The cold weather’s got me nostalgic with thoughts of winters past. Just as a certain smell can bring up old memories and transport you right back to a cherished time, so too can a stinging wind across your face or a fierce rainstorm that has sent you sprinting across a puddle filled parking lot. Back that up with the smell of a smoky chimney and it becomes easy to delve into special old memories.
I have been bombarded with several wintertime memories over the last few days alone. There is no explanation for why my mind presented me with these particular images. The human brain works in mysterious ways. But here they are:

1) Standing on the top of a ski hill with Neal, Leach and Guppy, Doggy, Wild Bill and the Sac State Ski Club late at night in Steamboat Springs, Colorado waiting to take a bobsled ride to the bottom. We waited for several hours only to have the drunken group in front of us roll the sled on the way down bringing the night to an end. If you’ve never had the pleasure of running down a ski hill in the middle of the night, laughing your ass off, I highly recommend it.

2) Building a snow bear with Lisa, Sara and Matt at the old cabin. When a Thanksgiving storm caught us off guard we were unprepared to go out into the snow to build a snowman with Sara and Matt. We wrapped ourselves with garbage bags and masking tape to ward off the wet snow. Long after the kids had given in to the cold Lisa and I formed our five-foot tall snowman into a bear sitting on his rear and drinking Champagne from the bottle. I’m guessing Lisa and I had something to do with emptying the bottle before we went outside. That snowbear was the best snow sculpture I’ve ever created to this day.

3) The entire day of skiing at Alpine Meadows just before Lisa and I started dating. We skied my favorite run Hotwheels Gulch, and on the way home Lisa fell asleep with her head in my lap while I played with her hair. It was a sign of things to come.

4) The day of skiing with Neil, Kevin and Mary at Donner Ski Ranch. We were all in a goofy mood and acted like 6th graders as Kelvin and Mr. Mary learned to ski. Donner’s not my favorite ski areas, but the company that day made it one of my best days skiing.