Ken & Steph Move to Vermont

Spring Skiing

Spring skiing was a lot of fun for a few weekends in March and beginning of April. People dressed in outrageous outfits as the temps were in the upper 40’s and 50’s each time. The snow was really soft and really wet so made our skiing style very different. Ultimately it is not quite as good as skiing in better conditions in January and February but still very fun to get out.

We were not looking forward to the coming months of April and May. The warmer weather and bright sunshine regrettably marks the end of ski season. We knew that we would be spending more time outdoors around the house, swimming in the pond and hiking the trails but none of those activities have anywhere near the thrill of flying down a steep icy mountain slope at 30 miles per hour with two giant fiberglass boards strapped to your feet for steering with. With skiing we get a rush of several emotions at once. We get to enjoy the vigorous feeling of almost freezing to death mixed with that feeling of jubilation each time you make it down the slope without damaging or breaking anything important all super-charged with going fast the whole time. We knew that we would not get that same experience in the summer and understandably, there were some somber faces in our house as we put the skis away for the next 6 months.

Then we went back to the dining room and started looking through Steph’s bucket list and managed to come up with a summer activity that actually does have almost as much excitement as skiing.

Stephanie Learns to Ride a Motorcycle

Where to begin:

~~Permit~~ done
~~Gear~~ done
MSF Class Scheduled (THIS WEEKEND!!!!)
watch motorcycle YouTube videos ad nauseum (in process)
~~Research Beginner Motorcycles~~ done
Get license
~~Get Bike~~ done (see details below)
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Ski season is over and I have a sad. What can I do to make Spring and Summer as great as Winter? Learn to ride a motorcycle? YES!

So I got on Ken’s brand new bike. Wasn’t the crash and burn that one might expect. I did drop it but I didn’t die. So, on to class I go!

I finished class today and I should have a brand-new motorcycle endorsement for my driver’s license. If I wasn’t so hard!!!! (said in the whiniest of voices). So I didn’t take the final test. I need to practice more. I do have a permit and miles of VT roads to practice on. Let the fun begin!

July 1, 2021

I passed my test!

My First Mosaic

Wooden Plate Mosaic

Not finished yet. Still waiting for the grout.

So many colors to choose from. These are glass pieces. I want to try different tiles; ceramic, stone, porcelain.

I didn’t expect to need nippers etc but apparently they are needed.

Hoping to finish the project tomorrow!

Sprucing Up the Yard

Last spring Stephanie came up with a plan to enhance the front yard by starting some flower gardens. She spent several weeks preparing the flower beds and picking out just the right flowers that can thrive in the challenging environment of our front yard.

So she was understandably very happy when the flowers she planted last spring came back and bloomed in mid-April this year.

These 2 areas are located right along the path towards our house so when visitors arrive their eyes should be drawn to these beautifully colorful areas and away from the general mess of the other 1.55 acres of land. It isn’t that the land is messy, most of it just looks like undisturbed rain forests.

It is just impossible to walk past these areas without being drawn into these brightly beaming lawn ornaments.

Texas Falls

Last weekend we found the most amazing natural water falls within 10 miles of our house. We went back today to try the 1.2 mile hike around the area.

The hike was a lot harder than we expected as it was rated “easy”. Apparently “easy” means something different in hiking terminology. It was a really nice hike though and we both had a really good time. There is actually a great endorphin rush that you feel typically at the end of a hike through these beautiful areas. We will probably go back again when we have company as it is so conveniently close and so easy to just walk up and take pictures of the falls. The water looks beautiful but swimming is prohibited in the area. At first this seems like a bit of a drag because the water is crystal clear and has carved out mysterious looking

caves under the rocks. They naturally inspire you to want to jump down and explore them but after closer observation it soon becomes obvious why they prohibit people from doing just that. The only way to get down to the water would be to jump from one of the rocks above – about a 50 foot drop straight down into ice cold water. The real problem then would be “how do you get back out?” The best way would be to climb a rope back up to the top of the rocks but not very many people can pull their own body weight up a 50 foot rope and would be even harder after spending any amount of time in the frigid water. I would guess that there have been some tragic incidents in this water hole in the past. They still allow you to walk on the rocks around the top which is quite exhilarating.

Ski Season Has Begun

Sugarbush officially opened for the season on November 23. It was a Saturday and we were among the first people to get there just before 9:00am. It was probably because there were only 2 lifts running and 7 slopes open that there were not a lot of people there. There was also not much snow on the slopes as we have only had a couple of light snowfalls so far. They had been making snow for a couple of weeks and did a good job spreading it out over the 3 slopes so we were excited to ski whatever was available. It also seemed like a good idea to just get the first day over with as that is the day where we would be getting our bearings back.

