Burling Trail to Beaver Meadow

Bob, Mike, Ben, Gianni, Boo, Ramble and I skied up to Beaver Meadow Pond today. It was a spectacular day, all sunshine and perfect temps. About 3/4 of the way up we were in an area of the woods that was just incredible. To the north, Whiteface was bright in the sun, but looking back at the ridge the woods turned blue. It was an odd phenomena, which none of us had seen before. Mike tried to capture it in a picture. Looking up the north side of the ridge, the woods truly looked completely blue. Strange, but fun. After lunch at the cabin, the chill set in on us so we moved quickly back up to the ridge, which warmed us. This picture is just before we dropped in for our exciting decent. Consensus was that it was an fabulous day.

More Early Season Skiing

We enjoyed a nice weekend up in Stowe, again. On Saturday, Gianni did some training at Mt. Snow with the Yawgoo kids, no gates, just free skiing. Afterwards, we drove up to Patti and Mike's. Of course chef Mike was hard at work (thank you!). On Sunday I took the boys up to the SMR Touring Center for a couple of skate loops. In the pm we met up with the rest of the group and did the Main Loop. Cover was thin and it was a bit bumpy for skating, but it was a beautiful day and of course, just nice to be out there!

Early Season Ski

Gianni and I enjoyed a nice morning of skate skiing at Bretton Woods on Sunday. The woods were fun, but the field windy and cold! We were both happy we remembered how to ski.

Hell Brook in the Snow

Mike and I climbed Hell Brook on Saturday. The trail was icy from
recent rains. To add to the excitement it snowed the whole day. So at
first it was slippery because we couldn't see the ice, but as the snow
accumulated footing improved, as we were just walking in snow. The
snow never really accumulated enough to make hiking too difficult,
maybe 6 inches over all for the day (more up top). Speaking of the
top, our summit was really exciting. The wind was blowing really hard,
40+. It was very difficult to stand. Originally, we had hoped to cross
the ridge, but the wind was just too much. We dropped down the long
trail to the Taft Cabin for a sandwich, before finishing out the
mellow decent to the Notch.

Sebastian Sunrise Surf

Enjoyed a nice dawn surf this morning. There were fish everywhere! The wind was calm. It was just beautiful. Wish the waves were a bit bigger, but I can't complain. The weather is beautiful and the ocean is still 78 degrees!

Special Day on Mansfield

This was my home for the day. Climbing Hell Brook early was magical. I love Smuggler's Notch. Made it to the top early before everyone else. After enjoying the summit I crossed the ridge as slow as possible. Napping on the Nose now. Do I have to come down?

Mt. Waternomee

We enjoyed a nice hike yesterday with the AMC NH Family Group, thanks Wanda. Under perfect skys we hiked to the site of a World War II bomber crash on Mt. Waternomee. The kids really liked exploring the wreckage! Learn more about the history and check out Gianni's pictures.

The End of a Long "Day"

I just spent the last 24 hours with these boys (+ one more). They did a scavenger hunt while we loaded bikes. We enjoyed a wonderful night time bike ride down at Bluff Point, with no flats or injuries. I stuffed them full of pasta, cake, pie and cookies. They played "man hunt" until 11pm, while I cleaned. After a movie we were asleep by 1am. In the morning, I emptied my refrigerator into their bellies and they played "man hunt" again, while I cleaned and packed. We enjoyed 5 hours rock climbing up on the Lantern Hill cliff. In this picture, we are finally on our way home after a 24 hour adventure. O.K. it's 5:20 and I am ready for bed! We really had a blast and will do it again next year!

Warm Doughnuts and Hot Cider

Ah, hits the spot after a nice fall ride. We enjoyed the annual Pequot Cyclists' Clyde's Cider Mill ride. There warm doughnuts are the best!

Excellent Surf Session

I enjoyed a fabulous afternoon surfing a point break in Rhode Island. The waves were just perfect, pealing both ways predictably each set. I wish I could surf waves this consistent all of the time. You just can't beat a point break, combined with a ground swell and a light offshore breeze.

