Still waiting on the snow to arrive here in Seymour. We have had maybe a inch so far, 2 if you are really optimistic, but no where near enough to ski on. This winter is really starting to wear on me. Luckily, Paoli Peaks has been making snow every time the temp would drop down below 28 so they finally were able to open the slopes, all be it a few runs at a time.
Last week Cindy had a snow day. Yes, it only takes a inch of snow to call off school around here. It was quite chilly so I checked and Paoli had most of the runs open. I took off a bit early and we ran down for a evening ski. It was the first time we got to use our skis I got us for Christmas so it was good to be able to check them out and make sure they were going to be ok. Everything worked great, other than the goggles I tried to modify to fit over my prescription glasses. After the first hour my head felt like the goggles were pushing on my frames so hard they were going to cut my head in two. Quick trip to the pro shop for a pair of OTG goggles and we were back at it with much less pain!
What Cindy did not know was that I had been working on a secret plan for a surprise weekend ski trip to Michigan for us. She had said once several years ago that she had always wanted to be whisked away for a fun filled weekend and I never forgot that statement. I had actually tried to pull it off last year but just never could get all the pieces of the puzzle to line up at the same time. Well this year with our own downhill skis we really wanted to go up north and ski on real snow with our new skis so I tried again to get everything lined up so we could do that. I was really glad to get a trip to Paoli in before we headed north just to make sure everything was working as it should before we got to take a trip to Michigan.
Back around Christmas I started watching snow fall totals up in Michigan and the long range weather forecast, i.e. the weatherman's best guess what it might be like at some point in the future. The unseasonably warm weather we had at Christmas was finally suppose to break and more seasonable temps were to move in towards the end of the year and continue into January. Finally, maybe we can get some snow. So I took a chance and started lining up the support staff I would need to pull this off. I first had to arrange puppy care for the boys. Got that. Then I had to arrange for mom coverage for Cindy's mom, incase she would need something while we were gone. Got that. Then I needed to arrange for Cindy to be able to take a half personal day off from work without her knowing about it. Got ahold of the school and shared my plan, they said no problem. Everything was a go, now all we needed was for the weather to hold out.
Well as the trip approached they had just enough snow where I wanted to take her to xc ski but they were now forecasting a warm up with rain turning back to snow towards the weekend. Crap, just my luck. It had to be this weekend because that was the only weekend I could get puppy care and mom care to overlap. Reservations were already made so I had till 6pm on Wednesday to make up my mind. Needless to say Wednesday was spent checking weather every chance I could. By noon it was not looking any better so time to change the plan or scrub the trip.
Originally my plan was to only drive 4 hours to southern Michigan, downhill ski on Friday night and Saturday, then xc ski on Sunday before we came home. After looking at all the forecast and models I took a chance that the rain would not extend up past central Michigan and made new reservations for Friday night at the North Winds Lodge in Higgins lake MI, 7 hours north. The new plan was to drive up Friday, let the rain pass and turn back to snow overnight, then xc ski on Saturday in the Higgins lake area, drive 3 hours southwest Saturday evening and spend the night in Allegan MI so we could be the first ones on the slopes at Bittersweet Ski Resort Sunday morning. A bit more driving, ok, quite a bit more driving, but I was getting desperate. Dam El Nino!
