The Bizzaro Sports World

I was in a gas station convenience store last week and caught the cover of a weekly baseball magazine... "Red Sox Sweep The World Series Again". Okay, so that's one headline I'm not sure I ever expected to read... but then it gets even stranger. The subheading read, "and why they are set up to keep winning World Series." Keep winning World Series??? For someone who grew up in New England and spent their entire life waiting for a Red Sox championship, the realization that I've now seen it twice (and counting) in four years is a paradigm shift like I've never seen as a sports fan. I always thought that if the Sox could just win one and get rid of all those years of baggage, they could truly become a dynasty. Once they stopped having to play to win at all costs every season, they'd be able to focus on the farm system, make trades that had a long term plan in mind, and generally stop thinking only about winning one. And, that seems to be exactly what has happened. The 2004 team was old, and to be perfectly honest, they got every possible break against the Yankees in the ALCS. As a Globe sportswriter noted, they finally ran out of bad luck. But this team is built to last and there are plenty of reserves waiting in the wings. The 2007 Sox didn't need luck -- they were the best team and they played their best baseball when it mattered most. And with the organizational philosophy they have (not to mention the financial resources), this team should be very good for a long time. And those are words that any Red Sox fan has always wanted to say.

As if the Red Sox magic of 2004 and 2007 wasn't enough, my other rooting interests are all becoming relevant again at the same time. Did anyone expect the Browns to be playing a meaningful game against Pittsburgh this weekend? They are still a long way from challenging for a Super Bowl, but when you root for a team that has had exactly two winning seasons since 1990, you get excited when you have won three straight (for the second time this century) and take a 5-3 record into Pittsburgh. As Terry Pulto says, rooting for the Browns is actually fun again.

I haven't cared about the Celtics in well over a decade, and yet, here they are with the 2007 version of the Big Three and looking like a team that should go deep into the playoffs. I'll admit to being a bandwagon fan here, but I watched them absolutely demolish Denver last night, and it wasn't just individual talent -- they are playing as a team the way the Celtics played when I was a kid. The Golden Knights of Clarkson University are ranked eighth in the country and coming off a season in which they took the #2 overall seed in the NCAA Hockey Tournament.

I grew up knowing that the Celtics would always win -- they were the model franchise of the NBA. But then Len Bias died, Reggie Lewis died and the suddenly the team that always had karma with them couldn't recover. I knew that the Red Sox would usually contend, but would never play their best baseball when it truly mattered. The Browns of the late eighties were great, but lost three times to Denver in Championship Games (the Drive, the Fumble, and the Blowout), and never recovered, ultimately getting uprooted by their money-grubbing owner and moved to Baltimore. Since their 1999 reincarnation they've been the model franchise for futility. Things have been so bad in Cleveland that those losses to Denver have actually become good memories for me -- at least they were playing games that mattered back then.

But now all of that is being turned upside down. Not only success on the field, but likable guys off the field who do and say the right things and generally make you feel good about cheering for them. Teams with organizational philosophies that make sense. Guys taking smaller contracts to stay in good situations. Players giving huge sums of money to charities. Owners that care about their communities. Hockey players finishing their college degrees. It is fun to see.

Does any of this really matter in the grand scheme of things? Probably not. But, there is something to be said about the ability for something that really has no relevance in *real life* taking you away from the stresses of *real life* for a couple of hours a week. Some studies suggest that people who are completely over the top with their fandom are not doing themselves any favors, so like most fun things in life, you need to keep it in moderation. But I just heard of a study from the Kansas University which suggests that cheering for your favorite team can actually reduce stress. So, as long as you keep the rest of your priorities in line, that 3 hour break from reality can be a pretty good thing. And lately, my teams have turned all of my preconceived notions about their roles in the sports world upside down, and the results have been an awful lot of fun.

Of course, the Bruins are still terrible, so I've still got a link to my old reality.

One Old Dog

Check out the header... had to update Aiko's age as yesterday was her 13th birthday. She's not as young as she used to be (who is?), she seems to be suffering from dementia and doesn't get around like she once could. The 'selective hearing' now seems to be engaged full-time and her sniffer seems to be letting her down, but all in all, she's doing pretty well for 91 years old. Aiko celebrated the big day with extra cookies from the kids and a day off from her house chores. It's pretty funny -- she has always been a sweet dog, but just a little high maintenance. But the older she's gotten, the lesser the maintenance, and now that she spends much of her day sleeping outside or next to me in my office, she's really become a great dog. She's very good with the kids and has finally learned how to sit and be petted (it only took about 11.5 years to teach her that one).

The odd thing about Aiko's age is how it affects my perception of my own existence. I got her as a puppy just before my 25th birthday, and in no way was I prepared for puppyhood. She barked, chewed walls, chewed furniture, turned my apartment into her own personal poop and vomit field and constantly deprived me of sleep. Of course, I was also 25 and single and spending a good deal more time out of the house than she would have liked, so she was probably acting out a little bit. There were quite a few times in that first year that I thought I wouldn't be able to keep her... it didn't seem fair to either of us, and many aspects of dog ownership weren't as much fun as expected. I have not read Marley and Me, but from what I've heard about it, I don't need to. I'm pretty sure I could go toe to toe with John Grogan on bad dog stories for days on end... I just wish I had thought of the book idea first. I remember telling my mom that Labs often live past 15 years old, and if that happened, that would mean that Aiko and I would still be together when I hit 40. Forty seemed a long way away.

It is now 13 years later and 40 doesn't seem too far away any more. At the same time, 25 doesn't seem as long ago as it actually was. I can't say I feel nearly as old as I thought I would when I thought of this age back then, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. It's tough to tell whether Aiko will still be with me to celebrate the big 4-0, but despite the challenges, she's been a pretty good companion. I'm glad/happy/proud that I didn't give up in that first year -- I think making it through that was a good character builder. And, not that you would draw any real parallels between the two, I do think having a dog helped be to be somewhat prepared for life as a parent. Dogs never really mature past the needy one year old stage, but having someone relying on you, challenging you and giving back pretty much unconditional love in return is very much on par with my take on parenting. Aiko has been a constant through a time in life with lots of changes in relationships, friendships, cities, apartments, houses and now kids, and I'm glad she came along for the ride. Happy Birthday, Ike!

3:53:28

We just got back from a really cool weekend in DC where I got see the sights, eat at some cool restaurants, watch the Browns win for the second straight game for the first time in four years, watch the Red Sox win their second World Series in four years (more on that soon), and oh, by the way, watched Lauren rip up the field in the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon!

Lauren absolutely kicked it in the race, and despite some pretty serious leg cramps, gutted out a time of 3 hours, 53 minutes and 28 seconds. Runners will tell you that coming in under 4 hours is pretty much what separates the "runners" from those just trying to finish a marathon, so this is a pretty huge deal. Lots of hard work and training, plus fighting through some physical issues on race day.

