Just Because. . .

From a 1932 edition of Apparel Arts.  Illustrator unknown.  Downhill rather than cross-country skiing here, but you get the idea.

Well, the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit here today, and the remaining five or six inches of snow are melting fast.  We've probably had our last hurrah here as far as winter and cross-country (Nordic) skiing are concerned.  Warmer temperatures are forecast for later in the coming week.  Any precipitation from this point forward will, no doubt, be in the form of rain.  Sigh.

Still, my mind turns to thoughts of gliding silently through snowy landscapes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan -- or the hills and mountains of Norway -- breathing hard as you herringbone up rises, and the joyous schussing down the other side while the cold air whips the face, burns the lungs, and makes the eyes water a bit.  

I've always been a winter enthusiast.  There is just something about short, dark days, and snowy, quiet vistas I hope you'll understand.  But late winter and early spring, when the sun is up for longer and higher in the sky over snowy, sparkling landscapes, is a beautiful time too as we slowly shift from one season to the next.  Sad to see it come to an end, but each time of year is special in its own way.

-- Heinz-Ulrich