Friday morning finally arrived and it was time to make this happen. Everything was going as it normally does till I left for work. Thursday evening I intentionally pulled into my parking place instead of backing in like I normally do so I could fake a dead battery. If Cindy asked why I just didn't jump it I could use the excuse of the yard being soft and getting stuck if I pulled around to jump it. I went back inside and told Cindy the battery in Trixie had bit the dust and asked if it was ok if I drove her to work in Pearl then used her car to get a battery. No problem and she did not suspect anything beyond that. Cindy was actually happy to ride to work as she napped on the way. She had woke up coughing during the night and if I was going to get any sleep she needed to get some too. So I gave her what turned out to be cough meds that made her quite drowsy. Took her quite a while to wake up. At least I got some sleep ;-)
I dropped my little lady off at work then raced home to load up all the gear and pack for both of us before returning in few hours to pick Cindy back up. No problems installing the Skybox on the roof rack and getting our downhill and xc skis in there. Took all of five minutes to pack for myself as I keep my backpack ready to go for all seasons. Then I started packing for Cindy. Fortunately Cindy is very low maintenance but even at that, trying to think like a woman packing for a weekend ski trip and all the possibilities of what might happen was mentally exhausting. I thought I had a game plan but trying to find where she kept the items I wanted to pack for her was a real chore. Then came the search for her travel bag that she kept what I thought was everything she needed to get ready in the morning. She has taken that bag on every trip we have taken together so I just assumed it was like my back pack to her. Granted, I could not remember ever seeing a multi plier, a wine opener, fire starters, a gps, weather radio, or sewing kit in it but we all have different ideas of what is a necessity. I looked, and I looked, and I looked again all over the house for that bag and it was still MIA. Where the heck could she have put it. Back down to the basement, looked in all the luggage, nope, back to our bedroom, searched all over it, nope, searched the bathroom again, nope, upstairs to the spare bedroom closet where Cindy keeps her overflow, again nothing. Now I am really starting sweat it. I went back to here drawers in vanity and peered inside to see if maybe I could put together all the needed items. It took two seconds of looking at all those items for me to decide that plan was hopeless. Short of taking everything in the drawers I knew I better find that bag!
I went in search of her backpack that she carries when we xc ski. I found it on the floor in the closet behind the wall that separates her side from mine. As I was raising back up I caught a faint glimpse of what I thought was the flowered material that I thought matched the missing bag. A quick dig through her hanging clothes ensued and there, hanging amongst her clothes, behind the dividing wall, was the missing bag!!! I breathed a sigh of relief, took two more Tylenol as thinking like a woman was really putting the hurt on my head, and went back to packing for Cindy.
Being a straight man who lives in blue jeans and Life is Good shirts I was really struggling trying to put outfits together for Cindy to wear after we skied. I knew what I wanted her to wear, but that might not have been appropriate for all activities LOL. Just to be sure she had enough to put something together I packed way more than needed. I was still able to get the large bag to zip up, but just barely. Better safe than sorry.
I originally thought we might just take the boys with us. They love road trips and it would have removed one key piece of the puzzle. Once I got all the bags with our clothes, our ski gear, our backpacks, down hill and xc ski boots, and four or five coats for Cindy all loaded in the car I was happy there was still room for us. Good thing I got puppy care.
Soon it was time to head to town and spring the surprise. I made sure the boys were settled in and gave them a treat before I left. Cindy had been very quite all morning so I sent her a quick text asking if everything was ok. Turned out she was just very busy. Now I feared she might not be able to leave and I would have to wait for school to be over. Too late now, I at least have to give her the option. So about ten minutes till noon I walked into the school's office and asked Marilyn if Cindy was busy. She went to student services where she and Susan called her on the radio. After a few minutes still no Cindy so they called her again. Finally I heard her voice around the corner and they told her she had a visitor at the front office. Cindy's eye lit up when she came around the corner and saw me standing there as I very rarely go to her work during the day. Come to think of it, I had only been there once to pick up her running bag when she got sick, but she wasn't even there. Cindy walked around the counter to me and I asked her if she wanted to do something crazy? To which she replied with eyebrow raised, "How Crazy?" I told her I had the car loaded up with all our ski gear, I had everything she needed packed, we had hotel reservations 7 hours north, and I had already arranged her personal time off for the afternoon. Lets go chase the snow! Her eyes got real big and said "SERIOUSLY?? JB, the school's principle, walked by about then and told her to get out of there. From there it got kinda crazy with Libby and Sally in the office telling her they knew all about it and the wait was killing them.
Cindy ran back to her office to shut down her computer and grab her stuff. Cindy quickly returned with eyes still as big as ping balls and off we went!
So far so good. With my lady by my side I pointed Pearl north and off we went. I had two new magazines for Cindy to read and a beverage waiting in the car for her so she was set. We made really good time and luckily traffic kept moving the whole way there. I am always waiting on sea of read brake lights to appear at anytime when I travel on the interstate but our luck held out and we had smooth sailing. As we crossed the line into Michigan the rain kept falling and the temp stayed steady at about 40 degrees. I kept checking the weather at our destination and they were steady right at freezing. This was good and bad. I was not worried about freezing rain but if it did not turn colder pretty soon the chance of getting much new snow after the rain was fading fast.