I'm going to brag a little because I know Lauren never will... But a quick look at her results tells us that her time puts her at:

• 126th out of 1350 Women age 35-39 (top 9%)
• 748th out of 8061 Total Women (top 9%)
• 3626th out of 20674 Total Finishers (top 17% OVERALL)

All of that despite really having some tough physical issues to overcome. Think about that... she was faster than 17048 other entrants... Imagine what she might have done if her day had gone perfectly!

Now, I won't pretend to understand the appeal of running 26.2 miles, and especially not at that pace... :-) But I will tell you that I am crazy proud today and had a great time being the support crew for Team Lauren. Getting ready for a race like this takes a level of commitment that I'm not sure I have (and I suspect that few do), and she did a great job balancing a job, two kids, volunteer responsibilities, etc. Awesome effort and obviously some very impressive results.

Congratulations, Lauren!

Four Years Old

September 30, 2007... Amazingly, another year has passed and Ally and Ty celebrated their fourth birthdays last weekend. This will probably end up reading a lot like last year's birthday post, but it is really crazy that four years could have passed by so quickly. It's been an awesome ride so far, and despite the occasional stress points, Lauren and I really have enjoyed every minute. This birthday was a wonderful reminder of many things... how much fun it is to watch them develop from infants to kids who can think and speak and express their individuality, to how lucky and blessed we are to have two such perfectly healthy kids (evidenced in many ways, but particularly on the grow board!) and to what a wonderful supporting cast we have with friends and family. As usual, the generosity and thoughtfulness of our circle was overwhelming.

We kept the celebration to immediate family this year, and it really was a nice day. This was the first year that the kids have woken up in the morning with a real sense of what day it was (I'm REALLY looking forward to Christmas this year) and the excitement was really cool to see. The big gifts this year were new beds/bedding and two new bikes. Probably both well overdue, as they'd really outgrown the predecessors in each category. Pretty much all the gifts were done by 9am, and we spent the rest of the day playing outside (Mom and Dad had a race) and trekking the Stowe Bike Path on the new rides.

Ally helped us to pick out a very cute (and very *little girl*) bedding set:

And Tyler chose a very cool (and very *little boy*) Tractor Bed setup:
So, another year passed, several more inches grown and an increasingly happy family. Thanks to everyone who remembered Ally and Ty's big day with cards, gifts and phone calls -- it was really special to hear from everyone. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Third Annual Heart of Vermont Relay

The third annual running of the 100on100 was last weekend, and I am psyched to report that Lauren and I completed our legs, and our team had it's best finish ever. I am pretty sure that Lauren's contribution was her fastest average time ever for that kind of distance, and although I was a little slower than last year, I still had a blast. Our team finished 17th out of 61, and 7th in the Master's category (all over 30 years old), running at an average clip of 7:39/mile. Perhaps best of all was the fact that our team also finished #2 in overall fund raising for the Boys and Girls Clubs, so a big Thank You to everyone who supported our efforts there.

The weather on race day was a little crazy -- we started out huddled under a tent (see photo above) at Stowe at 6:30 am, dodged rain, clouds and wind for a few hours, and then ran straight into a pretty clear and beautiful day. The wind never really subsided, but the conditions were really good for running.

For my part, I had it a little tougher than usual, fighting through some significant knee pain. I want to thank my good friend Dr. Tim for the miracle adjustment last week -- when I saw him on Monday I didn't think I could walk a 1/2 mile, much less run 16. But he was able to fix me up to the point I could complete my piece of the race. The knee was definitely not 100% -- especially after my double-diamond first leg, but I made it through. Plus, I had a great time, and that's really what we are in it for.

I couldn't be any happier for Lauren -- she really looks forward to this race and puts a LOT of effort into making sure that our team is organized, ready to go and successful. There is a lot more to it than you might think, and she did a great job as team captain again. On top of that, she ran great, was injury free and pretty much all smiles:
She was also faster than me, but I don't care to discuss that any more at this point. :-)

The rest of our team was in a groove all day -- just nutty fast times for Andrew, Brendan, Russ and Rebekah. Also a big shout-out to Lauren's cousin Suzy (Russ' wife) who acted as our team driver/cheerleader. As usual, Suzy did an awesome job and kept us all rolling (on wheels and with laughter) all day. And while running these kinds of distances requires considerable training and dedication, no one is taking things too seriously, as you can see from Andrew's choice of *sports drinks*:
As you can tell from the results link, there are still some teams faster than us, but there are none who have more fun. Being fast is all good, but I'll settle for a little less speed and a few extra laughs any day. Here is a shot of our team just after crossing the finish (in daylight for the first time ever!) -- can't wait for the fourth annual next year.

The Safari

One more fun thing about being a parent is how you spend half of your life looking for stuff. I am pretty sure I could run a successful small business on the side if I could reclaim the hours I spend each week finding things. It is rarely the same item that's been lost, but invariably, whatever we are searching for is less than 2" long. It seems to always be the Red Truck or the Doll's Shoes that are missing. And, despite the fact that there are plenty of other trucks and shoes to be played with, the one in question must be found before peace can be restored.

Of all the small but important items in this house, the most critical still remain the stuffed animals. I appreciate the need for the comfort and familiarity of these creatures, but I have to say I will not be too sad when the day comes that they begin to spend more time in their rooms and less time traveling with Ally and Ty. Why? Not so much that they shouldn't bring their animal friends along to play or travel, but more that the friends rarely seem to return. Although they are much larger than the other items we lose they are extremely elusive.

Last night I spent 45 minutes on The Safari. First was a quick trip around the living room. There I bagged a lion, two bunnies and a hippo. Very nice take. I returned them to their native habitats and continued with getting the kids ready for bed. Teeth brushed, PJs on... good to go. Unfortunately, we are still a couple of wild animals short of a full herd. Guys, you will HAVE to start leaving your friends in your rooms...

Another trip through the house nets a bear and a baby doll (technically not part of a 'safari' catch, but important nonetheless). I think we are ready for bed. A quick final check on Ally's herd -- two bunnies, one hippo, one duck, two babies. Good to go. Goodnight, Ally.

A final run through Ty's wild kingdom shows that my young shepherd has lost one of his flock. One bear, one lion, one cookie monster, one chicken, one dog, and oh, no... only one lamb. We are already a good 30 minutes past bedtime, but there will be no sleep without Brutus the Lamb. Brutus joined us for dinner not 2 hours ago, and now he has vanished. Where did you leave him? Ummmm..... Did you take him outside? Ummmm.... After 15 minutes of Q&A and exhaustive search, I finally get Ty to agree to go to sleep and I will bring in Brutus when The Safari ends. I know, though, that sleep is a long way off if Brutus is not returned safely.

There is a happy ending to this one. The Safari headed out for one more perusal of the porch, and there we found a lost lamb, inexplicably placed beneath a booster chair. Why he'd chosen to hide there, I'll never know. I don't think the kids are cunning enough to stash these guys to extend bedtime, but you can't be to sure. Goodnight, Ty. Another successful bedtime and I am finished with The Safari until tomorrow.

Fishing Redemption

A quick follow up to yesterday's post. Somehow, I managed to find the energy to go back down to the river Sunday night, joined by my brother-in-law, James, and my nephew Ian. I really wasn't sure I'd go back after Saturday's fiasco, but somehow I found the will power.

