Vermont Shooting Range

So, about the picture:

When we are in Vermont in the winter we pretty much drink beer, ski, sled, snowshoe, drink liquor, stay inside reading by the fire, go outside drinking by the bonfire, maybe skate on the pond or play hockey, and shoot stuff. I love shooting inanimate objects: beer cans, targets, clay pigeons, wooden fenceposts, etc. This New Year’s, the guys actually started what we all hope will become a tradition – a pheasant hunt, which is pretty freaking cool… they set the birds out, then go off with the dogs, the shotguns and their orange hats. I don’t remember if my sister actually went out on the hunt, but I did not. Anyhow, I digress, I’m talking about the picture.

The day this picture was taken, the guys had put together a shooting tournament down at the neighbors house. They really did it up, with a cardboard score card and everything. Of course I didn’t know this is what they were doing as I walked from my house down to the neighbors. I was all happy walking down my driveway to the neighbors. I LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS in VT. They are the greatest people. So I could hear the shooting and figured it was either more hunting or that they were shooting clays, but new I wouldn’t have to worry until I was halfway down our driveway. We live at the top of the hill and our house is not in shooting range because the slope is really steep, you can’t see either house from the other. No danger of stray bullets. See below, and at this point I’m at “Me Walking (1)”. [Tip: you can click on this little drawing below for the full effect!!]



Well, halfway down the driveway I can now see the house, and I can make out people on the porch so I know they are shooting clays and not out hunting in the meadows. I stop to yell out “which way are you shooting?” No one answers… they are far away. So I yell as loud as I can “No shooting toward the barn!” I think I hear an “OK!” yelled back, and I’m pretty sure they see me now with my bright hat on, so I keep on walking. They continue shooting.

So now I’m just about midway to the pond on the road to the neighbors house, and they are still shooting when suddenly – BUCKSHOT starts falling around me. See “Me Walking (2)” above.

“HEY!!!!!! NO SHOOTING THIS WAY!” I freak out and start running toward the house. I get there and I think everyone is laughing at me. I was just happy to get to the house without any damage! And they were through most of their tournament, so I just fired a few rounds at the end. Slug Brother’s girfriend took this picture, and I actually hit the clay that was thrown!

oh and here you go

It's actually not that bad now that I am used to it. I kinda like it short.

snow day

Vail had a foot of new snow on Saturday morning. I went up with my cousin and some friends to play in it all day. I had been lucky enough to be given a medallion to ski for the day. The medallion lets whoever is wearing it ski wherever they want in Colorado. No lift ticket necessary – you just show up and they scan it at the lift and off you go.

After I was done playing in the snow all day, I had to get the medallion back to it’s owner. Turns out he lived very near where I was staying with my cousin. We had called for directions to his house, and Cuz was doing a fine job of navigating while I drove. We were in his neighborhood and Cuz says to me “it’s a tan house with red trim.” So I look up and see a tan house and say “is it that tan house?” We stop. I had not stopped us, but the car was not moving despite the fact that my foot was still on the gas.

“No that’s not it. Why are you stopping? Keep going.”

I gave it more gas, and the car still wasn’t moving.

"Uh-oh." was all I could say.

“What? Why are you stopping?” I couldn’t move the car! Not in drive, not in reverse, and I was already in all-wheel. CRAP. I was that yahoo, stuck on the side of the road in their nice car.

“Well, I’m not stopping. I’m stuck.” I looked over at Cuz. “We’re stuck”

Her face was somewhere between anger, panic, and hilarious laughter as she asked “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think I just ran us off the road and got us stuck in a snowbank!”

Both of us said nothing before suddenly dissolving into hysterical laughter at my stupidity.

Cuz got out of the car and we started our futile attempts of her pushing the car while I tried to drive it out. We didn’t even budge as all four wheels turned and my car’s dashboard alerted me that I was slipping. (No kidding!!)

Two very nice people in a minivan passed by us on their way home from a day of work at Keystone. They saw our situation and stopped – and they had shovels! We refused to let them do the shoveling, so Cuz and I took the shovels and began trying to dig the car out of the snowbank. We removed quite a bit of snow from around the tires. The girl of the pair got into my car and tried rocking the car between reverse and drive to get us out. No luck. I got back in the car and tried to drive while everyone pushed. No luck. CRAP, again!

So I’m sitting in the car and the guy whose medallion I had calls to find out if we were OK. I told him that yes, we were fine, but I had ditched my car. I let him know we will be there as soon as I get my car out of his neighbor’s front yard. He offered to come help us, because he had a pickup and could tow us out if we needed it. And as much as I hate asking for help, I’m not so ridiculous that when I need it I won’t say so. We definitely needed help. So I told him to come on over.

Cuz and I and the Keystoners continued trying to dig the car, push the car, rock the car - all still to no avail. I looked up to see a monstrous pickup heading our direction. Enter our knights in shining armor – well, if not in shining armor, then in shining shoes. Two guys jump out with big snow shovels in hand and the driver (the guy I’m giving the medallion back to) is wearing - I kid you not - shiny gold lahme moon boots. In the snow. In Summit County, Colorado.

A quick round of hellos and introductions go on before Moonboots and his friend start moving more snow out from around the tires of my car. I attempted driving again, but the wheels just spun and the car still did not move. We are gonna have to tow it out.

Moonboots is quite a handy guy – he had big nylon tow straps in his truck. He hooked one end to his big pickup and the other end to my car. I got in the car to drive as he pulled, and viola!! We were out of the snowdrift in 2 seconds.

So, what did I learn?
- Pay attention to the road, Liz
- Keep a snow shovel in your car
- Let the navigator do the navigating while you do the driving (Thanks, Cuz, you were doing great!!)
- If you have a really good time playing in the snow, there is really no need to give your car the same opportunity. It’s an inanimate object, it won’t understand the joy of being in 3 feet of powder, and it can’t get itself out of that situation like you can!

Ah… I love Colorado. The fun never ends. ;) Honestly it was a great end to my snow day. Many thanks to Moonboots.