From North to South

Thanksgiving photos

Here's some photos from Thanksgiving. Cory, Zippy, Oscar and I drove to CO to visit my family. Brad and Meg flew in from Washington, so we had the whole crew. On Thanksgiving Day several more family and friends showed up at my parent's house for an all out feast. The long weekend was wonderful ... full of laughter, good food and a few fun forays into the mountains.

Note: I realize this post is sorely overdue, but better late than never right? My excuse for the total neglect of this blog is two fold: amazing early season snowfall (meaning amazing early season skiing) and falling in love. That's a demanding combination.

To download any of these photos or view them larger, click here.

Labels: Brad, Brad and Meg, Cory, Dad, Family, Mom, photos, slideshow, Thanksgiving

50 relatives in 5 days

At the end of August I had a chance to reconnect with relatives from both my dad's and mom's side - first the Hammerson family reunion in State College, PA in honor of my Great Uncle Milt's 100th birthday, then on to the Pittsburgh area for the Scopel family reunion and time with my mom's side of the family. I loved seeing everyone, even if I did manage to slip and stumble over words every time someone asked me where I live ... hmmm ... this whole happily homeless thing ... not the easiest to explain. But, hey, in two weeks I'll be back to paying rent ... in Jackson Hole (for the record) ... and the glory days will be gone ... for now (but not forever) ... still plenty of that free spirit in me to keep on sailin' for a long time to come.

Click here for photos of the Hammerson family reunion

Click here for photos of the Scopel family reunion

(P.S. a big shout out to my cousin Susie who claims to be my most avid blog reader ... checks it daily she says ... sometimes even before getting the latest gossip on the big celebs ... I'm truly honored).

Labels: Family, Pennsylvania, photos, relatives, reunion

Powder: a family bonding experience

My mom, dad and Auntie Kathe came to visit me here in Jackson Hole a couple of weeks ago. Their timing was impeccable - they showed up for the two of the best powder days we've had all month. We teled the first day at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and the second day at Grand Targhee. All in all a great visit!

Group portrait next to the "Bottom of the Hobacks" sign. Yep, that's right. For our "warm up" run, I took my family into Rendezvous Bowl and down the Hobacks, a continuous vertical drop of more than 4,000 feet. (To my credit, I did give them the option, and, really, who can resist first tracks on a powder day).

Dad, Auntie Kathe and Mom

Me dropping in knee in fresh powder at Grand Targhee

Dad has nothing but good things to say about two straight days of fresh pow-pow

Mom gets low

The tele gang at Grand Targhee - we're about ready to drop into our favorite tree run.

Zippy takes is job as co-captain seriously. It's a wonder anyone arrives anywhere without a Zippy to help navigate.

The crew enjoying coffee at the Hard Drive Cafe before heading to the airport

Labels: Amy, Auntie Kathe, Dad, Family, Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Mom, photos, powder, Skiing, snow, Telemark, winter, Zippy

Thanksgiving with the fam

I spent a week over Thanksgiving with family in Seattle. My godparents, Ward and Wendy, live in north Seattle, and my bro, Brad, and his girlfriend, Meg, live in Tacoma. My parents flew in from Seattle, so the whole crew was present and accounted for. All in all, lots of good food and lots of relax time. Also, it should be noted that we managed to keep our games of Settlers of Catan civil. For those of you who don't know, Settlers of Catan is a highly addictive board game that tends to bring out one's competitive side. After Thanksgiving last year, we said, only half jokingly, that we needed to join SA ... Settlers Anonymous.

Meg

Ward and Wendy

Brad carving the turkey ... sporting a cute apron

Labels: Brad, Brad and Meg, Family, photos, Seattle, Thanksgiving, Ward and Wendy

Thanksgiving with the family

As an indication of just how crazy busy I've been over the past few weeks ... I'm just now getting photos from when my family came to visit me during Thanksgiving up on my blog. We had a great time together ... lots of hanging out in my cabin and skiing and sledding in my "backyard." It snowed the whole time!