This was a different visit because I was now going to act as a guide. Which is ridiculous, given the little I know about fly fishing, but made some sense since James had never tried a fly rod before. On Saturday we'd been one fly rod short, so I set him up with a spin casting rod and some lures, but on Sunday we managed to get two fly rods set up and James was up for learning.

While there were no big lunkers to get that monkey off my back, I am happy to report that I've *hooked* someone new on fly fishing. It really is an incredibly peaceful and relaxing activity, and James was way into it. And the best part? James hooked a fish on his very first cast! Quite the battle to bring this guy in, but he was up to it with a little coaching:Needless to say, reeling in a monster like that on the first cast got us all pretty fired up. And despite not getting another crack at my trophy fish, yet, I have decided I will not be selling my gear after all. Although I do need to apologize to James' wife, as he's asked me to send him some thoughts on gear to buy to get himself into fly fishing. Just remember that wild trout are a great deal at $1000/pound, James.

The Big One That Got Away (part deux)

I don't tell *fish stories*. Not only is there not much point in making up stories, but anyone who has been fishing with me would see right through it anyway. When your average catch per year is in the single digits, it's going to be a tough sell to tell your fishing buddies that you suddenly had a day where they were just jumping into your net. I do like to carry a camera, though... just in case I actually get lucky with a trophy fish one day.

Yesterday I took my brother-in-law (James) fishing in the Lamoille River which is just a few minutes from my house. I figured that since he was in town, I might as well let him share in the frustration that is fishing with me. Truth be told, I don't get too worked up about how good my luck is, but it certainly is more fun to catch than just to fish.

We arrived on the river around 6:30 am, and there was only one other angler there. When we were picking our spots, he caught a small fish. Pretty cool -- they are biting today. About 15 minutes later, he caught a good sized brown trout. Lucky guy. Then he switched spots and came a bit closer to me, so I asked him what he was using. Small stonefly. Cool -- I have one of those, let's try that. Moved to a spot that seemed good to me while Super Angler drifted out of sight for a few minutes. James hadn't had any luck yet, but seemed like he'd gotten a couple of hits, so he's having fun. My new spot and fly seems good -- got two hits right away, but didn't land either fish. No big deal -- I am used to that. I stayed for a few more casts, and although I was certain there were fish in the pool, ultimately decided to try the spot vacated by Super Angler.

Another 15-20 minutes of luckless casting and S.A. returns to take over the spot I just left. He's there for about 30 seconds and pulls a small fish out. You've got to be kidding me. Five minutes later, he's got another very good sized brown trout.

I am going home to get a cup of coffee and put my fly fishing gear on eBay.

S.A. tells me that he is getting his flies down very deep in the water, so I decide to give it another shot. I take the time to tie a long tippett on the end of my leader (it takes three attempts to get the knot tied correctly), and add some additional weight to the line. Harder to cast now, but I'll be getting into the deep water for sure. I decide to switch flies, and having now been on land for quite awhile, hustle through the tying process and hurry back.

The knot I just tied on my fly doesn't feel quite right...

But I check it twice and it holds up, so despite it feeling wrong, it is tight. I get back to my spot, and S.A. has left (finally!) and James has come upstream to join me. James and I cast for a few minutes without success, and I decide to bring it in and change flies once more.

What was that???

Big strike! Looking down into the pool, I realize that I have just hooked the biggest fish I've ever had on my line. In fact, probably one of the largest I have ever seen. Never having hooked anything this large, I try to stay cool (which I do), and let him run around a little bit. Bring him in slowly...just like Gregg told you. I give a calm shout to James to take a look over, and now I've got the net ready and I'm bringing the biggest trout I've ever had to within 2 feet of the net. I can't believe I caught this fish! And then, as I reach down to scoop him up....

Gone.

The knot I just tied on my fly doesn't feel quite right...

Yes, that's the deal. I didn't tie the &%*$#%* knot correctly. The whole time I was bringing him in, my stupid knot was slowly untying itself. I just watched my trophy fish swim away with my fly. This was going to legitimize all of the time I've put into trying to learn this sport. I had a giant fish, a witness, a camera and a gorgeous day, and now I've got an empty line. Unbelievable.

Look for my fly fishing gear on eBay tomorrow.

There isn't a good way to wrap this story -- no unexpected happy ending that involves me catching the same fish 10 minutes later and getting my fly back. I tried to explain the story to Lauren, but, understandably, she doesn't totally comprehend the trauma I just went through. I guess the happy part is that I at least know I have the acumen to hook a big fish, and I did at least get to see it. I also managed to get James very fired up about learning to fly fish (more on that later), and writing this down has been somewhat therapeutic. I always say I like fly fishing for the zen and that the fish are secondary, but wow, it really would've been nice to land this guy.

The good news is I've had time to rethink my eBay auction and will go back to fish another day. If I can come close to the big prize once, surely I'll get another shot, right? Suddenly, people playing slot machines and scratch tickets are making a lot more sense to me.

Correcting an old Mistake

The year was 1997, and I was about to leave the woodsy confines of Vermont to move to Boston. Although I knew it would be a temporary move, and the goal would always be to come back to Vermont someday, there were some aspects of life in Vermont that had to be left behind. These were mostly small things, like knowing that getting out to mountain bike and hike would be tougher, and I happily exchanged them for living just a short walk from Fenway Park. There was one big sacrifice, though, and that was that I decided it would be a good idea to replace my beloved Jeep Wrangler with something more sensible for city life. I only had a soft top, and figured I would live in a perpetual state of break-ins and stolen doors/etc if I brought it with me. I traded the Jeep for a Saab (which I did like very much) and headed for Boston. As it turned out, I ended up living in Beacon Hill with lots of other Jeeps and little to no criminal activity, so that trade has always been somewhat of a regret.

I am not a 'car guy'. I don't know how to fix them, I really don't know very much about how they work, and I don't really get any sense of inflated ego from a vehicle. The associated cost aside, you will likely never see me shopping for a BMW or a Lexus. It just doesn't mean much to me. I am happy to buy nice vehicles for Lauren and the kids to ride in, but that has much more to do with safety and convenience than any kind of perceived social status. That said, I have always had a love affair with Jeeps, which I believe goes back to childhood summers spent with my parents at the YMCA camp they worked at. There were some old-school Jeeps on the island, and I'm pretty certain that is where this started (that's me on the far left):
So, ten years later, I am back in Vermont as planned, and now have finally corrected the mistake I made before moving to the city. During our recent trip to the 4x4 beaches of North Carolina, Lauren finally tired of listening to me whine as the Jeeps rolled by and told me it would be okay to pick one up. Of course I knew I'd better act quickly before my window of opportunity passed. Considering that I work at home, commuting nearly 45 feet per day, it would be difficult to justify a new purchase. At the same time, one of the the rules of purchase was to get something that was at least reasonably safe, so airbags were a requirement (which ruled out the 1986 CJ I really wanted). With the high and low thrown out, I got lucky and found a red Wrangler almost exactly like my old one:

It is newer (1997), but still stays in line with my policy of never having bought a car that was built in the same decade in which I purchased it. There are a few upgrades over the old ride, I now have a hard top (which will make the 355 days of clouds/snow/rain we have here a bit more enjoyable), the aforementioned airbags, and a ridiculously powerful stereo, but otherwise, I am happy to say that Jeep seems to have stayed very true to their Wrangler roots. The ride is bumpy and noisy, the tires are over sized, and the handling on pavement is a little unpredictable. There is no carpeting or air-conditioning, and the steering wheel doesn't even tilt. In other words, it is perfect.

