'Otherwise, I never would have known!'

People you meet on the chairlift, as an example.

Me messing around with AI to create an image. AI seems to think I still have a beard, no matter what I tell it. Also I can’t get it to create ski poles. Fear not the AI apocalypse.

I was skiing with my wife over the weekend, and at one point there was a bit of confusion at the chairlift.

Without bogging this down in detail, my wife wound up riding with a mom and child ahead of me, while a little boy moved up ahead of his ski class group, and he and I were alone on the next chair together.

I waved to the instructor behind us — don’t worry, I’ve got him — and pulled the safety bar down. The little boy looked at me with a bit of trepidation.

“So, what’s your name, and how old are you?” I asked as we moved along.

“I’m William,” he said in a high-pitched voice. “I’m 6.”

“Your name is William? My name is William!”

“My dad’s name is William, too.”

“My dad’s name is also William! And can you guess what his dad’s name was before him?”

“William?”

“Exactly!”

“Wow,” William said. “I’m really glad I talked with you. Otherwise, I never would have known!”

Young William is destined for great things, especially if he’s already developed the William-esque habit of talking to everyone.

I mean everyone.

Classic illustrative story: Last summer, my wife and I were on another trip — Cape Cod — staying a few days in a tiny motel. I went to get us coffee at the front office, and about 90 minutes later my wife came looking for me, wondering if perhaps I had fallen down a well.

Of course not. I was just talking with the owner, getting her life story, the arc of every business she’d owned, and the story of the guest she let stay all summer for free in exchange for handling middle-of-the-night security and maintenance.

Back to this winter: It’s the first time I’ve ever bought a season ski pass (Epic, with a veteran discount — kind of a steal), and thus the most I’ve skied in years.

I’ve also had perfect timing, as the East has had its best season in forever. It’s meant many more opportunities to chat up strangers on the ski lift.

Among them:

• A 20-something ski instructor who spent a year teaching at Steamboat Springs after college, tried a “real job” in NYC, then decided she had more ski time in her and came to Stowe in Vermont.

• An 82-year-old who started roasting me in front of his grandkids on the lift as soon as I sat down. We traded friendly barbs the entire ride as if we’d known each other for years.

• A guy who said he only had a minute to talk because he was about to give a presentation for work — from the chairlift (midweek at Hunter Mountain).

• An active-duty Army judge advocate officer skiing with her niece. We realized we probably knew a lot of people in common, but we ran out of lift before we ran out of stories.

• A Canadian who said she thinks it’s a good thing that Canada is increasing its defense budget and exploring trade deals beyond the U.S, then apologized for saying so.

• Two middle-aged men discussing what you get for a $1,200-a-night slopeside condo and lamenting that private school tuition has gone up 13.5 percent — before conceding that “we all know it’s not a ‘value buy’ to begin with.”

Good people, I’d say. Certainly, interesting.

But I think 6-year-old William wins.

Moral of the story: Talk to everyone.

Oh, and put the crossbar down. I still don’t understand why anyone resists that.

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Other things:

• French and British authorities opened new lines of inquiry into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that her agency has now released all files related to him. Separately, a panel of independent UN experts said that alleged crimes contained within the documents that were released are “so grave” that some of them “may reasonably meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity.” (NBC News)

• The Trump family company filed to trademark the use of the president’s name on airports. They say they don’t plan to charge a fee for a proposal to rename the airport near his Florida home, but the company didn’t respond when asked if it would charge royalties for the use of the name at airports elsewhere. The filings come after reported proposals to rename both Penn Station in New York and Dulles International Airport in Virginia after Trump. (AP)

• Democrats in New York and New Jersey touted the release of all federal funding for the Gateway tunnel project on Wednesday, after a federal judge ordered the administration to lift its spending freeze earlier this month. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who brought litigation to unfreeze the funds, said the two states received nearly $130 million in remaining funds for the project on Wednesday morning. (The Hill)

• The Vatican will not participate in Trump’s “Board of Peace“ initiative, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official said, adding that efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the United Nations. The Vatican announcement comes after the European Commission and the leaders of key U.S. allies including the United Kingdom, Germany and France have also said they won’t join. Trump rescinded an invitation to Canada’s Mark Carney following a critical speech last month. (NBC News, The Guardian)

• Wealthy Americans are dominating applications for New Zealand’s “golden visa”, driven by a love for the country’s natural beauty and entrepreneurial spirit, as well a desire to escape Trump’s administration. Immigration New Zealand said the new scheme offering residency to wealthy foreigners has attracted 573 applications, representing 1,833 people. Investors from the US made up nearly 40% of applicants. (The Guardian)

• Billionaires’ Low Taxes Are Becoming a Problem for the Economy: Tax avoidance by the superwealthy is an economic issue as well as a political one. (The Wall Street Journal)

• As elite cross-country skiers pushed to the finish in the women’s team sprint heats, a dog wandered onto the course and ran with athletes down the straightaway. Racers stayed focused as spectators cheered on the canine intruder before it crossed the finish line and was restrained by venue officials. The dog had slipped away from a local owner while out on a nearby walk, officials later said. (AP)

Thanks for reading. Photo by Delphine Ducaruge on Unsplash. See you in the comments.