Reunion (of sorts)

...as our story continues, our intrepid skiers survived a cold and blustery day at Beaver Creek. Our hero (that would be me) lost his left glove (Swany, black, size XL) and purchased a new pair at the Spruce Saddle outpost of Beaver Creek Sports. Thinking to himself as I skied home, "I must one day check the BC lost and found" -- Well that day dawned bright and sunny and is called Sunday!! --

The Sunday crew, Lisa, Bob, Haig and me, made it to the mountain for our usual 10 a.m. start. You see, when it's not a powder day, there's no reason to rush! -- we skied a run at Arrowhead then headed to Strawberry Park because we had seen on TV8 that "President's Ford's" run had been groomed. Several years ago Bob & Kathy had brought Alec and Jordyn (Grand Kids) with them to stay and ski with us, when we utilized our ownership here. (Pre-Condo and Mountain House) -- It was during that trip that we spent a lot of time on this run and has become a favorite of ours at the Beav.

The run was in really nice shape so we did a couple laps before heading over to Larkspur bowl. After several laps there it was time for the front side. Up we went on the "Birds of Prey" lift. At the top we decided to ski down to Centennial Lift and "go single" as the lines were fairly long. A couple more laps on the front side and it was...you guessed it..."Chili time" (i.e. about 1:30)

Lisa placed a work call, as the boys went inside Spuce Saddle to find a seat and place to eat. I payed a lot of attention to the where abouts of my new gloves. (I might add) Haig got fed up with the long line at the soup station and chose not to eat. I braved the line and was rewarded with a steaming bowl of the perfect meal. (Turkey Chili, shredded cheese, Jalapeno peppers and red onions) -- You might not want to kiss me when I'm done, but it's damn good chili and so satisfying!

After lunch, Lisa suggested we visit the "Lost & Found" in the main village. They assemble all the days finds there, and it was worth a shot. I described to the very nice lady who was stationed there, what it was and where I lost it. She went into the backroom and emerged in several minutes carrying my lost item. Visions of the OJ trial zoomed into my head..."If the glove doesn't fit..." -- but fit it did!! I thanked the nice lady and she said, "it was a pleasure reuniting you with your belonging"

Cold, Cold, Cold...

Another cold day in the mountains. Little new snow and temperatures at zero. It was a slow start to the morning, with nobody wanting to make a decision. Bob was taking a rest day. Lisa and Kristi wanted to ski, so I decided to tag along. Bob and Kathy rode with us to Arrowhead, with the purpose of taking the "Village to Village" shuttle to Beaver Creek. 

The 3 of us went to suit up, only to discover that I had forgotten an important piece of clothing, namely my fleece liner. I ended up going to the logo shop downstairs in the club and getting a very fashionable new 1/4 zip-front pull over. 

After 1 run down "Cresta", the girls went in to change gloves to mittens. I waited outside, it was still c-o-l-d. We went up and over to Bachelor Gulch, skipped it in favor of the upper Beaver Creek express. Up to the top of Strawberry Park and into Larkspur bowl...I led the way to Birds of Prey lift and down to "Spruce Saddle" to warm up (it was that cold). 

For me it was chili time!! I did as I always do, put both gloves and my helmut liner into my helmut and then put everything under my chair. It was very crowded, but I was on a mission, a chili mission. I navigated the line with ease and was out in a jiffy. Found our table, sat down and started on the best bowl of chili I had today. (It was only bowl, but who's counting). The girls returned and I had decided I was going to call it a day. As I bid them adieu, I discoverd a glove was missing. (Swany, Black, XL, Left hand) -- we looked and looked and looked...I ended buying another pair.

I skied back to Arrowhead with a little more money on my resort charge.

Another snowy day...

It's the day after Christmas (and Danielle's Birthday)...6" of new Pow was calling our names. But first there was the driveway calling out to be shoveled...Bob, Haig and I then left for the Beav! -- Day 3 in a row and the legs feel like lead, but there was fresh snow to be had. Haig led us to a run off the top of Arrowhead...Waipiti...a black diamond roller of a run...Only a few brave soles had beat us there this morning. Seemed like way more than 6" that was reported. Each turn caused my legs to ache, but it was good to be in some freshies.

A quick trip down, 14 minutes to the top and it was off to Bachelor Gulch. We did "Arc'em or Park'em", if you're looking for it on the map, you won't find it...see we kinda re-name a lot of the runs. After another run there it was off to "Larkspur bowl"

While a number of people had already beat us to the bowl, we still found places for fresh tracks and a series of linked falls, that I called turns. It was steep and deep. Then we found our way into the trees way off to skier right as you looked at the bowl. Haig and I had eyed a line previously, but we kinda got dis-oriented once we got there. i.e. we saw how to get in, but getting out was a maze of trees. Bob did not enjoy this adventure. The snow was bottomless or so it seemed. I managed to traverse out but Bob's progress was stuck by a gully. I'm not sure our encouragement (while well intentioned) was well received. But he did make it out! His comment was "Are we gonna ski this mountain?" so up we went again for more punishment! :-)

Lunch was at Spruce Saddle and another bowl of Turkey Chili was on the agenda. Right after lunch the clouds parted and it was blue skies...if only for 20 minutes...then it was blowing and snowing with flat light and a long way back to Arrowhead.

