Sheri’s visits Colorado

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Sheri traveled to Estes Park, Colorado a few weekends ago to spend time with Kerry, Brandon, Jerry and DiAnn (who flew in from Raleigh).  She started the visit taking a a tour with New Venture Cycling. The tour starts at the top of Rainbow Curve in Rocky Mountain National Park and affords stunning views in all directions with a fun ride all the way back to the park entrance.  Brandon and Kerry are fantastic guides, and offer fascinating history about Estes, the Stanleys and the local geology, flora and fauna.

Sheri and her Dad spent time touring Rocky Mountain National Park and relaxing in various place in Estes Park.  She also enjoyed the time with her mom staying at Murphy’s River Lodge which is a short walk to where Kerry, Brandon and Jerry live, and into town. It is also a popular spot for the Elk to graze.  Highlights also included a dinner at the Stanley Hotel with Kerry and DiAnn (girls night out!) and a hike to Deer Mountain with Brandon and Kerry.  It was short but very sweet visit.
A popular accommodation in Estes Park
Dinner at the Stanley Hotel

Sheri and Jerry spend time in Rocky Montain National Park
Kerry and Sheri on to po Deer Mountain

Watershed watch

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This summer/fall we have signed up to help monitor the water quality in one of our local streams.  It is part of the University of Rhode Island “Watershed Watch” program (see http://web.uri.edu/watershedwatch/uri-watershed-watch-monitoring-overview/).

We get to take samples from the Shunock River in North Stonington every two weeks and test the water temperature and oxygen content.  Each month we also take additional samples and drop them off at URI for more complex testing (pH, microbes, turbidity, etc).
Today was the first sampling point of the season, so we duly took our samples, ran out chemical tests, and drove to Kingston to drop off our samples.  This gives an opportunity to practice our chemistry skills and help to preserve our local environment.
Sampling point at the Shunock River.
Testing the samples for oxygen content.

Early May Harvest

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A few weeks ago we uncovered the garden beds, assembled the irrigation and planted greens, radishes, potatoes, kale and leeks.   In one of the beds we discovered some fingerling potatoes we missed during the harvest last year.  What a treat they were for dinner.

Mother’s Day with the Hancocks

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Last weekend was Mother’s Day in the US. We couldn’t be with our families, so we celebrated with a hike to south and north Hancock peaks. 
The trail was mostly smooth going, but we hit ice and “mixed conditions” on the way up south Hancock. We were lucky that we had packed our micro-spikes just in case. 
It was a cloudy day, so the views were not fantastic. But the temperature was warm and we had a great day in the mountains. 

Dunkelweizen

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This Saturday was dry and warm – perfect conditions to try out the new home brewing equipment that Santa Claus delivered in the cold months of winter.  By mid-morning we had five gallons of Dunkelweizen bubbling away in the house.

Dunkelweizen = A dark take on the German wheat theme, dunkel (=dark) Hefeweizen have the same banana and clove notes of their pale cousins but also have earthy, toasty, and chocolatey notes from the addition of dark malts. 


Baldface Circle

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On Sunday we decided to explore the Evans Notch area in NH, and we hiked the Baldface Circle which is a 9.5 mile loop hike over South and North Baldface peaks. This is one of the hikes on the “52 with a view” list and it did not disappoint us. 

The day was clear and sunny and after a later than planned start we hit the trail at 11am. The first part of the hike took us through deciduous woods to a lean-to. We met a couple on the trail who had turned back when they saw a black bear near the lean-to!  After that the trail gets much steeper and scrambles up over some rock slabs. Eventually the trail emerges on the ridge leading to South Baldface. From here we had fantastic views in all directions, and a very strong wind to contend with. 
From here it is a ridge walk to North Baldface and then the trail descends on the other side of the valley. On the way up we were ahead of the guidebook schedule but we soon started to lose time on the steep descent. We reached the car at 5.30pm after a great day of hiking and lots of fresh air and spectacular views. 

Kokee on the Mend

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Kokee had surgery just over two weeks ago to repair a torn Cranial Cruciate Ligament (ACL in humans).  The repair went well according to her surgeon, and her knee had no sign of cartilage damage or arthritis.  This all makes for a good prognosis for a return to her normal activity level.  The stress of the surgery however kept her in the hospital a little longer than expected so she could recover from severe anemia and diarrhea.   We were very happy to have her home after nearly a week in the hospital.

Since she has been home Kokee has been a trooper. We walk her with a leash and use a sling to support her body weight.  She is limited to 5 minute walks 2-3 times a day. She has been a willing patient, taking meds, allowing us to ice her knee a few times a day and is accepting that she is confined to our office which has a carpeted floor to keep her from slipping.  Oh, and the cone of shame… she has been tolerant of that too!

 Koke in her recovery room at Hangman Hill
Icing the joint 
The start of week 3 of her recovery means slightly longer walks, using the sling only on slippery surfaces.  She also had her sutures removed.  We found some “sticky” socks for her so she is starting to roam around the first floor of the house which means she has access to her favorite spot looking out the sliding glass door at the birdhouse and with views to the adjacent fields where the deer roam.
No slip socks for roaming
Kokee’s recovery room in the chalet even has a bed!
There may be no going back to the dog bed on the floor?

Une visite de la famille de hancock

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Last weekend we enjoyed a visit from Michael, Margaret, Alex and Charlotte Hancock who stayed with us here at Hangman Hill.  Michael, Bruno’s cousin, and his family live outside of Paris.   They were spending the school vacation here in New England, and were so pleased they spent some of their time with us.

We were very lucky to have warm weather with abundant sunshine so that we could take them to East Beach in Westerly, one of our favorite spots. Alex and Charlotte braved the waters, build sand forts and collected shells. Michael and Bruno launched a kite which flew easily in the brisk April winds.  There was also a contest for the best shell collection, as presented by Alex and Charlotte  The judges declared each a winner, with Charlotte having the most diverse collection and Alex with the most unusual specimen.

After a morning on the beach we picked up sandwiches at Sandy’s, a local favorite for fine foods and take-out lunches.  We took our  sandwiches to Dave’s Coffee in Charleston, RI for a picnic.   It was  a relaxing way to enjoy a leisurely lunch outside and enjoy coffee from a local roaster.

Before heading back to Hangman Hill for an evening meal, we stopped at Wilcox Park in Westerly to enjoy the cherry blossoms and flowers.  The pond was full of goldfish and we spotted a few turtles swimming or sunning themselves on logs. Charlotte and Alex were able to get a spot on the much loved rabbit which resides in the middle of the park. We drive by the park frequently, but rarely take the time to enjoy it.   It was so nice to have an excuse to stroll through the park.

It was a short visit with the Hancocks, and we truly enjoyed their company.  We hope to visit them in France one day soon.

Collecting shells
Charlotte braves the Atlantic in April
 Warming  up after a swim
 Bruno and Michael flying  a kite
Watch Hill lighthouse from East Beach

Fun in Wilcox Park