The extraordinary block party

Our neighbors' house dominate the block like no other ones. It has expansive views, is the largest one and arguably the most decorated and ornate residence, not to mention the awesome rock-scape surrounding it like a moat!

So, this Tuesday, about 150 guests, friends and neighbors were invited to celebrate the completion of their regal landscaping and, just as simply, the apex of summer.

Big party, with Motherlode, the local band, playing Park City-approved tunes, and a large, fun and very diverse company. The stormy weather, quite capricious, threw a few fireworks here and there, graced us with a double-rainbow, but still let us have plenty of good fun...

Current conflicts seen by extraterrestrials...

Sometimes, we get so close, so brainwashed and so biased about current international events that we can no longer think “straight.” It might help us to place ourselves in the “shoes” of some aliens that would see what's going on in our world for the very first time.

What would an alien think of the Gaza massacre, of Putin's interventions by proxy into Ukraine or of these thousands of kids entering the US? It might respond in ways that might shock us or perhaps enlighten us. We might be surprised in comparing its reactions to what we think and to what the general media tries to tell us...

Basset vs. Mini Cooper

Yesterday, as my wife was driving back from the post office, she noticed a sixty-something man pushing a baby carriage, walking in the opposite direction, while holding his dog on a leash and talking, his cell phone wedged between his shoulder and his ear.

“Distracted,” by road-safety standards, would have been an understatement! She slowed down as she passed him and recognized him as the grand-father of a seven-month old baby who is actually our neighbor's son.

Suddenly she heard a thumping noise on the right side of her Mini Cooper and when she looked in her mirror she could only see something looking like a teddy bear in the middle of the road. She pulled over, walked back to the scene of the impact and found out that it was that same neighbor's basset dog, that had been wondering along with the rest of his group, unleashed.

He had crossed the road without looking and had hit the right wheel of my wife's auto and got pinned down between the lower body of the car and the asphalt. When she and the grandpa examined the dog, the poor pooch wasn't walking and his rear end looked scrapped to the skin and badly damaged. The grandpa remained optimistic and said “don't worry, he'll make it!”

We still notified the owner of the incident by sending him a message. He responded soon thereafter: “The dog should have been on a leash, no one's fault.  Unfortunately, he did not make it.  He was 11 and lived a good life.  It was just his time to go.  Please let Evelyne know that this was not her fault. These things happen...”

His response made us feel a whole lot better and latter on that evening, his wife brought us flowers to further alleviate the trauma. What a day!

Where's the bias in ski testing?

Last night we had dinner at some acquaintances and one of the conversations drifted on the perennial theme of “what's the best ski?” It made me thinking about the difficulty, the oddity and the absurdity of ski testing as I have witnessed it when I still was in the ski business.

No matter the tester's background or technical acumen, everyone was bringing their bias. For instance, if you'd normally ski on slalom, GS or just fat skis, you'd be likely to project your that bias on the ski you're testing. The reference remained your “preferred, day-to-day” ski to which you had adapted, and the new ski you'd be testing would only perform “as compared” to your daily boards.

Say what you want, but there's no escaping that reality. We adapt to our skis and we fall into that rut. Just keep this observation in mind when you start reading this season's ski-test results. There is much more BS than just meet the eye. Stay wary, read through the lines and most importantly, stick to your guns!

Another Park City Arts Festival...

This weekend is a big deal in Park City, with its annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Main Street. We went on Friday night to check out the work of more than 200 artists, including 70 that were new to the event.

While we were looking for something to put on some available space, at home, we didn't know exactly what it was and, of course, didn't find it!

I liked some “see-through” animals that displayed their inside organs and bio-mechanics, but my wife wasn't so sure. I might have to create this elusive piece of art myself...

Getting my fair share of tar

Last week, as an asphalt company was repaving a neighborhood street, they parked one of their smaller size truck next to our home. When the work shift was over, the truck left its parking location, but instead of turning around the block - a very easy task – its lazy driver chose to turn around on our brand-new driveway laid with pavers.

Of course, the tires smeared those with fresh asphalt and after some picture-taking, back and forth communication with the paving company and the City, I got a sizable check for my pain of cleaning up the tar residues left on my property. The morale of the story is to always do what it takes, right away, stand for your rights and get something in return!

See Tabiona before you check-out!

In my bathroom, there's that book titled “1000 places to see before to die” and there is just one spot missing, it's Tabiona, a typical, tiny Utah village, lost in the middle of nowhere. 

So, while I've yet to visit Persipolis, yesterday, we finally took a trip to Tabiona, located a mere 75 minutes from Park City. A friend of mine, who owns a second residence there inspired the visit of the village populated by less than 200 people.

Named for a Ute tribe Chief, Tabby-To-Kwanah, it sits like an oasis in the midst of the wilderness but, for the moment anyway, we've decided that it's not quite for us.