If you find yourself in Vermont sometime this summer, give me a shout and I'll take you out for a spin. Maybe I'll never be a car guy, but I guess I'll have to own up to being a Jeep guy. And yes, the kids are all over it and went for their first topless ride yesterday, so the next generation is already being exposed. Excellent.

Third Annual Heart of Vermont Relay

Lauren and I will soon compete as part of a team in the third annual 100 on 100 relay race. The race takes place on August 18. As I've mentioned in earlier postings, the idea that I could actually be looking forward to running 16 miles in one day still blows me away, but somehow, I've really come to enjoy this event. The race ends up being a really cool team experience, which is kind of rare in a sport that is usually very focused on individual performance. Always a great day, and a chance to help out a great cause.

Here comes the shameless plea for financial support.... please don't leave the page, yet...

The race is set up by a good friend of ours and always supports a very worthwhile Vermont charity. This year, the charity will be the Boys and Girls Clubs of Vermont. The race organizers have put together a nice page detailing their mission and how we can help to support the goals of this great organization -- you can check it out here: Boys and Girls Club of Vermont

If you are willing and able to help with this great cause, Lauren and I would both be extremely grateful. Our race team (the Phat Angels) have set up a donations page at the following link: Phat Angels Fundraising Page The kids from the Boys and Girls Clubs will be out volunteering along the course on race day, we'll be running 2/6 of the 100 mile course... surely you can help us out with a small donation, right? :-)

Seriously, though, please only donate if you feel you can. I know everyone gets asked to help with lots of charities, and we all do what we can. If the time isn't right for you, please just think of us on August 18 and try to send some positive energy up to Route 100 in Vermont.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and beaches)

Just getting back into the routine of daily life this week after spending a fantastic week with the family on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was truly a family vacation, as we were lucky enough to spend the week with my brother and my parents, too. The occasion was my parent's 40th anniversary -- quite an accomplishment for sure. Congratulations, Mom & Dad!
This was the first visit to the ocean for Ally and Ty, and I suspect not the last. We were lucky enough to rent a great house just a couple hundred feet from the beach, and then even luckier to find a week of absolutely perfect beach weather. Kind of a perfect storm of conditions for kids on the beach, and they took full advantage. Not too much happening on this trip besides playing in the water and constructing sand castles. The kids headed straight for the water, and like most kids, stayed in until they had turned a nice shade of blue. I think that after the first day or two, they figured out that the ocean would be there for them every day, and they learned to self regulate their time in the water just a little bit (cutting down on the blue lips). Speaking of body colors, I do need to apologize to Ty for his genetic make-up now -- it is amazing to me that the four of us can all put on the exact same sunblock in the exact same quantities, and yet somehow Lauren and Ally come away tan and Ty and I came home to VT still fish-belly white. Sorry pal. Aside from my futile attempts to get a tan, we also had some good fun with boogie boards, footballs, frisbees and a bit of surf-casting. And yes, even in the ocean I have the same propensity for landing the big catch -- Steve and I caught several fish which easily clobbered the 8" mark.

So the only tough part of the week was getting to and from the house. The place we rented is on an area of beach which can be accessed by 4x4 only, and since we were using airline miles for tickets, we also added a bit of travel by not getting to select the optimal airport for arrival. So, the first Saturday featured a 4:45 AM wake up call for our crew, a 40-minute drive to the airport, two flights, a nasty brawl with the good folks at Enterprise, a 90 minute drive to pick up Mom, Dad and Steve, an hour traffic jam in Virginia and then two short hours to the house. Unbelievably, the kids did far less complaining than the adults. They really were amazing.

The ride home was hilarious, though. A week of late bedtimes, short naps, more sugar than normal and complete over stimulation left the kids in a really funny state. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Virginia Beach, and then took off early afternoon (after ice cream) for the Richmond airport. Too tired to sleep, Ally and Ty began a barrage of chatter and 'why' questions the likes of which I've not experienced. Two hours in the car, one hour in the airport and one flight later, the chatter was still going. At this point, I'm just looking at Lauren and laughing. I'm really just wondering which kid will a) run out of things to say (unlikely), or b) pass out first. As we take off on our last leg home from Philly, my question is answered. Ally fell asleep about 17 seconds after buckling her seat belt. Tyler, on the other hand, is now entering his 9th hour of continuous talking. He and I spent the trip to Burlington breaking down everything in his world to the atom-level. We've taken 'why' questions so far that I'm getting to answers like 'some things just ARE and some things ARE NOT'.

In the end, Ty was asleep before we'd left the Burlington airport parking lot, and Ally wasn't too far behind him (she did *wake up* when we got off the plane. All in all, a really great vacation, great weather, great company and almost no issues with travel. Tough to ease back into the normal routine this week, but no too bad. Already looking forward to next year's ocean visit.

The Big One That Got Away

"Right now I'm going to my boss' mountain cabin to fish and drink and drink and fish and sometimes even fish and drink and drink and fish! For one week I'm going to pretend I'm actually alive!"
- Al Bundy, "Married With Children"

I just returned from the Seventh Annual Northwoods Fishout which is always a great time and an excellent escape from the daily routine. While I would never dream of insulting the true anglers of the world by calling myself a "fly fisherman", I do enjoy owning the gear, pretending I have a clue on what I am doing and spending some quality time in the woods with good friends. As usual, there was a lot more fishing than catching, but as a group I think the catch total was respectable this year. I've joked around with some of our team that we've taken our responsibilities as catch and release fisherman to the extreme of simply skipping the "catch" part and focusing just on the release. We find this to be much more humane for the fish.

I am thrilled to announce that I am officially off the shutout list this year, having snagged my first ever trout on the fly rod. I've actually had decent success with other fish, but trout and salmon are what we are after, and with the exception of an inch-long guppy a couple of years ago, the mythical trout have eluded me. Of course, if I spent more than 2 days a year fishing, my odds might also increase significantly. As you can see from the picture, this fish was a beast! I, of course, have absolutely huge hands, so this fish appears much smaller than his actual 24", 3 pound size. As I think about it, even if this fish did weigh three pounds, I think with the gear purchases, travel, lodging, food, etc. which are associated with this annual trip, the cost of trout is likely in the $1000/pound range. Any angler will tell you, though, that a monster fish like that is a bargain at any price.

