BY ASHLEY LODATO
About 165 skiers tackled one or more sections of the Tour of the Methow last Saturday, skiing anywhere from 5K to 80K on this non-competitive Nordic event that starts at Cub Creek and ends in Winthrop.
With mixed weather ranging from sun to silver dollar-sized snowflakes to rain, the conditions made for some wet and tired skiers, but spirits were high in what has become one of the Methow Valley Nordic Club’s signature events.
Sunday’s Doggie Dash was the most well-attended one yet, by both racers and spectators, with the latter lining the racecourse and trying stay out of the way of speeding dogs and skiers. The costumes have become quite up-market, with some of them being of runway-quality fashion and flair. Princess Leia? Check. Little Red Riding Hood? Check. Nun? Check. Owl? Puffin? Big Bird? Check. Guy who didn’t even dress up because he knew his dog was the fastest? Check.
The guy (Brian Berna) who won the Best in Show award is an out-of-towner and it was with great reluctance that race organizers handed over the coveted Golden Poodle statue, but Brian seemed to be really enamored with the Methow Valley and I suspect the need to return the Golden Poodle next year will give him just the excuse he needs to come back to the valley.
The one casualty of Doggie Dash was Baby Bell, a 4-inch doll who was lost somewhere in the vast expanse of the Doggie Dash arena. If you happen to encounter Baby Bell in the Town Trailhead loop as the snow recedes, 7-year-old Amelia Evans would be most grateful to be reunited with her.
Like their counterparts in the rest of the world, kids in the Methow Valley continue to say the darndest things. Little Star Montessori School teachers probably get to hear more than their fair share of kid bloopers, and preschool teacher Kim Claussen’s experience last week was no exception.
In preparation for a unit on ocean life, Kim and her co-teacher, Celeste Roberts, decorated their classroom with sea horses, octopi, sharks, dolphins, and all sort of other sea creatures. A veritable marine world of awesomeness greeted the children when they arrived the next morning.
One particular 4-year-old examined all the ocean life in wonder and then tugged on Kim’s sleeve. “KIM,” he blared, in that winning combination of naïveté coupled with stand-up comedy that only little kids seem to be able to pull off, “DO YOU HAVE CRABS?” Kim was able to answer with confidence in the negative and promised to remedy the situation – but only in her classroom.
