Cookie dough

This penguin obviously came from Vail, Colo., but it’s hard for me to pin down the exact time I bought it. I have a number of ornaments from Vail, and I feel like this one came later than the others. Vail was the first place I ever skied, when I took a half-day lesson on a hill that was so small, we walked to the top between runs. Then I was lucky enough to have a friend from college who worked there, so I was able to visit frequently without having to spend too much. It was one of the many big mountains I skied with my friend Linda Martelli. Later on, I went to Vail with my brother Drew, who is a ski instructor among other things, on his first ski trip to the Rockies. Whenever I got this ornament, or my other Vail ornaments, they always remind me of the good times I had there through the years.

Cookie dough ornament, Vail, Colorado

Acquired: unknown

Number: 0181

Size: about 4 inches tall

Four wooden skiers

The title says “four wooden skiers,” so why am I only showing three?

I gave the fourth of these skiers to my friends Marie and Nancy. I should ask if they still have it, because I think I gave it to them missing one of the ski poles, which I still have. It was only the third time I ever gave an ornament away along with the two sledders from the previous post. Unlike the sledders, these skiers were different. There were two different color patterns, and at least one of them had the word “Vail” written on it. I think the one I gave away was like the Vail skier, but without the inscription.

Three wooden skiers, one inscribed “Vail.”

Acquired: mid 1980s, probably at the same time, in Vail, Colo.

Number: 0030 0031 0032

Price: unknown

Size: about 2.5 inches tall