A fine evening in North Stonington

A fine evening for a walk on our street.

We love camping, its in tents

We spent the last weekend of July exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire along the Kancamangus Highway.  We were treated to sunny skies and seasonable temperatures and plenty of fresh air.  We camped at the Jigger Johnson Campground which is located half-way between Lincoln and Conway.   After a little jockeying for position we settled into the best site, a open airy spot far enough away from "The Kanc" to feel like were were truly camping.

We explored several hikes, and really enjoyed the hike to Mt Chocorau via the Champney Falls trail which was recommended by our friend Paul.   The hike was a gradual ascent and opened onto a rocky ledge just below the base of Mt Chocorau which offered 360 views for the final push to the summit.  Kokee was a trooper, although reaching the summit via some blocky scrambles in the heat of the day made for a tired (but happy) dog.  We entertained the thoughts of a swim to celebrate a fine day, but found soaking sore feet in the Swift River followed by hot showers at the campground to be more civilized.  

Ledges below the summit of Mt. Chocurau

Kokee near the summit of Mt Chocorau

Bruno at the summit of Mt Chicorau

Champney Falls

Champney Falls

We took a lazy path back to Connecticut on Sunday to give Kokee a recovery from her scramble up to Mt Chocurau with some short hikes, including a stroll along Sabbaday Falls.  We spent some time taking in local history and a made a stop in Lincoln for ice cream before heading south for home.

The purple cauliflower is ready to harvest. Cauliflower curry anyone?

Yoga Teacher Training: July Update

This weekend of Yoga Teacher Training was outstanding and rich with learning and new experiences.  My teaching team, the Fantastic Fiddleheads lead the Saturday morning class.  While Janet and Martin lead the class with the theme of "The Wizard of Oz", Kristin and I provided assists and checked alignment.  Looking after our fellow teachers in training to ensure alignment and safety in the poses and helping them to make the most of each pose was more rewarding (and less scary) than I expected.

We also spent time learning anatomy of the spine with Ann Brett, who is a physical therapist and yoga instructor. Her perspective was simple and practical and will be invaluable in my own practice and as teacher.   

Saturday evening Eddie Nataraj lead a Kirtan which was a lot of fun, and a great way to wrap up a day that started with poses that opened our hearts (even for the Tin Man), required courage and eventually taught us, there is NO place like home OM.

Sunday began with another class lead by the Dirga Dudes teaching team.  I am humbled, and simulatenously filled with pride for my fellow students, many of whom are teaching for the first time.  It is an honor to experience teaching at such a high level this early in our training.

We wrapped up the weekend with slack line yoga, taught by Meaghen Minogue.  This was truly a blast!  I have tried slackline with my climbing friends, but yoga poses on the slackline was something I never actually imagined I could do myself.  You can learn more about it from Yogaslackers.  I think a slackline at Hangman Hill is inevitable.

This Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) experience has been more than imagined. I am so grateful to Tricia McAvoy for offering this opportunity (and so glad I helped plant the seed several years ago).  I owe a great deal of thanks to my fellow teachers in training, they have have taught me so much.  It has been a great experience getting to know them and learning from each other, I didn't realize how important and invaluable they would be to my experience.  Finally, I am so thankful to Bruno for his support through this year, and for taking up the slack at home, and especially now in the garden.

Namaste

Sheri

Pick-your-own

Several years ago our black-currant bushes were killed off by a fungus that is rife in Connecticut. So today, after several years without enjoying these wonderful fruit, we made a trip to Maple Lane Farms in Preston, CT to "pick our own".

It was a cool morning and we arrived just as they opened (8am) so we had the place to ourselves. The result: 10lbs of fruit ready for the freezer before lunchtime. This should keep us going in the cold days of winter as a tasty topping for our oatmeal.

Singing the blues at Hangman Hill. Two pounds of fresh berries!

The Blueberries Take First Again

We enjoyed a fantastic evening of relatively cool weather opening night at the 2013 North Stonington Agricultural Fair.   We convinced Mark to come along which resulted in some great photos (see the Ferris wheel below) and enjoyed having him along.  We know Jen, who was in Spain, France and Germany last week enjoying some fine dining, was so sorry she missed the fair food!

The AKC dog show, always a favorite, didn't disappoint with dogs of all sizes, shapes and colors, and levels of talent too.  The dog dancing was back, and the frisbee demo too.

We did very well in the produce competition this year taking first for blueberries and gooseberries.  There were some very happy sheep, cows, goats and chickens, oh my, and some fancy-pants tractors too.  All of this, only 1/2 mile down the road!

First Pimms of the season!

Canada Day greetings

We like to wish all our friends and family north of the border the very best for Canada Day. We will be celebrating with you in spirit today.