Real Ale Thursday

Enjoying my prize from our department Christmas party - a growler of "Lonesome Boatman Ale" from the Outerlight Brewing Company in Groton (just down the road from Pfizer) 

www.outerlightbrewing.com

Beer and cider rmaking

What better to do than to spend a Saturday afternoon upgrading my beer and cider making skills?  So....a few weeks ago I went to our local home-brew shop to learn about "boil-in-a-bag" full grain brewing and apple pressing with locally picked apples.  As you can see a fun time was had by all and some very fresh apple juice made its way back to Hangman Hill Road.

 

  

 

The Season In-Between: Rest, Recovery and Preparations for Ski Season

After some fantastic late fall hikes in New Hampshire we are spending a few weekends in Connecticut.  Sheri has been recovering from abdominal surgery (nothing serious, but a slow recovery) and Bruno has been taking care of the pets, the garden and Sheri.  

We are grateful for all of the encouragement, gifts, cards and well wishes for Sheri's speedy reocovery.  Special thanks to DiAnn and Mike for the lovely plant and flower display and the fresh fruit bouquet!

Sheri has enjoyed two books from our friend Denise.  Grandma Gatewood's Walk tells the story of the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine at age 65. She then then repeats the walk two more times.  The second book, Following Atticus, is the story of Tom Ryan and his miniature schnauzer Atticus as they hike the forty-eight 4000 footers in the White Mountains in all four seasons.  Both are inspiring reads and make us eager to get on the trails be it on foot, ski or snowboard!

It has been nice to spend time at home with the cats and enjoying some warm sunny skies.  The garden is winding down and Bruno had been tidying things up for winter so that in the first warm day in spring we can start planting.

Essential tools for Sheri's recovery

Hary is a good companion for the patient

Colorful flowers are welcome this time of year!

November Face of Produce: Fennel, radish and beet

The leaves have mostly come off the trees which means it is time for fall clean up in the garden.  It is always a little melancholy packing up hoses, cutting back the asparagus fronds, putting the pots in the shed and cutting back the remnants of sunflowers, beans, and other garden fruits.  It is for this reason the disovery of big red beets, crisp radishes and bright green fennel that you forgot you planted in late summer is so very sweet.  We have a tasty face of produce this November.  The taste of garden fresh veggies, and visions of fresh powder on the trail, keep us smiling.

North, Middle & South Carter via the Imp Face

Last weekend we were in New Hampshire enjoying unusually warm weather and clear skies.  We hiked in the Carter range and enjoyed views far and wide in every direction.  The hike up to the Imp face was steep, but once we were on the ridge we were able to take it easy and enjoy the scenery.  Mount Washington was in the clear and we think that we may have spotted Marty the summit cat with our binoculars!

Award for Bruno

We both recently attended the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (APPS), where Bruno was honored with the "AAPS Achievement Award in Manufacturing Sciences & Engineering".  This award is given in recognition of outstanding scientists who have demonstrated significant impact in their respective fields.  In addition to lots of interesting science and renewing some old friendships we were fortunate to enjoy a week of warm weather in Orlando FL.

  

First winter hike of the season

It was late October, and we set out for a short hike on the Davis Path towards Crawford Mountain.  The temperatures were a little chilly, but we werent expecting to be caught out in a snowstorm!  The hike started gently, but as we approached the summit we started to see signs of winter; frozen puddles on the trail and a few snowflakes in the air.  As we reached the top, a big storm coud blew in and we were hit by a snowy squall.  Fortunately we had our hats, gloves and down-jackets with us, and a thermos of hot tea too.  We had a great hike but we didn't manage to snap any pictures on the summit because of the unexpected cod snap.