Incursio

There is nothing quite as nice as the first day of the season up on the mountain. Timberline , Mt. Hood. There was really only one lift running (Palmer). But it was a wonderful day. Pucci was a mess, and they tricked us into thinking it would be better to ski down and take the lift up than walking to the mile. Not so. It was icy to the extreme, the snow was so hard packed. And there were rocks EVERYWHERE. It was so hard getting to the bottom of Pucci I wish I had just walked over to the mile. Riding up the mile was strange - as I was in ski clothes, had skis on my feet, and it was cold - but there was no snow. (Even more weird was riding the mile back down...). Palmer was nice nice nice. Good snow considering. But it was windy and cold. Not too bad though. After a short first day we called it quits as the biting wind and the long lines (with only one lift it got to be a big wait...) made it so that we felt it better not to push ourselves. Several long runs was eno...

No matter what your political views or opinions, those serving in the armed services bear a significant burden - as do those who love and care for them. Please take a moment to consider those who do serve and have served. Those in uniform deserve our love and respect. Happy Veterans' day from Portland, Oregon!

I am the fellow who sits in the restaurant patiently while the waitress does everything but take my order. I am the man who stands quietly while the department store clerks finish their chit chat. Yes, you might say that I am a nice guy. But guess what else I am? I am the customer that never comes back. It amuses me that you spend thousands of dollars to get me back into your store when I was there in the first place. All you had to do was to give me a little service and show me a little courtesy. -taken from the back of a business card for R&J Service Inc. Truck Repair, Portales, New Mexico. (Rick and Jerry from R&J Service were great guys. I have had their business card since the early 1990s.)