Seacoast Century

This weekend, we enjoyed our annual participation in the Seacoast Century with Grandpa. Gianni was sick, but we rode anyway. After camping Friday night, we set out early on our ride. Given Gianni's poor health, we just did the northern route for 50 miles up into Maine. We kept a slow pace so he didn't work too hard. He kept up well. We enjoyed  a cool night camping and then did the 20 mile southern route down into Massachusetts on Sunday.

Time to Smoke Bluefish

We had an epic morning of fishing. Suffice it to say, that we caught 14 blue fish in an hour. With a full cooler, we headed home to try out the new smoker.

Surfing Hurricane Earl

A big swell came in this weekend. Friday afternoon we went to Matunuk. The waves were massive and the current was strong. There was no way I was getting out through the way overhead sets. It was a blast to watch the young ones on short boards ripping it up. Gianni actually went out and tried to surf the inner break. The hurricane rolled through over night and we headed back in the morning. We went to Narraganset and enjoyed some fine surfing. On the way home we stopped back at Matunuk to see these boys ripping it up on windsurfers. It was as good as Maui!

Our August Sail to Cape Cod

Gianni and I sailed for 3 weeks on our J/80. We went up to Pocasset, MA to pick up Ben. The sail up was good and bad. We had a very rough night on the boat, getting hammered off Point Judith in 4 foot seas and adverse tides. It was one of the toughest nights I have ever had on a boat. We rested and enjoyed a nice afternoon in Pocasset, picking up Ben in the Zodiac. The next morning we had a perfect passage through the canal, but the crossing of Cape Cod Bay was slow as usual, so we had to motor to Provincetown for about half the crossing. We enjoyed the week with the McWassers before sailing to Cuttyhunk. We crossed to Block, beating a nor'easter. This crossing was one of the wilder ones of my life. We were surfing 9 to 11 knots. A J/44 did the crossing with us and we held our own for the entire 35 miles. The storm stranded us on Block for 3 days. Even the ferry was shut down for two days. We were lucky to pick up a mooring. The wind was intense, with one night of 30-40 knot winds. Each day we went to shore one time to get food, ice and walk a bit. Unfortunately, we would get soaked to the bone, just a few feet from the boat. The final day we took the launch, which was wonderful. We went to town for a big hot breakfast. Finally, the small craft advisory diminished and the tide looked good for the Watch Hill passage, so we set sail at 1pm. We enjoyed a speedy trip home, hitting Watch Hill on a perfect tide. We pulled into Noank at dusk and enjoyed a much needed restful night. Overall, it was definitely the most challenging trip we have done together, however, it was also the most rewarding. We really worked hard and well together. We can't wait for next year! Check out all of our pictures from the adventure.

Falmouth with Paul and Mom

We enjoyed a nice week up at Paul's in East Falmouth. He had a new dock build. Here you see Gianni and Sam catching blue crabs. They caught us a dozen and I made a wonderful crab risotto. We went fishing at the Fence and caught plenty of blues, scup, fluke and black sea bass. Gianni even caught a bonito! Of course we ate our share of crispy fish that week! I did a fair amount of biking and Gianni joined me on a few rides to try out his new bike. We enjoyed time at the beach, and of course a couple of trips over to Martha's Vineyard to jump at the bridge.

Sailing with the Coasta's

While Gianni was in Europe I worked and fished a bit with Jon. Also, I did a lot of sailing with the Costa's. These are pictures from a couple of our trips. Missed Gianni.

Gianni's First Big Solo Adventure

Sending Gianni off on a three week adventure to Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. He had a blast. We missed him!

Summer Vacation in Florida

We had a wonderful trip to Florida again, spending our typical 2 summer weeks there. The first week was surf camp for Gianni. Paul and family came down for the 4th. We enjoyed sailing with Jan on Sleighride, as usual. The surf was unusually good for summer. I enjoy several excellent sessions before we had to leave midweek to get Gianni home for his People to People trip. Can't wait for next summer!

