Northstar was very busy today, as probably all the resorts were, because we had snow this week. As I was walking from whatever parking lot I was in to the end of a very long line of skiers and snowboarders waiting for the shuttle, someone called my name.
How does anyone from the Meetup group know what I look like?
But it was Justin, the only Virginia transplant left out here besides me! He was a regular guest for dinner and holidays and even made into my portrait project for photography. We laughed at how weird it was to run into each other, but then realized that if I was going to run into him anywhere, it would be at Northstar, as his main objective in moving out here was to snowboard. So we caught up and when the bus arrived, he led the way to my Meetup's meetup spot. It was nice to see him!
The Meetup organizer was running late because everyone in Reno and the Bay Area came to ski this weekend, so I found two of the group members and we chatted and drank chocolatey dessert versions of coffee while waiting for the others. Kim and John are married and when I said I was from Virginia close to the D.C. area, John wanted to know if that meant D.C. or out west towards Leesburg. How does he know Leesburg? He and Kim were air traffic controllers.
"Hey, my dad was fired by Reagan!" I said.
"Hey, we got hired because those controllers got fired!" they replied.
Oh, and they moved up here recently from Lancaster, CA. They asked me if I knew where that was, and of course, I was stationed at Edwards! There were connections flying all over, so we had a lot to talk about while waiting for the group organizer. When she and her friend showed up, we all talked a while, then they split for the lifts and Kim, John, and I headed to the sculptures.
This one seemed the most appropriate to take a picture with.
This one had a title (and an amusingly pretentious artist's statement), but we renamed it "Boobs." We also would have accepted "Boys," said with a head shake and an eyeroll. This team was from California, shockingly.
This one is called something like "The First Killer Whale," and is representing the legend about it being carved from wood, and when the dude from whatever island (Information just seeps out of me so fast.) carved a hole in its fin, it came alive. I think I'd come alive too, if someone put a hole in my fin. Sorry you can't see any good detail, but as you can see, it was blinding outside. I can't remember where this team is from.
This team is from Germany, and their sculpture was called "Reflection." Apparently, each team is given a block of snow (How does that work, exactly?) 10' x 10' x 12', and they carve away from that, sometimes adding snow to the top of the sculpture.
Again, sorry about the blinding. You should have seen the picture of this thing from the front. It was so bright that the whole thing was solid white, and all you could see what an outline. I think this was called something like Telescope Dreams (?) and the team was from Japan.
This team was from Mongolia, and I think life must be dark and depressing there. This sculpture was really neat except for the whole death thing, but the best picture I got was of the top. Seriously, Mongolia, lighten up.
This one was also titled "Reflection" and what's interesting is that I get a much better sense of that from the picture than I did in person. The center is a tree with drooping branches and each side has a different scene. I think this team was from Wisconsin? (I am such a helpful tour guide.)
This one was Kim's and my favorite. This was the local Tahoe team. You could vote for your favorite by putting money into a box in front of each sculpture. The money goes partially to travel expenses for the competitors, and partially to the Tahoe Humane Society. They give to a different charity each year.
So I was driving down Mt. Rose feeling a lot calmer than I did on the way up, and thinking about these Meetups. I felt very proud of myself for going. Furthermore, the group agreed that the reason the snowboard hasn't sold on Craigslist is because I am supposed to use it. The group leader said she'd go with me if I want to learn- she's been snowboarding for years. I'm tempted to try it, honestly.
Well, it feels a little melancholy after such outings. I feel relieved to be home in my quiet, but I also often wonder why I'm not returning with a gaggle of wild friends and a couple boy toys. All good boy toys in time, I suppose. But if fun people and new experiences are the objective, this is a good way to do it. And even if snowboarding is expensive and not something that can become a hobby, I can at least go give it a whirl and add it to my list of things I never imagined I'd do.
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