Skiing: Powder Skiing

Power skiing 

Skiing powder snow is a very personal experience, as you develop an intimate relationship with the snow and the mountain. It is clearly exciting, exhilarating and pleasurable. I feel that powder skiing is to skiing as ballet is to dance, for it requires an artistry and finesse of movement, coupled with a strength of the body and fluidity of motion. 

The basic turn for powder skiing is the short- swing turn I described in my previous blog. All that is necessary to use this turn in powder is to modify the body stance and weight distribution and exaggerate the flexion-extension-flexion movements. Once you know how to do this, the next step is to experience the feeling of ridding on a soft cushion beneath the skis rather than on a solid surface, and overcoming the fear of not being able to see your skies under the snow. 

To learn how to ski in powder i therefore recommend that you first learn the modified body stance and then practice traversing and turning uphill in deep snow to experience the feeling of ridding on a soft cushion. 

Powder skiing is mostly for advanced skiers, mostly because most powder trails are for advanced and experts due to the fact that the grooming machines can't go on trails that are too steep. 

There is also another turn specifically done on powder snow called the The Powder Turn. 

The powder turn is a very tireless way of skiing. The powder turn does not cause the skis to turn rapidly across the fall-line, this turn does not slow you down as much as most other turns do, and hence is best skied on intermediate-grade slopes in powder which is at least knee deep or on steep resistance of the snow against the body is used to prevent you from going too fast.

"The powder turn makes use of momentum and the pull of gravity to help get the skis through the turns, and hence is most often used when skiing quickly or dynamically" (Heckelman, 172)

Learning Origami: Paper Cup

Learning Origami: Paper Cup

Making arts and crafts, is something I am always willing to do, and something I am always eager to complete. For today's blog post, I decided to make something more logical, that I am able to use regularly. Thanks to the book, Practical Origami: A step-by-step guide to the ancient art of paper folding, I can show you how to make an origami cup. This origami model is a very popular design, that is also very simple to make!  For those who are like me, and are not artistically talented, this origami model is something that can be taught to all skill levels, as said in the book, "This is, perhaps, the simplest model to make, and is easy to  teach to "students" of  all ages" (Beech 47). This is a very enjoyable model to make, that you can complete along with your younger siblings or other family members.

This origami cup, allows you to even drink out of it. The book states, "If you intend to drink from the cup, be sure to use material which is glossy, like a foil-backed giftwrap" (Beech 47).  I am so excited to show you how to make this traditional, as well as very logical origami design. With only seven, easy to follow directions to creating this model, I am able to use these cups whenever I want. After completing this origami design, I personally would recommend using gift wrapping tissue paper the for the first few times, so you are able to perfect the creases and folds.

The most difficult step in creating this design, was the second step which was folding down the single layer of paper down to lie on a folded crease created in an earlier step. "Fold the upper raw edge down to lie along the folded edge created in step " (Beech 47). Completing the actual step wasn't that difficult, however the wording of the direction was what confused me. The inclusion of a photo, in this step, made it much easier to comprehend.

Below are Seven steps to creating a Paper Cup:

Step One: Fold paper diagonally in half.

 Step Two: Fold single layer down to lie on
horizontal crease created in step one.

Step Three:  Unfold crease created in step two.

Step Four: Fold right-handed corner 

to where the tip meets with the 

crease end made in step two.

Step Five: Repeat step four on the left side, 

remember to align model symmetrically.

 Step Six: Fold single layer of the upper corner down
over the flaps created in steps 4 and 5.

Step Seven: Repeat step 6 on reverse side. 

Open model along edges created through steps 1-6.

Overall, this was a very fun and straightforward model to create. I enjoyed creating this origami paper cup, and was surprised with how simple it was to complete. I made this model with my younger sister, and bonded with her while competing the steps together. There are multiple uses to this origami model, and I personally use it as a jewelry holder in my room. My skill level in creating origami crafts has grown, and my knowledge on this art has increased as well.  I am so eager to continue learning more from the book, Practical Origami: A step-by-step guide to the ancient art of paperfolding. My favorite art craft to complete with my family is making paper snowflakes. Thank you so much for reading this blog, and hopefully you gained knowledge from this post!

What is your favorite art craft to complete with your family?

Beech, Rick. Practical Origami: a Step-by-Step Guide to the Ancient Art of Paperfolding. Hermes House, 2006.

