Bretton Woods II - Return of the Moose

It’s tough to know whether winter is going to happen this year (or not).  We headed for the North Country this weekend and didn’t see snow cover until we hit Franconia Notch (70 miles south of Canadia)!  Even then, there’s only 2-4 inches at the base of the mountains.  Onward!

By the time we got to the Mount Washington Hotel, the snow situation wasn’t much better.  The temperatures were low but there’s hardly any precipitation.  I love this hotel.  It’s one of my all-time favorites.  Snow or no snow, there’s tons to do.  On Friday night, we went out to the fire pit for s’mores.  I’m happy to have prepared Ali’s first EVER s’more.  She’s a fast learner and was dishing ‘em out as quickly as I could scarf them down.

On Saturday morning, I was off to fulfill my latest fascination: skiing.  Here’s the view from the top of the run that skied for most of the day.  Wifey and I have been here once before…this is the same Quad that we rode to get to the beginning of the zip-line course a year ago.  Our hotel is toward the lower left and Mount Washington is toward the upper right.

Since this is my third ever attempt to ski down a mountain, I feel conspicuously out of place at all times.  Stopping to snap pictures conceals that though, right?  …at least I didn’t fall this weekend!  My ski strategy is to find the path least traveled and then ski it over and over and over.  I highlighted “my” trails with yellow.  Even at this point in the season, they’re only operating ~30% of the trails because of the lack of snow.  All of the trails that were open were thanks to the maintenance, groomers, and snow making crews.

This was my first experience skiing by myself.  A bit nerve wracking to be honest; I was worrying about what would happen if I careened of the trail and into a tree.  I went early to avoid the crowds…would I ever be discovered??  Oh well, if I let the anxiety get ahold of me, I’ll never get off of the couch.  Fortunately, it all worked out in my favor.  I’m starting to wonder whether or not skiing will evolve into a more permanent fixture in my life.  I despise forking over $60-$70 to rent equipment each time I ski (3 times in the past 2 weeks - ugh).  But at the same time, I’d be even more upset if I bought skis…only to let them collect dust in the back of the storage unit.

I do, however, feel like a pro in the rentals room.  I cruise through there like a champion.  Once the crowds started to show up, it was time for me to hit the road.  Until tomorrow, Bretton Woods, until tomorrow.

We filled the rest of Saturday with mostly outdoor activities.  We contemplated cross country skiing until we agreed that it required too much effort.  We opted for snow tubing instead.  Here’s a pic of Ali cruisin’ down the hill.

There’s quite a bit of predictable chaos that occurs on a snow tube course.  For example, I towed Ali up to the top of the hill as she sit comfortable in her tube.  At which point, I took the liberty of propelling her down the hill against her will.  The only unpredictable element of our tomfoolery was the grandfather/grandson duo who had jumped onto the course at the midway point.  Sorry for the scare, guys!

I've uploaded some extra pictures from the trip here.

Hunting Winter

As ‘night walk administrator,’ I’m prepared for some chilling conditions.  Sub-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions don’t make me flinch.

(A skier, I am not.)  I do, however, look the part.  ...dangerous combination.

I’ve spent years vowing to learn to ski…maybe this will be THE year!?  The Christmas break gives me infinite opportunities to head for the mountains.  On Friday, I finally seized one of them.  Northbound on our way to Sunapee Mountain, Kyle (trusted ski consultant) and I arrived before 9a and ahead of the crowds.  A few tips and magic carpet rides later, we were on the lift to the top of the mountain for my first real ski run.  The potential for disaster was all around me.  The first run was emotionally draining.  The Cruiser Trail provides a false sense of security for a beginner.  There are ‘Slow Trail’ signs everywhere…can’t anyone around me read them?  Then it hits me…I’m going R-E-A-L-L-Y s-l-o-w.

The social pressure hit me on my second run and I began making tighter less frequent turns in order to keep up with the other skiers.  Oddly enough, I gain control as I speed up.  It’s also a helluva lot safer when I maintained the pace of traffic.  By my third run, I was feeling pretty confident.  Sure, I wrecked once (or twice) per run but my confidence and ability were increasing.  I was skiing and enjoying it!