Another great day in paradise!

17" (Yes, it is what you're thinking)

We got a whole bunch of snow last night (#$@!) - Haig and Hugo were out before 8 a.m. clearing the drive for the umpteenth day in a row. It was a work day, so I was up at 5:00 a.m. for a call, then back to bed for another hour. I had several calls with employees and my staff call. exchanged emails with friends...and Timbo, if you wanna get in on the KBCO raffle you gotta sign up as a "follower". 

The "in-laws" arrive tonight, they've landed and are taking a CME van to get here!! -- I don't think they will be serving cocktails but ya never know. 

The Assadourian clan enjoyed this today!! -- I think they were getting cabin fever and wanted to give Lisa and I some space for business reasons.

Tomorrow, should be a ski day. We celebrate and exchange gifts in the evening and then Thursday is Danielle's Birthday!!  She's already informed us we'll be skiing again! (my kinda birthday)

OMG I'm sore...

Between some downtime and lack of sufficient exercise due to my health issues, two days in a row of skiing is murder on this old body. We got out yesterday for maybe 4 hours of skiing at the Beav. Snow was great, grooming always nice and the temperature not nearly as cold as Saturday. 

Today I'm dragging...worked from home (actually downstairs) while Lisa took over the office. The Assadourian clan went to Beaver Creek. Evelyn was put in a lesson while Kristi, Haig and Danielle skied and boarded together.  Oh BTW, it's still snowing!!!

-- Bob and Kathy arrive tomorrow!! -- Oh and you can now find me on facebook.com I'm blogging, on facebook, texting, twittering...who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

First Day of the Season

We finaly made it up to the mountain today. Beaver Creek had 6" of new snow on a 41" base. It was cold and blowing...we only stayed for a few hours. Thank You Epic pass!! I no longer have to worry about my ski days or feel I'm wasting them. We then ran and did errands, getting ready for Kristi and the kids to arrive and Bob and Kathy on Tuesday. We went to Christy Sports; Pier 1, City Market, Riverwalk wine and spirits, Brush Creek and Starbucks!! -- Then it was Hot Tub and shower time. A quick call to Mikel on her birthday (69th) was also in order!!  If you ever need to know what's going on in the vail valley check out this.

Snow Snow Snow!!!

Our flight was unremarkable...John (from Royal Ambassador) was there to pick us up in person!!! It was good to get caught up with him on our 30 minute ride to the Westminster house. John has been driving us since '99 when we moved to Boulder. He's a great family man and has grown his business month-in / month-out.

We arrived with no snow on the ground...woke up Sunday with ~4" in Westminster. Had a bit of drama early in the morning with a temperamental Sequoia, that didn't want to go in 4WD. I was not going to make the journey to Edwards w/o 4WD. Our friends at TiresPlus got us on the road in no time...Faulty Fuse...so I'm told.

2 1/2 hours later we arrived in Edward! -- Our driveway was freshly shoveled (thanks Kristi!) -- Beaver Creek had received 14" of freshies!! -- Kristi, Haig and our nieces left Monday a.m. -- Monday night we got about 5" of snow, so we were shoveling Tuesday morning...Tuesday night same thing, another 5" or so. We share a driveway with our neighbors so we're lucky that Hugo likes to shovel. -- He also confessed their getting a snowblower!! Yeah!! - I offered to help pay, but he said no...

We're Going home!!! (at least till 12/31)

Day 26

TGIF!!! Which means we head back to Colorado tomorrow. We're on a 5:30 American flight into Denver. We'll have Simba in tow...another kitty hangover in store!! -- spend the evening in Westminster and then head up to Edwards during the late morning. We have to pick up some Christmas decorations, the tree and a few other odd and ends. We'll be there till 12/30 when we drive down (again to Westminster) and fly out on the early flight 12/31 back to Miami. --

We managed to score a few of the coveted KBCO 2-disk 20th anniversary CD's last week. I'm thinking of running a contest to award one to those who sign up as followers!! -- So if you're into music, or just like good, insightful, witty, sometimes humorous writing about our life in South Florida, please sign up!! -- I'll throw all the names into a hat (most likely a CU buffs cap) and have the lovely Ms. Lisa draw us a winner!

A little diversion...

Day 24

So this past weekend we had some fun. We took a boat tour of Fort Lauderdale! The Venice of America as it were. Lisa did the research and chose the "Carrie B" -- It was the best $18 (each) we've spent. The tour lasted about 1 1/2 hours, it left on time, the weather was perfect and the guide was very informative. He was very knowledgeable in the houses we saw, had great stories about the "Lee Major" home, the house for the bad guys in "Miami Vice" and the many homes of the owner of the Miami Dolphins football team! He also turned us on to this! So if you wanna watch the cruise ships come and go...that's the place! -- We're thinking of a cruise, given we're so close now. -- We also saw some NICE yachts and sailboat!! -- I was good to be on the water again!

I stumbled across this on the internet...as I was looking for places to Snorkel. -- This is the beach we walk to nearly every day!!