Learning Origami: Fortune Teller

Learning Origami: Fortune Teller

2017 is officially over, with the new year beginning, release everything from the past and be ready to celebrate 2018. There is no way to determine the future, however, a fortune teller can release your worries for the upcoming year! Today I will be showing you how to create your own origami fortune teller, and have some fun with the idea of knowing what will be coming this year. Fortune tellers, also known as “cootie catchers” have been passed down through centuries and is usually performed by children. Thanks to the book, Practical Origami: A step-by-step guide to the ancient art of paper folding, I can show you how to make an origami fortune teller. This origami design is very well known and popular, the book states, “This has to be the one model that virtually everyone remembers making as a child at school” (Beech 175). I never knew how to make my own fortune teller, so for those like me, below are six simple steps to creating your own fortune teller.

The first step to creating an origami fortune teller was to fold the paper into fourths, unfold the paper, fold the four corners into the middle evenly, then to repeat again on the other side. “Blintz fold the corners of a square. Turn the paper over and Blintz fold again” (Beech 175). Although the wording of this step was confusing, this instruction was easy to accomplish thanks to the inclusion of a photo in this step.

Below are Six Steps to creating an origami Fortune Teller:

Step One: Fold paper into fourths, unfold paper,
fold corners towards center evenly. Repeat on reverse side.

 

Step Two: Fold model in half, horizontally.

Step Four: Open the slits created in step one.

Step Three: Push corners towards center.

Step Five: Place fingers into the four slits made 

in step four, to create creases.

Step Six: Label Flaps with colors, numbers,

 and objects.

To conclude, making an origami fortune teller was very easy and fun.  After completing the steps, label the folds of the design so you can use the model effectively. The book states, “Write four different colors on the inside, and underneath each panel write a fortune” (Beech 175). Practical Origami: A step-by-step guide to the ancient art of paper folding allowed me to make a craft that I always played with when I was younger. I look forward to showing my younger sister how to make this on her own, and play with her! The fortune teller is one of my favorite art crafts that I played with when I was younger. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and hopefully you will try out making your own origami fortune teller. Thanks for reading!

What was your favorite craft to play with & make growing up?

 

Beech, Rick. Practical Origami: a Step-by-Step Guide to the Ancient Art of Paperfolding. Hermes House, 2006.

Making apple fritters

Fritelle de mele ~ Italian name

Today I made apple fritters which is basically fried apples.

The book describes the process of making fritters generally as: "Make them of any of the batters directed for pancakes by dropping a small quantity into the pan, or to make the plainer sort, put pared apples or lemons sliced or currants into the batter. Any sweetmeats or ripe fruit may be made into fritters." (Grazia, 217).

What this means: Fritters can be made by dipping things into a pancake like batter (fruits, or meats) and then frying them like you would pancakes.

The ingredients needed: I like this recipe because it involves gold delicious apples, which are my favorite. The rest of the ingredients are pretty easy to find.

Making the fritters: The first step is to make a pancake batter with the milk, flour, eggs, sugar, pinch of salt and possibly rum. My family doesn't have rum and my dad would not buy any so I didn't use any. However, I doubt it made a big difference. 

Next it was time to peel 4 golden delicious apples, and cut them into 1/4 inch chunks. I just left them how my apple cutter cut them, because later I tried a batch with thin slices and thick slices and the thicker ones were better.

Then you could start immersing the apples into the batter, but not fry them yet. I would recommend only cutting up 3 apples because the batter barely covered them all with me doing 4.

After that, it was time to fry the apples in the batter. This is done by making a pan of vegetable oil into a simmer, and the oil is crucial. This is basically just like making pancakes, but it may splatter everywhere (and burn!!) so I didn't take pictures during this part.

Lastly, once the apple fritters had cooled down it was time to add confectioners sugar and cinnamon. That is optional, but I really liked the combination because it tasted like apple pie.

Final result: Overall I liked the recipe, and it turned out enough. Some fritters tasted like apple pie and others tasted like pancakes. This makes a LOT of fritters, which isn't exactly the healthiest. I probably wouldn't make this again, because it is easier and healthier to just eat the apples plain. It was fun to try though.

Question: Have you ever fried things other than potatoes? How do you think it tasted? What spice would you add?

Citation: Barilla, Academia. Italian Desserts and Pastries: Delicious Recipes for 100 Authentic Sweets. Vercelli: White Star, 2014. Print.