Mi Piace Neve!
(That's "I like snow!")

I grew up in New Hampshire, a state not exactly known for long summers. In fact we have an expression about New Hampshire's seasons, that goes like this- 11 months of winter and one month of damn poor sledding! So you can imagine that growing up in such a place you either love winter and embrace it or hate it and suffer or head to Florida. I embraced it-learning how to ski both downhill and cross country, snowshoe ( I started on wooden Quebec-made ones with lace bindings) and ice skate. We all played ice hockey back there (Cripe-40% of the state claims French-Canadian blood, what do you expect?) partaking in afternoon hockey pickup games. We'd play on a small pond well into dark making our own teams and settling our own indifferences. Gasp! Can you imagine today's parents actually letting their kids play with other kids on ice in the woods unsupervised? What a radical concept! Anyhow, since I learned to love winter I love to play and travel during that time too-and not to escape it for sunnier warmer climes. I have had the opportunity to visit Chile in the winter (Okay-you got me-its summer down there then!)- Japan, Italy, Austria and Slovenia in winter (real winter). And boy were those great trips. Got to do some great downhill and cross country skiing and snowshoeing in some pretty spectacular places like Italy's Alps outside of Trento (pictured here at Monte Bondone). And of course the best thing to skiing in Italy is Apres-skiing espresso e pasti! That sure beats burgers and gas station coffee any day. Embrace the winter miei amici-it is just about to begin-enjoy it!