We pulled into the Higgins lake area just after dark in a cold fog. There were light snow showers but no real accumulation. The temp was dropping though so I was hopeful that maybe some lake effect would get cranked up and give us some fresh snow on the rain wetted snow they already had. After checking in at our hotel we headed back south a few miles to local restaurant called the Streamside Restaurant. It was very busy and we barely found a parking place. Either it was really good or it was the only place still open in the area. Luckily it was the first option as our food was really good. Cindy got the fish tacos and I went with the parmesan encrusted walleye. My fish was delicious! It was so good I would have gotten another order but between the fish and the bowl of clam chowder I had as appetizer I was stuffed. Darn it, hate to pass up good fish.
The temp had dropped about 5 degrees while we ate but still no new snow. Back to the room in hopes it would snow overnight. After a bit of difficulties getting our tv to work we snuggled under the covers and drifted off to sleep. I woke several times in the night to peek outside but each time I was disappointed to see Pearly sitting outside our window with no new snow on her.
It was about dawn when I woke up and peeked out the last time. Finally Pearl was starting to show signs of snowfall!
It wasn't much but the lake effect was just getting cranked up. I got ready and headed down the road to retrieve some breakfast for us while Cindy got ready. We really lucked out in that the place we stayed was right between a pastry shop and the XC Ski Headquarters where we were going to ski first. I mean right between them. It was maybe a 1000 feet to either place. Talk about convenient!
They were just opening up when I pulled into the Country Sweets so after telling them what I wanted I shoveled the snow off their walk for them while they finished icing our cream filled long johns. They were so fresh there was steam coming out from around the lid of the Styrofoam container they put them in when I walked outside. The fact that it was 11 degrees outside probably played a part in that too.
Cindy was peaking out of the door at the snow falling when I pulled back up to the room. We curled up on the bed and watched the news while we ate some of the yummiest pastries we have ever had. We both had warm cream filling oozing down our chins as we inhaled our breakfast. I was left wishing I had gotten three more they were so good.
We finished our packing while our Rudolph red wine warmed up on the dresser. It helps to be prepared for anything
Doesn't everyone carry a camp stove and cook pot in their backpacks?
After one last sweep of the room to make sure we had everything it was time to head to Ski Headquarters. It seemed like we just pulled out of one drive and right into another it was so close to the hotel. Cindy was laughing as she did not realize it was basically next door. Again, ideal location. I wish I had thought to take a picture as we walked up to the door as Donnie the wonder dog was inside, leaning against the glass in the door looking out at us. We met Donnie last year when we stopped in on our way back from out UP trip. He was just a pup then and I remember being so impressed with how laid back he was around all the people. Well a year later and he was even more laid back. After we scratched his ears and he sniffed all over us he went over to his spot in front of the wall furnace and just laid down.
Cindy proceeded to seek out all the deals in their ski shop as they have quite a large selection of winter clothing. While Cindy shopped I got our trail passes and some replacement baskets for my ski pole that I broke a right after we got on our first trail last year in the Porkies. Cindy had fallen over in front of me and I tried to stop before I skied over her and in the process snapped the back half off a pole basket. Cindy decided she could not decide what she wanted so we went for a ski while she processed it all. Again I say, thinking like a woman is exhausting LOL!
Their trails are really nicely laid out, very well groomed, and very wide with smooth flowing turns. Ideal for XC skiing. Snow was still falling which was good as the light rain they got the day before had wetted the snow and the tracks were frozen over making traction a bit hard to get. We had to stop by the Trapper's Cabin and take a pic to send back to the gang letting them all know we wished they were there with us
Other than Cindy, there is nothing prettier than skiing through a pine woods with the snow falling down around you. We made a leisurely lap out the Manitou trail then went north on the Rolling Hills trail for about 5 miles total. We headed back across the road so Cindy could finish her shopping before we grabbed a bite to eat as today was wood fire pizza on the grill day! It was going to be a busy day for them as there people milling around everywhere when we returned to the shop. Donnie was making his rounds going from head pat to ear scratch to back rub with each person he passed. I think he knew what he was doing. I went outside to get a better cell signal and sat by the fire as I checked the radar in hopes our downhill destination was getting fresh snow
My buns quickly got frosted sitting on the cold chairs so back inside to see if Cindy was ready to grab some lunch. We really lucked out and got two chairs right in front of their large fireplace in the dining area. After ordering our lunch we warmed ourselves by the fire and did some people watching while we waited on our pizzas to come off the grill.
