The conditions were splendid at Mount Royal on Sat morning for building up an appetite. It was a bit cold — around -15 C — which may have dissuaded some people from coming out. But it was sunny and the wind was light, so it really was pleasant weather for outdoor activity. It was a good thing we got there by 10 am because the parking lot next to the Beaver Lake chalet was soon filled. Lots of kids were there to get cross-country ski lessons. Great to see the skiers of the future learning the basics.
We only had 9 people at Mount Royal — 5 skiers, 3 walkers and 1 ice skater. For those of us who usually ski at Mount Royal only on Wed evenings, it is a treat to see the trails in full daylight! The skiers took some great photos by the cross at 
the summit of the mountain. The trails were in “very good” shape. They were short of being “excellent” only because some of the descents were a bit fast.
It was soon time for part 2 of the day’s program — the pot luck extravaganza. This was clearly the more popular part of the program, with 27 people descending on Melrose Place, aka Monique’s home in NDG. Mind you, several of the pot luck participants who were not seen at Mount Royal reported that they got some skiing in at CSJ or BDL. I’m sure everyone found some way to burn off calories before arriving. It was certainly in their best interests to do so, as there soon were many delicious options for replacing those depleted calories laid out on the buffet table.
The array of interesting and healthy dishes was truly a feast for the senses — sight, smell and taste. The variety of good food was rivalled only by all the great
conversations being carried on by the diners. Coffee and an excellent selection of desserts followed. People were noshing and chatting until the latter part of the afternoon.
It was an all round great day of exercise
and dining. Many thanks to Monique Isler for opening her home to us once again!