Unexpected time on the slopes (and some art)

 A friend (the guy who runs the charity for which we drive Santa's UHaul every year) reached out late last week with an unexpected and kind offer. Would we like to use a condo and ski passes at Loon that he was not able to use with his family? In an ordinary year this would be a kind offer. This year, it was heaven-sent. The serious restrictions on ski areas this year had already prompted a conversation with Syl about the fact that we'd likely miss out on our annual slopes time this winter.  So of course we said yes. 

The snow was way better than I expected so soon after the Christmas Day Tropical COVID Storm of 2020. But it was still icy by comparison to the Rocky Mountain wonderland of powder that Syl is used to. So we had struggles to go along with our fun.

Take us to your leader

Covid rules meant pee breaks and meals were way more complicated than usual, but we chalked them up as small prices to pay for the together time we thought we wouldn't get this year.

A bonus: in the lodge at lunch on the first day, Syl discovered a love of beef chili. This is what Melissa gets for letting us travel alone!

Here's some art from the trip. Syl will be pissed at me for posting this first piece, because it is incomplete (and creepy!). She's unsatisfied with her self portraits to date, and started this one in the condo. I loved that I caught the work in progress... Creepy bald, one-eyed Syl, but I still see her in there.

When we sat down to dinner at the Common Man on the second night, the waiter took note of Syl's sketch pad and asked, "What are you drawing?"

"A Strawberry Girl, arguing with the Cat Man," Syl replied, without hesitation.

"I'd like to see that," said the waiter.

This is what Syl produced over dinner, and presented to Andrew, our very kind waiter, as a gift, along with our payment and tip. "I think this is going to court," he commented. "No way this is settling." 

I tend to agree.