Ahhh, the change of the seasons: the weather warmed up slightly quicker than a crusty Summit County local’s attitude towards everyone else, mud season came and went and I stopped smelling like fried meat and started to smell very strongly of smoked meat. First off, I’ll admit: it’s been awhile since I clambered aboard the…
Ahhh, the change of the seasons: the weather warmed up slightly quicker than a crusty Summit County local’s attitude towards everyone else, mud season came and went and I stopped smelling like fried meat and started to smell very strongly of smoked meat.
First off, I’ll admit: it’s been awhile since I clambered aboard the blog train. I apologize for a nonexistent Sylva Lining fix (as my prose is like penned crack). Winter came, smacked us in our surprised faces with ten tons of snow, and then whacked us on our Gore-Texed rumps with ten tons more. Just now, it’s barely begun to ponder melting. So needless to say there was a lot of skiing this winter… and a lot of late nights talking smack in Austin’s hot tub or watching movies until the wee hours, giving the local liquor stores business, traveling (so uncharacteristic, I know), finally finishing one whole book (“Song of Solomon,” highly recommended) and some more skiing. And in between, Tyler and I hammered away at our differences like a pair of awkward carpenters, because it’s for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health or until one of you totally friggin’ wins. Wins what? Does it matter? Ahhh, mawidge.
Because any of you know Tyler at all, you know that he’s like this:
And me, I’m a bit more like this:
But when you’re married, you just have to put up with each other’s sh*t, so it comes to this:
So now Tyler and I, we’re thick as the snow still perched atop the Gore Range. But I digress. See, this winter became some sort of Peyote-soaked quest for me (except without the Peyote). By that I mean I learned an ancient Neo-Roman dialect which I promptly forgot because it’s impossible to practice and everyone knows that if you don’t practice your craft, you lose it — kinda like the truth about the Iraq War. Seriously though, I turned 30 (30!) and then all of a sudden I was like… oh snap, I’m 30!
And since I’m 30, I learned some stuff this winter, like:
1. Aside from singing every “Little Mermaid” song in the closet (literally) at the Outpost with my Fondue partner Carl, it is possible to actually be under the sea. Location: Puerto Morelos, Mexico.
2. Mexico is gato’s pajamas. Location: Xcacelito cenote, just south of Playa del Carmen.
3. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Location: Ute Chute, Ute Pass, Colorado.
4. Climbing 3000 feet is so worth skiing one 2500 vertical foot lap. Location: Ute Chute, Ute Pass, Colorado.
5. Winters like this one are better spent with friends! Location: Somewhere on the backside of Uneva Peak, Colorado with Tyler (left), me and Emily (right).
6. Skiing on skis is so much more fun than walking while carrying skis… but sometimes in life, you gotta do things that don’t sound so fun (it’s worth it in the end). Location: Above North America Bowl outside Keystone, Colorado.
7. It’s all about customer service (with two hilarious guests, myself and one of the bussers, Joan). Location: Der Fondue Chessel, Keystone Resort, at 11,440 feet if you must know.
8. It is worth riding the bus just to see what people write on the windows. Location: Dillon, Colorado.
9. Sometimes, you just gotta kick back with a cider and some good buddies. Location: Fort Collins, Colorado with (left to right) Paola, myself, Tyler and Pete after helping out with the annual spring ExpriencePlus! group ride.
10. It’s possible to warm up in March somewhere other than Dillon! Location: The top of Mt. Garfield, Grand Junction, Colorado.
11. Some people just aren’t meant to be tan. Location: Amassa Back, outside Moab with (left to right) Pete, Aubrey, Tyler and a lot of Coors Original.
12. Life is good with the people you love. Location: Capitol Hill, Seattle Washington with Tyler and our best friend Nico.
13. Family time is good stuff, especially outside in the sunshine! Location: Outside my bro’s new house in Sunnyside, San Francisco, California.
14. Some friends really are forever 🙂 Location: happy hour in Ashland, Oregon with my BFFF, Kelly.
15. Skiing + Tyler + spring weather = guaranteed antics. Location: Almost out of North Ten Mile canyon, after a fantastically long day back country skiing.
16. Roberto (the nearly 70-year-old, toothless, feisty backbone of Bonnie Q) is invincible.
17. Turns out, I am also invincible. Location: Bonnie Q BBQ (aka, my actual office), Dillon, Colorado.
18. Mother Nature is something to behold, as I was reminded two days ago on my road bike. Location: Eight miles up the Buckhorn Canyon between Loveland and Fort Collins, Colorado — still recovering from last fall’s devastating floods.
19. It is possible to find a job that I like, likes me and revolves around food. Just another day in the office! Location: a family reunion outside Breckenridge, Colorado.
Although it may seem trite, the most poignant truth I gleaned from these frosty winter months is this feeling:
“When I have ceased to break my wings
Against the faultiness of things,
And learned that compromises wait
Behind each hardly opened gate,
When I can look Life in the eyes,
Grown calm and very coldly wise,
Life will have given me the Truth,
And taken in exchange — my youth.”
Ahhh, the change of the seasons: the weather warmed up slightly quicker than a crusty Summit County local’s attitude towards everyone else, mud season came and went and I stopped smelling like fried meat and started to smell very strongly of smoked meat.
Sylva Florence 
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