Here at Hangman Hill

At the end of May we were looking after Mesa for the weekend, and we needed to get the pups out on the trail to let them run and blow off steam. We selected the “easy route” up Mt Moriah, starting near Gorham. Mt Moriah is only just above 4000-ft and the trail is a steady climb all the way from top-to-bottom.

Both Zealand and Mesa did very well and they had no problems, even when we hit soft snow for the last mile or so. It was a gorgeous day, so we were able to take a nap at the summit, drink tea, and eat our lunch in a leisurely fashion. The hike back to the car followed the same route and we were back just in time to go to the new Glen House for a cold beer on the our way back to the chalet.

At the end of April we went back to hike the Cherry Mountain / Owl’s Head trail near Gorham, NH. We hadn’t been there for a couple of years and the weather looked like it was going to be nice. It was indeed a lovely hike, but we were surprised to find fresh snow on the upper section of the trail! We had remembered to bring our microspikes and the post-holing wasn’t too bad if we kept to the center of the trail (the so-called “mono-rail”). Overall, we had a great hike and so did our canine friends.

In early May, Bruno needed to make a trip to the UK for work. He was able to call in on his his brother and family while he was there. It was a fun visit and the weather was very pleasant. The visit included a lavish Thai meal at a local restaurant to celebrate Dmitri’s birthday.

Birthday dinner with Dmitri, Julie (not pictured) and Keira.

Walkies with Dougie, Julie and Dmitri.

The newly rejuvenated garden beds outside of Court Cottage.



Rhubarb fool at Pam and Nick’s. Delicious!

Our weekend began at Thorne Pond, one of our go-to places near the chalet for a quick walk. Here we met many participants of the Inferno Race sponsored by Friends of Tuckerman Ravine. The race is a pentathlon that includes run (Story Land to Thorne Pond), kayak (Thorne Pond to Glen-Ellis Campground), bike (Glen-Ellis Campground to Pinkham Notch), hike (Pinkham to Headwall of Tuckerman) and then ski (Shelburne Trail to AMC Lodge at Pinkham). Check out the interactive map here. Might be fun as relay in 2020? Below you can see some photos of kayaks lined along the Saco River.

On Saturday with spring-like conditions, the $29 lift tickets at Bretton Woods were irresistible. On the Bretton Woods side of Crawford Notch the sun was out by 11am, the snow coverage excellent and temperatures were in the low 60’s by lunch-time! There no lines, we rode straight onto the lift after each run. We had lunch outside and even spied a disco-loving skier.

With nearly 3-4′ of snow at higher elevations we traveled to Prospect Farm in Jackson on Sunday for some XC skiing. Were were pleased to find excellent snow from the parking lot. Officially Jackson XC is closed, so we were able to take Zealand on trails typically closed to doodles. We met a few fellow skiers and enjoyed some nice views to Mount Washington just off the Wildcat Valley Trail.

The snow is melting fast, so we were very happy to be able to enjoy one more weekend of “winter”.

Staging for the kayak leg of the Inferno Race

Snowboarding at Bretton Woods

XC skiing at Prospect Farm

Today we said goodbye to our dear friend Haryana following a brief illness. “Hary” was an amiable and affectionate Bombay cat who was eager to greet us, happy to sit on our laps and travel on our shoulders while we pottered around the house. We will all miss her, especially Chatra, her younger Bombay brother. We hope she is sitting in a cardboard box in the sun. Hary, please, say hello to two of our other favorite Bombay’s, Bihar and Orissa.

Haryana came to our family soon after we returned from getting married on the Island of Hawaii. It went something like…even though they don’t have any cats available, let’s just visit Sig and Sharyn Hauck, breeders of Bombay cats, at Caricature Cattery. At the time our two Bombays, Orissa and Bihar were “getting on” and we needed a succession plan. We traveled to Brookfield, CT and were charmed by Sig, Sharyn and their cats. We also met a special kitten from another breeder who was the runt of the litter and had not been placed in a home because she was not thriving. Sig and Sharyn were looking for “someone special” to take home this cat, since she would need some extra TLC, so they hadn’t mentioned this cat on the phone. Yes, she came home with us.

Keeping with the theme of using place names in India, we named our new family member Haryana. Soon she was “Hary”. Initially she was very timid and not welcomed by our cats Bihar and Orissa. But, Kelsi, a gentle and older Golden Retrieve adopted Hary. In the early days we nursed her on raw beef and soon she grew into a beautiful, loving and eventually, feisty young cat. It wasn’t long before she was head of the household, and eventually it was common to see three cats cuddling together in a bed or lounging in the sun.

Hary is loved by family and friends around the world, especially by her English grandparents who appreciated her loving nature. She was a “cat-fix” for our friend Jo and recently captured the artistic imagination of our niece Bryony. We are grateful to have had her in our lives and was so loved by friends and family who would visit. RIP dear Hary.

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Post by Sheri

Last weekend I met up with Joey in Manchester, CT for a hike to Case Mountain. Chase Mountain was home to the Chase Family, prominent industrialist that operated a paper mill and bottling facility nearby. I was excited to walk the trails Joey had done with her family when she was young, to see the pots that I glazed and to have Luna and Zealand spend time together.

