It's January, it's Massachusett's, the sun is shining and it's the weekend. So what better way of having some fun than hitting the slopes. Today that's just what Marguerite and Jude have did. Here they are posing on a wee bench halfway up Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts.
The day started off by getting the 'T' from the end of Winchester Street. Ahhhhh the 'T', sure Jude could talk all day about it, how wonderful it is, how convenient it is and most of all.....he loves that green, just loves it, he says it reminds him of Ballygalget!!! Here is Marguerite all excited as she is about to hop on.
Check out the breeks.......more about that later!
The snow has arrived and the streets have become even more beautiful than usual as they are covered in white.
You might think this is a postcard from Switzerland, Austria or France (well that's what Jude thinks it looks like) but it is in fact just a building in Coolidge Corner (at the corner of Beacon St and Harvard St) where Marguerite and Jude live. Cool architecture!!!
On the way to Wachusett a quick change is required from the 'T' to the commuter rail. For the journey Jude always grabs a nice breakfast from the train station and he and Marguerite munch it on the way to Wachusett. Yum yum!!!
Welcome to Wachusett Mountain.
Oh yeah, the breeks! Well Marguerite has spent the last 45 minutes trying on 14,826 pairs of Ski breeks before finally buying this pair. Marguerite is happiest when buying things, it's like a drug, she walks into a shop, any shop at all, and gets all giddy, starts tripping over herself, shaking and all, and doesn't settle until she hands money over to the shop assistant. Some times Jude has to remind her to actually take something in exchange for dishing the money over. Good choice today though, good call.
I say nice breeks. Jude has told Marguerite they'll stop at a shop on the way up the mountain (even though there is no shop up there) and lo-and-behold she's singing like a canary as she heads to the ski lift.
They are nice breeks, wha?
'Naiiy, where's that shop? asks Marguerite
Marguerite says that Jude is the ultimate 'creature of habit'. Why? I'll tell ye why. He has been coming here for 3 years now and has only ever eaten the same Roast Beef sandwich, yes the exact same sandwich, on every single trip to Wachusett Mountain. 'It's the nicest sandwich this side of the Mississippi', he keeps saying.
'But Jude, do ye never get bored eating the same sarnie all the time? asked Marguerite.
'Nope.........it's magic........yum, yum!!!
'Come on Jude I haven't time for dilly-dallying around here all day, there's skiing to be done', said Marguerite.
And so after quickly pulling herself together..........
..........she was off and running again like Lindsay Vonn.
Wachusett is a lovely place and each year they make little adjustments here and there. This year they added these cool benches all over the place.
The 'Ropers Road' trail is really spectacular as it winds around the side of the mountain where you can pick up plenty of speed.......
.....and it has some really cool views, like this..........
....or this.
Yesterday there was a great big snow fall, see how the snow has formed on the side of this tree. Now that's cool, wha?
Jude made it to the top in record time. Here he asked some unsuspecting wee Chinese man to take his pic. The Chinese man's girlfriend/wife was skiing on and he was shouting after her to stop.......'stoppy, stoppy'.......but she didn't hear him, much to Jude's amusement. Jude was more concerned about getting his pic taken and more importantly getting thon lake in the background into the pic too. Whether yer man ever got to see his missus again was way down Jude's list of priorities at this stage. 'Here mucker make sure you get me in, and the frozen lake too, don't miss that frozen lake', said Jude.
Unbelievably Jude then had the nerve to ask the wee Chinese man to take this action pic too.
And then it was time to scoot down the mountain. Scooting down a mountain on a pair of skis is just about one of the best things Jude reckons he has ever done.
When skiing you always have to be careful to take a route than you can navigate back down safely, i.e. it is not too difficult. Jude loves the blue intermediate slopes. Black slopes are great but definitely more dangerous. Take the time when Jude got his eyes opened in Flaine in the French Alps - Marguerite and he visited there in 2004 and were only beginners at the time but he accidently found himself on a black slope and with no other way down so he had no choice but to go for it. So....
....as he had no skill to control his speed he took off like a man possessed but hadn't a notion about how to stop (or turn). Other folk probably thought he was good, 'wow, look at yer man go, he's good', they were heard to say while oblivious to the fact that Jude didn't have a clue what he was doing. This was a potentially disastrous situation which would only be averted by crashing into something and soon. That's when he spotted a sign like this that read, 'DANGER'. A quick-split-second-life-saving decision later and Jude was rolling about 40 feet wrapped around the sign.......but thankfully he did not go over the edge.........he was saved by the sign, just like this one actually.
