Rd and I-270, which is where we bought the Pilot. It dawned on me then that I mistakenly called Immke Honda to schedule service for next Tuesday. Crap! Had we shown up at Hugh White on Tuesday insisting we had an appointment we would've been embarrassed and disappointed. I made a mental note that I needed to call and cancel the Immke appointment later in the day. I spent the first part of my morning socializing with my team, and then spent a few minutes with a peer and my boss. My boss was surprised that I showed up, not taking advantage of his work from home blessing. But I was banking on my Trooper begin ready for pick-up sometime during the day. Being at work left me just a few miles from it. I called Immke Honda around 11am to cancel our schedule service appointment. I decided not to call Hugh White for the same appointment. Instead, we'd wait until we're back from our winter vacation. I didn't hear a peep from Aarrow about the Trooper. I finally called them around 115pm. Said they were still trying to find the source of the vacuum leak. Weren't sure that it would be ready by day's end, but promised to call me. Mentally, I prepared as if it wouldn't be ready. Actually, that would simplify my evening. I talked with Mindy a couple of times through the day. I let her know that it was unlikely that I'd need a ride to fetch the Trooper. We made plans for a quiet Friday evening at home. I called Aarrow around 5pm. My Trooper wouldn't be ready, said they planned to work on it on Saturday and would call me. I left work at 515pm. I arrived home around 535pm. The kids were playing Wii. Mindy asked about dinner. Jacob wanted to go to Barley's again. I was determined to stay home and relax. I wasn't even that hungry. I offered that Mindy & the kids could go if they wanted. Mindy agreed with me - no Barley's. She decided to grocery shop and then get pizza after her return. The kids wanted to try the new Domino's. We placed a call to Tommy to see if he was interested incoming over for a visit while bringing along a couple of their new pies. Her didn't answer and never returned our call. Jacob & Mindy left for the grocery around 630pm. Bella stayed home with me. I tried unsuccessfully to nap. Bella spent the entire time playing on the Wii Fit. Mindy and Jacob got back just before 8pm. After carrying in the groceries she ordered two pizzas and a sub from Domino's online. Did you know that you can track the progress of your order via their webpage? Not only that, you can see the name of the person making/baking your order. Gimmicky, but cool. Our order arrived approximately 35 minutes after it was placed. Not bad, two pizzas and sub for $20. The pizza was a good, a welcome change of pace from Minelli's. The sub was good, too, but needed twice as much meat and cheese. As we have every night this week, we tuned into the Olympics, watching ice dancing and prerecorded alpine skiing. I made a Jack & Coke around 9pm. Jacob headed up to bed on his own accord around 10pm. Mindy and I stayed up until almost 11pm. I checked my phone just before heading to bed. Saw I had a missed call from Bob I. along with a VM. Figured I'd listen first thing in the AM, guessing it a call about our plans of skiing MRM tomorrow.

Me & My Aarrow

I was awake and downstairs by 535am after another quality night's sleep. For the first time in a while, I took a couple Advil after feeling some lingering stiffness in my shoulders. It was mild, but I didn’t want to give it room to linger. After my calisthenics I played on the computer until it was time to wake Mindy. With coffee in hand, I headed up to wake her just after 610am. Like most mornings, she asked that I crank up the heat when I headed back down. Gladly. I moved on to meditation and stretching after addressing the heating situation. The most recent blips in my life, the Shawn incident, and now my aging Trooper, I needed a good bout of meditation to remind me of how fortunate I remain. It was more difficult than usual to stop my mind from drifting towards the negative but I did OK in the ten or so minutes I allowed myself. My stretching went well too. I rose with more energy than I started and was eager to get on with my run. I dressed in three upper layers like most winter days. I secured the house behind me as I set out for my run. The roads were only a tad bit better than the morning before. Still lots of dry slush slowing me down, putting additional drag on my strong running legs. As always, I managed. I ran the full four mile track. At my prompting from the entry way, Mindy brought me her car keys so I could warm the Honda. I moved the trashcan behind the Trooper after placing it at the curb behind the Honda the night before, and as it turned out, also a day early. The holiday threw me off. I headed inside for breakfast. I stripped out of my top two sweaty layers