Are posted here.
Some of the photos are actually videos so if you do the slideshow view - or click on it to view - then you can watch the videos.
Washington DC, Day 1
10 years ago
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Our Vermont Trip
It’s been a week since we’ve returned home from Vermont, I needed time to recollect and realize that I’m home and not in that winter wonderland of small towns and mountain views anymore.
Four nights, five days, it was a whirlwind week of winter activities that we don’t do – despite our equal amount of that cold white stuff. I’ll tell you what helps: snow pants… and really good mittens. These two handy items kept us out in the cold on walks in the snow with snowshoes, and on the “hills” of Sugarbush where we had our first ski lessons. And we are looking forward to getting a lot more wear out of them since now we’re not afraid of snow anymore.
Our Bed & Breakfast (the Inn at the Round Barn Farm) - -actually an Inn since the owners don’t live on site – is nestled in the tiny town of Waitsfield on the edge of the Green Mountains. When we arrived later in the day Monday, it was snowing and we could only see as far as the next couple of cars ahead of us. That night we left the Inn to go to dinner at The Green Cup. The next morning, when we left the Inn, we realized that hillsides and mountains, peaks high up where you could see the ski runs carved out of the mountain, surrounded us. It was one of the most beautiful and unexpected sights I’ve seen in a long time. It was my first “Vermont” moment.
The Inn boasts over 200 acres of land, land that’s not easy to tell when everything is completely white. There’s more exploring in the springtime, but in the winter the Inn is the perfect place to read in front of the fire or snowshoe the trails with the Inn’s mascot Cooper, the black lab. I wasn’t sure if we needed to “book” him, but the minute we started fumbling with the snowshoes, he came bouncing in. I guess he was now “booked.” Breakfasts at the Inn were three-course meals and they were so delicious: banana pancakes, French toast, eggs with kale and potatoes, mushroom and cheese omelets – along with fresh fruit and a different pastry each day. We ate everything.
We wanted to try the tri-fecta of snow activities – snowshoe, downhill ski, & cross country ski – but we only managed two of them. By Thursday (x-country day), our legs couldn’t take it anymore so we went on tours of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and we visited the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, and then we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the 1824 House. We also made some time to go visit Burlington and see the University of Vermont, and walk down Church Street. We even toured the Magic Hat Brewery. It was extremely cold so we didn’t spend too much time there; although we did have a great lunch at Magnolia Bistro – very vegetarian friendly (I had the mock tuna sandwich with garbanzo beans and a side of quinoa).
Snowshoeing is a somewhat hard activity when the snow is piled high and soft; you’re doing a lot of leg lifting that a stair master could never duplicate. For the most part, our trails were somewhat paved and matted down, but any incline was felt in the back thighs. Cooper, the guide dog, was the perfect companion (other than my husband) and he led us through the trails (even though we had the hand drawn map from the Inn), and when we stopped to take photos or fix our snowshoes, he waited for us or ran back towards us. He made you feel as if you
were the only ones to take him out and he loved you the most – the perfect type of dog.
Downhill skiing – you remember how scared I was when I wrote about this the first time – was so much fun. After doing a reconnaissance mission on the ski places, we chose the place that had a dedicated time for beginner adult lessons, Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak). It was just the 2 of us, so we had a private lesson. We advanced from a flat surface where we learned to walk with the skis, to the beginner hills called the Welcome Mat/First Time and the Easy Rider. We didn’t advance to the Ski Lifts (that would have been Day 2 of the lessons), so we got up the hill using the “conveyer belt.” It was the produce checkout line of kids and ski instructors, dads and moms toting their 4 years olds in tiny skis… and us. It was quite a site and maybe someone else with a bigger ego couldn’t have been made to feel so humble. Or another way to look at it … good thing Matt and I have no shame.
Matt fell three times; I managed to stay on the skis although I almost lost my balance and felt my heart fall into my stomach. The hill looks a lot higher when you’re on it, than when you’re looking towards it. My goal was to look where I was going, not at the bottom.
But in the end we fell in love with skiing and can’t wait to “get more mileage” as they all say up here. It’s nice that we have small ski places in IL/WI that we can go to.
Check back here, and I should have all my photos posted this weekend.
Four nights, five days, it was a whirlwind week of winter activities that we don’t do – despite our equal amount of that cold white stuff. I’ll tell you what helps: snow pants… and really good mittens. These two handy items kept us out in the cold on walks in the snow with snowshoes, and on the “hills” of Sugarbush where we had our first ski lessons. And we are looking forward to getting a lot more wear out of them since now we’re not afraid of snow anymore.