Since we haven’t been getting much snow this year, only about half (17) of the trails were open this weekend and they were 100% manmade snow.  In the beginning I spent most of my time on the easiest trails (highlighted below).  Towards the end of the day, I got lost and accidentally skied a moderate trail from top to bottom.  …that was the run were my right ski decided to detach itself from the greater mass.

All in all, I had a blast – WAY more fun than I was expecting to half.  This sounds silly, but I was happy to fall – it meant that I was pushing my limits.  This morning, I have one black and blue toenail and a hip that won’t stop complaining about absorbing the brunt of each fall.  Wifey’s had enough of that hip and says that I’m too old to learn to ski.  :-)  She says, “No mas.”  We’ll have to see about that!

Check this out.  I saw this movie at the iMAX theater in Boston.

It probably deserves some of the credit for getting me up to the mountain this Winter.  The beginning of the trailer is a bit slow.  So hang in there.  The action and my (new) favorite song starts at 1:50.

In Defense of Fruitcake

I enjoy this time of year (and I hope you do too).  Ten days off from work that wrap Christmas, New Years, and my birthday like gifts under a tree.

“The holidays” are a beautiful thing and nothing is more beautiful than waking-up on the first day of vacation knowing that the ENTIRE Company is shut down.  No need to check e-mails throughout the day because, in theory, NO ONE is sending e-mails.  This is the biggest and sweetest differentiator between Christmas break and a typical vacation: no major catching-up to do when you return to the office!

Of course, it’s always a challenge to fill your time with things that you want to do.  For example, I want to bake chocolate chip cookies and ginger bread.  Ah, what the hell, I’ll do both!  And why does fruit cake have such a bad reputation?  It is succulent.  It delivers a generous portion of the best fruits on Earth.  It is delicious.  If you are the owner of an unloved fruitcake, please forward it to MA.

I love the holidays because it doesn’t matter that baking one batch of cookies and one loaf of ginger bread required a full day.  Oh and that golf lesson will probably require a full day too.  Same goes for the Christmas shopping, a run, Storage Wars, Dad’s coin collection, the WiFi extender, and a blog post.  Whew.  I need a nap already.

For more opinions about using the phrase “The Holidays,” please refer to I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black.

Strollin' Around Town

December's warm weather has made night walks more bearable.  It is a bit odd though...  These Christmas lights are supposed to be accompanied by snowflakes.  Is it possible that we won't have a white Christmas this year!?

The pup and I do enjoy this time of year.  The lights and decorations breath extra life into the city during a time of year when nature tells us that it's time to head south (or at least for the warmth of the cave).

This Nikon CoolPix that I use has a setting called Night Landscape.  I think that, in general, night pics are tough for cameras.  Nonetheless, I'm pretty happy with the pictures that it takes during both day and night.  One of my friends at work said, "What did you expect?  It is a Nikon!"

During my younger days, we enforced a rule about "falling asleep" with our shoes on/off.  Does that dog stocking count as a shoe?  Or is this a random act of cruelty?

Funny how pets become such an integral part of our lives.  Wifey nor I are comfortable sitting in Jake's Chair.  We're of the mindset that each of us have our designated seats and that is his.  He doesn't sit in ours and we don't sit in his.

Landed!

Ooof - traveling can really take a tole on a guy! The hotels, the taxis, the car rentals, the airports, the airplanes, the timezones, the UGH! Thank the lord that I'm home for a while.  The ticket from my 7th flight in 4 weeks is pictured below.

My latest trip took me to Las Vegas. Again. I have a very negative perspective of Vegas. Perhaps it's because I've been there at least a dozen times and not one of them have been for fun! Don't get me wrong, I love AU...but I loath Vegas. All of one's senses are bombarded with stimuli from the minute they step off the plane until the minute the flight attendant closes the cabin door behind you. The only thing I like about Vegas are the sports books. I wish I had one of those things in my living room.

I recently replaced a credit card for one with more perks and privileges. The new card entitles me to some cozy hotel amenities and access to most airline's airport lounges. Thank you Delta (and Detroit), you made the return flight a but more bearable. ...now if only JetBlue would open a lounge at Logan!

The Fattman Cup Chilly Half Marathon

Whoa. 13.1 miles is f-a-r-r-r. ...and I enjoyed (nearly) all of them.

