The myth of American freedom

Imagine a beautiful, sexy woman, an Ava Gardner or a Lily James, with a wart on the end of her nose. It stands out, whereas on an ugly mien it would go almost unnoticed. Noise in stunning and peaceful surroundings disturbs more than it would in grating, jarring cities. Last week, on a gorgeous sunny afternoon, after yet another record snowfall, I was cross-country skiing and stopped for a picnic lunch with Lara and Patricia, two married friends of mine who had left me miles behind. They were using the new skating method of cross-country skiing (I remain traditional, gliding on the double track).

A cloudless and very blue sky accentuated the beauty of the landscape. I haven’t seen that much snow in the 62 winters I’ve spent here and the mountains were looking their solemn best — inaccessible as there is too much snow for skiers to handle and too great a risk of avalanches.