LB North

If it's winter and you don't see the usual faces around town, chances are better than even they're at Hunter Mountain. If you're not a skier, you might not realize that Hunter is home away from home for a sizable number of LBers. Colonel's Hall (the mountain lodge) is a virtual melting pot of seasonally displaced surfers and sunbathers from the barrier island.You just never know who you're going to run into, especially during the 11:30 AM rush, when the ski schools and adult groups break for lunch. In addition to the regular vacation-home-owning cast of characters who have generously taken the Gelfands under their wings for many years now (you know who you are), we have encountered classmates, teachers and camp friends.

It's a close knit group that has found the perfect pastime between summers. But skiing is more than that. It's really the perfect sport, if you stop and think about it. When the kids are small, teaching them the ropes is high quality family time spent in a gorgeous natural setting, breathing pristine air while enjoying exhilerating exercise. When the kids get old enough to be embarrassed being seen with you and take off on their own (as long as you load them up with lunch money), skiing is quality alone time with your honey, followed by happy hour in the lodge :-) and then family regrouping over dinner. You really can't beat it, especially as a segway to Memorial Day... when the ritual migration reduces from 3 hours on the NYS Thruway to 3 blocks on National Blvd.

Ah, summer!