pizza & antler chandeliers
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Most of this past week I was on a ski trip with my daughter in Jackson Hole. I had never been but have long wanted to go.
It's a breathtaking place. I got invited by my good friend whose daughter is the same age. We are buds, and the girls are buds, just great.
We stayed at a masterpiece of a house with views of the Tetons - my friend is a musician, and the folks who own the house are longtime fans - great friends to have.
The Living Room
My friend's wife is also a super-talented designer, and we talked a lot about the appropriateness of rustic western design (i.e. antler chandeliers) and how it makes perfect sense here. There are elk herds nearby afterall.
I've seen it a million times, but it's always good to be reminded again that context is everything in design.
The style of the log home all made more sense given the setting - nestled on a hill surrounded by aspen and pine, minutes from the mountains.
Aside from the huge windows and views, one thing I really liked was the flagstone floors as soon as you walk in the front door.
I've advocated doing this in projects before, but no client has been brave enough to try it. It's such a cool textural element, feels great on your feet, and looks beautiful.
Bad picture, but you still get the idea. So much life
Anyhow, we skied for two days and snowmobiled for one. The weather and snow just got progressively better each day.
Rendezvous Mountain is huge, and it feels so luxurious to have such long runs. And of course, there's that otherworldly panoramic beauty at the top, especially on clear, sunny days.
About to take the plunge
At slightly less than the cost of a new kidney, my daughter did ski school both days, which, of course, does not include a lift ticket or rentals. They know they've got you, and like a shark to blood in the water, they go ferociously for that wallet with every breath you take and every move you make.
But what's done is done; you can't be a Scrooge on vacation.
By the afternoon of day two, my little gal could shoot down the traverse path of the ENTIRE huge mountain, no falls, no poles, skis faithfully pizza'd the entire time.
I was so, so proud of her. And we can now ski together!
In the evenings, we all cooked dinner together and watched the Olympics, but with a twist. Instead of listening to NBC commentary, especially since everybody was a pretty big music head, we created an ongoing shared themed playlist.
The first night, the theme was "water" (Take Me To The River - Talking Heads, Red Rain - Peter Gabriel, etc.), and we also did "Dream." I'd never done this before, but it was super fun and so much more interactive than straight-up TV.
Thinking of songs really gets the creative juices flowing, and you learn about each other.
The actual town of Jackson, WY, is awful cute; they've kept it from feeling too bougie, and it's still got a strong Western flair. The wooden sidewalks everywhere are a critical touch.
Just following the rules
This place is really neat inside, a time capsule.
It was a dream winter week with wonderful old and new friends, but above all, I'll remember the small gal with pink mittens who pizza'd her way down the giant mountain.
We'll be back, I hear the summers are just as good.
