The reason why I call this LATE FALL, is that Winter's true appearance had not come yet the first week in December, yet the skiers and snowboarders were out en masse, doing their thing on the snow. From the images, however, it looked like plenty enough for most people, but for the Aspen/Snowmass crowd, it was not enough.

" We hope every day that more will come!" said one skier to me, as he geared up to spend the day on Aspen mountain. This gentleman had gray hair, and a profoundly wizened face, as if he had spent all of his life outdoors. " Last year was great, but this year? Look!" He pointed up to the dazzling white mountain." Hardly anything! But there's enough for me, even though it is December 2ond."

This is the third time I have been to Aspen, and I am still trying to figure out the exceptional nature of this town, deeply embedded in the Rocky mountains, 5 hours by car or bus from Denver on a good day, and on the plane, about an hour, often bumpy. This time, on the plane from Denver to Aspen, were some rowdy Russian men, who I THINK, even at 10:15AM, had started carousing early -- well before the plane took off. None spoke English except a few basic words, but the one phrase one of them could say, and DID, after each deep prop plane bump, was " It's A BEAUTIFUL DAY!" I began thinking this is probably the feeling that most people have when they come to this place in the mountains.

During my stay, I saw much newness in the old Snowmass and Aspen -- new plans for wholly owned residences, many of which had already been sold, as well as new fractional residences in downtown Aspen. Both places, one close to the other, have such exceptional access to the slopes, that even with the small amount of snow, every day must be enticingly beautiful -- especially one to those who have sojourned from other non-snowy climes, to find solace or company on the snow, no matter how thin it is.

On the day I left, a heavy storm blew in. Flights were cancelled, and I had the disquieting experience of taking a bus, during a severe snowstorm, from Aspen to Denver. The heavy blowing snow did not deter the inveterate driver at all, and we came through it quite well. Before I flew back to Tucson last night, I received a Twitter from The Town Of Aspen: " Our Prayers Were Answered,. If We Could Just have a Few More Days Like This!"

I could hear those boisterous Russians laughing in the background.