A flash (not fiction) from my past

I’ve been hauling boxes around a good part of this week, unpacking, repacking, setting things aside to donate, etc. In my efforts to make sure all the boxes are packed full so that when stacked the contents don’t get smashed, I’ve been going through some of them. Diving into one of my boxes of memorabilia today, I came across some old photos of me. Perhaps you’ll find them enjoyable. I know I did. Lots of good memories.

Top left, B&W: That’s me on the left in my space alien costume for Halloween when teaching at Lutheran East High School in Cleveland, Ohio. I wasn’t all that much older than the seniors. 🙂

Right side with hat: I think that was my senior year in high school, sans my glasses.

Bottom left: My ski pass from Steamboat Springs, Colorado the second of two years I worked there after college graduation and the year before I went to grad school to get my Masters.  Can’t tell if that’s before my nose was broken in an accident where I could easily have died.  It still looks pretty straight!  🙂

There and back again

Not a hobbit’s tale, but a short pictorial tale from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to Norway and back.  Fasten your seat belt or put down the bar on the ski lift.  Away we go, back in time and partway around the world.

On the cover of the Rollin’ Stone (sort of)

After college, I moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado to experience the life of, if not true ski bum, at least someone who lived, worked and skied in a ski resort.  I’d always wanted to live in the mountains and this was my chance.

But my first year was rather atypical, at least in terms of snowfall.  By Sunday, December 19, 1976, when ski season is usually in full schuss, complete with the famous champagne powder of Steamboat, there was only limited snow, with many resorts either not open or with only a few runs open.  In ski resorts, to paraphrase, snow is money, and lack of snow translates into no money and people going out of business.

But what does the New York Times have to do with all this and how did I end up on the front page (below the fold)?