Idaho (Dec. 28-Jan. 5)

(almost caught up)

We would only have a little over a week in Idaho. But, in keeping with our habits, we hit the ground running and didn’t really stop until we boarded the plane to leave.

The general idea was to see my parents first, then Boise (dinner with my sister), then continue north to the mountains (ski, see the property we bought a couple years ago, hang out with my brother and other sister), then back to Boise to catch our flight home. In the end, that’s how it worked out.

We arrived at around midnight, picked up the rental car and headed to my sister, Lisa’s. Sadly, she and my brother-in-law were in Mexico and we wouldn’t see them during our visit. But they graciously allowed us to sort of use their house as a home base which worked out great. We will have to catch them in the summer.

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Kimberly

The next day we went to our storage, pulled out our snow stuff, ran a few errands and then headed south to the Magic Valley where I grew up and where my parents still live. It’s an easy drive. Flat. Generous speed limit. Usually not too much traffic.

helping out, before the snow hits...

In addition to hanging out with my parents, I was thinking to sneak part of a day at a nearby ski mountain. Snow had been good and I was thinking that an easy, local mountain might be good for my girls to get more comfortable on their skis. Less intimidating than bigger mountains. So the next morning we didn’t waste any time and headed up.

gotta love a local Idaho ski mountain

Magic Mountain was a popular place to go when I was growing up. It’s a small mountain and a great place to learn. I was surprised how similar it looked to when I was in high school. I didn’t remember the mountain well but I didn’t need to. Our focus was on getting our girls comfortable and learning to enjoy their time on the mountain. Though it was a bit challenging at first, overall, by the afternoon it was mission accomplished.

the girls achieved a big milestone - no more learner hills

Otherwise, we ran errands, watched football, ate, etc. It’s a relaxing time and really good to spend time with the folks.

Boise

After three nights we headed back to Boise. We spent a really nice New Year’s Eve with my sister at her place. We had no intention of bringing in the new year but, the way it worked out, we would not be in bed before 12:30 am. With the limited time that we’re in the US, it’s hard for me to justify staying out late as there are so many things I want to do with my mornings.

To the Mountains

Speaking of morning, we needed to get an early start on our trip north since our plan was to fit in a mostly full ski day. The drive was chilly, dropping to -5 F (-21 C). Once we were at higher altitude, it was a winder wonderland. I kept watching the thermometer hoping it would warm up a bit. While the girls were keen on skiing, if one is uncomfortable, it takes the fun out of it. Interestingly, likely due to an temperature inversion, the weather warmed considerably as we ascended the road up the mountain reaching 17 F (- 8 C) as we parked.

winter wonderland

Thankfully, the weather forecasters were correct in that it would be a sunny day. It was that sweet spot where the weather was cold enough to keep the snow in good condition but warm enough so as not to be uncomfortable.

the Brundage Mountain crew

After a short visit on the beginner slope to get the girls comfortable on their skis again, we headed up the mountain for more challenging skiing. Admittedly, I was very proud to see them mastering their turns, laughing and really seeming to enjoy themselves. Between Magic Mountain and now, they had crossed a threshold. It was exciting to watch.

amazing view; wonderful day on the slopes

Scary Moment

At one point, I had just completed a run and had come to a stop at the base near the line of the chairlift we’d been using. Kinaya had skied in just behind me and had stopped not far away. Kiran’s skis were a bit too loose, and when I saw her take a tumble a short ways away, I assumed that was the reason. Priya had stopped to assist.

While Kinaya and I were waiting, I all of the sudden began to hear screaming. Just behind me was another chairlift heading off in a different direction. I looked up and saw that a boy, probably around 5 or 6 years old, had fallen from the chair just as it was rising up from the loading area. He was hanging onto the footrest and his panicking mother had ahold of his coat. They were yelling at the lift operator to hit the emergency stop, which, relatively quickly, he did.

A guy next to me and I promptly shifted over to position ourselves directly below the boy whose skis were probably about 20 feet above us. The poles of the other three on the chair rained down around us as they tried to reach for the boy.

As we stood there, I was honestly thinking that the boy was going to drop anytime. He was dangling precariously and I was trying to figure out how that might play out. I doubted that we could successfully catch him (he still had his skis on), given the amount of force with which he would reach us. I assumed he would just crash into us and we would break his fall as we all would hit the snow together.

My eyes were focused on the dangling child but I could sense that a crowd was building behind us. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that the ski area staff were pulling out a large, round tarp which we would use to catch him. Soon we had it beneath him and I was already feeling like this was going to turn out okay.