Our Bed & Breakfast (the Inn at the Round Barn Farm) - -actually an Inn since the owners don’t live on site – is nestled in the tiny town of Waitsfield on the edge of the Green Mountains. When we arrived later in the day Monday, it was snowing and we could only see as far as the next couple of cars ahead of us. That night we left the Inn to go to dinner at The Green Cup. The next morning, when we left the Inn, we realized that hillsides and mountains, peaks high up where you could see the ski runs carved out of the mountain, surrounded us. It was one of the most beautiful and unexpected sights I’ve seen in a long time. It was my first “Vermont” moment.
The Inn boasts over 200 acres of land, land that’s not easy to tell when everything is completely white. There’s more exploring in the springtime, but in the winter the Inn is the perfect place to read in front of the fire or snowshoe the trails with the Inn’s mascot Cooper, the black lab. I wasn’t sure if we needed to “book” him, but the minute we started fumbling with the snowshoes, he came bouncing in. I guess he was now “booked.” Breakfasts at the Inn were three-course meals and they were so delicious: banana pancakes, French toast, eggs with kale and potatoes, mushroom and cheese omelets – along with fresh fruit and a different pastry each day. We ate everything.
We wanted to try the tri-fecta of snow activities – snowshoe, downhill ski, & cross country ski – but we only managed two of them. By Thursday (x-country day), our legs couldn’t take it anymore so we went on tours of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and we visited the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, and then we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the 1824 House. We also made some time to go visit Burlington and see the University of Vermont, and walk down Church Street. We even toured the Magic Hat Brewery. It was extremely cold so we didn’t spend too much time there; although we did have a great lunch at Magnolia Bistro – very vegetarian friendly (I had the mock tuna sandwich with garbanzo beans and a side of quinoa).
Snowshoeing is a somewhat hard activity when the snow is piled high and soft; you’re doing a lot of leg lifting that a stair master could never duplicate. For the most part, our trails were somewhat paved and matted down, but any incline was felt in the back thighs. Cooper, the guide dog, was the perfect companion (other than my husband) and he led us through the trails (even though we had the hand drawn map from the Inn), and when we stopped to take photos or fix our snowshoes, he waited for us or ran back towards us. He made you feel as if you
were the only ones to take him out and he loved you the most – the perfect type of dog.
Downhill skiing – you remember how scared I was when I wrote about this the first time – was so much fun. After doing a reconnaissance mission on the ski places, we chose the place that had a dedicated time for beginner adult lessons, Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak). It was just the 2 of us, so we had a private lesson. We advanced from a flat surface where we learned to walk with the skis, to the beginner hills called the Welcome Mat/First Time and the Easy Rider. We didn’t advance to the Ski Lifts (that would have been Day 2 of the lessons), so we got up the hill using the “conveyer belt.” It was the produce checkout line of kids and ski instructors, dads and moms toting their 4 years olds in tiny skis… and us. It was quite a site and maybe someone else with a bigger ego couldn’t have been made to feel so humble. Or another way to look at it … good thing Matt and I have no shame.
Matt fell three times; I managed to stay on the skis although I almost lost my balance and felt my heart fall into my stomach. The hill looks a lot higher when you’re on it, than when you’re looking towards it. My goal was to look where I was going, not at the bottom.
But in the end we fell in love with skiing and can’t wait to “get more mileage” as they all say up here. It’s nice that we have small ski places in IL/WI that we can go to.
Check back here, and I should have all my photos posted this weekend.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
What Style are You?
How cool is this? I saw this on Squirrel Chatter and had to take the test to see what I was.
Take your style test.
They got it right. I love these three styles -- now is my house in these styles? You tell me! Click below to see photos.
Take your style test.
They got it right. I love these three styles -- now is my house in these styles? You tell me! Click below to see photos. |
| Our House |
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Valentine’s Day
It was great that Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday this year. Who has time to cook a fabulous dinner after work? I think one year I took the day off, so I could make Matt this feast of Mexican foods courtesy of his favorite chef Rick Bayless.
This year, I didn’t have to do any cooking – and no, no restaurant was involved. In fact, no restaurant could have held a match to the evening. We had Valentine’s Day with our good friends Jason & Amy, and it was a surprise. The boys sent us off to get manicures and pedicures (I haven’t had a pedicure in three years!) while they cooked us a 5-course meal.
The good – very good and new – china was brought out for the occasion and they set the table with flowers and had everything just perfect.
We couldn’t have loved it more. Thank you and Happy Valentine’s Day!
View all photos here.
This year, I didn’t have to do any cooking – and no, no restaurant was involved. In fact, no restaurant could have held a match to the evening. We had Valentine’s Day with our good friends Jason & Amy, and it was a surprise. The boys sent us off to get manicures and pedicures (I haven’t had a pedicure in three years!) while they cooked us a 5-course meal.
The good – very good and new – china was brought out for the occasion and they set the table with flowers and had everything just perfect.
