Maely's first experience with SNOW

Until October of this year, Maely had spent the first 12 years of her life living in a remote village in the highlands of Honduras.  Her village rests at an altitude of 3200 feet above sea level so temperatures in the winter time can get down into the 60's and 70's.  After spending 20 years in Alaska and 10 years in the Pacific Northwest....I could get used to winter lows in the 60's!  But for Maely, that is sweater and coat weather and fortunately for her it only lasts a couple of months.  Do you remember the first time you saw snow?  Do you remember what it was like sledding down your first snow covered hill? Well, Maely got to experience this "life event" today and here are some pictures of her latest adventure.  We took her to the Mount Baker ski area and let her play in the snow!  Little did I know what I was in for.

Here she is getting "suited up" in the back of our truck.

This area is called Heather meadows up on Mount Baker.  Its a perfect bowl area so the kids don't end up sledding all the way down the mountain and halfway back to Bellingham before their parents can catch them!   As you can see from the sunshine in this picture, it was a perfect day for it.

After 15 minutes exposure to snow and 35 degree temperatures.....Maely is still smiling.  Doesn't her smile look sweet and innocent?  Almost angelic isn't she....HAH!  That's what I thought too.....I should have remembered the water gun ambush and the fact she tried to run me over with my own John Deere lawnmower!  I am just FAR TOO TRUSTING...or have a very short memory!

Shortly after this picture....my trusty side kick and event photographer (Pat)  bailed on me cause her hands were frozen.  Now that brings back memories!  When we lived in Alaska and I would take her and the kids skiing, Pat would complain that her hands got too cold.  So being the loving, understanding husband that I am, I bought her some "hot pocket" hand warmers and stuffed them in her ski gloves.  Then she said her feet were getting too cold....So for the next trip,  I bought her some heated ski boots.  I KID YOU NOT, they were battery powered, electrically heated ski boots! When she starting complaining about her face, knees, elbows, eyebrows, spleen and Y chromosomes getting too cold I realized, she was probably not genetically suited for skiing and let her stay home after that.

This is the third and final trip down the hill as the look on Maely's face pretty much sums up her opinion of snow!  By the way, that snow on the bill of my cap is from a snow ball Maely nailed me with as I was coming to her aid.  That girl has an arm like an outfielder and the accuracy of a major league pitcher!

As I was pulling her back UP the hill (that's right, I had to pull her back up the hill each time as she yelled "rapido burro") I noticed the sled seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.  At first I thought it was just my stamina starting to fade, but when I stopped to catch my breath and looked back, I noticed that she had been dragging her arms like the blades on a plow and had filled up the entire sled with snow!  It was when I started to empty the snow out of the sled that she nailed me with her fast ball.  Fortunately after only three runs down the hill, she decided it was time for me to drag her sled back to the truck and get warm.

I figured I had better post this blog tonight because I may be too sore to do so tomorrow.