Live to ski

Here's a picture of me on the lift last week. It was clear out and the snow was pretty much frozen solid. It doesn't look like it under the chairlift but the snow really was rock hard. I like it like that. You can really go fast on a week day with race skis. I live for days like that as there's nothing else quite like it. Fast cars don't do it, fast motorcycles come close, but there's nothing like a pair of race skis on a sunny day like that. It's raining outside right now. I suspect it will freeze the mountains again. That's good. Some people like powder, but I like the snow firm. I like the speed and you're less likely to get hurt on firm snow.

There's something about coming up out of the valley fog as you drive up and into the sunshine that does your soul some good. This is a picture of the road up to the resort as I came out of the fog and into the sunshine. I was talking to a guy on the chairlift about this the the other day. The gloom in the valley is totally broken when you rise up and out of the fog and into the light of day. It's really an amazing transformation and it's one of the reasons I love to ski and why I feel so sorry for those who don't who live in ski country. They hate winter as they are always stuck down there in the valley fog half of the time. I know so many people like that and it's really sad..

I guess the sticker in the window of this truck says it best.. Live to ski.. I want one of those!

Bark Less

Wag more, bark less.

Tourist Season in Montana

A bumper sticker I saw in Western Montana. I took a chance getting this picture actually. I'm sure I looked a little like a tourist standing there with my camera...

Commuter Dog

This bumper sticker reads, My money and my kid go to the University of Montana.. It seems that everyone and their dog are stuck in traffic these days.

I rode my bike to work today. I need to get used to it because of the traffic congestion. And actually it was nice. It's going to rain the rest of the week so I have to decide about that still. At lunch I rode the bike over to a sandwich shop drive through. Did you know that some fast food drive throughs won't allow bikes..? It's not the customer image they want I guess.

So I was going to ride down to the river and eat my lunch but I decided to go to the park instead. My mp3 player was locked up so I just sat there on a bench by a softball diamond and looked at a chain linked fence while I ate. I had a "Russian" sandwich, but I don't know why they call it that. It was pretty much just a turkey sandwich with some roast beef also.. Is that what they eat in Russia?

As I sat there a guy showed up on the field with a soccer ball. Great big field and one guy with a soccer ball. I was thinking, it's too bad he doesn't have anyone to kick the ball back and forth to. Then another guy showed up. Soon there were a whole bunch of guys, who came from all directions and they set up goals and started a game. I sat and watched from behind the chain linked fence, and for a while I kept score.

Finally I decided to move out from behind the chain linked fence to get a better view. So I sat with my back against a tree and watched the game. Each player had his own body language, but there was one guy who seemed to be a natural for the sport. A short guy who seemed to always be in the action and making goals. His movements were fluid and smooth as if he'd been playing soccer his whole life. (or football, call it what you will)

Finally I looked at my watch and got on my bike and rode back to work. Don't these guys have to work? I thought as I left.. Are there that many people who can just go to the park and play soccer in the afternoon? Perhaps they are all stay at home Dads and get babbysitters while they play..

I took pictures of the guys playing soccor but the Commuter Dog picture was better. I feel just like that retriever when I drive my car home from work these days.

May peace prevail on earth

In fairness, here's another bumper sticker from North Idaho. I can't say for sure but I would suspect that this car belongs to an evil "liberal". Someone who would be P_'d off if you bought a gun.

Buy a gun

Easterm Washington and North Idaho is a beautiul place to live, but there are a lot small minded people who live here. The odd thing is that the people who grew up here don't think anything of it. They think it's just normal or just blow it off, but I find it really disgusting and shameful.

This is the sort of person who is likely to go to his or her work place and shoot former co-workers.. after getting fired for being such a creep.

Hate crimes are on the rise here and there's little wonder why.

Dog person

I love this bumper sticker.

***
But what if your dog thought you were an idiot?

Crush you like the wolf

Another anti-Canadian Wolf bumper sticker. I took this picture as people were driving their Super Duties to work the other day. As you can see by the small car behind the Ford F350, small cars aren't safe. It's been all over the news. People in Super Duties just can't see you back there and if they hit you they will crush you like the Canadian wolf lover that you are.

I'm almost eye level with the bumper of this Silverado. Is it my little car that isn't safe or the big truck? In the news they singled out the Toyota Yaris, Smart Car, and one other small car. They ran a Mercedes into a Smart Car and concluded that the Smart Car wasn't safe. That's sort of like having an elk hunter shoot a wolf and concluding that the wolf wasn't safe.

Well maybe not,.. but I've been thinking that the elk aren't exactly safe either.

Kalashnikov justice

I've figured out what do do with these guys who insist on owning asault style weapons like the Kalashnikov.

We could put them to work on freight ships off of the cost of Somalia. They could shoot pirates instead of their wives, children and former co-workers.

Ok I'm being sarcastic, but honestly, how hard could it be to protect a big ship like that? Just have a few guys on lookout who could pick them off before they ever got close. I don't get it. Or while they are trying to crawl up on the ship throw big bags of wheat at them. I don't really think throwing money at them is a sustainable answer to their problems.

Back to the gun issue. I was listening to a local radio talk program while I ate lunch where I ski in north Idaho. Must have been some sort of public access program. Local elderly people were talking about the 2nd amendment and how Obama and Pelosi were bent on taking away gun ownership rights. It was hosted by a nice older lady and man. The lady did most of the talking. Clearly the talking points were scripted out of an NRA magazine, and there were also Rush Limbaugh buzz words like "drive by media" thrown in, but what really got me was the last thing she said, and I quote, "government is a self feeding cancer."

Wait a minute.. My dad worked for the government..

Christian American

Another bumper sticker from North Idaho.

The best one I've seen recently but couldn't get a snap of read: "Lord, help me to be half the person my dog thinks I am."

Canada wolves

Or should that read "Canada Wolves" ?...

Forget about dogs playing poker... Canada has wolves smoking cigarettes!.. They've always been more edgy than we are,.. those crazy Canada people...

I'm kidding of course... I didn't realize we were blaming Canada for our wolf problem,.. I mean wolf issue... situation...

Got nuts?

I'm always looking for a good bumper sticker or window decal. If you are not from snow country, then this means this guy goes up in the woods hunting or something in crazy places when there is snow. And if you've ever been in western Montana there are lots and lots of crazy places to take a truck.

Deer naked lady

I got back from Montana last night, sorted my gear out and then watched the last episode of Big Love. I'm hooked on that series. It's not quite as dark the Sopranos was. I'm also getting a kick out of Flight of the Conchords.

I'm always looking for bumper stickers and window decals, so I'm going to label them.

I get the naked lady mudflap thing, and the deer head, but I honestly don't understand the two together.