I ran my first half marathon today! The race was in Newton and the start time was 7:30a so I was out the door at 5:45a. When I arrived at the start area, the temp was a brisk 32 degrees. This Fall has been very mild so I shouldn't complain about the temp but this meant that I was likely to start with more layers than I'd finish. No one likes to carry more than they must, so I opted to start light and dress for the warmer part of the race.

The cold just compounded my nerves. For the past 4 days, I've been sweating the Newton Hills because my training routes are almost entirely flat. Actually, I should clarify; if it weren't for the structural benefits that an arch lends to bridges, my training routes are completely flat. The Newton Hills are famous for one Boston Marathon hill in particular: Heartbreak Hill. As it turns out, Heartbreak Hill isn't much of a hill at all. It's the fourth hill in a set that spans 2.5 miles and climbs nearly 150'. Fortunately for me, it's placement in this half marathon is much more friendly (miles 5.75 - 8.25) than in The Boston (miles 21 - 23ish).

My goal for the race was admittedly modest: finish with an average pace of 9-10 minutes per mile. I'm happy to report that I accomplished my goal. My final time was 2:04:38. Excluding a pee break, I didn't once walk or stop running. Moral victory! Granted, this isn't the kind of time that gets one to the front of the pack BUT I still got a medal!

The first 10 miles weren't difficult; however, my body ran out of fuel around mile 11. The last two miles were all will power. Here's what I've learned:

• don't make fun of those runners with the little energy gel packs
• hill training makes a big difference
• the longer the race, the better the shirt
• my knees and hips aren't as awesome as I thought

I was tempted to sign up for a full marathon in the Spring and have since wised-up. I think I'll stick to halves for the next 6-9 months.

Mills in Mass – Part Deux

Back in September, Matthew and I decided to get together for a couple of days in Boston.  Despite the thoughts that still weigh heavy on our hearts and minds, we didn’t want to change our plan.  Being separated from the family for most of the year is tough for me – I’m especially happy that Matthew didn’t want to cancel our mancation either.

Living in the city offers loads of entertainment.  Matthew was on the ground for no more than a couple of hours before we were on the T headed for the original Samuel Adams Brewery.  It’s not really in the best part of town, so we only stopped long enough to snap this pic on our way to the Brewery.

It wasn’t long before our pace slowed and the tour began.  By Brewery’s standards, this one is small.  Only about 1% of the total Sam Adams production comes from this brewery.  At 1% of production, they don’t produce enough beer to supply Boston!  The only way to be sure that you’re getting the freshest Sam Adams (the way it was intended) is to come to these hallowed halls.  We paused for another pic on our way into the tasting room.  Checkout the goofball behind us.

We sampled three beers: Sam Adams Boston Lager, Octoberfest, and Harvest Pumpkin Ale.  It was hard for me to believe that this was the first time that Matthew EVER tasted the Boston Lager.  If you click into the photo album, you can see the exact moment where the Lager meets taste buds.  On the way out, we also bought three beers from the Barrel Room Collection.  Matthew’s ranking was Thirteenth Hour, American Kriek, then New World Tripel.  Mine, on the other hand, were the exact opposite!  My opinion?  …chocolate and coffee have no place in a beer.

When we got home, Ali was well on her way to finishing Dad’s pulled pork recipe for dinner.  Ain’t she special?

We had an even busier day on Saturday (which included A LOT of walking exercise).  The Fenway tour started on the other side of Yawkey Way at the Red Sox store.  I tried, but I couldn’t convince Matthew to buy a Red Sox hat.  I suppose we’re both stuck in our ways; he didn’t convince me that the MLB should have an equivalent salary cap for all teams either.  The tour took us from the Press Box at Fenway Park, to the Green Monster, and finally to the super-cozy Grandstand section.  Here’s the view from the Press Box.  Even the Press Box doesn’t compare to the view from the Green Monster.

When we got to the Monstah, Matthew and I found front row seats!  But there was something wrong.  Birds had congregated on the lights (above).  We evacuated the premises immediately.  A bunch of fools snatched up the seats after we left.  …like shooting fish in a barrel.  After Fenway, we headed to the piers for Lobster Rolls.  My preference is for a hot lobster roll but James Hook only serves them one way: cold with a deceptive amount of lobster meat.  The sandwich looks like it’s mostly filling and mayo.  No, no, my friend.  That’s mostly tail meat with some claw mixed in.

We also went to Cheers and spent some time playing FIFA 2011.  Can you guess which one we did more?