I know that ski lodges don't keep it very warm inside because everyone is all dressed for cold weather but I just can't sit by a fire and not feel the heat from it so it was not long before I was stirring up the coals and feeding it some more wood. The pizza soon arrived and other than the bottom of Cindy's being a bit charred they were really good. It was simple idea and one I hope to be able to try out in our fireplace at home soon.
After lunch it was back to the shop so Cindy could do some more shopping. Seems she had some time to think as she ate. It was turning into a very busy day for them as the people just kept coming. We took one more lap on the 3.1 mile Manitou trail before loading up to head to another park with ski trails.
Our next destination was a state park northeast of Grayling called Hartwick Pines. It was about 20 minutes from Ski Headquarters but as we discovered it was just far enough north to have not gotten the rain the day before. The terrain there was a bit more hilly with more mature pine trees. It was absolutely beautiful. The trails had really nice snow that the wax on our wood skis could get good traction on. We skied up on a couple with one very fuzzy Alaskan Malamute dog that turned out to be a rescue dog. They were trying to get him used to skijoring which is where the skier is attached to a lead attached to a dog. Needless to say you want to be attached to a dog you trust and one that listens to you. That counts out our boys. He seemed to be doing very well and was really having fun in the snow.
The trails at Hartwick Pines pass through a 40 acre stand of large virgin pine trees that are somewhere around 300 years old. the snow was still clinging to there bows as we skied through them with the wind whistling through their upper limbs. It was truly a winter wonderland as the snow continued to fall down around us. At one point the snow came down so hard it was like we were in our own little snow globe that had now glass wall. It just went on and on. I really wish we had gotten there sooner with fresher legs as I would have loved to have skied all the trails there.
We saw lanterns hanging on hooks along part of the trail and assumed they had a lantern lit ski the night before. Turns out it was actually going to be that evening but I had no way of knowing. I wish we had known as I am sure we would have been all over that!
With a 3 our drive to our next hotel we decided to head south and get there early enough we could get rested up for downhill skiing the next day. Just so happened that we would be passing right by the Streamside restaurant we had eaten dinner at the night before. Did not take Cindy too long to catch onto the idea that I wanted more walleye ;-) Lets just say it was just as good the second time I had it as it was the first! If you haven't noticed I love good fish!!!
We rolled into our second hotel about 8 and got all settled in. After a quick trip to the ice machine the cork got popped on a bottle of Black Berry Social wine from Lanthier winery in Madison. It was a nice way to end a really fun day on the snow. After Cindy laid her head on my shoulder it was just a minute or two at the most before she was out like a light. I continued to check weather and keep my fingers crossed for more snow. They were forecasting quite a bit of lake effect for that area but it was not really supposed to get cranked up till noon or so the next day. I soon dozed off myself staring at the live radar on my phone.
I had set the alarm on my phone as I did not want to take a chance that we might oversleep by even a minute or two so when it went off I was up in a flash. Of course the first thing I did was peek outside. Darn it, just a dusting over night. Sigh... Sometime during my shower it started snowing with a bit more intensity. Things were looking up.
Soon we were all packed up and headed to the slopes. With a quick pass through the Mc Donald's drive through with snow still falling and we were on our way. We pulled into the lot with just a few other cars there before us, which probably belonged to workers.
We had a few minutes to wait before they opened the lift ticket sales counter so Cindy proceeded to do some more shopping. This time it was a bit more economical as it was through the glass windows of the ski shop.
9 am finally came and with lift tickets attached to our coats it was time to hit the snow! This was the first time to downhill anywhere other than Paoli for both of us so it was neat to see how they do things at other ski resorts. The first big difference was that we had to ride the lift up to start where as at Paoli we ski down to the lift. This would turn out to be a big difference as we were about to discover.
The second big difference was that Bittersweet has a high speed lift which is really sweeeet! Not only is it much faster to get you to the top, but the seats were so nicely padded it was like sitting down in a Cadillac compared to the lifts we were used to sitting on.
So on the lift we went and while it starts out slow once it engages to the main cable it really speeds up. About 3/4 the way up not only did the wind really start blowing but we could see that where we got off the lift it was really steep for about the first 100 feet down. It was about then that we both started thinking maybe we should have rode one of the shorter lifts up a time or two before trying this run. Too late, the only way down was to ski.