Thankfully nowadays he's a bit more 'with it' and he knows what he's doing so he swishes down the mountain a little more gracefully.
The views from the chair lifts are always really nice. Snow fell last night......nice.
Every now and again Jude and Marguerite decide to polish up their skills by taking a lesson. The lessons range from beginner to expert so today Marguerite chose somewhere in between. Here she is with the tutor.
And here she is with her new buddies about to board the chair lift. She is with the tutor and two other folk taking the lesson also. What about the breeks? Nice, wha?
And off they go up the mountain most likely talking about the weather, wedding dress programs, American Idol and probably Marguerite's new breeks too.
Swissh!!!! Marguerite is now a very good skier, as she shows here as she whizzes off the chair lift. The poor cobbler behind her was not so lucky as he copped an unfortunate one when coming off the lift. He was 'talking when he shoulda been listening' and paid the price bigtime.
There is nothing funnier on a day out skiing than standing watching folk crash while exiting the ski chair lift. Really funny!!!
Wachusett Village really is a class place. Here's a view of it from the slopes.
'Hey Jude, yoo-hooo, Jude, hey Juuuuude', calls Marguerite while parked in the chair lift behind Jude. Why separate chair lifts? Well it's simple really. When you join the queue it is always longer for multiples, i.e. two or more persons together, so Jude and Marguerite get in the singles line. Wha? They're no dozzers, I'm telling ye, no dozzers!!!
Taking a break mid mountain, putting the feet up, laying back, catching a ray or two, smiling like champions.
Before long Marguerite is away again scooting down the mountain in style.
Today Jude learned how to ski backwards, seriously!!!! He had spotted a couple of tutors doing it over the past couple of years and he thought, 'hhmmm that looks cool, I wonder could I do that'. So today he just tried it, he spun around and was skiing backwards before spinning around again and going forward. Marguerite couldn't believe her eyes, she was soooo impressed......'Oh Jude you're magic, how do you do that, that's amazing', was what she was heard saying.......
.........before Jude also copped an unfortunate one and ended up arse over.......eh.....arse over....eh....well you know what I'm saying folks.
Unlike the poor fella who fell earlier Jude was not talking when he should have been listening....no....he was acting the edjit, trying to be a show-off by skiing backwards........well on his back he ended up!!!
'Naiiiy, go on ye blighter ye, ok naiiy, how am I gonna get up', rambled Jude.
You see folks, trying to stand up straight on a slippy, slanted surface with 5 foot sticks on yer feet is not easy, not easy at all, have ye tried it?
'Ooops, naiiy let's see here, I've got it now, here we go.......ah crap I can't get up, darn skis, whose idea was this anyway', mumbled Jude.
'Here we go naiiy, here we go, I'm getting there........kids make this look easy.....the wee gits......but for me.......ah crap', he continued.
Until................
..........finally he made it. 'Naiiy, that's better, I must stop trying to act the edjit and remember it makes more sense to ski forwards at all times, wha?
'Oh Jude you're such a dope', said Marguerite. 'Here take a pic of me chucking my moves on the ski slope......oh and get my new breeks in, oh I love these breeks so much', said Marguerite.
'And now get my good side too', she continued.
Spot the wally getting his pic taken beside a big boulder!!
And spot the wally with the nice new breeks. 'Oh Jude, can we stop here so I can get another pic of my new breeks, please Jude, I'm the coolest skiier in new England in these new breeks, oh they're so cool, just like me', rambled Marguerite.
This pic was taken as Marguerite and Jude raised their legs while in the chair lift as it rose up the mountain. Check out the new Wachusett Mountain 'Head' skis there.........nice.
As the afternoon wears on and the sun dips it gets really cold so ye have to wrap up just like Marguerite is doing here.
Team photo!!!
Eventually they got to the end of a fantastic day of skiing at Wachusett. This was Jude's third weekend skiing in January (he first went on New Year's day) and it was Marguerite's first. Ski season...........you just can't beat it.
Marguerite is all smiles as she has grabbed a cup of tea and is stepping back onto the 'Bart Simpson' bus for the short trip back to the train station. Nice breeks!!!!!!
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