A Night Of Howling Winds (40-50 MPH), Three Inches of Snow

7:27

My Grandson Mitchell Snowboarding Yesterday in Revel Stoke, British Columbia

Up early, 6:30 because Cody wanted to go outside, or so I thought.  A nice snow fall over night, warmer then yesterday's below zero temperatures, 25º, and it should be a good day to be outside with Beth and Marisa.  It was not a pleasant night, with the heavy winds, fear of tree branches falling on the house or power lines, but every thing seems fine this morning.

Marisa, First Time On Cross Country Skis

Beth Skiing The Lake

Yesterday was very cold early, so all of us stayed inside till late morning, just hanging out, listening to music, playing on our iPads, having breakfast, lots of coffee, till we decided to get out and enjoy the brilliant sunny morning.  The fishing guys were out so we though we would brave the cold as well. Evie and Marisa went over to the old Cummins house, with snow shovels, to make path down their front yard, a great sledding hill except the snow was too deep to pick up much speed.  While they cleared a path and sledded, Beth and I went for a long cross country ski trek, down to the Power Boat Club at Tom's Point and back.  It was another great day to be on the sunny lake, sea blue skies, and we were surprised at how warm it was  because by the time we returned, we had worked up quite a sweat. And we were wiped out by our efforts, especially our arms, from pulling us through the snow.  And while we were enjoying life at the lake, Beth's husband Rami and son Mitchell were in Revel Stoke, British Columbia, enjoying the two feet of powder.

Enjoying the Afternoon, Painting and Drawing and iPading It

A Serious Artist

For lunch, we pulled out the cauliflower soup and chicken salad, for sandwiches, including slices of avocado, healthy fats according to Beth.  We had plans to hike/ski Dobbins Woods in the afternoon but we were so happy to be ensconced in our living room, warm, fire going, that we decided to put the hike off until today.  We put up a card table in front of the fireplace and Beth got our her paints, and both she and Marisa spent a good part of the afternoon painting, while Evie and I watched , read and started getting dinner ready.  About 4:30, I decided to get some air, took Cody out bushwhacking through the Woodlawn woods, in snow almost up to my knees.  He was much happier when we followed a beaten path.

Facing Timing The Boys in British Columbia

For dinner, we had smoked pork chops, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and salad, and we all devoured the food, hungry from our busy morning, lazy but enjoyable afternoon, the good life, with Beth and Marisa.

Dinner With The Girls

 I spent lots of time before Marisa arrived, looking for movies she might enjoy.  So last night we watched a fairly new movie, the first ever made in Saudi Arabia called Wadjda (2012).  It seemed perfect for Marisa because it was about a rebellious 10 year old girl, living in ultra conservative Saudi Arabia, where women are virtually prisoners of the strict, to us,  Muslim traditions, forced to wear veils, avoid any contact with men not of your family, the women mostly segregated from men except in the house.  Then, along comes Wadjda, wearing Converse high tops under her robe, listening to Western music, always in trouble at school for not conforming.  The central plot revolves around her friendship with a neighborhood boy, who like most boys, rides a bike to school.  Wadjda makes up her mind to get a bike of her own, despite the fact that girls in Saudi do not ride bikes...it might compromise their virginity.  We also get a close look of life in her home, where she lives with her Mom, the husband absent because the mother had not been able to give him a male child.  He eventually leaves the family to marry another women, leaving Wadjda and her Mom to fend for themselves, emphasizing the lack of freedom and vulnerability of women in Saudi society.  Anyways, Wadjda figures out a way to get a bike, to win the prize money in a Koran Recitation competition.  She wins the prize but when asked what she will do with the money, she answers, 'Buy a bike.' totally against the role for girls.  The Judge angrily takes the prize money from Wadjda and sends it to the Palestinian cause.  Distressed and defeated, she returns home, to find her mother, now abandoned by her husband.  The mother, however, wants happiness for her daughter and has bought her the bike.  The movie ends with Wadjda and the neighboring boy riding their bikes, happy to be on their own and seemingly free.