I wasn’t expecting much but was happy to be dusting off our equipment. Stephanie, on the other hand, said she had trouble sleeping the night before because she was so anxious to get on the slopes.

We did have a good day but we did not last even a full three hours. Steph had to rent equipment and it was hurting her feet too much. I was exhausted after 2 runs down a big slope called Spring Fling. So after just a few runs we called it a day and headed home.

Made it back on December 1 and the results were much better this time. I had much more energy and skiing with more confidence so it was less painful on my legs. Stephanie had found some used skis on Craigslist a few days earlier and was trying those out for the first time with some older boots she had. She definitely looked better and after her third run down was skiing with confidence and going a little faster each time down.

Halloween in Rochester

We had heard a couple different people mention that there would be a Halloween party at Doc’s Tavern. I imagined this would be a handful of people dressed up and hanging out at the bar for a few drinks on Halloween. We agreed this would be a nice ice-breaker kind of environment to meet some more of the locals so we came up with some simple costumes using clothing that we had. Stephanie dressed up as a hippy and I dressed up as one of the Hanson brothers using a Chiefs jersey that I had.

We were amazed at how many people actually did show up on Halloween and at how much the bar had done to prepare for it. There were lots of decorations as well as a DJ playing music. There was even a rum punch drink special.

This all made for a very entertaining evening. Even the bartenders dog was dressed in a costume.

While it was very exciting to see that Rochester has an active night-life, we felt a bit out of touch as most of the people there were a good bit younger than us. We did get to meet the bar’s owners who joined in the fun towards the end of the night. They insisted on getting our picture and then there was a quick judging of the costumes and awards were given out for some of the better ones.

As we headed home afterwards I realized that while the crowd may have made us feel old, at least there is a night-life in Rochester and we are not living in a typical boring, backwater town but more of a lively town near a ski resort.

First Sign of Snow

It’s not a lot but we were very excited to see that it was snowing on the third week of October. Good sign that we are going to get plenty of snow this winter.

That is what we moved here for and are excited about but at the same time we are kind of hoping that it doesn’t turn into winter just yet because we have a number of outdoor projects we need to complete before we are ready for the winter to set in.

First, we need to evict the squirrel that is living inside the wall of our house. We found a hole in the roof where he is getting in and plan to nail a piece of wood over it. Then there is the concern that the squirrel will be stuck inside the wall and die and we will have to smell his rotting corpse.

We are also trying to cut up the dead trees that are laying on the ground and gather up the wood either for firewood or to use in a wood project. We have decided that we should try to make use of the abundance of free wood around the house and learn how to make it useful.

Stephanie made Halloween decorations out of a few pieces and we have cut many more to use for different projects. We are starting with simple things like a coffee table and a bookshelf.

Chaffee Falls

On Sunday we set out on another hike hoping it would be as invigorating as last weekend’s hike. I found Chaffee Falls as a hike that was less than 30 minutes from the house. We loaded a backpack and put Bob in the car and headed out.

Actually enjoyed going over what to put in our backpack and hoping it will be loaded with useful items a year from now after we have completed more than 50 hikes and will no doubt learn more and more about what you might need when hiking through the wilderness and facing unpredictable challenges that mother nature can turn on you.

This particular hike was a mile and a half rough and described as mostly easy with just a couple steep sections in it. Fortunately, we took the easy route to the top of the hill and had to climb down the tough sections which was probably much better than having to climb up them.

At any rate it seems that we have found a new hobby. Each weekend we plan to pick a new trail for a short exercise-filled adventure.

Exercise

Every day when we are done working it is impossible to resist the urge to go outside and enjoy our surroundings. Whether it is just taking pictures of the view:

going for a hike around the pond:

or working around the house:

it is just a joy to be outside as much as possible.

Even in the mornings when it is 44 degrees I am eager to jump out of bed and take the pups for a walk up the hill and watch the sunrise.

It is no wonder that there are so few indoor gyms in this state as it is quite easy to get all the exercise we need

Festivals and Craft Fairs

Labor day weekend was a never-ending string of craft fairs, flea markets, and yard sales all along route 100. I drove 31 miles from Rochester to Waitsfield and stopped at 5 such markets.

While this is one of the things we really enjoy about living in Vermont it may also be a problem because I spent over $150 in less than 3 hours at these events.

Whether we are buying gifts for family or just more art for the house we are constantly tempted by these events every time we leave the house.

Last Sunday we went to an art festival in Woodstock where we were not in danger of buying anything because the average price of the art work on display was around $1500.

At the Rochester Harvest Fair, however, we donated money to multiple charities and purchased hand-made clothing and foods. It was hard to say no because everyone we meet is so friendly and excited to welcome us to the neighborhood.