I went to Schweitzer Mountain Resort yesterday afternoon.
With some free time and a sunny day, it seemed like a great opportunity.
I don't go to Schweitzer much in the winter time because I don't ski.
My purpose yesterday was to get a feel for the resort at the height of its winter action. The visit will help when I write my story about Sam Wormington, the resort's first manager.
The middle of the week makes a good time, too, because of smaller crowds and an available parking space.
Once there, I met the latest manager Tom Chasse and very much enjoyed our get-acquainted visit.
Tom came to Schweitzer in 2006 from New Hampshire. Two months before moving here, he said he'd never heard of Schweitzer.
So, it was amazing to him and his family to be moving to an unknown ski resort and taking on a new job.
Tom says he has not and will not look back. He loves it here, and his family loves Sandpoint.
Old story, for sure, for those of us who've heard hundreds of similar accounts of folks who have discovered our beautiful area, moved here and vowed never to leave.
Of course, Tom is thoroughly enjoying all the national and worldwide attention the "unknown" resort has been receiving over these winter months.
After six years at the helm, he's glad that the word is out.
I enjoyed taking pictures and walking from building to building at Schweitzer Village yesterday.
It has certainly grown since its 1963 opening with a mile-long lift, a rope tow and a three-story day lodge.
And, Sandpoint has certainly grown along with it.
Which brings to mind an oft-repeated phrase my husband uses.
"Always a Sandpoint connection," it seems.
Yes, we've had the Mark Fuhrman, Ben Stein, Viggo Mortensen connections.
Somebody told me about the new Sandpoint resident who played a major role in designing the special curtain for the opening of the recent Academy Awards program.
We've got Litehouse, Inc., Coldwater Creek, Patrick McManus, Sarah Palin, Erik Daarstad, you name it---lots of folks and entities that bring attention to the community by their mere presence.
Well, another connection, albeit a sad one, made headlines over the past couple of days, and there's a Sandpoint connection.
This link will take you to a piece about Disney songwriter Robert Sherman who died this week in London.
Before the news headlines began appearing, I read a post on Facebook written by one of my FB friends, John Evans.
Robert Sherman was his father-in-law.
John graduated from Sandpoint High School in the 1970s. He now lives in Virginia and reads this blog. He is the son of Frank and Jane Evans.
Shortly after seeing John's post, I read a story about Robert Sherman.
Already impressed that he was a Disney songwriter, I must say the knowledge that he and his brother penned one of my all-time favorite songs was breath-taking, to say the least.
Now, I know a lot of folks who go to Disneyland would much prefer the Space Mountain and Star Tours rides, but, for me---the perennial scaredy cat who doesn't like heights or wild rides---the boat ride to see beautiful dolls from all over the world was my favorite.
"It's a Small World," the song and the ride, got my vote several times during my two visits to Disneyland.
I have LOVED the song for its simplicity and for its positive message.
Indeed, it is a small world more often than not, and when the author of these simple lyrics is family with a former Sandpoint resident, that seals the deal.
My heart goes out to John and his family as they grieve the loss of this great contributor to happy moments through his creative and gifted mind.
I'm sure many people who've been to Disneyland have hummed or sung the song this week in his memory---even if they do like the Space Mountain ride better.
What a beautiful contribution to our world!
SPECIAL NOTE
After reading this morning's blog posting, John Evans left a comment. I thought it was fascinating enough to cut and paste it below.
Enjoy!
My wife, Laurie Shane Sherman, was a child vocal talent for Walt Disney. She and a handful of other kids recorded the It's a Small World song, by using overdubbing.
My wife can, and could as a child, alter her voice to sing in different accents, so she was able to create the sound of children from all over the world, though they didn't use any actually Chinese, French, Spanish, etc. children to create the sense of a world-wide children's choir.
My wife can, and could as a child, alter her voice to sing in different accents, so she was able to create the sound of children from all over the world, though they didn't use any actually Chinese, French, Spanish, etc. children to create the sense of a world-wide children's choir.
It's just Laurie and a few others, over and over. Laurie did all the foreign-sounding parts. And it is still played today, and all over the world.
It's the song most often played on a daily basis all over the world.
Yet, it's mostly Laurie.
Too bad her contract did not provide her with any royalties...
Am I proud of her... You betcha, I love her to pieces, as they say.
John Evans
One more comment about Robert Sherman's music. My wife, Laurie Shane Sherman, has a brother Jeffrey, who told Diane Sawyer on ABC news the other night that he was the inspiration for the song from Mary Poppins-- a spoonful of sugar... Trouble is, it was actually Laurie who came home and told her father that she had taken her dose of the Sabin oral polio vaccine via a sugar cube.
You see, Jeffrey was only 5, and he was too young to go to school. Also, they gave the vaccines in community centers on the weekend, not in school that first year, and the sugar cubes were dispensed in little paper cups, not in plastic spoons as Jeffrey claims.
It's just that Jeffrey has told the story so many times over the years that even his father began to remember it the way Jeffrey tells it. Laurie is too humble to dispute her brother in public, but I'm not that humble about it.
Do your math Jeff, your story doesn't add up. When you were 8 years old, the song had already been written, recorded, and sung by Julie Andrews.
It couldn't have been Jeff. So there.