before being seated at the table for breakfast. My eggs & fruit were fulfilling. Mindy knew I still had lunch in the fridge at work so she didn’t have another sitting out, although there were two more already prepared and in our home fridge. Mindy left a little after 730am reminding Bella to go to Noah’s after school. Mindy had parent teacher conferences scheduled until 8pm, a long day for her indeed. The kids and I were ready to go by 753am. We took our time heading out the door. After the kids were off on the bus, I headed back home for a quick cup of coffee and my final prep. I called Aarrow Radiator & Repair and made arrangements to drop off the Trooper on my way into work. Next, I tried phoning my peer, Ken, hoping to arrange for a pick-up at Aarrow. I got his VM. I tried his desk phone next. Same thing, VM. Crap. I wasn't daunted. The Trooper was running poorly, but I had the technique down pat. Shift into neutral at each stop and then ever so lightly depress the accelerator to avoid stalling. That served me well. As I got closer to Aarrow, the check engine light went out. Are you frikin kidding me? I tested the trouble by completely releasing the accelerator. Of course, it didn’t stall. Now, I was praying for trouble. Even though the light remained out, it started running rough and wanted to stall as I sat in Aarrow’s lot waiting for my peer, whom I finally made contact with a few miles back up the road. He was already on his way to fetch me. I made sure to take my prior two receipts inside, not to imply poor workmanship, but rather to show an obvious trend. Not only has this happened three times in five years now, but each incident occurred around the same time of the year. I think it hardly a coincidence. Dave & Dean, the owners, are twins. They took note of the past receipts and said they’d call me. I asked that they quote me a price on fixing my passenger window, too. Ken and I headed out to his waiting pick-up then headed towards the office. Work was about on par with Wednesday minus the additional responsibilities of my boss. That was a welcome reprieve. I expected a call from Aarrow sometime during the day, although Dave informed me when I called to see about taking it in that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get it fixed on Thursday. They never did call, and I was stranded at work without a car or a planned ride home. I didn’t think too much about it, knowing I could call my dad if necessary. Late in the afternoon my boss offered me a ride home and said I could work from home on Friday, too so I wouldn’t have to worry about arranging another ride in. That sounded good. As it was, I ended up catching a ride home with one of my engineers who goes right by my place anyhow. I kept the option of working from home in back pocket, but after careful consideration didn’t think I would. The house was quiet, but why wouldn’t it be? I was the only one home. Mindy had parent conferences and the kids were with Jimaken until 8pm. I took a few minutes to snack and decompress then collected all of our 2009 tax documents and started compiling our tax return. After about an hour I took a break and unloaded the dishwasher and put my ski pants and jacket in the washer. They both needed it, especially the ski pants. I was about done with the taxes, but already knew I wouldn’t submit the final product that night. Instead, I’d submit it over the weekend. I finished the taxes around 715pm. I then went through my mounting pile of mail. By 730pm I was completely caught up. I tuned the TV to NBC for viewing the night’s Olympic action later. I returned to my PC to write Wednesday’s blog entry. The kids got home very close to 8pm. I allowed them time to decompress, knowing how important that time is to me, before starting their showers. Jacob went first. As you might expect, he’s a little more self-sufficient than Bella. For him, all I do is start the shower. For Bella, I had to get her towel, panties, and PJ’s out and ready. At least I don't have to shampoo her hair anymore. We started watching the Olympics as soon as they were bed-ready. Mindy got home around 830pm, or just as we were settling in. She was happy to find the kids ready for bed and the dishwasher ran and put away. I am a modern marvel! We watched Lindsey Vonn and the rest of the women skiers compete in a combined event – slalom and downhill. L.V. bit it in the slalom portion and was DQ’d. Later, we watched the women's snow board half pipe event. But after watching the men the night before, the women were a disappointment. It's pretty clear that the women are eons behind. The event was won by a cute Australian. Many of the American women crashed. In fact, we woke Bella after letting out a big gasp at one’s failure. Mindy and I hung on the sofa until 10pm. By then I had already begun to drift. We headed up to bed.