The best part of the weekend was definitely the mustache competition suggested by Kevin (aka Sea Bass). Kevin won by default when the rest of us refused to sacrifice personal appearance for the greater good of a team effort, but what cracked me up the most was how his new look completely failed to draw any notice from the locals. If anything, I think those of us who declined the challenge stood out more because it seems we were the only guys in town who lacked a proper mustache. We always try to get to know some of the townies, so here is my shout-out to Stacy the Bartender, JC Bob ("Which one is JC Bob?"... "the one who says 'Jesus Christ' in every sentence.."), and the nice gentleman who joined our party on Friday night and introduced himself as "Go F*** Yourself". Mr. GFY spent about an hour talking to us, and reminded me of a story about a little kid who'd been told "No!" so often he began introducing himself as "Johnny No", because he thought that was his name. I'm pretty sure that's what happened with GFY. You don't just get this kind of attention from the locals by default, and I've got to think it had a lot to do with Kevin's attempt to fit in. Here is a shot of his new look:

Thanks to everyone who joined the trip this year... Sean, Sea Bass, Andrea, Mr. Peanut, Teddy KGB, Mr. Salty, Boston Rob and of course to G$ for organizing. Looking forward to seeing everyone again next time. And a warning to G$... revenge will be mine in next year's poker extravaganza.

Big Lake

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town... For no particular reason I just kept on going..."
- Forrest Gump

Lauren and I completed the Big Lake Half Marathon last weekend. For no particular reason, I've allowed myself to become convinced not only to run these long distances, but to actually pay for the privilege of doing so. And even more alarming than that, I actually had a blast doing it.

The weather was awesome this year (as compared with the 40 degree hailstorms of the past two years), and for the first time, Lauren and I got to run together. Two years ago I was in no shape for it, and last year Lauren was out with an injury. So this was very cool, and gave us a chance to finally complete it as a team. We came up a few minutes short of our goal time of 1:45, but still finished with a very respectable 1:48 (Lauren beat me by a few seconds with a great kick on the last 1/2 mile). I'm feeling pretty good about that effort -- we both finished in the top 25% of the 1200 runners.

Next up is training for the 100 on 100, and a few shorter races which will be mixed in. Hoping to get on my road bike pretty soon, as well to get geared up for a sprint triathlon or two later this summer. I'll start working on my Forrest Gump beard later this spring. :-)

Home Improvement

"Broken hands on broken ploughs, broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools, people bending broken rules.
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking, everything is broken."
- Bob Dylan, "Everything is Broken"

I've been putting in nights and weekends trying to catch up on some house projects and, while I find that to be a fun pastime, I doubt if I could recall a more frustrating few weeks in terms of progress vs. effort. First off, I'm a little overwhelmed, because, like any good Vermont skier, I pretty much gave myself weekends off for the past 5 months. All good for my mental well-being, but not so much for knocking things off THE LIST. I can deal with having too much to do, but I have never seen so many things just break all at once. My projects now have projects, and naturally, are all dependent on one another.

"Its been a rough day. I got up this morning .... put on a shirt and a button fell off. I picked up my briefcase, and the handle came off. I'm afraid to go to the bathroom."
- Rodey Dangerfield

It starts with our laundry room, which has a half-bath, too. We wanted to upgrade it anyway, but had our hand forced by a rotten subfloor. No worries -- necessity is the mother of invention. We wanted a tile floor, which is fun to do, but pretty time-sensitive/time-intensive. So I ripped everything apart, fixed the floor and laid the tile. So far so good, but tough timing when you are talking about being without a washer/dryer for any amount of time. Got to grouting the tile on Tuesday night, only to find ONE tile that did not cement to the floor properly. Naturally, this one is right where the toilet should be, which means not only delaying the project to cement a new tile in place, but also that I can't work on putting the toilet back in for a few more days. I can work around that, though. I figured I'd start working on the area where the washer/dryer are. But before I can do that, we need to do all the laundry in the house, right? Well, we got through 4 of the 37 loads which needed to be done and then the drier died. So, an entire day of Dryers 101 for me, which ended with taking a $140 gamble that one of two problems would be the root cause and proceeding with ordering the replacement parts. Everything is now pushed back a little farther.

I can deal with all of that, though, because I know it is spring and my next time sensitive project is the weed patch we affectionately refer to as our lawn. I managed to get the early spring fertilizer down on time, and it actually looks like we need to mow. Naturally, the lawn tractor will not start. So, on to the John Deere website to learn how to clean old gas from the carburetor and tank... Looking forward to my weekend.

I still need to find time stain our pool deck, clean the pool, fix our leaky roof, hang a birdfeeder, and do the spring cleanup work on your yard. I'm sure I'll have that wrapped up in time to enjoy our yard for at least a couple of hours before the cold weather comes in the fall. Oh yeah, and I committed to helping a friend build a barn, and have a giant pile of rough timbers waiting for me in the garage. At least nothing has broken on those projects yet.

We're also thinking about trading our current vehicles for something more fuel efficient. Nice for the wallet as well as the environment, right? Except that the hood release on my truck is broken. Tough to sell when you can't let someone look at the engine. Maybe we'll start with selling the Jeep, then? Oh yeah, that needs a new idle air controller, spark plugs, and ball joints. Just $1000 or so to get it ready to sell. Fun.

The good news is that I still have a day job which is also insanely busy with things to do and fix. Naturally, my laptop has been crashing for the past 2 days. The best part is that I have 3 days of customer travel next week, followed by a weekend away. I can easily envision myself finding 8-12 minutes of free time to devote to all of these projects in the next week.

With all of that in mind, I have at least had the good sense to begin training a new apprentice:

I'm hoping he can get up to speed pretty quickly and working on the leaky roof...

Old friends, Red Sox and Seizing a Spring Day

It's been nearly a month since I was able to come up with a creative thought to post here. Not sure the reason for the 'blogger's block', but I guess it has something to do with the transition from ski season to summer, or what most call spring. We don't seem to have spring in VT anymore – winter stretches through April, and then, as it happened last weekend, one day you wake up and the skies have cleared and it is suddenly 80 degrees. Those final couple of weeks of winter are cold, rainy and do not offer much opportunity to get outside the house. Skiing is over, but it's often too dismal for running or biking. Tough to get motivated and tough to think creatively, I guess.

That said, the sun came out last weekend in a big way. Lauren and I spent the weekend in Boston visiting old friends, enjoying the great weather and basking in the glory of the Red Sox sweeping the Yankees at home for the first time since 1990. I've said many times that Boston has the greatest buzz when the Sox are playing well, and when you couple that with playing well against the Bombers, it reaches a fever pitch. We all know you can't win a championship in April, but it's still a lot of fun.

We were in Boston to spend some time with a good friend who has decided to leave town, and needed a good send-off. This meant late nights on Friday and Saturday, and then, since the Sox played late on Sunday evening, my third straight visit with the wrong side of midnight. Seeing old friends and staying out much later than my life as a parent usually permits made me remember some of the best advice I got in college. I remember watching one of my younger professors walk slowly into class on the Friday morning leading up to Alumni Weekend. Without even trying to cover up the fact that he'd been out much too late on a school night, he fessed up to partying with friends the night before and warned us that someday we'd find ourselves a little bit older and with the same decision to make. He warned, “you can't get it back... forty is a much different age than twenty”. Good advice. And while I didn't exactly revisit my collegiate lifestyle this weekend, I was thinking about Mark's advice as I struggled to keep my eyes open through most of Monday afternoon.

