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WARREN’S WORLD: Two Thousand Feet

By Beacon Staff

The wind is howling and the rain is pounding against the windows of my office. The news had announced last night, “The snow level will be down to 2,000 feet within 12 hours.” I live in the Pacific Northwest, where citizens are not only deeply divided over politics but over what they do in the winter.

The people who head south for the winter, called “snowbirds,” have had their golf clubs, Bermuda shorts, sunscreen and credit card at the ready for their annual pre-winter migration south to Palm Springs or Arizona. One of my neighbors chooses to rent for the winter and this year he has rented a house in an Arizona senior citizen development. It is called “Lake Linger Longer,” where the lake is about an acre and a half in size and the golf course is free as are the crocheting and knitting classes. In every rental garage are two three-wheeled bicycles and one golf cart because cars aren’t allowed to drive on a lot of the streets in the gated subdivision.

Since he and his wife are renting this winter, he will also have to rent a trailer to a haul all of his toys and luggage south with him so his wife’s two poodles, one white and one black, can have the entire back of the SUV for their traveling comfort.

On the other side of the street of the winter persuasion are the people who have been exercising to get in shape for skiing. They have labored over whether to buy a season pass at old Hickory Hollow or ski at a lot of different places this coming winter.

Laurie and I are very lucky, because we built a home in the mountains of Montana to go to for a winter of skiing. Actually it is a home on the side of a hill alongside of a great ski run at the Yellowstone Club. Since the end of the last century, I have not made a turn in a bump. And at my age, I really enjoy making a turn wherever I want to rather than around a bump built up by the passage of hundreds people who got there before me.

I have to admit, that about the middle of February, I would like to be able to get my golf score under 137 for 18 holes during four or five days at some Arizona course.

I really like to keep an open mind and appreciate these two extremes of retired indulgence. I do get a little tired when people asking me, “Do you still ski?” Why wouldn’t I still go skiing? Other than last year when I broke my back, I have been doing it all winter, every winter since 1946 and have never had a bad day. I have learned to do other things when it rains or the snow is too bad, such as drawing cartoons or writing to support my habit of making turns all winter. I was very lucky in being able to make a living when I was high up on a glacier in Switzerland or on a small hill in Wisconsin. I earned my living simply by winding up my camera one more time and pushing the button to take movies of what I was seeing.

It is estimated that over $1.5 billion was spent on the last election. How many minds where changed by spending that much money? I think I changed a few minds for the $1 price of a movie ticket at one of my early feature films.

When I started, I had blinders on and I thought anyone who played golf was an old person. Now I play golf, and that has to tell me something about my age. However, there is no way I can convince my friend and neighbor Elmo to try skiing because he is already packed for his trip to the sunshine and 137 days of perfect weather.

Fortunately, the nation is divided between winter sports enthusiasts and those who hate the bad weather. If it wasn’t, the ski lift lines would be way too long.

Like politics, the weather is what it is and there is nothing any one person by himself can do about it. I suggest, since the snow level is down to 2,000 feet, get out your winter toys and immediately go to somewhere above 2,000 feet and get started enjoying freedom that your skis or snowboard can give you.