Spruce Street update

Time for a brief Spruce Street update. First, enjoy the view of the stained glass from outside the house. This lovely sight greets us everytime we arrive with our tool boxes and paint brushes. Thanks to Nick for this inspiring contribution. Next, you can see the addition of back-splash tiles (and a dog) make the kitchen a real home-from-home. Thanks to Mark and Jen (and Kokee) for their help wth this! In other news, the new floor is now installed in the den, and doors are almost ready to be re-hung for the adjoining closet and half-bath. After that we're moving on to the basement and the garage (and we can even see light at the end of the tunnel!). Finally, this week Bruno received his mandatory Rhode Island training in lead-paint abatement. As part of this he discovered a few small items that we need to go back and fix, but it is another step closer to becoming landlords! This weekend we're planning a run to the dump and a clean out of the basement. Sounds like fun, eh?

Winter sports in Vermont

This weekend we took an extra day (Friday) off to go to Vermont for some winter outdoor sports. On Friday we snow-boarded at Pico Mountain, with temperatures in the single digits (F). The slopes were quiet and the conditions just about perfect.

And on Saturday we cross-country skied from Mountain Top Inn , on freshly groomed trails, in our shirt sleeves (with temperatures in the 30's). We finished off the weekend with a group meal at the Thames Valley Ski club lodge, and were back in Connecticut before dark on Sunday.

Back home the snow is rapidly melting and the yard looks like a big sea of mud! Hopefully we'll get in at least one more trip on ski's/boards before the season is over, but for now it looks like a mild week ahead with no snow in the forecast.

Reports from England and New England

This week Sheri is in Sandwich for work to attend meetings and catch up with colleagues in the UK. The skies are clear in Kent (southeastern England), with good views of the cathedral on trips to and from Canterbury and Sandwich each day. It is "cold" by local standards (+2C, 35F). Meanwhile, snow, rain and freezing rain are clouding the skies in southeastern Connecticut. Bruno is keeping the home fires burning and making plans for the weekend's social activities, including dinner with Peter York, friend and colleague from Bruno's Bradford (UK) days.

The weekend weather is looking good for installing floors in Westerly, RI. Keep your fingers crossed.

Grand Opening of Juniper Cafe

No, we don't have any new pets, just five diners at Juniper Cafe here at Hangman Hill. Note the foreground of the last photo! The downside of having snow on the ground for so long is that the "winter interest" plants make a tasty treat for some. The photos are a little grainy since they were taken from inside. Kokee did chase them away, eventually, only to have them come back again. What can we say?

Old Fashioned Winter

We have had snow on the ground nearly every day since before Christmas. It feels like an old fashioned New England winter. The sustained subfreezing temperatures help too! Thanks to Bruno's efforts to keep the wood stoves burning, we are mostly enjoying a winter reminiscent of times spent in Montreal, Madison and Western Pennsylvania. Kokee is also enjoying the winter wonderland. The cats however, well, seeking warmth seems to be their primary focus, see photos below.

After a stressful week at work with the announcement that some of our colleagues are loosing their jobs, we are thankful a warm cozy house, affectionate pets, supportive friends close by, and each other.

Ski Report from Vermont

We made our first excursion to Vermont to play in the snow this past weekend. To our delight there was more snow than we expected! We couldn't resist a relaxing start to the day at the Thames Ski Lodge (late breakfast) on Saturday, which gave the sun time to come up and the downhill crowd to get on the lifts. We skied at Blueberry Hill in Goshen on Saturday in bright sun, and very light winds until dusk. The winter storm that hit the Northeast on Saturday evening tracked slightly farther north than expected leaving 5-7" in southern Vermont. Again we were tempted by the solitude of XC skiing on fresh powder and explored a new set of trails, Wild Wings Ski Touring Center in Peru (southern Vermont that is). It was fantastic! There was 7+ inches in Peru, combined with a brilliant blue sky, abundant sunshine and very light winds made it another great day to be on the trail. The trails are narrow and winding so skate skiing is not possible, Oh, and very nicely tracked. The snow from the night before was extremely dry and light, and a lovely adornment to the dark evergreens lining the trail. We met some nice folks who did some trail breaking on a few "backcountry" trails. The only sad part is we forgot the camera.

Painting anyone?

Work continues at Spruce Street to renovate the den. The wooden paneling has been sanded, filled, and primed ready for a final coat of paint (see above). Already it looks so much brighter and bigger! Last night we tackled the closet and half-bath, and we just need one or two more days to paint those paneled walls. If you get the urge to come and help us out, please let us know!