goodbye, cameron james ellis (for now)

i first met cam in the summer of '09: i had just set foot in whistler, canada, at the behest of my little brothers, who in fact didn't warn me exactly (but i guess that might have scared me away). i had heard tales of cam, but soon discovered they didn't do him justice.

cam took enjoyment from watching me unwind into a whistler lifestyle. he was the first one to notice the skin i took off my nose that one time i fell over (my first dusty's experience). he talked me into snowboarding instead of skiing as i had planned, simply by saying "that's gay mate". cam has this wierd power where when he says something, it suddenly sounds like wisdom. i don't know how he does that. one time he even talked a guy out of getting on his flight back to australia. i'm not sure if it's in the compelling argument or the tone of voice... anyhow.

cam was also there when i broke up with my ex to sit quietly next to me on the couch, put a crappy movie on tv and top up my drink when it got low. he was a good and a bad influence that first season, and i'm grateful for the (mis)direction.

i put him on the bus when he left town just after the olympics and assumed he was done with whistler. bumping into him again when visiting australia just a little over a year later, he promptly announced he was coming back to canada, and i decided that i should experience living with cam ellis, as both my brothers had done it and they seemed to have enjoyed themselves.

perhaps a sitcom should be put together entitled "two aussies and two swedes"; we've had a pretty awesome season in our little house in the Vale (read: ghetto), hardly the looseness of my first season, but you know what, there's a certain beauty in watching "stepbrothers" that many times. and we did so many activities, on account of the many bunkbeds present... so many activities.

i imagined more riding with cam that didn't happen, and probably a little more mischief, but in the end, the roast dinners and movie marathons left plenty of good quality bonding time, reassuring me that it is with good reason cam is basically an honorary Taylor sibling. we 4 (cam, me, stu & hugh) clocked some quality time march 2011 celebrating hugh's 21st by steadily drinking our way through most of my stepdad jon's homebrew stash. it was a nice time.

today i sat on the couch, eating some pizza left in the fridge and washing it down with some pilsners also left behind, and i reflected upon the fact that cam was gone and our whistler time was over.

really not getting too sad though, as i'm headed home myself in june, and cam is going to be teaching me how to surf.

cameron james ellis: loooooooove yoooooouuuuuuuuu (said in a peter griffin accent)

seen below with my little brother stu, walking on air on their roadie.

i said i didn't want salmon! i said it like 4 times!

treasure: back on the board again

ladies and gentlemen,

a long lost love has come back into my life. not in a horrid way, where you awkwardly pretend you're still friends even though you want to scream and run, but more in a way that incites welcome and joy.

with all the fresh snow and loveliness came a slightly-less-screwed ankle. and because i just couldn't wait another second, i went up the mountain to slay some pow. it wasn't epic, and no cliffs were dropped or nothin', but i had a very most excellent time.

the best parts were when all the boys took it in turns to ride a groomer with me. it meant i got 4 runs before waffles, which is the exact right amount when you're only just back up the hilll. and being mid-week (for the boyfriend's birthday no less), the powder in and around the groomers was still plentiful, and satisfactory for my powder-wanting-self.

let it be known here that fresh snow in fact possesses healing qualities for ankles, therefore making it a very wise decision. the floatyness of the snow soothes the injuries; it makes the ankle sing instead of shriek.

i was riding my new board, that's been new for far too long (new, and staring at me saying "helen, am i not pretty enough? you chose me to be custom made. do you not love me anymore? will i never see the snow?); a Prior custom Khybers, 150cm, built for powder with a huge nose and the absolute ease of not even needing to lean back. it does the leaning for you, and it likes it. i also like it.

on those beautiful snow-filled days i rode my little heart out. and my goodness was i tired afterwards. i don't think i've slept that well in months: the sleeplessness had worried me until now, for now i know that i really just need to go riding in the pow; it's a really cold wet lullaby. music to my ears.

i hadn't yet spend even a second on blackcomb with a board attached to my feet. i rode out on rock & roll, a blue groomer off the side of crystal chair, and i loved every second of that run: there were fresh pockets off the sides of the run and not another person to be seen. my heart floated like my board did.

i rode with aaron, andy, cam and phill, then karin, annica and frederick, then (sort of) everyone plus kate and aiden (sort of means we totes rode the chairlift up together). i had a lovely time with kate riding soft lines under glacier chair. she did not abandon me for t-bars. i loved her for it. and hoped to myself my slow pace and lack of radness wasn't breeding discontent or anger. angry kate would be a scary prospect. she looks ok with it in the photo below, so i guess she probably had an alright time.

my days were a treasure for sure, and although i'm hopeful for more days like them, i am pretty happy just to sit back and enjoy the goodness that came my way.

it's just an excuse to come back to whistler, one day pretty soon.

there are no friends/slow, injured friends on powder days. so i rode alone today.

pros:

• music in your ear the whole time
• no long conversations about where to ride next (under duress of fresh lines disappearing every single second you deliberate)
• singles line
• riding at your own pace; stopping to admire the view or change the song on your ipod
• nobody's ego but your own
• an opportunity for alone time and the serenity of it being all aboot you.

cons:

• you're riding alone.

a big huge thank you to the beautiful kate jenkins who rode glacier chair with me yesterday.

i love you.

treasure: quiet breakfast (with crunchy cereal)

i often choose to sleep in and then run around frantically trying to make sure i remember to wear pants to work, but i decided today that i really should get up when my alarm goes off instead of hitting snooze so many times that i begin to curse the "marimba", which is the alarm on my iPhone.

it is not the fault of the marimba. that fault lies with me.

this morning my body clock woke me up 1 minute before my alarm, so i didn't even have to hear marimba today, which is winning in everyone's books. i had exactly 8 hours sleep. i liked it.

this gives me the time for 1.5 hours of pre-work morning activities. i chose clothing that i like (today is a day for my lucky owl shirt), i made tea which had time to cool to a drinkable temperature, and i ate a bowl of cereal (cap'n crunch; it's a weekend treat).

it gives me the time to appreciate the gorgeous view out my window. i have whistler mountain peeking through the cloud at me. the trees are covered in snow. this is a picture for me that will never grow old, boring or tired. trees with snow on them is enough to keep my love of outside alive forever.

i'm trying my best to soak up these little bits of whistler, to fix them carefully in my mind so i can have them as little treasures for a long time. that view is priceless.

and i still have time to find a pair of socks and to make my way carefully down the hill to the bus stop. things are good.