Keep the comments coming and please "register" or "subscribe" so I can start to sell advertising and fund my retirement account.

Boca (Grand) Living (cont.)

day 20

With the laundry situation figured out...I've been corrected there are only 2 settings on the wash machine rough and really rough...It's almost like cleaning your clothes by beating them on rocks!! Lisa also had to ask me where the lint trap was on the dryer...I proceeded to pull it out for her inspection...It was probably 1/3 the size of ours in CO.

The last major trauma was the dish washer...I'm happy to report it was finally fixed yesterday. The Sear's repairman was here on 11/24...had to order a part, which arrived 11/28 and he finally fixed on 12/5. (ahh rental living...) Or to put it another way...20 days of hand washing the dishes!!!

Our condo is very centrally located...many many restaurants within an easy stroll...almost anything you can think of, Italian, Japanese, steaks/seafood, subway, starbucks, cuban, nepalese, a tiki bar named "boardriders" across the street (with bands several nights a week...if you get my drift)...we also have wholefoods (a couple miles away and on the way home) publix (a Sun customer) and a "freshies" market a short walk away. So we're eating healthy...(more on that later)

Boca (Grand) Living...

Day 18

as we last left our adventurers, a cold spell had engulfed Florida...and it was cold!! At least colder than we had expected...You see, thinking we were moving to the Sun belt, we had really only brought "summer" clothing. We found it a bit chilly...and with all the windows open...(all 3 of them) it got down right cold.

We had been smart and had mailed ourselves a care package prior to our arrival...inflatable bed, some sheets, pillows and one fleece blanket...you can imagine how WW III would break out in the evening as we fought over the "cover"...By the final night Wednesday, I wore my fleece sweat pants and my sweatshirt to bed. Lisa told me I couldn't, but I did and so did she...it was the best night of sleep we had gotten!! -- Even the train wasn't a problem...did I tell you about the train yet?...

Because our household goods did not arrive until Thursday, which included the TV, we resorted to watching our favorite TV shows on our laptops via the internet. We used a box for a table and felt like we were camping.

All our stuff (except for the car) came on Thursday...The team (driver and 3 helpers) had everything delivered and in place and most of the stuff put away and trash removed in about 3 hours.

The washer repair man came...looked around, took the cover off the washer, ran it, couldn't find a leak...so I told him to fill it up, like we had...it was then that we found the problem..."Bad design" he said...with no clothes in and the tub filled up and the agitator going, the water was splashing out via a large gap in the top of the tub and the lid...the washer is a big issue with Lisa as it only has 3 cycles (I'm told) -- Many of you know I'm banned from the laundry room unless there's a leak (I guess) -- The Laundry room banning is a longer story (for another day...sorry Michele)

The trip down...

Day 17

I'm starting in a kinda of random order...We flew down to Miami bright and early on Sunday morning November 16th. We were kind of dreading the flight because we had "Simba" our cat with us. He'd only flown once previously when we had moved to Colorado. We gave him his kitty Valium just before we left the house, (Kristi drove us...Thanks again Kris!!) we had to pay our extra bag tax and $100 for Simba. By the time we got to security, he was pretty much out of it...he just clung to Lisa and didn't really let out a peep...He slept most of the flight, got a little restless just before landing but never created a problem. We got our bags, rode the car rental bus to Budget and we were outta there.

The 40 minute drive to Boca was uneventful.

We found our way up to the unit...Lisa had not been there since August when we found it. I had been there in October when I got the keys from Seth (our relocation assistant) -- The place was a little musty as it had not been occupied since April. The water smelled putrid and was a disgusting color, the kitchen was dark (not enough lights) and we needed to open the doors and windows to get some air circulating, but this was home!! -- We ran the water in every faucet and started the washing machine to help drain the hot water heater...which had the dank smelly water...we soon discovered a growing wet spot near the washing machine. We shut it off immediately, looked around for the root of the problem, found a whole bunch of dust bunnies behind the washer and dryer as well as a pair of ladies maroon panties!

What had we gotten in to?? -- I texted Seth, got our landlords agent's phone number; left a message and waited...

Did I mention the cold front that was engulfing the state?

The begining...

Day 16

This is my first attempt at Blogging. I thought this would be a great way for people to stay in touch and learn about our South Florida adventure!! -- As many of you know, Lisa and I moved to Boca Raton, Florida on November 16th, 2008 to enable me to be closer to the people I support at work. We settled in to a little 2 Bedroom / 2 Bath condo in a mid rise building in downtown Boca Raton. We've been busy getting it put together as we didn't move everything from our Westminster, CO house. We've spent a lot of time at places like this and this! I've also learned a thing or two about "returning stuff". We had to take several lamps back to Target. I think the security guard knows me now.

Lisa wants to go "thrifting", which would be a big change for us...She learned about this from one of her employee's (Thanks Gammy...I think) -- There are many consignment stores in Florida and we keep saying we gotta stop, but we haven't yet. We're in need of a chair for the office and a couple fake plants.

We've been walking to the beach almost everyday. It's about a mile, we do a loop that takes an hour. It's a great walk and flat the whole way...I think everything in Florida is flat.