The Ugly Report

Nope, that's not a concrete roof riding on the
downstream end of our island. That's a once-huge
ice chunk that snapped in half.

We have a friend who's an avid skier and is possessed of a curiosity with a somewhat scientific bent.

He tells this story about setting off one morning to spend the day at one of our corporate ski resorts after calling to check on skiing conditions.

"They're great," he was told.

But when he arrived, about 45 minutes later, it was pouring rain. He checked with some fellow skiers and discovered that it had been raining all morning.

So just to see what would happen, he stood at the far end of the lobby where he could see the employees tasked with answering the phones, and called the resort on his cell phone. "How are the skiing conditions?" he asked, watching the young woman who answered his call.

"They're great," she answered. It was still pouring rain.

Now I know you're shocked to discover that a corporation would instruct its employees to lie to prospective customers. Yeah, me neither.

Which brings me to today's ugly report, and pictures the Vermont Chamber of Commerce (or Vermont Life magazine, for that matter) will never let you see.

We are deep into ugly here, folks. The time of year when all of winter's grime and grit becomes way too apparent. Thirty days from now—or so, these things are relative—we will bask in a mixed-hue plethora of green blessings.

But for now, well let's just say that the green to come will be savored all the more because of the Season of Ugly. More pictures—not too many—below.

Three weeks ago, when the ice on the river let loose, this
wall of mixed cubes and chunks was an amazing pale blue.

Somehow, this looks like the face of Old Man Winter in retreat,
complete with icicle beard.

But Ugly Season is soon followed by stick season as Goldie gets ready.