Queen of the Mountain

Don't know if Andrea has had any time to post about her recent Queen of the Mountain victory, but she did win! Here she is, sporting her costume on her way to the race. She needed to get up there for a couple of practice runs and I took the boys in the Chariot, leaving 30 minutes after she did. The way the race is set up, it's a bit hard to tell what is going on and the viewing area where the fans all stood wasn't the best place for a Grandma with a Chariot full of babies! I didn't want to be strolling around on a ski hill with those guys. We did see her after her transitions onto a new set of downhill gear, but it wasn't up close and personal. Congratulations, Queen! The Queen Mother and the little Princes are proud!

Bobsled Race in Rossland

It's Winter Carnival in Rossland and today was the bobsled race. Some of you might have seen it in action on RMR (Rick Mercer Report) a couple of years ago. The race takes place on Spokane Street and it's a steep hill, but does have a flatish section in the middle. This picture is taken on "the flats". I take the boys up Spokane Street almost every day so it's my workout! Now that they are 13 lbs and 16lbs and I am noticing that is harder to push. I admire the racers: I don't even like walking down this hill and take an alternate route with my precious cargo.

Ski Chariot!

We went out with the ski chariot on Thursday and Friday this week. It's a bit of an excercise getting everything ready, but Andrea will reduce that time with a bit of practice. It works best with two people involved! I can just keep up with Andrea when she pulls the chariot (my normal speed!) and I pulled it for about 20 minutes each day. The slightest incline really made me sweat! It's great for me on the flat and I wasn't too intimidated by a gentle downhill. We had two lovely skis with our boys and can do the Aquaduct/Gibbards route in about one hour and 20 minutes. Our "transition time" of getting the boys in and out of carseats and into the chariot and us into our skis still needs work but our last transition is getting down already - I load the skis and get the boys ready for their carseats; Andrea folds the chariot and gets the boys locked into their carseats. They don't like transitions so we get to hear some crying - luckily, it's only a 10 minute drive to the local x-country trails.

A Day in Trail

A beautiful day here in the "boundary" once again, but everyone is crying for snow. I decided to have a hiking day and walked up to Raven's Bluffs behind the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. It was an icy walk so I was glad to have my grippers along with me. A nice hike through a mixed forest and small ravine and at the top - the view of industrial Trail. It is what makes Trail, Trail! I'm thankful for the jobs here - I hope they stay because that would mean my grandkids can grow up here away from a big city and be treated to the benefits of a "smallish" place. The Columbia River really does make this place special.

What's Your Sign?

The boys received a couple of great little bibs and "onesies" from their American aunt and Canadian uncle. This one is my personal favourite. It arrived just in time - the boys have been drooling up a storm, so wearing a bit is so appropos! Miro is definitely showing signs of teething. For the uninitiated reader, the signs have to do with ski trail levels - beginner (green), intermediate (blue) and difficult (black). The boys have only been out in the Chariot on skis once and I have yet to get them to hold a bridge hand, but we'll be working on it soon.

End of the Fourth Trimester

A milestone has been reached today - the boys have finished the "fourth trimester" as they have now turned 3 months. We took them to their first music lesson - a sort of kindermusic session. It was lots of fun and Atley seemed to enjoy it. Miro slept through the whole thing (he woke up at 4:00 a.m. and it took a car ride to Trail to get him back to sleep.) We had a nice long walk in sunshine and in snow and now we're going to have a bison roast supper - mmm. The music program is called Music Together. Any readers know anything about it? I enjoyed the demo lesson. Congratulations on turning 3 months, Atley and Miro!