Winter Daze

I love snow. I really do. It's probably because I enjoy sports that require snow, or at least cold: skiing, curling, skating, watching hockey (but only if my bro is playing!). Nothing beats running on a sunny winter's day, or hiking through the woods while snow is gently falling, except maybe the feeling of heat hitting you as you come inside to wrap your hands around a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Sure it's crap to drive in, and when I'm scraping ice off the windshield I can think of heaps of other things I'd rather be doing, but snow is also fresh and clean and beautiful. Of course you might say my romance with snow is a delusion brought on by living without it in Spain. But I really believe that if you take up some kind of winter activity, from winter hiking to ice hockey, the snow will become, if not the friend you wait for with anticipation each fall, at least a tolerable or even pleasant acquaintance.

Picture this: it's a cloudless day. The sun is shining and the snow is sparkling. You take a deep breath and breathe in invigorating, crisp air. 

Now picture this: it's a cold, clear night. You are star-gazing whilst tramping over snow covered fields, or listening for owls as you snowshoe silently through forest.



At the tubing hill

Feeling a little more adventurous? Or lazy? Go tubing. I tried it this year for the first time, and there is no walking involved. Basically, you and your inner tube ride up a slope on a conveyor belt. Then, you sit in your tube and careen down the slope with no way of controlling which direction you go. Then, you get back on the conveyor belt and repeat! Fun! Dress warmly, though (I went with my cousins and one wimped out after a few trips down), you will feel cold!

Hope we don't run into the fence!

Last week I had another first: I went to a midnight hockey game. My brother plays in a rec league at his university, and unfortunately, rec league game times are assigned by lottery. I was convinced I would sleep on the way to the arena, in the arena, and on the way home from the arena, but as soon as the cold air hit me, I was alert. Being the only spectator in an enormous area was also quite an unusual experience. If you find yourself in this situation, be very careful about what you yell - all of the players will know it was you!

That's enough about my snow daze (the daze caused, no doubt, by being awake at all hours to take advantage of the winter while it's here). Stop complaining about the weather, put on your gloves and boots and get out there! And when you come back in, drop me a line and tell me about it!