Canyons Pond Skimming 2011

I love the Pond Skimming at Canyons ski resort. We go every year and it makes for some great photos. This year I had to struggle with an endless stream of "officials", including judges, ski patrol, photographers, and others, all of which wanted to stand between me and the shots.

I don't have much time this year (leaving tomorrow) so I will simply share some of my favorite series.

Pond Skimming entrants: I have quite a few pictures, with at least one or two of almost every entrant. If you want yours, send an email to sjoyce at gmail dot com and tell me your entry number and what your costume looked like. When I get back from my trip, I will get them to you.

My huge favorite from two years ago was Boozie the Clown. He swamped the entire row of judges with water. Last year he got dressed up but never took his turn. Too much beer? This year he was back in form.



Line it up...



Start your turn...



Now lean into it, hard...



Aim the wave at the announcer, and apparently the guy with the fairly expensive video camera next to him.



After that, it's all just physics...



The target was the announcer but I think there were a lot of civilian casualties.



This costume was a good one, more durable than most. He (or she) was clearly representing our local bowling alley. Good boarding down the hill.



A nice take off, but perhaps a bit too much forward lean.



Yeah, this is going to require some real skill to recover.



OK, no way in hell.



Nice pickup for a spare!






Now we move on to the Jamaican bobsled team. They did ok coming down the hill until they got near the jump. Then steering seemed to become a serious issue.



It's going to be hard to stay balanced like this.



Yep, not gonna happen.



And there we go. Quite the explosion of water.



I think the ejected somewhere along the way.



This picture is just to prove that some people, although few, made it all the way across and came out warm and dry.



You get points for costume, distance and air. I think this guy was going for all air.



This is scarey when you realize the water is only 2-3 feet deep.



I entered a contest earlier this year to try and be the official blogger for the Canyons ski resort. This was one of the two people they picked. You have to really give Andy credit for being willing to try a crossing in his sit-ski.



He got about half way before sinking. Before the event they had found a few volunteers to jump in and pull Andy to safety.



Every year we see Bubble Man and he's always a crowd favorite. He flips off the jump, lands, and then paddles slowly to the other end. I don't know whether the judges give him credit for the distance though.



Here was a new one for me, and one of my favorites this year. These two guys were playing the parts of the Ambiguously Gay Duo from TV. I have never seen anyone pond skimming piggyback.



And these were not small guys.



About as good as you could expect.



Very nice.



There must have been a sale on banana costumes. There were quite a few of them in the contest, but this one had a certain style. First, enter with a bit of a twist.



Then the twist becomes more of a spin.



Which becomes a real issue as skis meet water.



It was kind of like skipping a rock.



I liked this guy's costume. Can you figure out what he is?



He's a chick magnet!

And now to the brave pilots who brought that plane down safely in the Hudson River. They did well getting the plane down the slope in one piece.



But as soon as they hit the ramp, the plane failed its air worthiness test. Notice the facial expression on the pilot.



This is when you hope the thing has parachutes.



They appear to be ejecting safely, but no chutes are spotted.



I think the guy did much better on the Hudson River.



The Canyons made a real effort to keep this a family affair, but when five guys game down as the Village People, what do you expect?



How can anyone root against the Easter Bunny? He had a nice start.



He was making good progress, but just not enough speed. Look at all the little kids watching him.



Great, now we have to explain to a crying child why the Easter Bunny drowned.



I was surprised not to see more Charlie Sheen's. There were two, and this was my favorite. He has his two lovely ladies that we have seen in all Charlie's interviews.



And apparently they get treated about the same. Is this the same guy who had two inflatable dolls last year and went as a polygamist?



And now, the crowd favorite and borderline insanity. Look closely. He is coming down the ski hill on a ladder with two snowboards. It swerved all over, but he managed to keep it under control.



As he gets close he starts to climb the ladder. Remember that "close" is to a small ski jump, and the ladder is still moving downhill.



Remarkable balance...



Just as he nears the top, the plan starts to fall apart, as did the handles he had added to the ladder.