Looking out my window it is nice to finally see the sun and to see Ty and Ally outside enjoying the weather. Today and tomorrow look pretty nice (although not as warm as last weekend), but I suspect we may be trapped indoors by April Showers this weekend. Today reminds me of another good day and some sage advice I received during my senior year in college. Perhaps the best class I ever took was on professional writing and presentations. It was taught by a professor who'd been at Clarkson forever, and it was a class that very few students ever missed. I suspect few students would ever think to miss any of Dr. Broughton's classes. But this was a beautiful day, and while attendance was good, it was clear that anyone would prefer to be outside enjoying the day. Sensing this, Dr. Broughton gave us updates on coursework for about 10 minutes and then stopped and declared, 'spring has sprung – go outside and catch it'. End of class.

I always think about Dr. Broughton and that fine day at least once each spring. Here's hoping I can make time to follow that good advice once again this afternoon.

Natural Disasters

In the time of my life I now refer to as 'pre-kids', I knew everything there was to know about parenting. I could've written a book. Whenever I'd see someone having a tough time with a child, I knew the answer. Parenting was really simple. Now I think I need to make a 'My Name is Earl' list of all those parents I silently reprimanded in my head, and get some notes out to them apologizing for my ignorance. Why? Because I'm sure they were looking at me and thinking, 'just wait -- your turn will come'. Of course they were right, and now I'm learning how difficult it is to apply your theories to reality. Makes me want to call some of my college business professors as well. :-)

At some level, I guess I knew this would be the case, so I've had a pretty realistic approach to being a father which has served me (I think) fairly well. There is one thing I still haven't adjusted to, though... the natural disasters. I used to visit friends with children and be amazed at the state of their homes. Bear in mind that Lauren will be the first to tell you that I'm more Oscar than Felix, but I do think that since the EPA nearly took away my college apartment, I've been reasonably neat. And I think most of my friends are, too. So you can imagine my surprise at the sheer volume of toyspillowsclothingbooksunderpantsactionfiguresfood that filled by friend's living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms. What had happened to their Pottery Barn existence? How could they let things pile up like this? Had they given up? Couldn't they clean up once in awhile? Clearly these were piles of debris that had been collecting for years, right?

"Here comes the story of The Hurricane"
- Bob Dylan

Wrong. That was pre-kids thinking. And that was before I met Hurricane Tyler and Tropic Storm Alyssa. It is 8:30 pm right now. Our kitchen is clean, the dishes are done, the living room is clean and the toys are put away. This is the result of finishing *work* at 5pm, dinner at 5:30, and shifting directly into 2 straight hours of cleanup. Two hours! Our house was TRASHED.

Have we been letting the messes pile up? Neglecting to take a few minutes to straighten up here and there? Nope. We did the same thing last night, and we'll do it again tomorrow. If you come by at 9pm, you'll think we have a maid. But when the Tropical Storm and The Hurricane wake up tomorrow, it will take roughly 11 seconds for them to undo my cleanup job. I have never seen anything like it. Their appetite for destruction is unparalleled... except by the appetite shared by all of their 3 year old colleagues. Which brings me back to my original point -- my deepest apologies to anyone I ever judged with my pre-kid notions of a post-kid existence. And maybe an understanding of how you could eventually just say... 'maybe I can find something better to do with all of those hours'. I mean, your work will just be undone in the morning anyway, right?

I also now realize that all those times I was shocked by the state of my friends' homes, my friends were probably shocked, too. After all, they'd only turned their backs on the kids for 11 seconds to go answer the doorbell...

The End of the Season

Just as quickly as you could register two fairly significant March snowstorms, the month turned towards spring in a major hurry this week. Warm temperatures and quite a bit of rain. I think our house has the most snow left in the immediate area, but it is going fast. Not sure I've ever seen such a fast melt. Snowbanks that were several feet high 10 days ago are now bare grass. Hopefully the flooding won't be too bad, but it sure seems like some of the low lying areas could be in for some adventure in the next couple of weeks.

Those conditions probably mean that our ski season has come to an abrupt finish. We took the kids out on Saturday (along with their grandparents and Uncle Steve). It was good to get out one more time, but I suspect that Ty and Ally have pretty much had enough for this year, and they showed it by being ready to retire after about four runs. That was also a byproduct of wanting some quality time with their grandparents, but I was happy to see them finish strong and end their season on a happy note. The passion for skiing wasn't there for the kids the past couple of weeks, and I have a strong feeling they are ready to move on to spring activities. It's all good with me -- they learned a ton this season, enjoyed almost every day on the hill and I suspect will be looking forward to next season soon enough.

So spring is getting here quickly and the kids seem ready to embrace it. We've enrolled them in a really cool course at Shelburne Farms called 'Spring Adventures'. It's a 3 hour class where they get to visit with the animals at the farm, spend some time exploring outside and make some new friends. Perhaps the best part will be that it's a chance for them to spend some time in a classroom away from home and mom & dad... not that we don't want them around, but it's good preparation for preschool in the fall. So far they are really enjoying it. Last week they planted beans and marigolds -- fun stuff!

I think Lauren and I are starting to look forward to some warmer weather, too, and as such, just signed up for the Big Lake half-marathon in May. That means we've got some training to do in the next few weeks! I'm looking forward to re-establishing some fitness goals, as I've let the beers and wings of apres' ski accumulate a little bit more this year than last, and sense that it is time to get moving again. As someone who still doesn't consider himself a *runner*, it still strikes me as odd to say this, but running a half-marathon in a few weeks will be a lot of *fun* and I'm really excited for the race. Wow. What a difference a few years makes. :-)

Tyler's "Nap"

Had a great day yesterday with Tim and Chip trying to tame the woods of Mad River Glen. Beautiful weather, great views, and as noted by the whiteboard at the top of the single chair, 'the conditions we dream about'. The double chair was out of commission until about 3pm, which meant the legendary single-chair was our only ride up (equaling some very long lift lines), no one was complaining. Awesome snow, great friends, and in reality, by the time we were done, I didn't have many turns left in my legs anyway. If you ski and haven't been to Mad River, you really should check it out. I think it is to skiing what Fenway Park is to baseball.

Needless to say, after two straight weekends of grown-up skiing, Ty and Ally were anxious to return to the mountain today. We got a nice early start this morning, and arrived to jacket-shedding 40 degree weather. Looked beautiful for the first couple of runs, but it was not meant to last. Some nasty rain chased us back to the lodge for an early lunch, and we ended up calling it an early day. A bummer from a ski perspective, but the report looks good tomorrow, and the rain seems to have subsided pretty quickly. The good news is that the kids would get a much needed nap today, as they've both been fighting some spring colds.