We couldn’t have loved it more. Thank you and Happy Valentine’s Day!
View all photos here.
1st course – Asparagus and goat cheese omelet on a whole wheat cracker --Champagne
2nd course – Leafy greens served over thinly sliced prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes and a lemon vinaigrette -- Sauvignon Blanc
3rd course – A perfectly seared scallop over grapefruit infused fennel risotto -- Stag’s Leap Karia (excellent)
4th course – Filet mignon over a potato cake and onion marmalade, served with green beans --It was a red wine that was delish (can’t remember the name)
5th course – an assortment of cheese and sweets -- A sweet wine – again, very good but what kind?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Camera Catastrophe
After getting the Digital SLR last October (the Nikon D60), I've been taking some great photos and I absolutely love it. So for Christmas, my mom got me a photography class at our local community college that does Continuing Education classes. Two classes in and I have learned so much, the class has already paid for itself. Yes, the User's manual basically had all the same information, but now I can actually read it and understand it as opposed to falling asleep.
So imagine how I felt the day before my 3rd class when I was going around the house
taking pictures for my homework and the strap gets caught and the camera flies from my hand, crashing onto the hard wood floor and breaking into 2 pieces (well the lens cracked off the base, that's what happened).
Crying and screaming, I was no use. But Cool-Hand-Matt was on the job and he found a black piece on the floor that was keeping the lens from fully attaching to the base, and off I went to class #3 sans camera and sans hope.
But lucky for me, the piece that cracked off was from the lens which is much easier to replace than the base (i.e. buy a new camera). My teacher recommended that I upgrade my lens now that I have to buy another. But I just want to go back to normal, and not spend $400 on an upgraded lens when my old one is only $150.
The one that broke was the standard lens that come with the camera - 18-55mm, 3.5 F-stop. My teacher recommended a 2.8 F-stop upgrade.
Is this worth $400?
So imagine how I felt the day before my 3rd class when I was going around the house
taking pictures for my homework and the strap gets caught and the camera flies from my hand, crashing onto the hard wood floor and breaking into 2 pieces (well the lens cracked off the base, that's what happened).Crying and screaming, I was no use. But Cool-Hand-Matt was on the job and he found a black piece on the floor that was keeping the lens from fully attaching to the base, and off I went to class #3 sans camera and sans hope.
But lucky for me, the piece that cracked off was from the lens which is much easier to replace than the base (i.e. buy a new camera). My teacher recommended that I upgrade my lens now that I have to buy another. But I just want to go back to normal, and not spend $400 on an upgraded lens when my old one is only $150.
The one that broke was the standard lens that come with the camera - 18-55mm, 3.5 F-stop. My teacher recommended a 2.8 F-stop upgrade.
Is this worth $400?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
2009 Goals: January Review
I made my goals at the beginning of the year ... how are they doing?
1. Run a 5K race
The race is in June. For the last 4 weeks, I have been trying to run what I can on the treadmill and I've seen an improvement. Things are looking good. My minute per mile bettered from 13.84 to 13.22. (One small leap for me, one large leap....)
2. Read 30 books
So far, 3 books down, 27 more to go. I signed up on Goodreads, and this has been a fun way to track my reading, write reviews, and see what my friends are reading.
3. Try out for a local orchestra
This might not happen this year, but I started the ball rolling. I just found a viola teacher and I have my first lesson tomorrow.
4. Lose 10 lbs
So far I am 2 lbs down ... by Tuesday, I have to have lost 2.5 or else...
5. Save $10,000
In January, I "saved" about $2000. $560 of that went into investments (401k, IRA, Mutual Funds) that I promptly lost. The value of my investments went down so much that it appears my "savings" is -$600. This is hard to quantify because of the investments. So maybe I should just stick to my traditional savings accounts? I dunno.
1. Run a 5K race
The race is in June. For the last 4 weeks, I have been trying to run what I can on the treadmill and I've seen an improvement. Things are looking good. My minute per mile bettered from 13.84 to 13.22. (One small leap for me, one large leap....)
2. Read 30 books
So far, 3 books down, 27 more to go. I signed up on Goodreads, and this has been a fun way to track my reading, write reviews, and see what my friends are reading.
3. Try out for a local orchestra
This might not happen this year, but I started the ball rolling. I just found a viola teacher and I have my first lesson tomorrow.
4. Lose 10 lbs
So far I am 2 lbs down ... by Tuesday, I have to have lost 2.5 or else...
5. Save $10,000
In January, I "saved" about $2000. $560 of that went into investments (401k, IRA, Mutual Funds) that I promptly lost. The value of my investments went down so much that it appears my "savings" is -$600. This is hard to quantify because of the investments. So maybe I should just stick to my traditional savings accounts? I dunno.
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