Elliott’s Blog

Snow fell on the Jura mountains this morning! They tell me that the Juras did not see any snow last year until January. So maybe the year will be a little colder, and a little more conducive to skiing. They tell me that skiing last year was awful.

Joanne and I really want to learn how to down-hill ski. But, alas, I am a little afraid of the learning process. I am not as agile or as bouncy as I once was, and I know that falling from my dizzying height of 5-foot 6-inches can be very painful. Maybe we can find a gentle ski slope with really soft ground around here.

I went to a sports store today and confirmed that ski equipment is very expensive. Here are some rough numbers:

• Skis: 100-500 €. I have no idea what the difference is between the 100 € skis and the 500 € skis. Cross-country skis seem to be a lot less expensive.
• Boots: 150 €
• Poles: 20-70 €
• Clothes: You can spend whatever you want for clothes!!
• Total: 270-720 €, per person, without buying the cool/fashionable ski clothes.

And don’t forget, the Euro right now is worth $1.46!! So 270 € is close to $400! I’ll check the prices in Switzerland, where the exchange rate to the dollar is a bit more favorable.

Grass

Nothing earth-shattering, but it is nice to note that lawns aren’t very important here. They don’t seem to care for their lawns in quite the same way as many of my neighbors (and myself on occasion) back in Illinois! As my namesake Uncle Elliott Simkins used to say, “If you mow it, it’s a lawn!” That is exactly what they do.

Here at the CERN Prevessin site, they have installed a small herd of sheep to “mow” this “lawn”. There are, I’d say, 20 sheep grazing in a penned-in area of a couple of acres. Very nice. I strolled by them yesterday and they took a great interest in me. I believe they though I was going to feed them.