Maybe. As I write this, Ally is putting the finishing touches on a 3-hour nap bender. Much needed. Tyler, on the other hand, has been a bit more challenging. One of those afternoons that really ought to be captured for posterity:

1:05 pm: Both kids down for naps
1:07 pm: Ally is out cold
1:15 pm: 'Do you hear something, Lar?'. 'Yes, it's Tyler.'
1:16 pm: I go in to settle Tyler down. Got to be quiet, buddy. He's missing a stuffed pumpkin from Halloween. All set now.
1:20 pm: 'Do you hear something, Lar?'. 'Yes, it's Tyler.'
1:22 pm: Tyler needed to tell me that he wanted to ski more today. Fair enough, we'll go longer tomorrow. Get some sleep, buddy.
1:25 pm: Actually quiet.
1:45 pm: Lauren is now napping, so I have to talk to myself... 'Do you hear something?' I think I know.
1:46 pm: Tyler needed to tell me he was happy that my truck was back from the shop (new tires). Great, pal, thanks!
2:00 pm: Ty, we really need some quiet time. You're going to wake Ally.
2:25 pm: I give up. Come sit on the couch *quietly* with me. Wrapped up in a blanket, we'll fall asleep watching college hoops together, right?
2:30 pm: 'No talking, Ty. Quiet time.' 'Okay, Daddy'.

The next 30 minutes are something like this: 'Please be quiet.' 'okay'. Ten seconds pass... 'my foot itches'/'is it time to get up yet'/'Where are Mommy and Ally'/'Quiet please'...'okay'... 20 seconds... 'can I have a toy?'... 'not right now... please be quiet'...

You get the picture. I've finally given up -- the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and a quietly playing/reading Tyler lets Lauren and Ally sleep. So we're in my office, blogging and reading stories, when after 2:45 minutes of trying to get Tyler to take a nap, countless attempts at getting him to lay quietly with me, lay quietly by himself, watch basketball, read books, you name it...

3:52 pm: "Daddy, I'd like to go have a nap now, please."

Knights of Columbus, that's COLD!

My apologies to Ron Burgundy for ripping off his schtick from 'Anchorman' but WOW, was it cold this morning. Tyler was asking about going skiing, but as I hauled the trash out to the curb this am, the porch thermometer read -24 F. YIKES! Sorry buddy -- inside games today. It was cold like that yesterday, too, and no signs of relief until Friday. This is a forecast even Brick Tamland could nail.

So, I think this week is showing us a little bit of the other edge of the sword with encouraging Ally & Ty to be so outdoor focused. They are not cool with being stuck inside. Considering that they spent Saturday building snowmen, it seems hard to believe, but three days later I'm clearly seeing early warning signs of cabin fever. There was absolute bedlam at the delivery of "pull ups" diapers earlier today, and thrills at the prospect of getting to go grocery shopping. Just happy to get out of the house, I guess. The weekend looks much warmer -- we should be able to get out to the mountains again on Saturday.

Speaking of the cold weather, it's been a pretty odd couple of weeks in the news from the global warming front. We've been trying to explain environmental stewardship to the kids, and why we changed some lightbulbs and need to be diligent about recycling, etc. And while I fully understand that they are only three, and probably can't comprehend the full extent of what I am saying, I think they are getting the basic concept. Which, as it turns out, is more than can be said for the hero of the cause whom we've now learned uses something like 25x the amount of energy of the average American. How can Gore justify this? I've never been a big fan, but I was willing to follow for the greater good. He needs to start walking the walk... Ally and Ty may not comprehend the whole thing, but they could tell you very easily that he needs a timeout for not listening.

On top of that, there are a bunch of new reports coming out like this one which suggest that the problem may not be all about our lifestyle, but simply nature. That's a vast oversimplification on my part, but it is an interesting article.

My mom always suggested 'all things in moderation', and I suspect that is pretty good advice in this debate. I'd like to think that we are not doomed to a life of oceanfront property in northern VT, but I'm also quite sure that those who suggest this is all bogus science have another agenda in mind. I'm guessing the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and regardless of what you believe, who can argue with seeking cleaner, cheaper and more economical fuels? Global warming or not, isn't a less polluted world a good thing for all of us? We're trying our best to get 'greener'... I think it's a noble pursuit either way.

In the interest of keeping this thread fun, here are a couple of articles discussing the lighter side of global warming. Probably not suitable in helping the kids understand the concept, but some good fun nonetheless...

Global warming and the world's oldest profession...

And some activities are still safe for the environment...

Enjoy!

Good Times at Okemo

What an epic day spent at Okemo this past Saturday! Big thanks to our good friends Rob & Joy for extending an invite (and a couple of free passes) to join them for a day of skiing. Probably even bigger thanks to Joy's sister Janet who was willing to babysit all of our kids so we could get out together for a day. I think we were so fired up at the prospect of getting out together and so sure of Janet's ability to take great care of the kiddos, that none of us ever really stopped to do the math on the adult/kid ratio. Sometime around 2pm, Joy mentioned that she herself had never taken care of four toddlers alone... I realized quickly that I certainly had not, either. Somehow, we'd asked poor Janet (who does not yet have any kids of her own) to dive into childcare waters none of us have even attempted to navigate! Not only have I not navigated them, but I'm not certain I'd even try... But of course we knew she was up to the task, and not surprisingly came home a little later to find four happy kiddos and one tired Janet. THANK YOU JANET!!!

A couple of thoughts about Okemo... I had skied there once many years ago and didn't remember much about the terrain. We have stayed there at the end of Rob's race (the 100 on 100) and knew the accommodations were pretty sweet. As it turns out, the skiing was really very good. Definitely not the steeps that you can get at some of the bigger mountains, but the runs were nice and the conditions were excellent. The weather was warm and left the new snow kind of heavy, but we dug around and found some really sweet bump and tree runs. On the other hand, we were all having some good laughs about the number of crashes we were seeing. I can't remember the last time I saw so many people learning to ski at once... I did a lot of stopping and enjoying the views of seas of snowplowers trying to clear out the new snow. Rob made the good observation that there really are some outstanding skiers at the more northern mountains in VT. Sometimes I take that for granted, but it really is fun to watch the pros.

My favorite part of our day came after we'd discovered a really nice little woods run. I've been pushing Lauren towards bumps and trees for a couple of seasons now and until our trip to Jackson in '05, she had maintained that the woods just didn't hold any fun for her. I keep saying that people who can't find fun in the woods don't know where to look. Anyway, her skill set and desire for off-piste adventure is beginning to peak, and after a pretty challenging run through the trees, we were at the top of the lift again, waiting for Lauren's choice of trails. The decision? Right back trough the same trees. :-) Who loves you, baby?

Looking forward to at least another 6 weeks of spring skiing. I'll leave you with a parting shot of the aftermath of one of Rob's aerial maneuvers:

Weekend Update

Some random thoughts while quietly awaiting "The Blizzard of 2007 pt. 2"... Even though I've now lived in VT for the majority of my adult life, I still think there are few things cooler than the buzz associated with a potentially big snowstorm. As it would be in most areas, the storm ends up being the lead on the news, and a front page story in the paper. But the difference here is that although everyone has the same concerns about travel/warmth/safety/etc, no one can hide their excitement. People want it to snow, and there is something that is so cool about that. Like being a little kid again and praying for a snow day. Having lived in Boston for several years, I can say that that city gets the same buzz when the Red Sox are playing well. There is an absolutely tangible and infectious feeling that seems to take over, and everyone has a little extra smile and energy.