Check Engine

I woke a couple minutes early and because it was so close to 530am I went ahead and got my morning started. I slept good and finally felt that I got the rest my body craved. I was hoping for a much calmer, more tranquil beginning to my day. I completed my calisthenics then prepped a cup of coffee before sitting down in front of my computer. Time went by quickly. I woke Mindy at 610am with coffee in hand. The act seemed almost foreign after so many holidays and snow days the past week. Speaking of snow, there was more fresh stuff on the ground, something I’d have to deal with later after my run. I did my usual stretch and meditation ahead of my run. I never did pin-point my time of departure but believe I got out of the house for my run a few minutes ahead of schedule. I ran four miles slogging through the dry slush now covering most of the subdivision roads. It was hugely taxing on the legs, but I managed through it. Always do. Mindy was coming out to presumably start the Honda just as I was beginning the shoveling. I shoveled the drive and walks clear. Inside, a plate of scrambled eggs awaited. It was already 7:38am, so I had to hurry along if I were to get a shower and have the kids at the bus stop by 755am. I made it. The kids and I headed out at 757am. The Trooper was in the garage, so it didn't need warmed. The bus pulled up at 805am. Chrissy and I chatted ever so briefly after the kids were on their way to school. I shared a little about my Trooper dilemma. She shared a little about their MRM experience from Monday. Says she's gonna try skiing next season. I scurried on home to do my final work preparations. The Trooper started OK, but the check engine light remained on. It ran pretty well for the duration of my drive in. I was hopeful that it would be a fleeting thing, although I wasn't counting on it. Work went well, and it stayed rather calm through the day. My boss was off on vacation, so I had to take on some of his duties. That kept me hopping all day long. In fact, I had to close my door for the half the day just to stay focused on the task at hand. Around 2pm I finally left my office and joined our chili cook-off potluck already in progress. Now some of these guys can cook! I was partial to the beef stew-like chili, although it didn't win. I ate three brownies that someone picked up from Sam's Club of all places. They were delicious. A bit of good news. I called Immke Honda. They said they could/would take the Honda in while we're on vacation and said that they could replace the sideview mirror during its servicing, saving us the trouble of going to the body shop separately. We need the heating system looked at and the oil changed. The heat blows out of the wrong vents according to the selected mode. Mindy emailed around 4pm asking if we could do Barley's for dinner. Said it would make the kids very happy. I shared that I was full from our chili cook-off potluck. She wondered if I'd be happy going along just to sip an IPA. I could do that. With everything under control, I left work for home around 515pm. The Trooper ran very poorly, stalling at every stop and with each release of the gas pedal. Crap! I was really frustrated this being the third time in five years with essentially the same problem. I really don't want a new car, but I also don't want to throw good money at bad either. What to do? I was a little stressed and intense immediately in the door. I needed a few minutes to breathe - reflect. The Trooper thing had my goat. I did my level best to keep it in perspective. Soon I was freshened up and ready to head out for dinner. The kids and Mindy were in delightful moods. We hadn't been to Barley's on a Wednesday for quite some time. The lot was packed almost like a Friday. We did a make-a-parking-spot. Inside, we were seated at a table under the huge projection screen TV. A few familiar faces were sitting around the bar. Woofus to be exact. We chatted with him and his peeps briefly before settling in at our table. Janet handed me a Centennial from behind the bar. Mindy and the kids eventually placed food orders. Jacob went with Gates of Hell wings and onion straws. Bella chose KC wings & fries. Mindy selected their daily special, a strip steak with a red wine mushroom sauce and a side of braised greens. I almost changed my mind and ordered food but stopped myself just short. I wasn't hungry. The Olympics were whirling on one of the nearby flat panels - curling. I watched intently. I finally figured out the game's strategy. I commented to Mindy that my dad would be good at that. I sampled some of Mindy's steak. It was delicious except for it being a little over cooked. I ate two of Bella's wings along with a few of her fries. I drank just the one beer. By the way, Mindy enjoyed one of those Southern Tier Raspberry porters. The Buckeye basketball game was just getting underway as we were wrapping up our dinner. Our friend Rick walked in about the same time. He's flying down to Carolina this weekend to see his first grandchild. Very stoked! We headed for home just before 7pm. The kids started preparing for bed almost immediately. So did Mindy. We planned to watch the Olympics at 8pm. It was slated to be a big night, snow boarding finals, women's downhill, and both short & long track ice skating races. I did some writing in my blog leading up to the Olympics. In fact, I missed Shawn White's first run in the halfpipe. I joined the family a few minutes later. We watched Shani Davis win the gold in long track ice skating race, and then watched Lindsey Vonn win the women's downhill gold. She was amazing. Several women wiped out violently on the very fast track. While watching the exciting women's downhill race, Bella shared her desire to be a downhill racer someday. She asked if I would come watch her. Of course I would. Lookout world! I saw Shawn White's second run. It was darn near flawless. I tried holding out for his last but couldn't stay awake. We headed to bed around 1030pm.