The next challenge was getting him to let go. Admittedly, the idea of allowing himself to drop must have been scary. But with the encouragement of his mother in the chair above him (and probably also due to the fact that he must have been exhausted hanging on for so long), he let go and fell into the tarp below. The landing was perfect and soon he was standing and behind hugged by one of the staff. He immediately burst into tears as the emotion of the whole thing caught up to him. I could now look around me and see that there were a couple hundred people watching the events unfold. There was lots of cheering.

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By mid-afternoon, Priya headed back to the lodge to get us a table. The girls and I agreed that we would do two more runs and then join her. It was probably not ideal that the only adult retired for the day. We all should have stopped at that point. Though we had a few more enjoyable runs, I think we pushed it too much. We were all dehydrated and Kinaya gets bad headaches in these situations. Both girls were spent and apres-ski turned out to be simply a quick snack and then we needed to get back to the cabin.

* * *

livin' the dream

The next day I resisted the temptation to squeeze in another ski. Instead, we spent most of the day at the house. Priya and I were able to go check out the progress on the property we purchased just prior to the pandemic. The partially-built house is still partially built but there is some progress since last summer. It’s hard to get contractors to work on the place so something that should have taken a few weeks has turned out to be a few years. Not ideal but it should be finished by summer.

 

used to be easier when they were little

* * *

We drove back to Boise the next day. It was a pretty and pleasantly uneventful. Other than some time with Boise-based family, that was the end of the trip. We put our winter gear back in storage and the next morning we headed to the airport. After three flights and about 24 hours, we would be back home to the Kenyan summer. Back to work.

Indiana (Dec. 20-27)

Eventually, I’ll get caught up.)

Arriving in Louisville this time of year, the weather can be all over the place. We’ve had rain, snow, warm, cold, etc. Last year it was warm with no snow. This year was colder, though the weather was predicted to get much colder as a polar vortex was on its way from the north. But as we arrived, there was no snow and warmer than what we had in Minnesota.

We made our way to southern Indiana where we would spend a week with my mother-in-law as well as my sister-in-law who was also visiting for the holidays from Bangkok (soon to be headed to Lao).

I guess these guys don't head south for the winter - standoff between a bluejay and a cardinal

The house is small but it works when we’re all there. We’ve been there enough that we quickly move into our routines in the small town of Scottsburg. We work out at the local YMCA. I go for runs out in the countryside. There are cities with shopping centers closer to Louisville that we can reach in about a half hour. Otherwise, the town has all the basics.

A massive hawk behind the house. I've never seen so many birds in the winter.

One thing that we did this year which we haven’t done in the past was volunteer at the local food pantry for the homeless. Someone may ask, with only a week available to us in Indiana, why we would use such valuable time in a food pantry. In fact, it’s a great use of time. First of all, it’s something we did as a family and less selfish than doing something like working out. Second of all, there is huge need, particularly this year. We’ve been so blessed over the years that, for me, it’s the least I can do to share what we have. In the end, I wish we had done more than we did.

The nice people at the pantry gave us our instructions and we were off and running. Our initial task was to take the items from the area where they were donated, do a bit of sorting and then stock the shelves. This way, when they assemble the packages to be distributed, they can quickly find what they need. The goal of the pantry is to try to provide somewhat of a balanced diet for the needy given the odds and ends that show up among the donations. I have to say, another benefit to volunteering is the education you receive about how this all works, what the gaps are, and be better informed when donating in the future. After we were done with our work, my sister-in-law and I headed to the local Walmart to fill up a couple shopping carts of items that were most needed, particularly with the frigid weather coming the following day.

* * *

Three days before Christmas, some of the family decided to do some preparing just in case the predicted bad weather became ugly (flashlights, food, etc.). In addition to the cold, we were told that there would be terrible winds that could bring down powerlines and make the frigid temperatures even colder. That evening, snow began to fall and then the winds picked up during the night.

The next morning (Dec. 23), everything was white and wind guests were stronger. Temperatures were expected to drop further so I decided to get my run in beforehand. It was cold but, after about 15 minutes I was fine. After my frigid experience in Minnesota, I had purchased a hat and gloves and was better prepared. It was cold enough, however, that as sweat seeped out of my hat, it froze into an icicle.

Throughout the day, the cold really set in. By afternoon, I took this screenshot: -28 F (-33 C). On Christmas Eve, temperatures warmed to balmy single digits as we attended our two church services.

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Christmas was rather low-key and relaxing with family. The week went quickly and soon we would be repacking our bags for our trip to Idaho.