Hollyburn hitzefrei

The two things I remember from high-school German are: "Mit eine Perucke ist mann ein anders Mensch"  and "Hitzefrei".  The first phrase has been of somewhat limited practical use in my life ("With a wig, one is a different person.")   But the second is a different story.  "Hitzefrei" is a holiday that the civilized German people grant their children when it is too hot for school.  I've extended this excellent concept to a holiday declared anytime it is too nice to work, even, say, on a crisp clear fall day, ideal skiing conditions, the first sunny day in spring, etc. This afternoon was definitely a hitzefrei, so I hiked up Hollyburn Mountain with my sketchpad and paints, motivated especially by the clouds gathering on the western horizon.  The ponds and shaded ground were frozen, so I'm guessing that today will be the last snow-free day there until sometime next June - I always try to get out hiking on that day.  There's something a bit exhilarating about walking down a trail as the sun sinks behind the trees and the snow-clouds start to gather on the last fall day in the mountains.  The Germans probably have a word for that, too.