Lastest Surf Trick

Gianni is up to his same old antics. He is still enjoying moves from last year, the coffin drop-in and tripod head stand, but his new mission is a skeg first drop-in, followed by a 180 degree spin of the board and then a nice ride down the line. Above, he just paddled in and is getting up, skeg first. Below, he is starting the spin of the board. After two days, he is able to pull off the move, but the ride in is usually cut short as he is off balance coming out of the 180. If last year is any measure (head stands), he'll be showcasing the move successfully at the "competition" on Friday. He is too funny. I want him to work on his form and all the important technical things about surfing. He just wants to fool around and have fun. I think he has the right idea!

Nice Weekend on the Water

We enjoyed a great weekend of boating in Connecticut. Patti, Mike, Ben, Rosalie and Boo came down for a visit from Vermont. On Saturday we launched Hobbes out of Barn Island and after a bit of exploring, gas and shifting plans, we headed over to Fishers Island, NY. We enjoyed the afternoon at East Harbor, while Boo and the kids played and played. The highlight was Mike rigging up his new kids windsurfer. He proceeded to teach all three kids to windsurf. They are hooked! Back at the house the kids enjoyed more swimming in the pool. On Sunday, Mike, Ben, Gianni and I went back out early for some Father's Day fishing. Patti and Rosalie went down to Dad's to ride horses. Out on the water, we slowly made our way around to the south side of Fishers when the action started. We caught 6 fish, from which we then enjoyed a crispy fish meal at Mike's cousin's house, before they headed home. It definitely was a nice Father's Day and so nice to have our great friends down to CT.

Pequot Cyclists' Annual Picnic

We enjoyed a nice weekend working on the house and getting the pool ready. Our "fun highlight" was riding in the Pequot Cyclists' annual picnic ride. We had a relaxing ride along the shore and enjoyed sharing good food with the group afterward.

Global Finals, Take Two

We just spent a week at the University of Tennessee competing at the Destination Imagination Global Finals. It was a great experience. Thank you to all of our supporters! Read all about it at http://lcsdi.blogspot.com.

Mizpah Hut Weekend

Gianni and I spent the weekend up on Mt. Pierce in the White Mountains, which began by hiking up to Mizpah Hut Friday eve. It was a beautiful father-son hike. Gianni set a quick pace. We hiked in shorts and tee shirts, even as we climbed the last 600' vertical in deep snow (2'-3'). Luckily the snow was very hard packed, so it was relatively easy walking. We arrived at the hut in less than 2 hours and discovered that we were the only ones there for the night, pretty neat. Gianni didn't feel so hot the next morning and it was 35 degrees and raining hard, so I left him warm in the hut and hiked down to the car to meet up with our friends from the NH AMC Family Group.

I loaded up my pack with group food and warmed up from the cold rain in the car for a bit. The teen group headed up first and I hiked up with the younger kids' group. After a nice casual hike back up to the hut, I found Gianni in better spirits and warm. He was already in "helping mode." We had a relaxing evening with the group. Gianni helped in the kitchen as usual for both dinner and breakfast. Due to all of the snow and blow-downs, leadership decided it best not to try to summit Jackson or Pierce, given the unknowns of the trail conditions as well as some reports from scouts. So, we packed up and had a pleasant hike out, with the sun breaking through.

Bluff Point Ride

Gianni, Avery, Aaron and I went for a nice 8 mile loop out at Bluff Point today. I had them on some single track with up hill climbs, slick rock, mud, etc. It was the most challenging ride that I have have subjected them to yet. They did really well, a little whining on the uphills, but all the downhills, jumping and mud made it worth the climbs. We stopped for our usual break out at the bluff for them to continue building some kind of strange fort made of flotsam. They were tired out at the end when we arrived back at Haley Farm, as you can see!

Spring Break

We are enjoying spring break in Florida. I spent the first few days catching up on work and taxes, while Gianni played with Grandma. We've been enjoying the beach, pool, boat, etc. Going fishing and snorkeling today down at Sebastian Inlet. Now that my knee feels better, it is time to get back on the bike. Looking forward to Paul's visit this weekend. Feeling relaxed!

