Saturday, March 26, 2011

Birthday at Buon Appetito

It was Bruno's birthday this week (on Tuesday).  Many thanks to all those who sent cards, gifts and greetings - they were all very much appreciated.  To celebrate we visited North Stonington's newest restaurant, Buon Appetito.  We are pleased to report that the food and service were great and we'd certainly go back again.  The asparagus soup, arugula salad and the calzone were all very good.




Sunday, March 20, 2011

Brian's Back: Tree Trimming at Hangman Hill

We first met Brian when he helped us remove some very large trees at the property Spruce Street.  While the impact of removing some very large trees on leaf raking was minimal, it opened up the yard and brought more natural light into the house.  Hopefully we have reduced the chances for a hurricane to place a large tree on the roof as an added benefit!

We realized that at Hangman Hill there were a lot of dead trees around the perimeter of the property.  While these trees don't threaten our house, we hoped it would make Darren's efforts to keep the lawn cut significantly easier (and safer!).  In addition the aim was to help some young Redbud and Damson Plum trees that currently are dwarfed by some rather unremarkable trees.

See some more photos here.



Saturday, March 19, 2011

Spring Break in Park City

We had a great week at Park City Utah and spent most of the time on our snowboards.  We stayed at a condo at The Canyons Resort which was only a short drive to the gondola that took us to the base of the mountain.  We found The Canyons so vast and so good that we spent four days riding in fresh powder.  Many folks we met recommended different places for us to explore in Park City (Park City Resort and Deer Valley) and surrounding areas.  However, we found plenty of good terrain at Canyons, got to know a couple of lifties (a few from the UK), and came to appreciate the accessibility of the coffee stands at remote location on the mountain.  So, back too Canyons we went again each day.  We love riding in Vermont, but sometimes that means soldering through very cold weather (morning temperatures of -3F or less) and often less than ideal snow (i.e., New England loose granular).  Waking up to temperatures in low 20's (a daily high in Vermont at best) was a treat.  Of course the abundance of untracked powder was pure pleasure.



We also explored some XC trails in Park City Round Mountain area.  We met some nice locals on two and four legs who seemed surprised we found their spot, but happy to share it with us.  If only Kokee could have come along, she would have made some friends too.    We didn't see the mountain lion fortunately!  Park City seems like a great place to live if you like to be outdoors given the many trails for biking, walking and skiing that connect many parts of the city.




We spent a little time exploring the town of Park City, but mostly we were skiing, riding which left little energy other than a simple meal in our condo and some reading in the evenings.  It was a great way to rest and relax.



See a few more photos from our trip here

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Spring!

It is hard to believe last week that we were riding on 100+ inches of snow in Park City, Utah.  The temperatures in Connecticut went well above 50 degrees today and we enjoyed working in the yard and garden for the first time. We even had a harvest!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Strange Travel Signs

We were recently on a trip that took us to Bradley Airport in Hartford, CT.  As you can see below, this was the first time that we'd been to an airport that was apologizing the fact that it was trying to improve itself!