The orbital plan was to meet at the trailhead, but as we reached Manchester snow, sleet and rain drove us into a dive-like pub in the center-of-town. We stayed warm and dry over a pint and Joey showed me the pots in their final glazed state.

When I saw the pieces I made, I was tickled, pleased and so grateful to Joey for her time and talents, and of course friendship. I really enjoyed working with the clay to make functional shapes, trimming to bring both aesthetic and beauty to the final shape of the piece, to the final stage of glazing. What is appeals to me is the very tactile nature of using your hands to shape clay, which is literally earth, to produce functional and beautiful objects. Pottery has been added to the list of things to do someday when I am not making medicines everyday.

The stalling tactic worked well, so we made our way to Chase Mountain and set off- on a series of trails that wound around lovely laurel, rock outcrops and eventually to the summit of Chase Mountain. From the summit we had views into surround hills and the city fo Hartford. We managed to stay dry and Luna and Zealand romped and ran along with us.

After our walk we enjoyed burgers and beers at Plan B Burgers in Glastonbury. Plan B is place I had heard of for years, and it didn’t disappoint. There was an excellent selection of beer and the food was terrific.

Below are phots of the pots I made and some close-ups of my favorites, followed by Joey, Luna, Zealand and me at Case Mountain.

This weekend we stayed in CT so we could go to a concert tonight (Saturday). We were lucky enough to see “John Howie Jr and the Rosewood Bluff” at a local house concert. We have been hoping to see John Howie since his days in “The Two Dollar Pistols”, and it was well worth the wait. We had front row seats and the band played two 45-minute sets, with many favorite songs sprinkled in along with some new tunes. Fantastic! Thank you to Dan and Liz Ferguson for hosting the Roots Hoots House Concerts – we couldn’t have asked for a better evening tonight. Thanks also to the band for a wonderful concert just 35 minutes from our home.

We have had some great skiing this year thanks to regular snowfall in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. So, last weekend we decided to get one last official winter hike in before the spring equinox, with a return to Osceola and East Osceola.

It was bright and sunny when we woke and we drove to the Greeley Ponds trail head just off the Kanacamangus Highway. We were lucky to get one of the last spots in the parking area, as parking spots are at a premium at popular trailheads due to large amounts of snow. We started on the Greeley Pond trail outfitted with microspikes and Muttluck all weather boots for Zealand. We also carried snowshoes and ice axes, as the Osceola trails one of the steepest in the Whites.

We made great progress thanks to a well packed trail that was easily navigated with our microspikes for traction. At about 1/2 mile below the summit of East Osceola the trail became very steep. Zealand was slipping a lot at this point, and for us, the microspikes were becoming less effective. We took a rest, gave Zealand a break and a snack and continued on. Still progress was slow and Zealand seemed to be “done”, he was frustrated and tired and seemed to have no interest in continuing.

We spoke with several hikers, some with ‘spikes, and one helpful man in crampons who’s canine companion was cruising up the trail without footwear. He was supportive and encouraged us to turn back if it was the right choice that day.

But even the descent was challenging. So we took Zealand’s boots off in the hopes he would gain traction as we made our way down the trail. At this point another group including a lovely Golden Retriever passed us. Zealand took one look at the Golden and her pack of hikers heading up the trail, turned towards the summit and trotted up the trail after them. So with that… we followed. All Zealand needed to continue, were his feet!

We successfully made it to both summits, and had lovely views along the way. We met many nice people and made a few friends. We had lunch on the summit, switched to snowshoes and made our way back to the car. The total time hiking was 6 hours.

Many thanks to the Golden named Banjo for showing us the way. Zealand did will without shoes, although he did suffer a small cut, and has now done his first 4000 foot summit in winter. For future winter hikes we will look into Mushers Secret for Zealand’s paws in steep terrain to supplement the footwear that he has been using successfully on groomed ski trails.

Our friend “Z” turns two today! Time sure flies. We have had so much fun with Zealand and have seen him grow into a calm, relaxed and affectionate companion.

Happy Birthday buddy! We love you!

For us, winter, including cold temperatures and snow is celebrated. As residents of Connecticut where temperatures tend to hover around freezing in winter, precipitation usually takes the form of wet slushy snow or worse, ice.

For the last five years we have had the opportunity to spend weekends and some holidays at our chalet in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. This year the winter in New Hampshire has been one that winter enthusiasts dream about.

Winter started for us at the chalet during our Thanksgiving stay with a storm that brought frigid temperatures and about 9″ of snow. It has snowed consistently ever since! Thankfully the temperatures have remained low and the ground has remained snow-covered. This suits us just fine given that this is the year we opted out of a ski trip in the west so we could spend our “ski week” in New Hampshire for the first time.

Captured below are some highlights of one of the best winters we can remember. Starting with the most recent snow and ending with photos during our week in New Hampshire at the end of February.

And, just in case you might be tempted to wonder about global warming, watch this TED talk offers a scientific and humorous take on weather versus climate.