Christmas Presents

So after all this backcountry excitment, at Shona's insistence we opened our gifts on Skype for our first ever cyber christmas. Shona was in Austria and had patiently waited all day (after training) until we were all awake in Revelstoke. Her big gift to us is a Book "A year in the life of - 2009" -a spectacular collection of the families photographs and trips including some of hers from New Zealand, some of Chris's from Chile, Clive's bike trip from hell in Kamloops and exotic pictures of our wonderful Rockies back yard.
After we had opened a heap load of books it was time to head to the Revelstoke ski hill in perfect weather and great snow. As the turkey slowly cooked in the oven Clive, Chris and I raced down the mountain over and over again. The views were staggering and the weather perfect. What a great great Christmas. A Big Thanks to Chris and Shona for making it so fantastic.

Waiting on Turkey and other good stuff to eat.

Bragging Rights to Avalanche Crest


Definately some kangaroo hops in this boys blood although I don't suppose a kangaroo ever really saw snow. Exuberance in a body.


Yeah I can actually link a few turns. Yahoo

Clive - has the original go faster genes that he generously passed on to his kids.

POWDER - note smith goggles and Salomon suit and gear - thanks to the sponsors

Ohmigod these trees are tight.


My son dug a pit and said that the top foot might slough off but not to worry just turn from side to side. Yikes I thought I was going to die! Still the first couple of turns were good then into the abyss. I hoped he remembered there was no way I could fly off a cliff. My limbs are definately firmly attached to the earth.


There's the road - a way down there! Suddenly I remembered the last time I had skied with Chris at Whistler when I tumbled head over heels down a vertical slope for what felt like an eternity. And here I was again - too late!

It was a spectacular up track. I love blue sky days particularly on Christmas eve. Funny there did not seem to any Malls within a 100 Kilometres. I like it.


Chris ambling up the mountain with great ease while I suck great globs of air and feel like my lungs are about to explode.

Fun in the back country

Purple Bowl, Clifton, John, Wilma and Peter, Jan 3rd


Clifton and Wapta Mountains in the background


Helen Lake on the 2nd Jan Wilma and Brian McBroom


Clive on Tent Ridge Kanaskis country


Wilma on Tent Ridge with Spray Lake in the background

Allison's Wedding bridging Canada and Costa Rica

Searching for the garter - I think she likes it.

The happy couple

Feeding her hubby the cake

Radiant bride

David,Liz Collins, Alison, David and his mother and her husband

Allison's Wedding bridging 2009 and 2010

Liz, proud mother of the bride with her mother in law looking on.


These shoes are made for walking!


Groom David on left with his brother Alfredo, from Costa Rica not sure about this minus twenty weather outside!


Inside Kensington United Church


Lucky Rick Shott and his two beautiful daughters, Helen and Barbara

The moose car wash

It's time I remembered ALWAYS to carry a camera. Never know when nature is going to offer a unique gift. Clive and I had a great x country ski at Shark mountain yesterday. It felt like we weren't the only ones enjoying the Chinook. Out at Watridge Lake whiskey jacks dived for our breadcrumbs. In the forest a woodpecker drummed on an silvery grey logdgepole. I couldn't stop gazing at the sun dappled snow plastered mountains as I inhaled lungfuls of warm Chinook air and my heavy thoughts blew away all the way to Saskatchewan. Funny how a few days of bitter minus 33 weather can cause severe cabin fever and constant thoughts of escape to warmer climates. My acutal ability to survive the deep freeze, to keep my fingers and toes from freezing, hoping the car will start, and not to mention the thick layers of ice on the inside of the windows all dominant over any thougths of climate change.

On our return to the car park a mama moose and her baby were totally absorbed in their task of licking the salt off the cars and gobbling the chunks of dirty snow that had fallen off the running boards of the vehicles. I had time to ogle at their thick brown fur, long legs and rectangular noses. So focused on their task I don't think they noticed us.

Writing in the cracks

Here I am with a few minutes before I head out for my last Life Writing class this year. The most exciting happening today is that the weather actually warmed up from minus 33 of the last few days to just below freezing. Maybe I should have called this entry I LOVE CHINOOKS. There I was cross country skiing actually too warm and my nose hairs were not sticking to the inside of my nose. The mountains plastered in a fresh coat of snow looked spectacular. I tried to think of clever ways to descibe them but nothing lyrical came to mind.

Tonight is reading night when my 7 participants read a story they have writtien in the last 6 weeks. It is always a great night with a vast variety of stories. I am sure tonight will be no exception. Will report later.

OK that took all of 4 minutes and 53 seconds.

Deep Freeze

Here in Alberta it is minus 31 and the world experts are in Copenhagen talking about climate change. It appears that as Canadians we have failed miserably in keeping the agreement made at Kyoto, worse than that we have undermined the process. The Albertan oil sands are being targeted as an environmental disaster. I hear this on the news as I drive along the Bow River clusters of ice float on the dark surface as ethereal vapour rises off the water, frosting the trees that fringe its banks. It is so starkly beautiful in the bright Albertan sun. It is hard to get excited about climate change, not global warming, when on the other side my SUV window my skin would freeze in minutes.

The mall and superstore is busy with heavily clad folk from all over the globe bemoaning the cold temperatures and no doubt dreaming of warmer weather in their homelands. It is obvious that retail therapy is one of our nations chief pleasures on a cold day. Easy to forget the dangers of our climate while listening to Jingle Bells, and wondering what Christmas presents our loved ones would like. Calgary has doubled in population since we moved here in 1990. The new comers including ourselves lured by jobs and for some, the proximity of the Rocky Mountains.

I visit with my women friends, one confesses how hard it has been to care for her autistic daughter, another in her eighties is convalescing from a knee replacement and now her back hurts, and another is the sandwich generation running to medical appointments with her 90 year old mother, living with her two teenagers and finishing her master's thesis. We listen and honor the struggle of each other's journeys.

I am reminded in this frigid weather, stories of struggle and courage, of my yoga teacher as she circled her forefinger and thumb in the meditation. "My Indian teacher said, this reminds us of how little we actually know."