Jan 16 - all done

Yes, we're finished. We had another great day on the slopes, although:

-- the alpine chairs were not open on Whistler
-- it was mostly cloudy -- high clouds
-- there was no new snow
-- we had spring conditions.

It's amazing how many things that you can find to be "wrong" with such a great day. What went right ? -- that's easy --

-- light traffic on the hills
-- t-bars open, providing access to additional terrain
-- soft-pack snow, from powder at the top to spring-like conditions at mid-mountain and below
-- good vis throughout
-- tuned-up skis, perfect for handling any icy spots
-- a general "feel good" sensation as we completed our week on the slopes.

I've probably worn these ski boots for the last time. The padding in the left boot has separated from the lining, making them very difficult to get on. It pushes down as you insert your foot and today I was unsure if I was actually going to be able to wear the boots. I've had them for a long time, as ski-boots go, probably 10 years. They've seen at least two pairs of skis. I was tempted, but not sorely so, to do something about them but decided to stick it out. Had I been in a ski store earlier in the week or had the issue evidenced itself sooner, I probably would have replaced them. Each day it got worse, but they did make it through another trip. The boots are comfortable ... they have worked well for me ... but they've seen better days.

We finished our shopping today at the store at the top of the mountain, buying Lauren's birthday gift. I wanted to buy it yesterday; Sandy wanted to visit more stores; we found the same thing in town but not her size .... so, we were back to buying what I had wanted to buy in the first place. Here's how I shop -- I go to one store and buy something. Sandy has to check all the stores and ensure that there is nothing better. At the end of the day I did one more run, enjoying a last trip down Tokum, while Sandy went ahead to the store at the top to pick up what we'd paid for earlier in the day. I met her there and we headed down together, me looking pregnant with the purchase stuffed down the front of my jacket. I hate shopping in brick and mortar stores. Give me online every time !

So now it's time to pack, but first I'm doing some laundry. I like going home with clean clothes. I'm stymied, however, by the complicated washing instructions for my ski underwear etc. -- some wash in warm, some wash in cold, wash inside-out, tumble dry, no tumble dry ... ok, I give up, I've got my white fruit-of-the-loom underwear and my white athletic socks in the washer but am leaving the rest until we get back to the cottage. I don't have time for no-tumble-dry things. The reason that some of these are so-marked is the wool content. I'll bet you thought that everything was synthetic these days .... nope .... wool still shows up in these clothes. Cotton does not -- wool wicks away moisture along with the best synthetics, but not cotton. It absorbs and holds moisture. My off-the-hill cotton golf shirts are not to be washed with my "base layer" not to be washed with my secondary layers and then of course my external jacket and pants do not need to be washed, at least not this time.

I dressed differently this trip. The first few days I wore my customary Helly Hansen 1-piece. It's wonderful in the cold. Most of the trip, however, was warmer weather. I actually wore gloves for the last four days -- if it's below freezing I cannot wear gloves -- along with my ski pants and shell jacket.

As I write this I realize that I can take off my sports watch and put on my dress watch. The band is quite stretched on my dress watch and I'm afraid of losing it. It's not an ordinary band either and cannot be replaced with anything other than a Tag Hauer band ... and I have not yet been able to find a replacement band. I contacted the place where I bought the watch over 10 years ago and found that the bands on the newer watches are not compatible ... they recommended that I just get a new watch (of course). I'll keep searching, but one of these days it will come apart on my wrist in a place where I'll lose it. On our way through Toronto a week ago we stopped at Sherway Gardens and went into a jewelry store and they replaced a pin. The lady there suggested that I check EBAY because people sell parts. I'll do that at some point, but not likely today !

We need to leave early tomorrow, probably not as early as I think (6am) and not as late as Sandy things (7pm) so we'll probably compromise ... at 6:05 .... just kidding (maybe).

I'm thinking about sushi for dinner again tonight but that could change. I'll finish this later and you'll get the whole scoop, and nothing but the scoop.

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There are three sushi restaurants in town, one in the Village, one in the Upper Village by the grocery store and one in Creekside. Zen Whistler, in Creekside, is probably the best, but way overpriced. The one in the village is where we ate a few days ago -- good, but unexciting. Sushi-Ya is where we ate last night in the Marketplace area. Sandy didn't like the menu -- lots of pictures, lots of specialty things, too many options. An example of specialty things would be deep-fried beef-rolled asparagus. However, once we were eating she agreed that the sushi was better than the place in the Village. She had a typical sushi combo with a tempura appetizer starter while I had tempura udon soup and tuna & salmon sashimi. The salmon was local sockeye salmon -- wonderful -- and the white tuna melted in your mouth. You could have eaten the tuna without teeth, it was so tender.

The funny thing is that we ate at this restaurant last year when we stayed in the Upper Village. I know that we did because I had a bill in Quicken, but neither of us had any recollection of being in the restaurant. Be that as it may, we ate well.

We're mostly packed. Sandy is further along than I am but I always have a lot of last minute stuffing -- eg. the laptop PC -- that doesn't take long. I'll also take a shower; Sandy had hers last night. Sandy is up -- she's been coughing a lot in the mornings due to the dryness, and this morning is no exception. She doesn't usually get up this early but she figured that she wasn't going to go back to sleep at this point.

Our plan is to stop at Stef's and have pizza, pick up Abby and be on our way north. That depends on everything going like clockwork. I've been worrying about the car not starting, after sitting in the airport parking lot for so long in the cold. I've been kicking myself for being so lazy that I didn't take along the brand-new deep cycle battery sitting in my cottage den. I have the little jump-start battery but do not know if that has enough life left in it to start the car. Oh well, we'll deal with what comes at this point since there's no choice ! The other thought that I had is that I should have backed the car into the parking spot by the fence instead of forward-in. I will have one heck-of-a-time jump-starting the car in that position, if it comes to that.

I worry too much -- not in a debilitating way although during the night when I wake up this stuff churns through my head. If it goes on too long I get up and turn on the TV -- watching the boob tube chases everything else out of my mind and I can go to sleep. I've always been that way.

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I've gotten up a few times while I've been typing this and completed most of my packing, eaten breakfast etc. Sandy is eating now ... we're probably going to be leaving this place even earlier than I had expected, at this rate. It's time to get moving ... time to shut this down.

We're off !