This was my last weekend at home before The Big Trip. Number one on my list was spending quality time with Alex + the dogs. Saturday we went to the mountains to do a little skiing. I know, it’s June. Which means that most of us are thinking about flip flops and grilling on the deck. Not Alex. I swear, he would ski 365 days a year if he could iron out a few details (like, say, income). I’m sure some of you also find it odd that there is even snow to be had, which is a reasonable assumption, because there really isn’t much. But there is enough.
The dogs L-O-V-E-D it. We are dogsitting Jemma, Kinley’s sister, so the chaos factor was at least one third higher than normal. Having three dogs around makes me feel like I am cohabiting with a legitimate dog pack. It may only be one additional dog, but it means that we are now outnumbered by canines. I kind of like it.
The view from Berthoud Pass:
The definite downside to backcountry skiing is that there is no lift to take you swiftly to the top. As a result you spend 99.9% of your time hiking your ass up the hill, and .1% of your time actually skiing down.
Alex + dogs on the way up:
I love Roux’s exuberant little hop in this one:
Kinley + Roux stand guard while Alex works on building a ski jump:
Our friend, Eric, spending some quality time with Jemma. For Eric, quality time involves balancing a pine cone on her head, which I think is a perfectly acceptable way to bond with a dog.
Alex’s obsession with skiing rivals my obsession with photographing dogs, that’s how serious it is. Every time he drags himself out of bed at 3am on a Sunday morning to catch the good snow I feel confident that I’ve chosen a better pastime. But I have to say, this is pretty bad ass. I tell ya what, that guy can ski.
After a few hours of keeping up with people on skis in belly-deep snow the dogs were tuckered out. Jemma makes it clear that she prefers to be wrapped up in something warm and cozy. Heaven forbid the towel should fall off of her; if that happens, she looks forlorn until we realize she’s suffering and wrap her back up.
And Kinley was too tired even to play with a brand new tennis ball.
Yeah, it was a good day.
