Frost/Nixon: Read up before you digest the Hollywood hype.

"If the right people had been in charge of Nixon's funeral, his casket would have been launched into one of those open-sewage canals that empty into the ocean just south of Los Angeles. He was a swine of a man and a jabbering dupe of a president. Nixon was so crooked that he needed servants to help him screw his pants on every morning. Even his funeral was illegal. He was queer in the deepest way. His body should have been burned in a trash bin."
Hunter S. Thompson, He Was a Crook, From Rolling Stone, June 16, 1994

Check out Thompson's obituary for his nemesis Richard Nixon by clicking here.

Opening Day

Stevens Pass opens for the season on Thursday. While I'm excited to welcome the snowy bosom of winter back into my arms, I'm reminded that life is short. Randy "Rowdy" Garvie lost his two year battle with cancer last week, and his spirit and energy will be missing from the hill this season. Rowdy brought a workmanlike quality to our events team. He never complained. He always had a kind word. He would be a welcome voice of reason and calm when stuff would frequently go haywire.

We honored Rowdy over the weekend at a memorial service at a yacht club. His passions included boating, and this standing room only, open bar affair illustrated how deeply and widely he was loved. While some tears were shed, it was primarily because Rowdy won't be around. They had an open mic where you could say what you wanted, remembering Rowdy. The funny thing is that it was more fun than solemn, much warmer than regretful. It is always funny to hear great tales of great men from the mouths of the people who loved him most.

I will remember Rowdy as a cool cat, a family man of high integrity and great spirit. His passing will leave a great void on the hill this winter, but he will still rent some space in our hearts. Godspeed!