Back to reality

Well, it's back home for us, after a great ski trip. We went to Sunday River, in Maine. Had a great time! We flew to Portland last Wednesday (took three glorious days off from work!) and rented a car and drove from there. First though we stopped in Freeport for a little shopping. The only store we were interested in was L.L.Bean, which we thoroughly enjoyed! I love that store...it's like walking through a catalog! We didn't end up buying all that much, although we both got some new ski mittens and I got new long underwear for skiing that was on sale. We did scope out some camping gear that we'll order online (we have the L.L.Bean credit card so we don't have to pay shipping). We want to get some new sleeping pads before next summer's camping trip. (Needless to say, we're DONE with air mattresses!!) The only other stops we made in town were some lunch at Gritty McDuff’s before we got started with our shopping, and of course some Ben & Jerry's before we headed out of town!

The weather was perfect for driving and we got to Sunday River without incident. We stopped along the way for a few groceries and beverages to stock our mini-kitchen. When we arrived we decided to pamper ourselves and made use of the valet parking service (a free service, just gratuity-based) and we also stowed our skis in their valet ski check. Very cool! That room is just inside the door from the slopes so it's very convenient. We stayed at the Jordan Grand. It's a really nice place.

The skiing was good, best the first morning we went which was Thursday. We got out there right when it opened and really had a great time. As the day progressed it got a bit icier, though still enjoyable. That evening we relaxed a bit in the heated outdoor pool! (I didn't get any photos, but there's a pic on this page.) The two hot tubs at the end of the pool were wonderful! One with quiet underwater jets and the other all roiling and bubbly.

On Friday the skiing was still good, and again nice that there weren't many people. There's definitely something to be said for making the effort to get in a couple of weekday ski days, because it sure makes a difference. The interesting part about Friday though was the wind. I remember sitting in our room before we left, idly staring out the window at the trees moving around. Little did I know...that meant it was VERY windy up on the top! In fact they had to close the lift that led to the only trail back to our hotel, so at the end of that day we had to take the shuttle back. Wasn't much of a hardship though...we sat at the bar in the Foggy Goggle and had a drink before catching the shuttle. It was very nice! Later we went in the pool again and this time, because the wind was really whipping around, the bubbles from the one side of the hot tub splashed water around and our hair got wet, and because of the low temps, it promptly froze! It was kind of fun, though we didn't stay long.

Saturday's skiing wasn't quite as good, as there had been no new snow to speak of and there were MANY more people. So we called it a day a little early since we were both tired, and wanted to quit before either of us hurt ourselves. We went back to relax in the pool again. Personally I am surprised we went in the pool as much as we did, since I'm not usually a pool person. But the novelty of this one won out I guess!

On the knitting front, I took my two sock projects along. I had finished one of the pink socks, and took the materials for starting the second, though I just ended up working on the blue sock. This was also my first time since you-know-when that I even tried taking my knitting on the airplane. I figured my teeny tiny bamboo needles wouldn't present a problem, and they did not. I knitted some in the airport, but not on the plane after all. I felt that in those oh-so-roomy plane seats it was easier to just read my magazine. (I know... Craziness. What was I thinking?!)

Sorry for the photo-less post...! I'll get on that soon.