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Water in Crystal and Liquid Forms

Yes, winter is winding down and summer seems to be on its way... That's the definition of spring isn't it? Around here (at least on the "Wet Side") it starts in February and continues... more or less through May.

April was a very interesting month for outdoor activities in the Merrifield household. On the first, Trevor and Mike went downhill skiing. They took a friend of Trevor's and his brother and Dad. The four of them had taken snowboarding lessons earlier in the winter. Seemed a little strange to be skiing on April Fool's Day but the joke was definitely not on us. We had a great day.

Then sailing started the following week for Mike. All are happy and thankful to have our local lake back again. The original earthen dam was build in the 40's and the drainage system was failing. (Earthen dams actually leak but it's supposed to be a controlled leak...). Somehow the Army Corp. of Engineers prioritized the repair project higher and found the money to fix it last summer. We were potentially looking at years without a lake and the vital flood control it provides... and recreation! Now, they will likely focus on Mississippi levee system.

The following weekend the Merrifields were all back in the mountains for cross country skiing (Mike, Trevor and Hannah) and snowshoeing (Jolyn and four friends of ours). Lido and Chico went barefoot... They trekked in a couple miles and had lunch. Then it was time to build their accomodations for the night. It seems that no matter where people go they have to improve things. Several people started working on the snow cave while others gathered wood for the fire. The Merrifield's friend John proceed to build a combination sleeping shelter, kitchen and living room complete with fire pit. Actually the fire creates its own pit as it burns and melts through many feet of snow. The girls headed home around dusk and the guys prepared to spend the night in their snow cave. After breakfast the next morning, they headed off for a wooden shelter another mile or so away and then headed home.

Returning to the valley it was back to baseball and sailing... Trevor's team has had a rough season... winless so far. However, he enjoys it and does pretty well despite the teams results. He's been catching quite a bit as well as pitching and playing infield (around 2nd base). The season continues through the middle of June so there's still time for the team to improve.
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