OUTDOORS
Ski jumping was on my mind last week - not just because of the Olympics, but because it was the 100th anniversary of Harris Hill Ski Jump in Brattleboro Vermont. Harris Hill wasn't the first ski jump in the U.S. - that distinction belongs to Swedes in Minnesota in the 1800's - but at 98 meters, it's only one of a handful of ski jumps in the country of that size. It has hosted a number of national championships, and all of this year's U.S. Olympic ski jumpers have jumped at Harris Hill. The hill was even the site of a jump by none other than Olympian Eddy "The Eagle" Edwards in 1996 (see interview in this video; it starts about a minute in).
I've often wondered what makes people take up ski jumping - how they make the (excuse the pun) leap from "I like gliding down the hill on my skis" to "Gee, wouldn't it be fun to fling myself into space and try to land still standing and attached to my skis". It's kind of like the sport of Skeleton in the Olympics: what makes someone think that sledding would be much more fun speeding headfirst on an icy winding course at 80 miles per hour (and really, how much protection does that helmet provide at those speeds?).
But getting back to plain old skiing and sledding: as we say in the north country, to get through the winter, you've just got to embrace it - snow, freezing temps and all - and I for one agree. Hitting the ski slopes provides for some panoramic views, and is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with friends. My favorite winter activity, however, is snowshoeing. It's a quieter, more contemplative sport, available right out of my back door; we're fortunate to live in an area with plenty of trails and terrain to wander.
As with other sports, there are those that have taken snowshoeing to a higher level -- even turning it into an art form, like fellow Vermonter John Predom who was featured on the local news recently. The pictures below are just a preview; CLICK HERE for a video of how it's done.
I'm impressed with Mr. Predom's creativity and determination, but am positive that he doesn't have a pet dog that joins him on his walks. Whenever I try to stomp out a heart or other simple pattern in the snow, I can count on Zoey to run through my creation with her own embellishments.
INDOORS
Mud Season is just around the corner for us; it'll reduce our snow cover to random dirty glacial piles while we languish waiting for the first crocuses. A perfect time to brush up on those indoor games - of which there are so many new options:
Have any of you gotten caught up in the world of WORDLE as I have? By way of brief explanation: the game is available online at www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/ ; I think of it as kind of a spin on Scrabble and Wheel of Fortune. You start by entering any five letter word that comes to mind, and you have six tries to figure out WORDLE's word for the day. The game is an exercise in patience as you can only play once a day - no whiling away the hours with round after round.
More of a numbers geek instead of letters? There's NERDLE (https://nerdlegame.com/), another once-a-day game, but in this case you have to guess the mathematical expression in six tries:
Finally, there's GLOBLE (https://globle-game.com/) - a little different than the others in that there is no six-guess limit - but a good way to brush up on your world geography as you try to guess the country of the day.
I'm sure there are many other spinoffs of the original WORDLE. Send them my way - I'll need them to get through Mud Season!
