Monday, Washington’s Birthday. I just heard about a flack boasting about the great skiing up at Mt. Mansfield in Stowe and how much snow they have, etc, etc.

Well, there is a lot of snow. Lots of wind this weekend, bitter wind chill. On Saturday Mt.Snow in Wilimington, Vermont shut down. Too much wind. Some lifts at Bromley and Stratton were closed. Also Magic Mountain, all in southern Vermont. A few nearby towns lost their electricity and motels, lodges and homes turned cold indeed. So many skiers hightailed it to Manchester and buried themselves in the shops, browsing books at Northshire, visiting the craft shop Epoch, where I was (and sold two of my photographs!)

Up in Stowe the wind and cold scoured the mountain into ice. Many casualties. The nurses on duty worked full steam through the weekend and one said the meat wagons were hurrying from the area to the hospitals all day. A call to Jay Peak and a plea for a straight answer about the ski conditions brought this reply:

“The skiing sucks.”

I like that. Lot of my friends don’t ski Mt. Mansfield anymore. They can’t afford it or can’t stand the management. So they ski at Bolton, Smugglers, Mad River Glen, and Jay.

I have to get up to Jay. You gotta support those that tell it as it is.

Monday night. It is 10:10 PM and the temperature is down to -2 F and supposed to drop to -10 and stay frigid tomorrow. I figured the average temperature here in Colbyville, next to Ben & Jerry’s, was 9 degrees for the month of January. I had my roof shoveled and never have I seen such big blocks of ice form on the eaves of this old house.  However, the wind is all blown out.  Right now, at least.

Tomorrow I’ll test some new enlarging papers and developers in the darkroom. I’ll give a report on what develops.

 

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