Friday, February 17, 2017

Slow Down...and smell the Powder!



OK, this one minute clip probably won't win an Academy Award, but I hope it highlights two things:  First, how easy and fun it is to shoot slow motion with your cell phone (loving my Moto Z Play!), and Second, most importantly, how easy it is to take advantage of fresh snow when you have a snurfer.

I took this video in the hilly woods right outside my condo in the Boston Suburbs.  You don't need much of a hill to have a great time, and you don't need much time to get in some runs...if you have a snurfer.  This hill has a slope that's probably a hundred yards or so long, but really wide and with tons of trees to snurf around.  And since I don't have to drive anywhere, I can get in a great workout in an hour or two...outside in the fresh air and the fresh powder...and for PHREE!  Even if your own hills require a short drive, its a lot less (driving...time...money) than a day trip to a resort.  Why not take advantage of it?

So, if you can't "Stop and Smell the Roses" in winter, you can surely slow-motion your way through fresh powder on a snurfer!


Friday, February 10, 2017

Boston gets snow...PHinally!

From 55 to 6 degrees in one day, with 12 inches of snow!

It's been up and down this winter in Boston, warm then cold and back again over and over, but never much snow.  PHinally, a real storm dropped 12 to 14 inches of beautiful, light, fluffy powder, free for the taking. Not only that, but no school in most of the Boston area...creating a perfect storm!

Yes, driving in a blizzard can be dangerous and it's tempting to stay inside, nice and warm.  Venturing out, however, pays off big time.  Just being outside while the wind blows and the snow swirls around and collects is such a cool experience.  It can be windy-loud but at the same time naturally-quiet, without all those cars we normally hear no matter where we are (at least us urban and suburban-ites), without our footsteps making noise, and with most people still inside.  And then, of course, if you have PHNX Board snurfer, your experience is amplified further.  

I just happened to return from a trip to Arizona and California, with sun and more sun every day.  As enjoyable as that was, returning to a snowstorm reminds me of why New England is such a great place to live: maybe not as much sun and warmth, but we get changing weather that keeps us on our toes: spring, summer and fall, each with their own character, and winter, mostly dark and cold, but every so often magnificently perfect when the snowstorm rewards us with it's whirling white wonder!  

Remember the joy you felt as a kid (...if you're not a kid!) when it snowed and you had a snow day?  It's never too late.  Get off the couch, bundle up, and get outside in the snow!