This week Part 2: Adalie does all the things
This week Part 3: A combination of these two things
*****
Part 1
Mission Ridge is a smallish resort in Wenatchee, Washington that is an absolute gem. Seriously, it would probably make the top three out of my favorite places to ski. Part of the reason is that, for a place that bills itself as a "family resort," it has incredible terrain that is on par with many of the more popular places we have been to. The runs may not be as long, but this place has pretty much anything you are looking for.
The other part of what makes it good though, is probably more important. As with most places, it's not just about the skiing, and that was certainly true this past weekend. Mission Ridge has become somewhat of an annual tradition among us, the Misners, and the Ericksons- a group of three families that happen to all get along pretty well. We lodge together, we ski together, we eat together, and it is just a lot of good fun.
Here are some photos:
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| Obviously this isn't skiing. This is what I was doing most of the day on Saturday. Addy (showcase), Evelyn (friends), and I (study club) drove up later in the afternoon to meet everyone who was already there. |
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| Phil, stylish as always on his telemarks |
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| Lindsey is our aspiring park rat. She spent upwards of eighty percent of her time lapping the park- long after the rest of us went off in search of different adventures. |
*****
Part 2
Adalie had a lot of performances this week. She seriously does all the things, and wouldn't have it any other way. She is good at balancing responsibilities and doesn't really do anything half way. Sometimes she likes to pretend that this causes her stress, but usually she seems to just be playing and having fun.
The week started off with a vocal performance. Her group did a few songs from Dear Evan Hansen as well as from The Greatest Showman, and she had a big part in one of them. She was front and center most of the time and had a small solo where she had to hit the "money note" of the song. She nailed it, and everyone cheered and it was awesome. So that was cool.
The second performance was at a band concert. For starters, she got up and announced the band. Cool, I guess. I didn't know she had that part. We went on with the rest of the concert thinking it was just a typical middle school band doing their thing. Just as we thought it was ending though, Addy and her friend stepped away from the group with their instruments and approached a microphone that was in the center of the room. They played two different saxophone duets, which Rachel and I had never heard before and didn't even know she was practicing. Adalie told us she wanted to surprise us. She did great.
The final performance was at a big weekend music festival thing at the high school. She signed up for this without telling anyone, arranged rides and carpools, and then let us in on her plans. The rest of the family was already at Mission Ridge, but I got to be there when she went up and played her part. She did great, in spite of a broken reed, and got great feedback from the judge. Part of the commentary was, in essence- "Don't smile so much while playing your music because it turns out that smiling affects the tone of a saxophone." Pretty obvious, but I thought that was so characteristic of what one might have to say to this girl!
***Follow up: I am writing this one week later. It turns out that Addy got the highest score possible for someone in middle school. If she were in high school, she would be going on to state-level competition. Go Addy!
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| I really love this photo. After she hit her note and held it out she did a little double fist pump on stage in celebration. She knew that she nailed it, and so did the girl standing next to her. |
*****
Part 3
Since I wasn't able to be up at Mission Ridge for most of the time on Saturday, I had planned on spending an extra day just for myself once everyone went home. That is, until we were loading up the car.
Addy: "Hey Daddy-O, I have straight As and nothing due in school tomorrow. Can I skip the day and ski with you instead?"
Me: "Absolutely, Addy-O! Let's have a day!"
And we did. We got a hotel that night and ate pizza. We got up early the next day and drove up to the resort. And both of us agree, it was one of the best days of the year.
The first three runs were in the thickest fog we have ever been in and it was suuuper eerie and disorienting. With no visual frame of reference it was impossible to tell how fast we were going or even what way was up and what way was down. Between the slope, our speed, and the wind, we seemed to just be floating in a giant white void. Our minds played tricks on us, we saw shapes in the air that weren't really there, and we finally made our way to some trees to guide us down. As things cleared up later in the day it was crazy to find the same trees along a cat track, with another row of trees just about 25 feet to the other side that were completely invisible to us. Seriously, 25 feet may as well have been the edge of the earth for all we knew. It was an adventure and I'm glad that Addy got to be there to share that with me.
As things cleared up we were able to go all over the mountain, skiing as fast or as slow as we wanted, going where we wanted, and not having to wait for anyone. We both put in some of the best athletic performances of the year and came away proud of the day we had just finished. On the way home we played "Name that tune- Broadway musical style" and had a great drive. Turns out that Addy-O is really fun to hang out with.
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| On our second run we followed the lift line so we could always look up for a sense of direction. Skiing in these conditions was a "sensory adventure." It was disorienting to the point of dizziness, and we had to take a break between runs two and three just to give our eyes a chance to catch up with the rest of our bodies. Addy: "I'm not sure of anything anymore. Like, do I even exist, or am I dead?" It was cool. |
Have a good week!
Great post. I love reading these.
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