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Pictures from Sundance Mountain

Sundance 2008-Day Two

"All because of Jack, aaall because of Jack..."

is a refrain we sang quite often last year, as parents do. Taking the popular U2 tune and personalizing it to commemorate an event or moment, we'd sing it about school or baseball, creating useful and catchy "brady bunch" moments. Well today was such a day-- the day a snowboarder was born!

Creeping in genetically to a skiing family, Jack approached his first lesson and cruise on a board, at the Sundance Resort, with excitement and confidence. Sundance is a very special place.Turned out as beautifully ith outdoor fire pits and running brooks, genuinely happy staff throughout and no signs of waste or commercialism, save a general store and a ski shop, the site was in great shape for a fine Winter's day. And a fine day it was! Snow conditions were first-class with a six-foot base, morning dusting with afternoon sun and enough moisture under foot to glide with ease. Geared up with a new Rossi board, courtesy of our friend Jonathan at Zermatt's Adventure Haus in Midway, Jack warmed up at the bottom of the hill before hitting the lift with his instructor and one other kid. "I want to show you the Owl Bar," i said to Shelly and we arranged a 2:30 meet at the bottom, as she stayed below to monitor the boy's progress. I took the only lift all the way up to the back mountain and barrelled down. Our drink date was postponed when, upon my arrival at the bottom, i learned that he had taken the lift up. It's a great mountain to learn on for sure, plenty of confidence building slopes in the middle, but it is a long throw on the chair up to even the first get off. So i scooted back up and spied his trio at play. They were boarding allright. HAPPILY! I bombed back down, reported in to Mom and shooed her into to the famous western bar for a lager. Nice. Worked out well. Went back to ski some more.

When meeting up a short while later, Jack stood a bit taller, relaxed and charmed by his successful boarding day. Wanting a few photos more, as Shelly has quite the eye thru the lens, we posed in the center of the oak paneled resort for what folks remarked would be next year's Christmas card, it's such a lovely setting, after a large meandering group of people cleared thru. The day complete, we took in some final images on the veranda as the group emerged again, passing directly in front of us. It was U2's Bono and the Edge, and friends, being shown the place by host and founder Robert Redford. "I want to show them the Owl Bar," he said.

Sundance 2008- Day One

We drove up from Santa Monica, leaving 4:30 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Two hours later we had dinner in LaVerne after traveling 50 miles. Hit the I-15 North, climbing the hill to the high desert. Trip punctuated by moments of anguish as the Fuel light came on in the middle of the Mojave desert between Barstow and Baker. "Dear God," i finally said a silent prayer, "please let there be a gas station soon." And sure enough, over the next ridge was a neon sign, G.A.S. So we put in 3 gallons of $4.15 gas, praying is sometimes expensive but necessary, and gleefully pulled in at Baker for a fillup and refreshment.
Thursday 12:30 am: arrived OASIS Mesquite, NV stayed in a $29 warm and comfy room, won $17 on 50-cent slots. Distance: 387 Miles. Time: 7 Hours

Thursday 0830: Mesquite to Sundance, UT arriving 2:30 pm through Bryce Canyon and the snowy plains. Pulled in the the lower parking at Sundance Resort walked around and checked out the Snowboard School. Had a coffee and a hot chocolate, showed off the Owl Bar and was greeted by Jeff, who was transpo on MOOLA, Don Most's movie we filmed up here in Provo in Nov. 06. Nice welcome, plan on skiing the mountain on Saturday.
4:30 pm:Arrived Zermatt Resort in Heber City to a nice double room with kitchenette, good parking, and a pool, spa with a swim-thru to the outside. Distance: 330 miles. Time: 7 Hours.
Total Driving: 717 Miles: 14 Hours. Dins at Zermatt, hit the sack by 9:30 after Celebrity Apprentice.

Christmas Star

December 24, 2007:0615 hrs
Well just looking at the early pre-dawn sky i was this Monday morning. And what did i see but the planet Venus heralding the arrival of the rising Sun returning from it's Winter Solstice. Like the ancient story of the wise men following "a Star" there i was looking East by South-East. Had i been on the equator it probably would have been due East. So art imitates life and what sounds almost impossible actually happens. Merry Christmas and, like the wise man says, "we don't have to know everything", we can believe in something greater. God's love for us is real and this magical celestial sign reminds us of that. Merry Christmas! Punch

The Year 2007:Started at the Tournament of Roses Parade, our first, and what a majestic spectacle with 500 Stormtroopers marching down Colorado Ave! A family ski trip to Tamarack, ID followed in March, a favorite month for us, bringing birthday tidings for both our boys. Garrick is having a great senior year at New Roads HS, preparing for a good track season in 2008. Fleet of foot and confident in spirit, he looks forward with excitement and anticipation to running for his college team: location to be determined. Jack is thriving in his second year at Will Rogers (Elementary) and was singled out for being the # 1 reader in both class and (1st) grade, due to his high minute count for the read-a-thon, which is likened to “sweeps” for booklovers. Shelly is the Den Mother of Jack’s new Cub Scout pack and our Fall Campout in the hills next to Will Rogers Park in Palisades Canyon at Camp Josepho, a famous haunt for many generations of scouts, was a late Fall highlight. Summer brought another visit to Camp Lejeune; time on-base and golf course with Marines of all rank and file. Unless one knows these Warriors it is easy to marginalize their business, but many are truly awe inspiring individuals. Our friends from Utah (TigerLight family), and U.K. (British-American Business Council), kept us busy producing infomercial spots and golf tournaments, labors of love for sure! The CBS network provided parts in episodes of two of their finer shows, The Unit and Criminal Minds, which made for a nice reunion with a friend from early career days, at Universal (Dennis Haysbert from Buck Rogers, with Wilfrid as Dr. Goodfellow). Hardly a day goes by without a reminder of my father, and I only hope my boys some day say the same. Our new dramatic arts program at First Pres (Santa Monica) got off to a great start with a production of Thornton Wilder’s lost one-act The Happy Journey and we look forward to tackling Yeats’s The Resurrection this coming Easter. Jack and his friends participate regularly in programs and Shelly is the toddler program teacher on Sundays and sometimes during the week.

There seems much to be uncertain about: Are we melting? Are our friends really our enemies? What to watch, CNN or Fox? —as if it made a difference! It’s easy to let our small cultural, political or class differences cloud the simple realization that the greatest mystery is not what we do with our time here, but how we got the chance in the first place and what gifts can we leave for others to open. One certainty, easy to overlook, is the reason for the season. A prime mystery to ponder, the Christian story of the Virgin birth surely changed the world. Many believe that it still can. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday! Worship (transitive verb to love or respect something unquestioningly) and find joy. p.s. Give Microsoft Word 2007, a try. It’s worth the learning curve!