Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Flooding on the Hill

Despite living here, on Hangman Hill, we have a completely flooded basement for the first time.  After nearly 15" of rain in the last two weeks we lost the battle with the last 8" that has fallen in 36 hours.   Fortunately it is is only 2" and below the level of the "blocks" that most things sit upon in case this happens.  Even our friends Mark and Jen who claim to be even higher up on Hangman Hill are to be in the same "boat".  Flooding in the local area is severe, and many roads are closed.  We have a friend in Stonington, which is closer to the ocean, that had 12" in her basement before the fire brigade came to the rescue.  We are happy with what we have, so to speak.  The wet-vac is calling...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Telluride: Sun, Snow and Sleep

We spent a great week in Telluride, Colorado, which is located in the southewest corner of the state.  We arrived just in time for fresh snow, which gave us the chance to do some low altitude XC skiing and aclimitizing the first day. The rest of the week was bright and sunny.  We enjoyed excellent spring skiing conditions, excellent views and enjoyed exploring the surrounding area.  Our friend Gene has been telling us for years we should go to Telluride, we would love it.  As always, his advice was good.  You can see a few photos from the trip, click here.  We had a great condo with amazing views, and a hot tub that really helped after long days on snowboards.   This time around we rented a car with 4-wheel drive so we don't have any epic stories about rescues from Deputy Sherrifs. We did have a harrowing trip back to Montrose in a terrific snowstorm to catch a plane .  If only we had one more day for another powder day.  Great views, nice town, good food, and if you go the 2nd week in March, you will enjoy the company of a lot of Texans!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Hiking and Cheese Making in East Canaan

While Bruno was visiting with his family in England, Kokee and Sheri spent the weekend with Joey and Bernie.  Saturday night we made mozzarella cheese with raw milk from a local farmer.  With the fresh cheese Joey made the best Eggplant Parmesan ever! 

On Sunday Sheri, Joey and Kokee hiked to the highest peak in Connecticut, Bear Mountain.  Interestingly, this is not the highest point in CT, which is located on an adjacent mountain that peaks in Massaschusettes.


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Driveway at Fontana Calda

We have two great friends, Bernie and Joey, who are featured in this blog posting.  Rather, Bernie's art is featured, as we have just convinced him to part with one of his favorite paintings to grace our home.  Its based on a scene in Italy (a driveway in Fontana Calda) and it makes us think of the outdoors, fresh air, and beautiful natural scenery everytime we see it. 




To learn more about his paintings visit Bernie's web-page at http://www.globalhome.com/, and to see some of Joey's fantastic pottery take a look at http://www.funkwarepottery.com/  We are very lucky to have such creative and unique friends!