Getting off the lift we made the turn to the left and came to a stop just short of where the hill broke over. It was like looking out over a cliff. I had suggested we go to the far right as it was labeled as a intermediate run on the map. Well looking down the hill this was easily a Black Diamond run at Paoli. So there we were, first ones at the top of the hill, freshly groomed snow below us, and both of not sure we could make it.
Being the man, or more like the idiot who had this idea, I went first. It took about half a second for me to realize that while it was groomed, it must have been groomed in the middle of the night as it was basically ice crusted snow! Gravity took over and the speed built quickly. I tried to cut right to bleed a little speed but one ski went right and the other one went over my head. I was just happy when I stopped sliding and I still had both arms and legs attached to my body. Cindy must not have waited to see my run as when I looked up she was sliding down the hill on her side pretty much like I did. We were both ok but both of us had lost one ski which were both some distance back up the ice slide. Dam gravity had to drag us that far down. I quickly gave up on the idea of keeping one ski on and making it back to my missing ski and just popped the remaining ski off and climbed back up to retrieve my missing apparatus.
We both slid our way down to where the hill flattened out just a bit where we were able to reassemble our skis and poles. We both looked back up the hill and laughed. It would be a bit before we tried that run again. We finally made it down the hill and to a lift that stopped a bit further down the hill. A quick look at my phone and it had taken us 15 mins to get down the hill. Jay, my friend in Fort Wayne who suffers from the same debilitating snow addiction disease as myself, said he averages 30 seconds runs down the hill. I like to think we just get more time on the snow the way we do it LOL!
The lift we skied to must have been the very first one built there in the 50's as it was a two person lift and quite slow. People must have been a bit smaller back in the 50's as it was none to spacious, especially when compared to the Cadillac we had just ridden up. The lift operator told us to slide closer to him. Once the vertical side bar nailed me in my spine I realized why. That was going to leave a mark!
We made it back up the hill and were able to ski down with no issues this time. Did I mention it was cold? I think it was still in the single digits but the wind chill was brutal. Cindy had her goggles on and a buff around her neck that she pulled up to cover the lover part of her face but my face was bare below my goggles. Even though I had not trimmed my whiskers for a week my face was quite cold. I had to stop for a minute to put a balaclava on to try and stave off frost bite for a few more runs.
We made several more passes down that run and we both felt like we were getting our ski legs under us. Cindy's buff was not helping much as her face was quite cold while mine was not too bad. My big issue is trying to keep my goggles from fogging. I quickly learned I could not have my nose covered or the ability to see was just something to be dreamt of instead of actually used.
We took a break to get Cindy's cheeks defrosted and grab a hot chocolate. We perused the ski shop and pick up a balaclava for Cindy in hopes of keeping her more comfortable on such a cold day. We felt like we were a bit more prepared for the hill off the high speed lift, plus we really wanted to enjoy the soft cushions on it instead of the hard boards on the old lift. We were going to give the big hill another go! Here we are with out new look.
On the way up the high speed lift we both noticed that if we came off the north side at the top it was not nearly as steep as the east side we went down first. Guess we should have noticed that on our first trip up. We both made it down the hill with no problems so now we were pumped. The rest of our time would be spent on the high speed lift as it was just so much nicer.
We both made several more runs before the inevitable happened. I will confess, I am not the best skier out there. In fact, every run I successfully make is nothing short of a miracle. I seem to struggle making both skies do the same thing. I would soon prove this point. We both started down together but I wanted to stay behind Cindy, partly so I could help her up if needed but more so she could not see my goofs. Good thing too as I was about to bite it hard. I was cutting back and forth trying to bleed my speed to stay a safe distance back from Cindy. As I cut left my left ski hooked a really deep rut and I shot hard left like a slot car on a track! I had just passed someone on my left, or so I thought as I could not see them but OTG goggles are like wearing blinders. I never saw it coming but I sure felt it when we hit. I was on my face sliding down the hill with someone on my back but soon that was to change as we rolled and now I had a knee in my chest as I slid down on my back. We finally slide to a stop by the catch fence. I raised up to see my dancing partner a few feet from me staggering to his feet. He appeared to be maybe 12 or 13. I apologized and asked if he was ok. He spit out some snow and said he thought so. He apologized as well but I really think I took him out. We both limped our way back up the hill to pick up our missing gear and then brushed each other off. He was taking it well if nothing else. I was going to feel this one in the morning for sure!