I have this cool browser plugin for weather -- that's what I call a forecast!

When compared with the more significant challenges we face in life, extra powder to ski and the success or failure of the Sox are of relatively little importance, of course. With that said though, I love those activities for allowing me to temporarily block out the stresses of life by focusing energy on some uncomplicated fun. I hope you have some similar pursuits.

Speaking of uncomplicated fun, Ally and Ty have just discovered a HUGE box of Legos (a gift from their elder cousin Ian...thanks!) and are really into them. Not sure I've seen them so focused on a toy as they have been recently with these. I've just given myself a short break from work to help them put together a Lego house (complete with helicopter landing pad). Uncomplicated fun. :-) Now back to my day job...

Enjoy your weekend!

Free the Tips, Free the Mind

Ally and Tyler made their first turns yesterday without the aid of their Edgie Wedgies! Trying to put together a little movie to document their first season on the slopes, but having some technical difficulties with my editing equipment right now. Regardless of my video challenges, this seems huge to me. Lauren was kind of pushing them towards taking them off, and frankly, I think I was the only one who didn't think it was a great idea. Not so much that they couldn't handle it (although it did occur to me), but moreover, I was afraid it would make skiing too much work and maybe not as much fun as it had been earlier in the year. Just didn't want to discourage them, right?

Wrong. Couldn't have been more wrong. They took them off and really never looked back. It took about 1/4 of a run down the slope for them to find their groove again, and by the time we finished that run they were skiing with just as much control as they had all season. Awesome! They did both decide to put the wedgies back on again for a couple of runs after that, but after lunch they came off for good and I don't think we'll be going back to them.

We ended Sunday with about a half dozen runs through the terrain park -- yet another first for them that is light years ahead of my first experience. Both of them took runs through the half-pipe and followed me off a few jumps. Not much *air* yet, but I'm sure it's not far off. :-)

Ripping it up with Mogul Mouse

"I've got to be crazy! I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose! Praise Marty Moose!"
- Clark W. Griswold, National Lampoon's 'Vacation'

We haven't made it to Wally World, yet, but I now know where Clark was coming from. The highlight of our ski season has without a doubt been our relationship with new friend Mogul Mouse (although his good friend 'Billy Bob Bear' is running a close second). The kids absolutely LOVE him. Any afternoon that we remain on the slopes until 3pm or so means a chance to hang out with MM and BBB for apres' ski. For those who have been out to places like the Mangy Moose Bar in Jackson, WY or the Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington, you'll have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. ;-) But, if you've had hot chocolate and pizza with a giant mouse, we're on the same page. This weekend had the best conditions of the year, and we took full advantage. Lauren had a fantastic 'chick's day' at Sugarbush on Friday, we all had a pizza party with Mogul Mouse on Friday night, then a FULL day of skiing for all four of us on Saturday and another family half-day on Sunday. Sunday afternoon I got to ski some grown-up trails on my own -- had some tired legs but a great time.

Aside from their friendship with the characters, Ally and Ty continue to blow us away with their skiing. Not only are they learning quickly, they are also REALLY into it. Pretty much the first question each morning is whether or not we can go skiing today. Their aptitude and focus has been a blast to watch. I had pretty much envisioned a season of getting gear ready, getting to the mountain and spending no more than an hour at a time on the bunny slope. And that would have been fine, for sure. Instead, though, it's been the opposite. I think we were out for 4-5 hours on Saturday, and another 3 on Sunday. And, although we have made use of the bribe of hot chocolate and/or french fries, most of the time we haven't really needed it. Lauren pointed out yesterday what a great discipline this is for them -- it seems a little crazy to expect three year olds to be focused on one single thing for an extended period of time, but yet, there they are waiting in lift lines, controlling their speed, watching out for others and listening to instructions (sometimes). Yeah, I'm proud.

We gave up on the T-bar and magic carpet lift the first day, and have since been riding the lifts. It's a lot easier for all concerned, and we can now ski top to bottom without providing any assistance (except for getting on/off the lift) for Ally or Ty. We've started spending time on a new lift, and the fun thing about it is that it has a trail which leads to a little slalom run. I think I took turns in gates for the first time at about 17 years old -- Ally and Ty have me beat by 14 years! We've noticed that Ally is much more likely to make turns just for fun on the hill, where Ty won't turn unless there is an obstacle present. They love skiing the gates, and it turns out they are a great teaching tool, as well. Here are some pictures:

That's it for now... hope you're all enjoying this great snow as much as we are!

Digging out from the Blizzard of '07

The storm of the century hit Vermont on Wednesday -- dumping down somewhere around 30" of snow at our house (by my perhaps less than scientific measurement). An absolutely crazy amount of snow -- I think Sugarbush reported 48" at the summit! The only bummer is that we were pretty much too snowed in to get out and ski it on Wednesday, however, we did manage to make a couple of turns yesterday afternoon at Smuggs, which was awesome. So much drifted powder that I actually got myself stuck for a few minutes just trying to traverse between trails! It's tough to explain to your manager that you need a snow day when you work at home, but I did my best and he was very cool with letting me out. I do have to work today though, despite the fact that Lauren is out with the girls tearing up the powder on the Castlerock chair at Sugarbush. Jealous!

So far, I think we've snowblowed (snowblown? snowblew?) the driveway 4 times since Wednesday, and I just went out to find that there is probably another 6" that's fallen/drifted since yesterday. It's all good with me, though -- I'll take another storm just like it tomorrow.

Here are a couple of pictures I took this morning:

It's hard to really show how deep it is, but take a look at the roof of our shed... remember that is after 24 fairly windy hours, too. I'm hoping there is nothing in the shed we'll need before April.

This is really the best of living in Vermont -- everyone who can is out enjoying a big ski/snowboard/snowshoe day. As I told some co-workers from Austin, TX yesterday, what others call a 'state of emergency' we just call a 'powder day'. :-)

Tiny-Brained Wipers of other People's Bottoms

Do you remember that line from Monty Python's 'The Holy Grail'? Where the French knights are hurling insults at King Arthur's knights? "I blow my nose at you... I fart in your general direction..." I always thought that referring to someone as a "tiny-brained wiper of other people's bottoms" was a great insult until I took up potty training for 3-year old twins. :-) Jokes aside, it's gone very well with the exception of the occasional argument over whether or not trying to go is a good idea. Ty has been the more challenging kid in this arena, so we've tried introducing a little diversion to get him in the right frame of mind:


Last thing... and believe me, this is the kind of comment that makes the challenges that come with parenting all worthwhile... after using the bathroom yesterday, Tyler says to me, "I wouldn't poop on you because I love you, daddy." Fantastic. Good to know I'm getting through to him. :-)