He hits the top as the ladder hit the jump.



And down everything goes.



I think his mother would be horrified if she watched this.



Thanks to the people I was with (JR, Loris, Julie and Bill) for being patient with my need to stand in ski boots and take 700 shots.



Another great Pond Skimming! After the July 4th Parade, this is my favorite Park City event.

Done with snow for a while

Julie and I had a nice day of skiing fresh powder, but I am getting tired of having to blow the snow off the driveway. Enough is enough. I am heading to NC to go golfing with my college buddies.

France 2011 - Paris

Paris was just a quick stop on the way home, but it is such a beautiful city that even one day was a great opportunity for taking pictures. As I mentioned in the Lyon portion of the trip, I love how the cities are built along the rivers, and how the waterfront is a magnet for activity. Look at the huge number of pedestrians on the bridge.



This gentleman was just enjoying the river and the early morning traffic.



In addition to having a nice day for walking, it appears that Paris has been enjoying a warm sunny spring. Things were blooming everywhere.



And if you didn't find the real blooms, you could enjoy the beautifully painted apartments along a little cobblestone street. It was tucked away in a little residential area north of Gare Lyon.



Across the street there was a painting of a cat leaping at birds fleeing a bird house. The bird house was real, sitting on the window ledge.



One of the things that makes Europe so different from the US is the transportation system. In Paris there are at least a half dozen major train stations, in addition to a very extensive Metro service. Anything is a day trip, even London.



Why all the trains? Because space is at such a premium that there is no place to park. One way to cope is to drive tiny cars.



But most people just seem to be masters at parallel parking. I saw many examples of people quickly parking a car in a space I would have never considered, and I'm not bad at parallel parking. Of course, they cheat a little with their willingness to tap the cars in front and behind them.



When we got into town Saturday afternoon, there was a huge protest march going on. Someone heard it was the Communist Party, but I think it was more like the Teacher's Union. These "protesters" were the most calm, passive, uninvolved people you could imagine. Other than an occasional person yapping through a bullhorn, everyone was just out for a walk with friends on a nice day. Just the same, there were thousands of them.

I just can't resist these things. When I saw someone handing out flags to carry, I took one and walked along in protest for 5 or 10 minutes. I eventually gave my flag to someone else and went on my way. Wish I knew what I was fighting for.



On Sunday, the mob was very different. A well organized rollerblading group came by. They were closing down the streets as they went, much like you would see for a running race. However, it seemed more like 2,000 rollerbladers out enjoying each others company and the excellent weather instead of any competition.



On Sunday, the residential parks were full of children and their parents. They were dressed quite nicely and it seemed like a wonderful neighborhood gathering.



Apparently they start soccer pretty young, although this is clearly a hand violation.



I prefer to shoot pictures away from all the tourist stuff, but I do love Sacre' Coeur. Apparently, so did everyone else in Paris. The view from the hill top was awesome and the crowds were amusing. Notice the statue at the bottom of the stairs.



Not a real statue. Just one of the numerous inventive ways people have found to perform (beg) for money. He was pretty good at standing still, emotionless, until someone put money in his cup.



Just down the hill, the big money maker was a version of the shell game. They had three black disks, one of which had a white spot on the bottom. You bet money and tried to guess which one had the spot. These guys were GOOD and it seemed like a very well organized shell-mafia. After 20 minutes, stopping by each of the numerous games going on, I realized how many people in the crowd were part of the "team". They would bet big and win big, so others would see how easy it is. I would find the same people down the street doing the same thing at another table.

The picture isn't very good, but as soon as I pulled out my camera and clicked once, several members of the crowd stepped forward and told me to stop or to lose my camera. They weren't kidding, so I left.



I always made fun of the little pay-toilet cans you find on the city streets, until I needed one. They are actually quite handy.



And we'll end with a view of the Notre Dame cathedral. It's a few blocks from our hotel. It represents a collection of what I like about Paris. It is surrounded by the river (on an island). It has a gorgeous complex architecture, built 1,000 years ago. And it's a gathering spot for people, who just want to be out and see things.