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| Blogs > N_Joimi > Free Range Libido |
"BYL" - What I Miss About Winter...
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"BYL" - What I Miss About Winter... ...Making things out of snow. We still get winter here on the shore of Lake Ontario. I don't miss winter that way. But winters are different than they used to be. Not in a global warming kind of way. There's something missing from my winters. Something that used to be there. Something that made them fun. There were always lots of around back when winters were fun. They were my inspiration. And my excuse. I did it for the (wink). It stated every January. I'd have everything ready. Shovels in good repair. At least a half dozen, different shapes, sizes. Several of each. One hundred feet of garden hose and a good hose nozzle. Plenty of gloves and pairs of wool socks. Two pair of good<b> waterproof </font></b>boots. All the ramps and construction forms in good shape and lined up in the back yard. Then I'd wait for it to snow. Usually around the first week in January was when it got cold enough for the snow to stick around. It is said that back then I did "snow dances" when it didn't snow enough. And it's true. Eventually it would snow enough. That's when I'd go to work. You can make almost anything out of snow and a little water! My snow sculpture was usually about 3 to 8 feet wide and at least 250 feet long. Most of the work was done at night when the air was the coldest and the water would freeze quickly. It took weeks to build it and turn it into solid ice. And when it was done I called it the "Back Yard Luge." It started at a point ten feet off the ground. That was high enough to get some pretty good speed. Going into the first turn sleds were going a little over 20 miles per hour. I know because my cousin, a rural police officer from an east coast state, brought her radar gun with her one year. I'd always start packing and shaping the snow at the beginning of the first turn, building in both directions. As soon as there is a good layer of ice on the ramp the want to start trying it out. Not just the little , this big one, too! All that speed would be dangerous with nowhere to go. This way the first turn would be built by the time it was ready for the "test runs." It was a little different every year. Usually there were four turns. Sometimes five. Too many turns slowed the sleds down too much. Our sledding season would climax in the middle of winter on the first Saturday in February when we'd host the "Back Yard Luge Sled Party". We'd have all our neighbors, family, co-workers, and friends over and spend the afternoon and half the night enjoying winter and each other's friendship. Lots of good food. And plenty of good fun. I'd light a fire in the backyard fireplace as soon as the sun started to go down. It was the perfect cure for mid-winter cabin fever. Everyone had a great time. As the evening wore on and the moms and dads were ready to gather everyone up to say their goodbyes there was a constant refrain of "Just one more time!" as the little ones queued up for another run down the slide. It was hard work. The next day my back would be sore. My elbows and knees would ache. All the repetitive stress trauma on my elbows from pounding and shaping the snow and slush took it's toll. The last year we did it, 2001, my elbows ached until June. But I do miss it. I miss the sense of accomplishment from seeing the finished project. And the sheer joy of gliding down the ice through the banked turns. And the fun and warmth I got from sharing it with so many others. The grew up and my body was wearing out (we did it for 15 years!). So we stopped doing it. But... now I have a grand . She's 2 1/2 years old this winter. Not this year. But maybe next year... Maybe.. Well, if I do I'm going to buy some machines to help out this time. I've been noticing the kind of winters we have lately, though. There were a few years back then where we had some warm spells and it was hard to keep the whole thing from melting before February. Those winters seem to be more frequent now. We did have one a few years ago that would have been ideal. Lots of snow and colder than average. So, maybe it can still be done. In a good winter. (BTW. This has become quite popular since those days. Google "Back Yard Luge" or "Back Yard Bobsled" and you'll find a lot of videos of back yard sled runs. And a few of those that came to our party have grown up to carry on the tradition in their own ways.)   En-Joy! |
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Wow! Interesting. Love the pics!! I have touched snow only once in my life... We don't know it here - mainly up on the mountains. Something interesting in my life: A surprise on my naked body this morning Come visit my blog to know what I get up to from time to time: [blog 4jasmine2]
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12/14/2012 2:15 pm |
I've seen some of the videos on You Tube. It's really neat that so many people do this in their backyards.
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