Greetings from Hector: Get Your Order In

Things apparently don’t change much from generation to generation. Reading Quintin’s post reminded me of the days all us cousins used to pile into Ted or Pixley’s car and head up to the mountain for a Saturday of skiing. I’m going to have to take some credit though for Quint’s kid-wrangling abilities on the slopes. Believe me; the guy had plenty of practice with me. One time (up at Jay I think), I took a digger off the chairlift as he and I got on. Being the good cousin he is, Quint leapt off the chair from about 15 feet in the air so as to not leave me behind. His mother was probably doing a double take as she stood in line watching her 9 year old son jettisoning himself from a perfectly good chair. But, in a sign of things to come, Quint of course nailed the landing (probably worthy of a 9.5 in Vancouver) and skied back to drag his cousin out of the way before I could get noggin-ed by a stray lift chair.

Maybe THAT-- my apparent aversion to chairlifts--is why I now find myself spending the winters sans snow in sunny SoCal and not in beautiful NoVer. Whatever the reason, each spring I can’t wait to get back for the summers in Highgate. There’s nothing like leaving Los Angeles traffic and its insane number of people and setting up camp at the TP for the summer. I park the car, bust out the bicycle and pretty much forget what it’s like to drive (save for a ski boat maybe) for the next 4 months. Add to that the fact I get to hang out with family and all the fun guests and life doesn’t get much better than that.

See you all Saturday at 5:30 for the cocktail party. Put your drink orders in now…I’ll have ‘em mixed, chilled and ready for the start of a great week…

DadBlog: Off Season Fun by Quintin Tyler

The Tyler Place in winter offers many recreational possibilities. Sledding, skating, snowmobiling, and ice fishing abound. Yet we, on most Sunday afternoons, have been leaving to take our children skiing. The kids (4 & 6) have been making gradual gains each time we go. My son made the breakthrough and is now skiing on his own, and my daughter is on a leash. The ‘ole lower back is thankful I don’t have to ski hunched-over, with either of them between my legs anymore.

As much of a thigh-burner snowplowing behind your child can be, it’s not the actual “peak” moment of caloric inferno. That moment occurs during the process of lugging everybody’s gear from the parked car up to the base lodge.

Earlier on in the season, my wife Julie, (whom you may remember as the Playhouse Director), would start them off at the top of the magic carpet lift, a sort of uphill-moving walkway. My job was catching them at the bottom of this short run. The goal was to have them do turns and hopefully stop on their own. We have since graduated to a chairlift on the uber-beginner trail, with the six-year-old telling me exactly when it’s time to lower and raise the safety bar. He likes reading the safety signs.

The fact that one child is now on his own, leading the way down for our safety-harnessed daughter and me, frees my wife up to take a couple of exploratory runs from the bigger chairlifts. She’s been having a ball getting these few laps in on her own.

A really rewarding part of all this is going inside after to warm up. A little hot chocolate and a few nuggets later, the kids are in heaven running around with other children. Usually there is another family or two there we know, also in the early stages of skiing with their little ones. Sometimes I think the skiing is just a formality, with this being the favorite part of their day.

It won’t be long before the Tyler Place summer season is in full swing. We are all looking forward to teaching a different sort of skiing: the kind on water. No hot chocolate required.

Winter Snack

Even squirrels love TP's delicious dining options! Chad Tyler caught a snapshot of this little fella the other day enjoying a winter snack in front of the Inn. Just another peek at all the activity that happens at the Tyler Place when the chilly winter season is upon us.

Sail Away with Us!

Well, taking the family out for a sail just got roomier. We just purchased a 21 ½ foot sloop that seats 6 adults comfortably, has a small berth to stow jackets or a picnic lunch, (or to take a nap in), and has a forward deck to catch some rays.

The boat is made of thermoplastic with foam backing making it durable and quite seaworthy. It should be able to be sailed straight into the dock, or collide nicely with a moored pontoon boat, with only a small surface scratch!

The boat has an internal rudder system located in a pod which allows you to raise the rudder part way as you get into the shallows without leaning over the back of the boat to do so. This rig also has a 500 pound weighted centerboard making it very stable and able to recover from one of those mega-wind-blasts that frequent our area. There is a hydraulic lever pump system that raises it without having to strain the muscles as you glide back into Kingfisher Bay.

It’s perfect for taking the grandkids out or having a family sail. Or, pack a picnic lunch and have a nice cruise before picking up the kids from group. Perhaps head out with some friends and explore. See some nice mountain and Quebec views and maybe spot a Bald Eagle or Great Blue Herron winging in towards the National Wildlife Refuge. Its performance will pique the interest of a serious sailor, and its maneuverability will have the amateurish tacking and jibing with ease.

- Quintin