Last Sunday, we had a fantastic winter day, cold and sunny and dry, hardly any wind. A perfect day for skiing above the timberline.
When the weather conditions are like that, the ice cover virtually evaporates from the highway. It's called sublimation, and happens in dry and cold conditions. Water goes directly from the solid phase (ice) to the gas phase (vapor), without passing through the liquid phase (water). It's the same as the process they use to make instant coffee (freeze-drying).
When little boy and I came down to the chair lift in the morning, we found a sign announcing: ski-in mass 11 am. I was curious.
"What the Hell is going on," I said.
"Maybe the priest wanna ski too", little boy suggested.
"Do you wanna attend the mass? Maybe the priest can bless your skis?"
"No, I don't want to waste my time," said little boy.
So, no mass. That's fine with me. Let the priest do whatever he wants, with or without skis. I'm done with that stuff long time ago. Little boy seems to agree.
I was just curious what a ski-in mass is like. I still don't know.
Anyway, the skiing was good. Little boy skied over the jumps. I'm too old for jumping. It hurts too much when I fall. Around noon we could even feel that the sun was warming. Maybe it was just the holy ghost leaking out from the mass.
It was one of those days when skiing is like a sublimation of God. The mountains are my cathedral. I don't need a priest >:)
(These sunny and cold winter days come now and then every year: I had forgotten my camera this time. The picture above was taken in January last year.)
The church is certainly pulling out all the stops to get attendance up aren't they.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Arizona when I was young and the streets would clear of snow in the same way.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't need a priest because I'm not Catholic.
you've taught your children well. :)
ReplyDeletemy kids can tell which buildings are churches by looking for the ones with a lower case "T" out in front. it's kind of a game we play. we're still trying to figure out what the T stands for. ;)
God does give us glimpses of Heaven. Sounds like a divine day.
ReplyDeleteA lovely ramble through a day of curiosity, physical and mental exercise and a a bit of bonding thrown in.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping you don't fall over too often!
"The mountains are my cathedral." That is a beautiful sentence.
ReplyDeleteLast time we went skiing, I ended up in a park w/the kids and it was full of bumps. I flew over one that I didn't expect to be so high and went airborne. Amazingly, I did not fall! I won't try it again, though. Old bones don't recover so quickly. ;)
It will be interesting to see if the priest can deliver an interesting sermon. His people can run fast if he's boring. They have the skis on.
ReplyDeleteThe Spinster’s Vow
I don't understand Catholics. Actually, I don't understand much of any religion, not even my own.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful picture, and I'm happy not to be in all that bright snow.
Bathwater: The church probably want to meat people where people are.
ReplyDeleteAlex: I guess the sublimation is very efficient in the dry climate in Arizona.
id: Maybe the T is for God; theus (deus), like in theology?
Mary: I'm an atheist, so God doesn't give me glances of anything, but it was a great day >:)
Friko: Thanks, I stay on my feet most of the time >:)
Jayne: Being airborne can be fun, hitting the ground is worse. Be careful with old bones when skiing >;)
Enid: True. The priest needs to give a catchy performance to make the congregation. On next ski-in mass, I will attend, by curiosity.
Nessa: I find religion quite interesting and try to understand it, but not claiming that I do. I have no religion and no God; free from religious doctrine >:)