Greatest time of the year for our family! For over 30 years we have celebrated Christmas in McCall. With a few exceptions, each year all of the family have joined us. It gets more difficult as the girls are married and there are now other families who want to continue their traditions. This year all of the Mooney, Haga, Wonderlich group will be in McCall. Thursday was the first day everyone was present and what a day it became.
Hank had his first ski team outing, at 8 he is ready to have the opportunity to decide if ski racing will be a passion for his future. Sounds simple, he just needs to be at the mountain at 9:15. Wisely, his gear was packed into his ski bag the night before, he just had to get dressed, eat breakfast and get gone. What could interfere with such a simple process? Hank is concerned about the new, apparently frightening opportunity, so foot dragging commences. Once he is convinced he is going we get on the way. Where is his pass? Well, we have to get to the lodge to pick it up or no lift rides for him.
All of this happens and he is at the designated spot with many other youngsters on time. His mom called it a friggen miracle. Hank meets some new friends and barely tells us good bye. I recall going through this exact process with Hank and Clio’s mothers when I was a parent. Some things never change.
Great Karma, Megan and I have a morning to enjoy the powder which has fallen in copious quantities. We get on the lift at 9:30 and are just discussing how well the day is going when Megan says oh, damn. I assumed she forgot something, but no, she was turning up the heat on her thermal socks when she dropped her phone off the lift. It fell gently the 75 feet into the fresh powder. Karma is volatile.
It was time to consider if we could use the apple locator service to try and pinpoint the phone. Megan’s watch was at home and we had not set up the family Apple product locator. Finally, dawned on us I could just call her phone if we could get close and find it. The odds were long, we had a 15 minute chair ride up and then a quick run down to begin our search where we thought it fell. The calling idea did not work, bury the phone in the snow and the audible ringing is nonexistent. As we slowly searched the area below the lift a kind soul said “what are you doing” I said “looking for a cell phone“. The person in the next chair, hearing the shouted conversation, said, as he pointed, “look 15 feet ahead of you”. Indeed, a small puff of snow gave away the drop site. Megan found he phone buried well under the surface. Good Karma.
The day was exhilarating and exhausting as all the kids skied, held a fantastic snow ball fight, and went on the traditional snow hike to find the perfect Xmas tree for the cabin.
I would do anything to protect this tradition, our family, and the memories it produces. Please help me keep everyone safe by getting vaccinated, get the booster, and wear a mask when it is appropriate. I cannot be convinced there is a better Xmas gift than to do what is best for friends, family, and our community.
Please join me in wishing brother Jeff a happy 69th birthday. Wow, he is getting old.
Best wishes for a healthy and joyous holiday season. Mike