Spring in Stowe

We went up to Stowe one more time this weekend. On Saturday, I went on my first road bike ride of the year. Patti sent me up a hill that almost did me in, tough way to start out the year. After recovering, I got a second wind and finished out a nice 30 mile ride. What beautiful country to ride in! Today we went to the Green Mountain Film Festival to see the screening of the short that Rosalie stared in, Respect for Acting. After dinner, Gianni and I went for a nice mountain bike ride along the Mad River. The Mad River Path had been damaged by the spring floods, so it provided a fun and diverse route to explore.

Mountain Biking Avery Preserve

I took Aaron and Gianni for a nice ride today. It was our first one of the year. We explored the Avery Preserve in Ledyard. Found out afterward that bikes are no longer welcome there. Ooops. Oh well, we enjoyed one last ride there.

DI Weekend

Wow, what a weekend! The boys placed second at the state finals for Destination Imagination. They earned their highest score ever in their 6 years of DI! Afterward, they all slept over at our house. Talk about wild! After everyone left late morning, I put Logan, Avery and Gianni to work helping me trim bushes around the pool. I rewarded them with an afternoon of climbing at Lantern Hill. It was Logan's first time.  You can't beat a warm sunny afternoon on a cliff with friends.

LHS Ski Club Trip to Mt. Snow

Gianni went to visit Granny in Florida for the weekend to see Stomp, his first solo flight ever. I took a bus load from the high school skiing at Mt. Snow for our final trip of the year. Everyone had fun and no one was injured. I had a really good time talking and skiing with Scott Woodruff.

The New Mantras

Today I tried out my new Mantras, the first pair of alpine skis I have bought in 20 years. Are they fun! Talk about power and carvability. Nothing like the old days. I dropped into a tele turn the first couple of turns and almost fell. The boys, Mike and I made first chair on the quad. It had to have been one of the most enjoyable days I have ever had, just carving.

Stowe Derby

Today Gianni skated in the Stowe Derby for the first time. Patti, Ben, Rosalie and their friends did, too. Mike, Boo and I worked the crowd and camera at the finish. It was really fun! All the kids won prizes. I did an early skate loop, as usual.

Ben's Birthday Weekend

Ben celebrated his 12th birthday on Saturday by taking a big group of friends ice climbing. Of course Rob and SOAR provided all the gear and technical expertise. The kids had a blast. Check out more pictures.

Mike bought Gianni a new pair of Mantras so he could ski the powder and woods better with Ben. On Sunday, Gianni spent a wonderful day on the slopes with Mike and Ben while I did two loops, one classic and one skate.

Presidents Weekend in Stowe

Spent another fun weekend with the McWassers. Sunday, we went for a nice skate with Dave's family. The kids got carried away pushing snow into what became a big pile, especially Gianni. I went for a skate loop afterward. On Monday, Patti, Ben, Rosalie, Gianni and I had a wonderful ski from Trapps to SMR. I took them down Hare Line for the first time. Everyone went back to school and work on Tuesday, so Gianni and I skated up Parizzo together in perfect sunshine - a classic father son experience.

Great Weekend with Paul

Gianni and I had a fantastic weekend. Saturday morning we woke early and went up to Yawgoo to help run a JV and JVI race. Gianni helped set the gates and tested the course and timer as a forerunner. I ran the start for the last two races. It was a great learning experience for us both. After pizza and the awards we drove up to Paul's. The kids enjoyed an afternoon skating on a nearby pond. Hide and seek seemed to be more popular than hockey. It sure is hard to hide on a pond! Paul and I played hockey at night to cap off a great day.

Sunday saw us heading up to Wachusett Mountain for a day on the slopes. As usual, the kids ran us ragged, trying to keep up with their countless runs and speed. This is a video of Gianni making some turns.

More Skiing

Last weekend, I took 45 teenagers skiing on our first high school ski club trip of the season. It was a beautiful day, plenty of sunshine and cool temps. The conditions at Stratton were really nice. Gianni and I enjoyed a long day on the slopes skiing with his soccer buddy, Sean. For me, the best part of the trip was that no one was injured!

