Skiing on slopes with girls

Had a magnificent day skiing Mount Snow with the girls and their aunt on Monday. (Lee’s out for the season with a stern warning from the bonesetter against taking even a single fall.) Less sunny than Wednesday, so it felt a little colder, and there was some serious wind on the lifts, but on the slopes it was all nice. Conditions were excellent, and even though the place was plenty crowded, we really only had to wait in a serious lift line at the very outset; after that we stayed away from the main lift and were fine, and things thinned out in the afternoon.
I had been nervous about Bekah, who after all is only six and has been skiing only seven times, all for her lessons last year. So I figured she’d be going too fast and crowding the edges, like Hannah used to, and not really be in that much control. But Bekah’s more of a natural athlete, and this skiing stuff seems like second nature to her. Didn’t once feel like she was out of control or in any kind of trouble, even though she was bombing down the hill. Had to keep reminding her to turn, turn, turn and then turn again . . . she had a kid’s natural tendency to just keep going down the hill. But she was great, and I could even see her doing some natural edging on her turns. Started out on the easy easy stuff and then took some intermediates, and now I’m convinced she could go on almost any intermediate I’d go on. And that makes it easier, because I’d like to be able to take them both out again, even if I didn’t have their aunt’s help. And despite the drive — really, it’s 75 miles but two hours, despite my desire to make it less — I’m really coming to enjoy Mount Snow. The facilities are in great shape, it’s full of good intermediate trails, and I always have a good time there.
Buzzed through Bennington for the second time in a week, made me think of my old roommate Dan and his family. Learned from e-mail that yes, his folks do still live in the same place (which I could find in a hearbeat). Bennington hasn’t changed all that much in all these years, although the fringes have gotten suburbanized (it’s amazing how small a town in Vermont that can happen to) and Walmarted and so on, but the downtown is still healthy and pretty. Always liked visiting there.
Suddenly flooded with searches for gravestone pictures. It’s Christmas so our thoughts turn to . . . tombstones? Maybe it’s the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come at work, but I think it’s odd that all of a sudden I’d have quite a number of people coming to the site searching for headstone shots.
“Headstone Shots” — could be a nasty alcohol promotion. Better copyright that, pronto.