End of Season Style. . .

One of the instructors up at Forbush Corner Nordic Center (outside of Frederic, Michigan 10 minutes up Interstate 75 from Grayling) snapped this photograph of yours truly fooling with a pair of skis outside the shop and lodge during the weekend of February 21-23. I was up there again during February 28-March 02 for a final round of pushing myself to the limit and one last lesson for the season given the warming trend that is expected even up north later in the week.

I can report, however, that I have finally managed to achieve that holy grail of cross-country skiing and at long last can balance on one ski and then the other while moving along flats and downhills at a swift pace, alternating between the two legs. This is where maneuverability and speed enter the picture. Balance and weight transfer in other words.

And after only a quarter century. What can I say? I am slow on the uptake. Sadly, I have yet to find a ski jacket in tweed or wool flannel however, so this shot will have to do. Thank you for your patience in the meantime.

Regular sartorial programming will resume later in the week with upcoming optometrist and dental appointments. An exiting Spring Break Week is in store.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

The Power of Ideas. . .

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