This weekend we headed up to Stowe again. Yesterday Gianni and Ben fooled around outside in the snow, while I skated to the cabin at Trapps. It was cold, but the snow was excellent. Today, Gianni, Ben and I woke up at 6am and caught the first chair on the quad at 7:30. It was cold again, but the conditions were super and we enjoyed a full morning of skiing with little traffic. Nosedive was the highlight of the day. I don't know how many times we skied it. Mid-morning we met up with Mike and Rosalie and enjoyed fun runs over at the gondola, and the warmth. It was a very full day of skiing. Time to head home now...

First Tram and a Powder Surprise

My birthday present today was a powder day at Cannon Mountain with Gianni. We awoke at 4:30 am and drove up from Paul's in pretty heavy snow. Luckily there was little traffic. We made first tram at Cannon, 8:30 am. I was expecting 2-3 inches. When we arrived at the top, I knew something was odd - there was snow everywhere and it was dead calm, a rare occurrence at Cannon. We dropped in for our first run and had fresh tracks top to bottom. I was knee deep the whole way and grinning. It was a strange morning, one of the strangest of my life on skis. No one was there. I think most folks who were up for the holiday weekend left early due to the storm, or maybe the difficult driving conditions kept people away. We enjoyed a couple of hours of powder, seemingly to ourselves (we wouldn't see another skier on the trail with us). By mid morning enough skiers arrived to track things out, so we stopped for a picture and slowed the pace. You can see Mount Lafayette in the background. The rest of the day continued to be a peaceful and enjoyable one, as we turned in early and made it home at a reasonable hour. I hope that I am fortunate enough to enjoy may more birthdays adventuring with Gianni.

Epic Day at Stowe

This was our view from the lift at 7:30 am last Sunday. Gianni, Ben and I made first chair on the quad on a zero degree morning. We just dressed for the conditions and enjoyed a crowd free day of skiing. The corduroy in the morning made for spiritual turns as the sun crept above the Worcester Range. Later in the morning we met up with Art and Mike. By then I was tired from chasing the boys all morning. They are getting too fast! The day before we enjoyed a nice long skate loop with Ben and Patti at Trapps. Another great weekend in Stowe!

New Years in Stowe

Gianni and I spent the last four days of vacation in Stowe, Vermont with the McKenna-Wassers. The first day I enjoyed three skate skis at Trapps, beginning early morning with Patti. It was Patti's first day on skate skis and she looked like a veteran. After dropping her off back home, I took Ben and Gianni for few nice skate loops on Deer Pond Trail, the new race loops, Picnic Knoll, and down Russell Knoll Trail. After dropping them off at home, I headed back out shopping and then back to Trapps for one more loop by myself. It was a great day of skiing and the skate conditions were fantastic. New Years Eve was a joy as usual, feasting and enjoying time with friends. The kids even stayed up till midnight. The next day Mike and I took the boys up the Split Rock Trail on tele gear and skins. We enjoyed a nice powdery run back to the truck. Day three saw us heading out on a big adventure up Sky Top and down the Steeple Trail. Mike, the boys and I skinned up to the cabin at Trapps and had lunch. Patti and the girls met us there. After lunch we headed up Sky Top. After recovering from a wrong turn, we were back in route. Part way up Gianni bonked and the two of us had to turn back, enjoying a nice run down Parizzo. Ben and Mike made it to the top and enjoyed skiing in lots of powder on the upper half of the Steeple Trail. After a nice feast we all went to bed early for a change. The final day was mostly a clean up and pack day, but I did get out for a ski in the afternoon. It was my longest ski of the year. It had snowed over night and continued all day. I waxed up green and hit the trails for a sort loop. The wax/snow combo was so perfect I couldn't stop. I did the whole lower loop at Trapps and then enjoyed my favorites, Skaters Waltz and Deer Pond tails. Inspired I tried out the 40th Year Anniversary Trail to the top. It was long but the snow was perfect. After arriving above the cabin I enjoyed the nice drop back to the van. Finally, Mike and Patti took us out to a spicy meal!