It's some time since I updated. This is principally because nothing of real note has happened. Same old !
Thus a brief log of how our winter weeks ( and months ) pan out. My working week starts on a Wednesday at 7.05 am when I'm due in to the bus depot to start my pre- driving bus check in preparation for a 7.20 mall departure of the No. 4 bus to the Town park station ( effectively the small village reception building 3 miles or so down Brush Creek Road and otherwise known as the rodeo parking lot ). I then plough up and down Brush Creek Road till 11.30 ( often hard packed snow the whole morning ) when I knock off for a most welcome lunch at Spencers in the Village Center . This is a highlight of each Wednesday - and Thursday for that matter - and Annette and her staff look after me admirably . It's pretty much a local restauraunt and a little way from the ski area and fits the bill perfectly for me . The `special` followed by a cup of coffee and a taste of Annette's home baking . Always some local to chat to and otherwise the Aspen Daily News and the Economist if I have the energy . Back then to driving from 1.15 to 5.15 - same route - and then to fuel, complete trip and time sheets and sign out by 5.40.
Mary also working on Wednesdays , and sometime I 'll maybe persuade her to write an account of her day . Very much more varied than mine and she's on her feet all day except when she's driving round in her white Ski Co truck checking on her minions !
Wednesday nights we collapse on the sofa just managing to get ourselves something to eat and bed closer to 9 than 10 if we can .
Thursdays up again soon after 5am , daily back exercises while listening to the recorded BBC radio 4 Today programme on our computer 7 hours late. Thursdays follow much the same pattern for me - also on rodeo lot run but start a little later and finish later. But one of M's days off . She varies her time on these days between joining a ski school class ( free for all employees - an incredible perk ) , getting a violin lesson from Heidi, practicing, or skiing or boarding for a couple of hours ( she misses you EJ ! ) - or now working on her newly acquired skill of tele skiing. Evening we try to play music together, but I'm having reed issues at the moment ( so what's new ? ) and Mary is fast overtaking me . She's already preparing for her violin Susuki camp in Vail in June. She and her cousin Gail will be the oldest ones there by about 50 years I gather .
Fridays - working days for us both . I start PM cover shift at 11 which means that I'm on 5 different routes covering for drivers when they go off on their lunch/ dinner breaks. Driving conditions can change in matter of minutes and with different buses all day , alertness and being prepared for the ` this can't happen ` moment are vital . Sometimes challenging , sometimes extremely tedious , but something unusual each day either in terms of traffic or passenger incident . I could expand a bit here , but Mary would chastise me quickly - and rightly - for serving only to help readers with insomnia problems. Suffice to say there's quite a lot to it and many traps for the unwary . Potential for disaster huge . Physical and mental challenges though which I welcome and am grateful for.
Saturday . Working day again for us both . I don't start till 2 and therefore try to ski or board for an hour or so ( as indeed I try to do on Fridays as well ) to get good exercise before sitting on a bus for 8 hours. Sat is my TGIF and heralds the start of a 3 day weekend for me . But it's a hard shift - the dreaded N1 - serving upper and lower Woodbridge. Roads tend to be bad and half the shift in the dark . Often snowing and always hard frost. Fixed chains help enormously though although you get shaken around a lot. Out at 10.15 . Mary sound asleep when I get back . Usually exhausted given Saturdays are by far the busiest days of the week for her.
We both have ski lockers and good changing rooms right by the slopes making skiing /boaording for an hour or so very easy . Mine is within the bus depot at the Mall. That and our year's parking permit as town employee and village resident within minutes of the slopes and bus depot is a huge perk.
Sunday - Mary tries to go to Church when she can . I go down valley every 2nd Sunday and pick up our Little Buddy Gaby and by the time I get back , Mary's here and ready to go . Having tried skiing with him and got him comfortably going down blues he was keen to start boarding . We had a real break through last Sunday and even ventured into the terrain park with him - see pics. `Getting air` is the big thing. Not for us though . Within next few times he'll be way better than us . Very satisfying and it's delightful hearing him explain to his 2 elder brothers when he gets home all the tricks he performed. By the time we've got Gaby home - he comes back here first for a quick bite to eat and if we've time a game of chess or scrabble - we're pretty well shot . Thrilled to have got him going on the former .
On alternative Sundays there are often locals clinics for skiing/ boarding and tele skiing and we've participated in all three. Today at Highlands - M on board and me at steeps and bumps clinic . (9 inches of champagne powder and pretty amazing . Back mid afternoon and watched superbowl. An archetype American spectacle on a grand scale . Jimmy and Julie Stone dropped by and a lovely visit from them . More music in preparation for lessons respectively for us both in mid week.
Mondays we go to Highlands and hike the bowl with Peter - see previous blogs. Often go into Aspen afterwards and a film if possible . Kings Speech last week and True Grit in El Jebel tomorrow hopefully . Very special to have this day off together . Hasn't happened for last 4 years.
Tuesdays . M back to work and my 3rd day off . I meet good friend Lee at one of the 4 mountains and we ski a half day together . He's a lovely skier and having lived here most of his life , he knows the area like the back of his hand. What a treat to join him each week and to have such a great ski buddy . Unfortunately though he and his lovely wife Julie are moving permanently to Hawaii in next couple of years .
And then it starts all over again . What a life . Just need to stay fit though . We do work hard at this ( back and knees particularly ) , but we are very dependent on good health both in terms of work and play . Aspensnowmass not a place to live in if all you can do is LOOK at these beautiful mountains. I'd find that very hard.
post script
2 more remarkable days since typing the above, which I want to diary for my own benefit . Read no further for those who haven't skied here. Monday - Mary and I hiked Highland bowl for the 7th successive Monday. Conditions again pretty wild on ascent , but nearly a foot of new snow in the G zones ( far side in the trees ) where we came down . Epic once more. I had another run while M rested in the patrol hut at the top of Temerity. Made my way across to Lucky Find and Mushroom - both in great condition . Then into Aspen , some odd errands , a bite to eat in Peaches and a movie at Isis . Biutiful . Way over our heads . Would n't recommend it .
Tuesday - met Lee at Intercept Lot and drove with him to Ajax . 8 inches of new snow overnight and we had another fabulous day skiing together . Snowed hard all day and therefore the gondola helps a lot to stay warm as well as giving very quick ascent of nearly 3,000 feet . Enjoyed the company of all our 4 co passengers on each trip . Mostly Aspenites with their own interesting stories to tell about how they ended up there and what they do ( and have done ). What extraordinary characters you come across . All with this one passion for powder skiing in common, but with so many varied interests and experiences. Skied Walshes , the Dumps , Back of Bell , Face of Bell, then lunch at Bonnies ( home made Apfelstrudel to die for ) and then the downhill course ( fresh untracked powder most of the way down even in mid afternoon ). Back to work tomorrow for next 4 days , but no complaints - the mind , body and spirit experience replenished .