The Dawn of Shawn

I was good about getting up on time even though I could’ve used a lot more sleep. Not sure why, however. Once again, I slept for almost 9 hours. I just can’t seem to shake that deep-seated tiredness that sometimes plagues us all. I started my exercise routine in the quiet darkness of the livingroom. After sit-ups and just before push-ups I leaped into my mesh office chair and poked around the morning headlines. Come 550am I went to the familyroom where I completed my push-ups. Next, I prepped a cup of coffee before settling back down in front of my PC. While enjoying my solitude, someone began knocking loudly on our front door. It frightened me at first. It was a bold knock. I crept to the door from the side, the only light coming from the computer monitor. At some point I recognized the obnoxious door knocker as step-brother Shawn asking to talk with me. Knowing his game, and still somewhat startled, I shewed him away. But he only begged more. Finally, I let out a loud resounding NO, beat it! That was enough to wake Mindy and pique her curiosity. Soon she was downstairs along side me. Shawn left temporarily, but returned a minute or two later once again knocking and pleading for help. He repeated his antics three times before once again disappearing into the predawn. Each time his knock got louder and bolder. Mindy eventually headed back to bed. I was rattled enough to worry about leaving the house for my run. I was worried for kids and Mindy’s safety, and also for my own, thinking he might be outside casing the place. I told myself if he showed up again I would call the police. Sure enough, he returned ten minutes later knocking louder than ever and begging for help. Having enough, I called the police asking for a cruiser, telling them that we felt threatened. About 20 minutes passed but still no cops. It was now approaching 715am. Finally, two older officers in a large plumbing-type truck showed up. Mindy & I welcomed them in. We described the scenario and why we felt uneasy about his presence. Shawn’s past precedes him. They stated that they spotted no one as they drove down the street and guessed him long gone. They left but said to call back if he happened to return. Mindy felt comfortable. I dressed and left for my run after a quick stretch. My morning routine, now far from peaceful, couldn’t have been further from ideal. Mindy asked that I take my cell phone. I did, and also locked the doors behind me. The new fallen snow made for tough sledding. Most of the roads were snow covered, and I had to use tire tracks as my path. The trouble is, they’re just a smidge too narrow to run with any level of comfort. It altered my gait significantly. I had a feeling things might be weird when I got home. And sure enough, as I approached the back of our two SUVs from the bottom of the driveway, I heard Shawn knocking on our front door pleading loudly for us to let him in. Too, I’d just stumbled over a fresh 16oz beer can on the sidewalk, undoubtedly his. I quietly diverted my path to the deck door with out him noticing me. I was a little freaked. I wrapped on the door hoping to get Mindy’s attention. But I also knew she’d most likely think it was Shawn. Crap! What now? I felt so vulnerable out there. I knocked louder, then moved to the window. Geesh, surely Mindy had to see and hear Shawn out front. Finally, she came and let me in. I was in panic mode arming myself with a large butcher knife. Mindy advised that she had just hung up with the cops and that they were on their way. Shawn kept knocking and pleading. Finally, the cops pulled up. Shawn went right to them with his arms held high in the air all the while talking up a storm. We opened the front door as they got closer. Shawn was doing plenty of gesturing and pointing towards our house as if we were somehow at fault. What an ass! One of the officers came to the door. We greeted and invited him in. He quickly took charge asking what was up, almost treating it like a typical family dispute. Now, in my eyes, this wasn’t anything of the sort. Instead, there was a dangerous, unwelcomed perpetrator trying to get in my house. We explained the situation to the officer along with a brief look into Shawn’s troubled past. He kept saying that he thought Shawn looked familiar. Then, when we shared that he’s done this at my dad’s, the bell went off. The officer instantly remembered a prior encounter with Shawn about a year ago. He asked us to clarify our position. We do not want Shawn at our home in any capacity and are willing to press charges if necessary. We both got the feeling that that