Cindy was waiting for me when I finally slid to a stop next to her. She could not help but laugh when I told her what happened. Who could have? Hell I was laughing. I straightened up my helmet and back up we went.
We were having fun making pass after pass. Yes we both took a few tumbles but that is just part of it. You brush yourself off, collect your gear and keep going. We both had to take our hats off, not literally as it was too dam cold, to all the small kids we saw doing the big hill. The best of which was a mom with twin girls who were maybe 4 or 5. They were so cute in matching ski outfits and they were doing great. They were skiing down the biggest hill there and falling mush less than myself. Kudos to their mom as she was getting the real workout keeping those two right side up. They did fine coming down the hill but seem to struggle a bit moving along in the line for the lift. If one wasn't on her back the other one was. It was a hoot to watch them in line. My goggles got fogged several times from me laughing at those two and their mom picking one up them the next.
We took a break about noon to warm up and get a coke. One benefit of the lodge at the bottom of the hill is that you can sit and watch the entertainment while you warm up. The mogul hill was right out the windows and it was a hoot watching little kids do them. Some of them were pretty good and some of them had a future in slapstick! Cindy really wanted to try them but I reasoned with her that so far neither one of was suffering from any injury we would not heal from in week or so I would really like to keep it that way. We did decide to break out the Go Pro, which I should have had on sooner. Sadly I have to report that due to a over sight on my part the battery was dead. I had double checked everything but that. It may have gotten turned on in my pocket or I forgot to turn it off when I disconnected if from the pc. Either way we were not going to get any video that day.
Heading back out the snow was really coming down now. The line to the lift was noticeably shorter which made no sense. We drove all that way to ski in real snow really hoping we could ski while it was actually snowing. All the better for us. We decided to tackle the run that we both failed miserably at the first time up. We both faired much better this time as with all the people who had skied it before us an the fresh snow it was now loose enough I could get a bite with my ski edges and actually turn a bit to bleed some speed. Cindy came down behind me and sailed past me around the first turn yelling "Eat my dust!". It wasn't too far down the hill where little miss cocky got a bit too wide in a turn and was off in the rough where they had not groomed. She hit a small, and I mean small, lump that had her maybe 4" in the air but you would have thought she just nailed the ski jump at Lillehammer!
On our next pass down I thought two can play this game. So I sailed past her yelling "Lizzard Lips!" Only problem was I picked the wrong part of the hill to pass her. As I went past her I cut left so I would not go too wide in the turn and suddenly realized I had cut left right on top of a hill with a abrupt drop after it. I really wanted to hit that going straight, not in a sharp left turn!!! Too late now!!!! All I could do was try to suck in my arms and legs into the fetal position and wait for the impact with the snow. I came sooner than later but happily it was not nearly as bad as I feared it was going to be. I opened my eyes when I stopped sliding and was surprised to see I still had both skis and both poles attached to my appendages. Needless to say my cold hearted Fiancé was laughing her butt off when I got down to her. I think it was to safe to say I added another mark or two to my body after that one!
We skied as long as we could before it was time to load up and head home. We were both pretty chilly by the time we got our ski clothes off and the skis all tucked away in the Skybox so we retreated back inside to get a snack and warm up before the drive home. Once again we lucked out and snagged a table by the huge fireplace in the bar!
We were all the way to the left side of the fireplace but it must have been about 12 feet wide and two sided so you could sit in front of it in the lobby area as well. We were just both very happy we were not by the doors that led outside as they wind and snow were blowing in and those people sitting over there did not look as comfy as we were.
It had been a awesome weekend and Cindy was totally surprised! She told me over and over how much fun she was having and how awesome the surprise was. Seeing her eyes get big and the huge smile spread across her pretty face when I picked her up at school made all the planning and waiting totally worth while.
Soon Cindy would be all settled into her normal travel position
as I drove us back to the brown wasteland of southern Indiana we are forced to call home.
Just like with every other trip we have made to Michigan leaving is always the hardest part. The snow was continuing to fall and they were forecasted to get up to 12" more lake effect overnight. Oh to have just one more day to play in the snow together!!!!!!
