A Bungalow Life: Let it Snow

The snow is flying here in Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town – just not that fast, or all that often. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy each and every turn, while cruising down some of Colorado’s finest grooming. Finally, this past Thursday, I felt the sensation of a familiar kind: my thighs were on fire in knee-deep (practically untouched) chowder. As I sliced through our season total of 22 inches, I did my best to uncover as many obstacles as possible. No, it has not snowed more than 1 inch in the past 7 days, but the Ski Patrol at Crested Butte Mountain Resort did feel inclined to lower the ropes, and let a few of us anonymous volunteer snow packers test the waters, and smear that old snow between the cracks left by small shrubs and rocks – the most exciting turns to date.

In other exciting news, the Bungalow has received its first visitor: our Friend, and fellow Vermonter, Jed Yeiser. Jed found a couple days, in his busy schedule with K2, to see the sights and feel the vibe here on the edge of paradise. We sampled the food, enjoyed the beer, and scrounged for some BC powder turns.

Also making an appearance in town over the past week was the infamous National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) as well as the Italian and Austrian Snowboard teams, laying down some training runs in preparation for the World Cup at Telluride. They carve ruts like the Brotherhood gets down.

In this land of sunshine and plentiful freedom, our long days of passing time with crafts and random, sometimes insignificant, handyman work are coming to a close. We actually have to work.

I’m almost two paychecks into my season of waiting tables and bartending at Colorado’s #1 date night restaurant. Django’s (Named after the 1920’s gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt) Restaurant & Wine Bar carries a casual feel, in a metropolitan setting, complete with small plates, big taste, and a huge wall of wine (which I am required to memorize and become a master at navigating through the unique foil caps, towards the best bottle for the occasion and/or ingredient).

Our flagship dish: Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Not your grandma’s recipe. Let’s just say these bitter green balls go well with an apple cider reduction and a little crème fraiche.

Besides a few nights a week of waiting on mostly heavy walleted, but also very nice, clients, I’m scoring a ski pass through a few days a week of herding sheep in the Ski School corral. While teaching skiing was not my first choice of employment that offers a pass, I will soon be putting most of my instructing efforts towards coaching the CB Freeride team. The young rippers here are short one coach, so I was lucky enough to fill that void.

Since the on/off business that comes with a destination town/resort requires one to have more than one job, I’ll also be grabbing some hours of labor at the local Artisan Rug Gallery. Hedda also picked up her second and thirds jobs busing tables at Donita’s, the Mexican restaurant in town, and Marchitelli’s Gourmet Noodle, the Italian spot in town. Here, there’s only one establishment per cuisine.

It’s easy to say that the summer’s here are for catching up, and the winters are meant for getting after it.

Since the mountain opens annually before Thanksgiving, by the 25^th of November, the game is on. That meant working on the Day of Thanks for the first time ever (not to mention being away from family). Luckily, we aren’t the only orphans in town, so Hedda was able to enjoy her turkey with neighbors and friends. Conveniently, we postponed our Thanksgiving here in the Bungalow to the following Monday.

T-Day Menu at the Bungalow Bistro

Cocktail

Bacon Bloody Mary

Appetizer

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Main Course

Brussels Sprouts drizzled with a cider reduction

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Butternut Squash

Cranberry Ginger Relish

Roast Bird stuffed with goodness

Dessert