Skiing – Page 3 – M. Sullivan Photography

March 14, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Family, Landscapes, Photos, Skiing, Sports, Weather

Daylight Savings Time & Weekend Recap

Daylight savings time is always a little difficult. You lose an hour of sleep. It’s still dark when you get up in the morning. On the flip side, the extra light in the evening is really nice after a long day at work. We can go for family walks and get our dog, Daphne, outside. And once again we are able to watch the sun come up before we head off to school and work.

Mike and Sebastian went to the Timberwolves game at the Target Center last Friday. Mike’s brother gave them the tickets and they couldn’t refuse – Timberwolves vs. Lakers, how can you say no? They arrived early and Sebastian solicited autographs from some of the players.

They watched a great game with the Timberwolves leading for a good portion of the evening. The Timberwolves did not win, but made it an exciting match until the very end.

While the boys were at the Wolves game, Sophia and I went to see the UMD Bulldogs during the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Sophia decided to put a Bulldog tattoo on her cheek and I made signs for her to hold up during the game.

We also saw a fun game with excitement until the very end. The Bulldogs scored an empty net goal in the final seconds to win 4-2.

We watched more sports on Saturday when Sebastian played his final basketball game of the year. Sebastian scored seven points and had several rebounds and assists. We had a special fan join us to watch the game. Papa Tom came up from the Twin Cities to see him play.

Sunday was spent skiing at Spirit Mountain with Papa Tom. The snow that we had received the week before was melting fast in the near 60 degree temperatures. We enjoyed the sunny, warm weather on the slopes and ate lunch outside on the deck.

We had every intention to take a picture with the five of us, but ended the day without snapping a group photo. We will have to ski together again next season so that we get one with Papa Tom on the slopes at age 70 along with the four of us.

March 4, 2012March 4, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Family, Photos, Skiing, Sledding, Weather

Lake Effect

When you live next to the world’s largest fresh water lake, you become familiar with how it can change the weather – heavy fog, cooler summers, warmer winters and lake effect snow. Weather forecasters are often inaccurate when predicting temperatures or precipitation when the winds change and start blowing off the lake. The forecast on Friday evening was for flurries overnight and up to 3 inches of snow accumulating throughout the day Saturday. I would have to say that they were a bit off…once again. Here’s what we actually received.

We woke up to several inches Saturday morning and it continued throughout the entire day. By evening we had over a foot of snow and by Sunday morning we had reached 14.5 inches. Mike pulled the snow blower out three times during the day Saturday so that we could get out to two playoff basketball games for Sebastian, register the kids for ski races and make a run to the grocery store. Sophia had decided on a breakfast dinner for winning the previous snow total bet so we had to pick up supplies. We didn’t bother to make a bet for this next “storm” since the original forecast had minimal accumulation expected.

The nice thing about lake effect snow is that it is light and fluffy. Not like the heavy stuff we received during our “blizzard” last week. Speaking of our blizzard snow, Thursday was warm enough for Mike and Sophia to make this guy during their day off from work and school.

Here’s what he looked like this morning when I was out shoveling our driveway…again.

Sophia had a friend over Saturday during our snow event. Her friend lives just blocks from our house, so it is was a short walk through the snow to get here. She came prepared in snow gear and with a sled. The girls took turns going down our newly complete sledding course in the backyard – the one I didn’t think we would have this year since we had grass in the backyard two weeks ago.

They also tried a couple of runs together on one sled.

They trudged through the deep snow and found a perfect spot to make snow angels.

They also found the biggest snow pile in the yard and climbed to the top.

Then they slid down.

They got tired from all the play outdoors and cold from the snow filtering in under their snow gear and played inside for the rest of the afternoon. By that time I think we were all tired of the snow.

Fast forward to Sunday morning, here’s what I saw when I was out shoveling at 7:45am.

After breakfast the kids headed out with Mike to have some fun in the snow.

Sunday afternoon the kids had their final ski race at Chester Bowl. The snow actually had ended by this time and the sun came out. It was warm on the slopes and the fresh powder made for some great skiing.

Here’s Sebastian – he’s the black spot with a red helmet in the center of the picture.

We hope to enjoy the new snow a bit more before the spring thaw hits. Temperatures are forecast to be in the 30’s and 40’s this week. We are looking forward to skiing with Mike’s Dad next weekend at Spirit Mountain and perhaps we can make a family for Mr. Snowman in the front yard before it all melts.

February 4, 2012 M. Sullivan Photography Family, Photos, Skiing, Weather

Snow Day

We made a quick trip out to Mont du Lac to ski today. We got some fresh air, exercise and lots of sunshine. It was a perfect February day for skiing. Although we haven’t had much snow this year, the hill was in pretty good condition from the snow machines. We packed a cooler with snacks and beverages and took a break outside on the deck about halfway through the afternoon. Sebastian and Sophia tried skiing moguls for the first time and did very well. Knowing my own limits, I stayed away from the moguls and black diamonds and stuck to easier skiing. Mike gave Sophia pointers on skiing techniques that will help her when we all go to Vail…or maybe just Spirit Mountain. We could not have asked for a better day – no injuries, no complaining, no cold fingers or toes and lots and lots of fun!