is what the officer wanted to hear. Otherwise, how could they do their job effectively. We cited the fact that we have two young children in the home and would go to great lengths to protect them from such bullshit. The officer understood and walked out to deal with Shawn. Meanwhile, the other officer stood at the foot of the driveway with Shawn. I failed to mention that they arrived in a pick-up truck. Mindy & I both found that peculiar. They stood outside with Shawn for about 20 minutes. I guessed that they were calling a cruiser to cart him away. My hunch proved correct. A cruiser came and took him away. We phoned my dad to give him a heads up, and to make sure he was OK. I don’t trust Shawn an inch. Some might argue that we should've at least talked with him and possibly thrown a few bucks his way. But why? Besides, I don’t want there to be any incentive for him to return to our place. Again, the kids safety is my number one concern – period. And sadly, I view Shawn as a serious threat to our peace and safety. I ate the breakfast that Mindy prepared and had waiting in the microwave then headed up stairs for a shower. I was downstairs dressed for work by 819am. Admittedly I had lost all track of time prior. I was surprised that I was still in the ballpark of my typical departure time. However, I hadn't even begun to think about warming the Trooper and scraping away the night's snow. That took some time. While out there, I cleared most of the snow from Mindy's Honda, too. Oh, and if I didn't mention it already, school was canceled for the kids and Mindy. I arrived at work around 850am. The drive in was slow but steady. I didn't even try to hurry. We had numerous call-offs due to the weather, but honestly, outside of our subdivision, the roads were fairly nice. Through the morning, we experienced several snow squalls with drifting continuing into the early evening. I had a fairly busy day. I checked on Mindy & the kids a couple of times through the day. They were having a fun snow day. I left for home around 540pm. I was disappointed to find my check engine light on along my drive home. I wouldn't have been too concerned had it not been for that dreaded high pitched sound I was warned about that is the precursor of a blown manifold gasket. My engine sputtered a time or two also. Great! So now, my check engine and ABS lights are on. The Trooper performed well on the drive home, but I did detect a slight bit of hesitation in the acceleration. I asked Mindy to clear the driveway so I could pull in the garage and check for a vacuum hose leak after work. She shoveled the drive, moved the Honda, and made sure a path was clear into the garage. I checked all the visible vacuum hoses as soon as I arrived home. Nothing. I also loosened and retightened the gas cap. I sensed the need to take it in the shop again. This will be the third time in five years for the same damn thing. We'll see what Wednesday holds. Mindy warmed leftover chicken and noodles for dinner. I was looking forward to them, too. They're often better on day two. I wasn't disappointed. I ate two big helpings. I felt a little roughed up from the day. I mean, hey, we had the Shawn thing this morning, and now the Trooper was acting up. It certainly wasn't a banner day. But then again, we measure our strength not during a time of peace, but rather during times of trouble. I kept thinking about that through the evening. Shawn's got problems that I can't control, and the Trooper given me ten decent years. And besides, it may be a simple repair, or, worst case, I may need to get myself a new car now rather than later. Not the worst thing in the world. After clean-up I updated my blog. It didn't take long. Afterwards, I joined the family in the familyroom for the Olympics. They were playing a game of Chicken & the Egg. We had a small burning. It was nice. We watched men's skating - the short program and then women's snow board cross racing. I was pulling for American, Lindsey Jacobellis. Unfortunately, she got eliminated after going out of bounds to avoid a collision/fall. It's quite sad that an athlete can train for one event everyday for almost four years and then have it all go seemingly down the drain in a single instant. I can appreciate the hard work, dedication, effort and attitude it takes to put one's self in a position to challenge for the Gold. Many seem to overlook all of that. Like most nights, I fell asleep on the sofa while watching the competition. I was still dreadfully tired deep inside. Mindy woke me around 9pm to tuck in the kids. She woke me again around 10pm to head to bed.