Sunday, January 21, 2018

Lowe’s Bald Spot (a snowy hike in New Hampshire)











We took a gentle 4.4 mike hike this weekend to test out our snowshoes and Zealand's new backpack. We set out from Pinkham Notch and followed the Old Jackson Road to Lowe's Bald Spot where we had great views of the Carter Range and Wildcat Mountain. It was quite mild and we enjoyed a picnic lunch just below the summit before the hike back down to the car.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Best of ........2017 Christmas Cards

We are grateful for all of the Christmas cards that we receive and each year at this time in January we take them down from our 'card tree'.  As we do this we re-read them and enjoy them one last time.  We also pick out the four or five card designs that we liked the most.  As in previous years we are sharing them with you here so that you can enjoy them too.









Saturday, January 13, 2018

Four-thousand footer club


Just before the holidays we received official recognition of our completion of all the New Hampshire 4000-ft peaks. It was a lot of fun to do and it's also fun to have a certificate and badge to commemorate the accomplishment.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

The week before Christmas in New York

The week before Christmas we welcomed Pam and Nick (Bruno's parents) to stay with us, and we made a short trip to New York city to take in the sights of the season.  We travelled by train and stayed for three days in midtown (near Rockefeller Plaza).  The weather was unseasonably mild and we included trips to the top of the Rockefeller Center, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and a visit to the "Train Show" at the New York Botanical Gardens.  During the annual train show the massive hot-houses are transformed with models of New York landmarks made from twigs, bark, seeds, leaves, etc and these are then arranged with model trains to re-create the New York city landscape.  If you haven't seen it we highly recommend it as a fun activity for all the family!


City slickers

Midtown decorated for Christmas

On the top of the Rockefeller Plaza

Lights at Macys on 5th Avenue

The train show








On the Brooklyn Bridge



Zealand and his adventures...

Back in November Zealand managed to get his favorite chew toy stuck on his lower jaw. We don’t know how he did this, but it was firmly wedged over his front incisors. 

To get it off Sheri had to hold him down while I cut through the plastic chew with an old kitchen knife heated up in flame so that it could melt the plastic.  Its a good job we had a camping stove handy to get that knife red hot to cut through the chew-toy.

Overall it was a scary ordeal. Needless to say he wont be getting another toy like this anytime soon!


 

Peaked Mountain, NH


Not far from our chalet in New Hampshire is a short local hike to the top of Peaked Mountain.  We enjoyed this on a cold but sunny afternoon around Thanksgiving.  The hike took us through woods and over some solid granite slabs to reach the summit.  Not too much ice, but a very cold wind meant that we didn't take too many pictures.







Mt Pemigewasset in the snow

Back in November we spent a leisurely weekend hiking in New Hampshire before the start of ski season.  The days are short at this time of year, but there are some great shorter hikes that can be done with marvelous views.  One such hike is Mt Pemigewasset which we tackled after the first real winter snowstorm had hit the region.  We put micro-spikes on in the parking lot and kept them on most of the way around the short loop.  This was Zealand's first hike in the snow and he did very well!







Skiing in Connecticut











We received about 8" of snow in the storm last Thursday. It fell on cold ground (well below freezing for the previous 10 days) and it has been very cold since then. This meant we could cross-country ski from home in North Stonington this weekend. We took a 2-3 hour tour on each day (due to the extreme cold) and Zealand was able to accompany us in his new winter coat and boots. He really enjoyed playing in the snow and chasing after us on the downhill sections. Thanks to our friends Anne, Cindy, Grace, Denise and Mike for joining us!

Monday, January 1, 2018

New set of wheels...

In November we made the decision to replace our trusty 2013 Toyota Highlander with a newer vehicle, and to upgrade to something a little more plush for our long drives to/from New Hampshire.

We settled on a 2018 Ford Flex Limited, which  has plenty of room for all of our gear and has a large back seat so that the passenger can stretch out on those long drives.  It also has All-Wheel-Drive and roof bars to accomodate adventures all year around.

So far we love driving "Phoebe Flex", and we've put on quite a few miles since her arrival in November.





A quick trip to San Diego

In November, Bruno made a short trip to San Diego for some business meetings and he had a morning to walk around town and explore the local landmarks / views.  Here are a few of his favorite photos from his stroll: