Monday, December 15, 2008

Ski Season!

First run! on TwitPicWe didn't arrive until Saturday afternoon, which was a great excuse not to be productive or cook but just to chill out and ski. In our absence we had a freezing water pipe accident, but by the time we arrived on Saturday, Bill, our trusty neighbor, had not only fixed the pipes, but rerouted and insulated some problem areas. Each year we are making little improvements.

After a Saturday evening of pizza dinner and scrabble, Sunday we had our first outing and the skiing was fantastic. You can tell it is the beginning of the season because we were out of the house by 8:15am. Clarke talked me into trying the "Silver Glades", some moguls, AND a jump (which landed me on my a**) The crowds have not arrived, yet. The weather was mild. We all had shaking legs at the end of the day and the boys snoozed on the way home while I belted out Christmas music to keep myself awake. Worth all the effort!

We will be back up at some point during the holidays.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sedation

It is more than calm that takes over at the barn. I literally feel like i enter a different state. Oscar and I woke up early and walked the "estate". We made pancakes, ran errands (Clarke got an awesome ski jacket at the Saranac Lake ski club used ski sale), went bowling ($3 per game!), and arrived back early afternoon to make a fire, warm some cider, switch on NPR and do some reading. The boys did their homework. I made roast turkey, mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner and then we played Risk. I raged through 4 loads of laundry, and started my Christmas list. All in all, it seemed like a pretty busy day but again, I was sort of happily, slowly going from activity to activity in a lovely, calm fog. Do you think there is some sort of carbon monoxide leak? Or is it brain space?

The weather was "eh." Too warm and rainy. We are ready ready ready for the snow! The boys may be up there for Thanksgiving and we will all be back the weekend after, hopefully putting up a Christmas tree and SKIING.

We are back in Brooklyn and Oscar has asked that we also get a Brooklyn tree and decorate it in Brooklyn style. I am considering hanging replica slices and Uncle Louie's containers. Any other ideas?

Friday, November 7, 2008

Whoah

It's November in the Adirondacks, and I am in a tank top swatting flies. What is wrong with this picture?

Anyway, trip up was peaceful and lovely...but longer than I remembered. Have to get back in the groove again. My plan was to bake all the chicken pieces in my fridge and the boys could munch on delicious oven-baked, coated chicken, raw carrots, and wine sap apples...but then a friend, who was long overdue for a catch-up, showed up unexpectedly in Brooklyn from the far away land of Manhattan and all that healthy, nutritious prep was dropped in lieu of ladies brunch at Sweet Melissa. See. I haven't posted for awhile but not much has changed. We are still flying by the seat of our pants. The boys and I stopped at the lovely Malta Diner instead. The diner was fine but the city planning folks of Malta must have been on crack when they designed the off road from the highway -these crazy traffic circles everywhere a la London. "Look kids Malta Diner. Look kids Malta Diner"

We arrived in time for Jenga, Shut the Box and then shut off the lights and go to bed while mom blogs. More tomorrow!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

One Week?

So Saranac Lake, you couldn't wait one week before you started Winter Wonderland 2008-2009 Edition? When I saw the picture of our yard from Wednesday, I literally gasped. Too exciting. The boys and I are heading up next week to get ready for our winter fun. The picture also prompted me to call our trusty neighbor Bill to inquire if he has found any firewood. Anyone know a good source?

For this week, we will enjoy our first Halloween in Brooklyn...yo. I'll try to take some pictures but um...I can't seem to find my camera after my move. Sigh. Not so important as the costumes are pretty uninspired. Clarke rejected my Todd Palin and Bloodied Banker idea and Oscar just wanted The Joker. Each year I get a little less inspired for this damn holiday. I'm waiting for the kids to kind of get over it? Is that wrong? I'll happily move on to the real holidays coming up.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Pondering

Thanks to all for your nudges, and hellos, and emails. Well, it is very tempting to get into great detail about the reasons why I haven't been blogging, because it might make the 46er Stickler (OCD?) commenter feel terrible about being so petty when life is about so much more...but I won't. Suffice to say, life has gotten a lot more complicated lately and everytime I go to post, I feel odd leaving out details, and I have no desire to make my nice family blog into something else.

Also we haven't been getting to the barn very often which makes me incredibly sad. I can't believe I haven't been to Tuckers Taters for the corn maze; I can't believe Oscar chose not to have his party there this year; i can't believe I missed the fall color.

HOWEVER, I now have a bit of mind space to figure out how to schedule in our regular trips again, and am determined to take a trip in November and then of course, SKI SEASON!

I am not going to post until we get back up there but I think I will be ready soon. Thanks again, everyone.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Helloooo??

Yikes, it's been a long time! Boys have been up at the barn with their dad and I've tried to convince them to blog about their epic climb of McKenzie Mountain (!). Not bad, eh? Alas, they couldn't be bothered but trust that they are having a great summer. Now, I am back and getting a plan for the rest of our week. Seems like today will be a nice one and we will be visiting our lovely friends Angus and Linnea on lovely Rainbow Lake. Stay tuned!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Survivor! Cousin Fest 2008

Boys in bed, laundry done, dishes done, mother's special medicine poured (of the red variety), rest of house sorta disaster area...but we will let others worry about that. We ruled the Adirondacks. Truly, having 4 genuinely nice boys who get along great is easier than 2 sometimes. They paired off, had enough for cards, baseball etc. I was laissez-faire on cleanliness and nutrition, to say the least. They slept in tents for 3 straight nights and as they cleaned up the tent this evening, I was fairly horrified at the debris that was hauled back. C'est la vie. I would kinda remember once in awhile that i hadn't seen any teeth brushing and would remind, or could convince one or two at a sitting to wash themselves. Other than that, it was a herd mentality. I'll let the pictures speak.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Cousin Fest Day Three

Indeed there were tired boys this morning. I heard murmurings of prank calls, streaking, whipped cream consumption.... I decided to not ruin my life by forcing a hike and allowed them a lazy wiffle ball morning. After that, we decided to finally go for it and do the bobsled run, which we have talked about everytime the Fabulous Bower Boys visit. We then tackled some mountain biking at High Peaks at Mt. Hoevenberg. Pizza for dinner, Starsky & Hutch and now back to the tents!

Cousin Fest Day Two

Rainy day yesterday. We started the day at Blue Moon ( god I love that place) and then i dropped boys at Wall-E while I did grocery run. I asked the teenager at cash register if I had enough junk food to last the week with 4 boys. He literally scoffed and rolled his eyes "em....no....". The amount of food being consumed is fairly alarming I must say. I am not used to things like entire blocks of cheese, gallons of milk, pounds of lunch meat just disappearing in one sitting!

For rest of the day, we made it to Donnelly's (finally!) and back to house for evening hors d'oeuvres and wiffle ball. Because the weather was so conducive, I roasted a turkey for dinner and watched in wonder...

The boys decided to sleep outside in tents and have just arrived back at house, looking like there was not a lot of sleeping but a lot of frivolity. We are supposed to hike today so let's see if they can pull it off.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Cousin Fest Day One

The boys were fabulously patient with me as I attended to some business today before our fun began. We headed to Wilmington Falls, to our favorite swimming hole. While the Bower Boys were fit to be tied that I (and their mother via cell) would not let them jump from highest ledge, everyone had a fabulous time. And then of course, it was time for ribs and excruciatingly painful live music (no Blues Noir on Tuesdays I guess.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Mea Culpa

Yes yes, I really am here. I went back to NYC yesterday to pick up my boys and the fabulous Bower Boys and now we have arrived back, after surviving a car break down and a puking cat. But we are here, damnit. The boys jumped from the car and just started running around the property. Within seconds, the basketball was out, the flashlights were out. Heaven. Now, Goonies is on the big screen upstairs and the root beer has been poured.
The best is that for the last 2 hours, all they have done is reminisce about the fabulous times they have had here. This is what I dream about when I dream about the barn. We've only owned it for a coupla years and the memories for them are deep and rich. Christmas and skiing, and hiking, and ice cream... I hope that whatever else they remember about these years, they will understand that I have done everything I can do to make this place magic for them.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

You and Me Both

So I had anticipated great tails of outdoorsiness to share but unfortunately, my client, who I was officially finished with on Friday, thought otherwise. I have another 2 week engagement with them and have been tied to the computer and excel. Nevertheless, not too shabby working with the windows open, in a barn. I am running out right now to Hot House (is that the name? I always forget.) to see about some flowers. I have gotten a few good runs in. Man, I had forgotten what it's like to run hills. Lil ol' McKenzie Pond Rd. is kicking my butt. Other than that, hermitville around here - I haven't even had Donnelly's yet (!)

Monday, June 30, 2008

The Saranac Lake Hillbillies

I know it had been awhile since we've been to the barn, and those April -June months are pretty dramatic, but when I pulled up to the barn, I was fairly horrified at the state of affairs. Grass a foot tall, trees down, weeds where there was supposed to be a garden, a random garbage bag on side of house, wheelbarrow askew, fire pit full of debris. Being solo on this trip, I was more than a little intimidated but am tackling a bit at a time.
The storm here was very dramatic and most are sure there was some sort of tornado-type event. I guess we were lucky but we have a few trees to deal with. As much as I am tempted to grab the chain saw, I decided to call Dave the neighbor, who I think was born with a chain saw in his hands (Bill the neighbor calls the sound of chainsaws "Tupper Lake Mating Music"). I tackled most of the lawn, before the rains came again and am now pulling weeds in hopes of planting something. Given the insanity of these last months, I am letting go of my vegetable dream garden and am just going to enjoy a little color and a few herbs. If i need a real garden fix, i'll walk down to Dave and Joanne's..not a garden....small farm?

I am enjoying the solitude and the quiet...and the wine. I now know with certainty that I could happily be a hermit if I could get good coffee and wine delivery. I will need to remember this zen-like state, as next week I will have four boys here. Yikes!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Shhhh

Perhaps because we live, essentially, in Times Square, any activity which I can enjoy without sharing it with 5,000 people, instantly becomes 5x more fabulous. For today's trip to Sandy Hook, I was giddy beyond all reason. Weekday+ marginal weather + good luck meant a day of quiet and very few people. The day didn't start super, as the ferry company canceled the 8:50 ferry. Clarke was murderous that his first day of vacation he could have slept longer. We waited patiently for 10am and then began to realize that the morning fog was not going to clear up and it would probably be rainy most of the day. Undeterred, we decided to go for it.
The ferry to Sandy Hook is not cheap but it is one of my favorite things to do when we need a city break. The round trip is $43 per ticket but kids ride free on the weekdays. You board right at E. 35th and East River. The trip down the East River into the ocean is lovely and not too crowded (today on the way home we literally had the entire ferry to ourselves!) Today we were also treated to the first day of Eliasson's waterfall exhibit!!

We always sit outside on the top deck. The ferry drops you off at this odd historic army base, where there is a school bus waiting to whisk you away to any number of bird sanctuaries, nature preserve, beaches etc. We normally just walk to the closest beach but opted to take the bus to the main beach today, in case we needed shelter. From there, you just enjoy pristine beach, low-key atmosphere, few people and you just make your way back to bus when you are ready to take ferry home. Heaven.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Excitement in the Air

Today is the boys' last day of school. Officially, they have a half day tomorrow but I am philosophically opposed to that waste of time. Each year, I plan a surprise outing for them. Years past have included: Fire Island, water parks, speed boat rides, sailboat, rented convertibles. This year I had planned a white water rafting trip but our schedules are a bit curflooey so we are settling for a day at Sandy Hook beach. You jump on a ferry right on the Hudson and it drops you at this amazing beach; you can see the Manhattan skyline but it is clean and lovely. After that, the boys head to NJ to hang with their grandpa and dad for a week while I head to the barn, to ready for the summer. I am just obsessing, laying in bed making my lists: "Need to canoe right away!" "Is black fly season over?" "Which 46er should we tackle?" "Need to learn how to work propane stove for camping." "Need to see if Wednesday trail runs are on at Hovenburg." "Casa Del Sol!" "Are the blueberries ripe" and so on and so on. 2 More Days!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Behind the Music

One of my favorite things is to sneak up on Clarke while he is knee deep in his music. You can tell the exact moment when he becomes aware I am shooting...

Brooklyn

So 46er Family 2.0 is looking at some new city digs. We decided that it was high time that we included Brooklyn in our search. Enjoy a few shots of the scene. No, that is not a staged shot; we enjoyed the entire trip from midtown Manhattan to Brooklyn in our own private subway car. There was also gymnastics and some relay racing.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Feeding the Beast

Just until I can continue with my ADK waterfall fetish at Split Rock Falls. Look what NYC has come up with.
Very exciting. I will try not to jump in

Monday, June 9, 2008

Outing Interrupted

So this was going to be photos of an exhibit at MOMA and a sundry collection of street shots but, thanks to some boy antics, we only made it through a few streets of Puerto Rican Day Festival. Here's some flavor.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Looongest Month

Who wants school over more, me or the boys? I am so sick of homework and books and teachers' dirty looks. We still have 3 more weeks. We need air and mountain and water and sky. Hmmm, I sure wish I could travel to some place like that -beautiful and alive with great people. HA! We can't wait to be there! We may have to just pull off at Split Rock Falls and jump in on the way to the barn. I am dying to cut wildflowers for the table, and sit at the picnic table in the early morning and watch the dew burn off. I want to hear the loons and only hear the sound of my canoe paddle on a quiet pond. I want to look at the stars and watch the boys scamper over rocks. I want that exhaustion that only comes with a long, hard hike in the sun, where you can barely walk back to the house. I want that kind of sleep that only comes at the barn.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

I Like New York in June

A spectacular day in Central Park with the boys. As usual, Oscar took control 'o the camera.



Sidenote to the Mitchell clan: do these look like authentic smiles? Because they are. :-)

Monday, May 26, 2008

News flash

Hanging out with two 14 year old boys for the weekend is tons of fun. Because they are two 14 year old boys, the weekend did seem to revolve around procuring food items but we managed to weave in lots of other fun. Colin is the cousin who can have fun locked in a closet. He's the cousin who gets along with all. Colin is the cousin who tries to place the exact taste in the tabbouleh that is so yummy. We agree he should live in the city with us, but alas, he must return to the wilds of Pennsylvania but were so glad he was here. The boys had a great time. I even managed to get rid of 20 fresh direct boxes when last night we sent them on a mission, under cover of darkness to bring them into a demo dumpster down the street. They loved the adventure and I cleared my hallway. I call that a win win

Clarke rocked the auditions. Yeah yeah, of course was proud but i feel that's all I've been typing these days so I'll spare you the maudlin details. We find out end of June, but that's almost besides the point, right?

Here's another newsflash. NY tourism is alive and well. Holy cats were the crowds insane. Here are a few pics of our heroes.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Torn

There is nothing better than Memorial Day weekend at the barn. I remember last year, spending all weekend in the garden, and cooking out and a morning hike. Just a hint of the wonder that is to come. Alas, this year I am in the city. Clarke has his final audition for Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center and Oscar and his dad decided to head to the barn. There are, as always, a few silver linings here in the urban jungle. My sister and beloved Colin (AKA Boo) are coming into town to celebrate Boo's 14th birthday. I am planning our weekend of fun and frivolity with our teenagers. Too bad we can't hit CBGB anymore! ;-)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Running Errands

NYC style. Started my day at Oscar's Greenwich Village Little League game and luckily had my camera with me as I trounced through lower Manhattan running errands. My favorites were the Free Hug guys in Union Square(who ended up getting harassed by Parks security?!)and the awesome Guatemalan dancers. Enjoy

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Accomplice!

Just arrived back from our outing at Accomplice NY. Improv, meets street theater, meets walking tour of some of lower Manhattan. The boys were giddy with the surprises and the characters and the mystery solving. We had a great group and a great time. The boys loved being the NYC experts, helping the group along in finding the right spots.

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing I were at the barn having breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe, taking a Mother's Day paddle, followed by massage at Balanced Bodyworks. Here in the city, we are heading to brunch at Half King, followed by a crazy adventure called Accomplice. I'll let you read for yourself but it comes highly recommended. We'll take pics.
Imagine an Accomplice ADK. Now that would be an adventure!

Monday, May 5, 2008

From Seeds?

Too late? Can i still start them? Cmon ADK gardeners what to do. If i don't use the seeds this year, I can save them till next, right? I am coming clean with my limited knowledge of this seed world but want to give it a try. a

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Too much!


I just dropped off Clarke at his first bar mitzvah celebration. He had a new outfit, new shoes (he was already limping when I dropped him off -yikes), gel in his hair, and a nervous laugh. He never looked more grown up or handsome. He refused to let me take his picture on the street so I snuck my camera into the taxi and he reluctantly allowed it.
I just couldn't stop looking at him. When did he become this mini man? I want to tell him so much and protect him from so much. I want him to understand what it means to be a man...and what doesn't. I want him to be a person of integrity. I want him to love fully, not as a way to stroke his own ego or prop himself up, but as a way to transcend himself. I want him to face his challenges. I want him to appreciate his life, and not take anything or anyone for granted.

Tonight, I will settle for him just having a great time on his first real teenager night.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Stop theWhiteface News

I'm really trying to plan my summer and all i keep reading about is the most excellent ski season that awaits us after the summer. This must stop. I need a summer music calendar , the summer yoga schedule at InnerQuest, the new Donnelly's ice cream calendar - KIDDING- has it ever changed, the farmer's market calendar. Can't believe it's May already! Who is more excited about the end of school, the boys or i?

Oh, and for those bloggers that rsvp'd for Bloggers at the Barn. My apologies on the cancellation. Rest assured it will be rescheduled.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Really tough to leave

This week was too needed and too fast. Today I puttered around the garden, raked, hauled some blown down trees, picked up debris and generally basked. The boys played golf, baseball, soccer. We visited at our neighbors and walked around the lanes. We ended our stay with dinner at Casa Del Sol, a family favorite. Sounding like a broken record but never meaning it more - this place speaks to my soul.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Do if for the Blog!

We'll start at the end of the story. The final leg of our famous Waterfall Hike involved a very precarious climb to Rainbow Falls. We were on a ledge with snow up to our thighs. It was slippery and our feet were soaked. I thought it might be a bad idea to continue until Oscar said "do it for the blog, mom". So I succumbed to peer pressure from my nine year old and we continued, making it another hundred feet to see Rainbow Falls in all of its spring glory - even felt the spray. We tried to get even closer but Oscar slipped (per Oscar "and almost died"), and we decided that we had made the most of the day.


The weather was perfect for the hike, and this was one of our favorites from last year. Unfortunately, both West River Trail and East River Trail were closed because of significant snow. We didn't have our snow shoes and might have soldiered on despite the warning but I do remember there was a lot of narrow climbing and the ranger looked alarmed when I hesitated. We then decided it was our first hike in awhile and it would be ok to just take the Lake Road. This would mean we'd miss all the falls, except the grand daddy Rainbow. We hiked for about 4 miles and reached the Lower Ausable Lake Dam. The boys took their shirts off and dived into snow banks. We let our socks dry out and hung on the rocks for awhile, before our fateful decision to climb the rest to Rainbow.

The way back was easy peasy, mostly downhill. We had some Naan for sustenance. The boys passed the trail for their all-time favorite mountain..Nippletop. The giggling lasted for about a half mile. We probably hiked around 9 miles total, a great first outing. The boys came back and had brownies and we had ginger flank steak and sugar snap peas for dinner. A great escape.

** pix shot with my bberry. excuse quality

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Late Breaking News

Clarke Williams has made it to the next and final round of auditions for Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center. Cmon, you knew he would, right? If you'd like to send him a congratulatory email, he can be found at clarke.williams1@gmail.com

Monday, April 21, 2008

Renewal

Shocking change of affairs since I last wrote from the barn... Among other things, winter has gone away completely. To think skiing was two weeks ago. Sometimes it felt like it was going to stay here forever, the fun and the joy but I have to remember it was also damn cold a lot of of the time. It was hard to contend with the elusive chill. I won't miss that.

It is 70 degrees and sunny, the frogs have been busy and we have at least 20 new frogs in the pond. The neighbors have arrived to show off new chicks and new maple syrup. The pigs arrive next week at Dave and Joanne's. I am walking the land, looking for the first signs of my blackberry bushes and my few perennials. We brought the canoes out of the shed and are even thinking about taking a quick paddle.

We are here and we are letting the sun warm our faces, looking up to the mountains, and getting ready for renewal.

I know this summer will entail the best of last year but i also anticipate discovering new adventures of 46er Family 2.0. Stay tuned.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Calling all ADK Bloggers!

Based on a great idea from City Mouse/Country House, we are inviting all our favorite ADK bloggers to "Bloggers in the Barn Happy Hour" April 26th, 4pm - 6pm.

  • Stop by
  • Stay awhile
  • Have a drink and nibbles
  • Bring your significant other and/or kids and/or free-roaming dog
  • Entertainment provided by our stereo and loud children
RSVP to bridgetwi@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Skiing the High Peaks

Great article about back-country skiing. Does this sound like heaven or what? Open invitation to Mike Lynch: How about teaching a family of city slickers the back-country ropes? A sumptuous dinner of your choosing will be awaiting upon descent?

In Marcy’s shadow ... a trek up Phelps Mountain

By Mike Lynch, Enterprise Outdoor Writer

Posted on: Saturday, April 5, 2008

Because of its location, the trail to Phelps Mountain is likely bypassed by hikers and skiers as much as any in the Adirondacks.

The final trailhead to Phelps Mountain is located about a mile north of Marcy Dam on the way to Mount Marcy, a popular destination because its New York state’s highest peak at 5,344 feet.

But on Saturday, the last weekend in March, four of us — Saranac Lake residents Jeff Oehler, Sue Bibeau and Phil Brown — bypassed the opportunity to ascend Mount Marcy. Instead we skinned our way to the summit of Phelps Mountain.

The original plan called for a fifth skier to join our party, but he decided to ski in the southern Adirondacks, perhaps he was also not interested by the prospect of skiing in Mt. Marcy’s shadow.

At 4,161 feet, Phelps is one of the 46 High Peaks, but it is a relatively easy climb compared to some other high peaks. It is the 32nd highest peak.

From the start of the trailhead at Adirondack Loj, it is 3.2 miles to the Phelps Mountain trailhead. From there, it is another one mile to the summit.

Phelps Mountain is named after a man — the legendary 19th-Century guide Orson Schofield Phelps — who may have never climbed the mountain.

“Phelps ... cut the first trail up Mt. Marcy and over the years guided many parties to its summit,” states the Adirondack Mountain Club’s trail guide to the High Peaks Region. “It is thus fitting that this peak, whose view is so dominated by Mt. Marcy is named after Phelps, even though he probably never climbed the peak himself.”



The trip

Prior to the trip, we were cautiously optimistic. The temperatures had fluctuated recently, spending plenty of time above and below the freezing mark.

“I heard the backcountry is icy,” Jeff said as we stood in the Adirondack Loj parking lot.

The Van Hoevenberg trail — which we took from the Adirondack Loj to Marcy Dam — was packed down by skiers and snowshoers, though it was definitely soft enough to ski.

It was also relatively warm at the lower elevations. After one mile — at the turnoff to Wright and Algonquin Peaks — we shed our first layer. (Toward the top, where temperatures were well below freezing, it would return.)

After about another mile, we arrived at Marcy Dam, where a half dozen skiers stood on the bridge admiring the view. They were headed to Mount Marcy.

Looking across the water from Marcy Dam, the sky was a crisp dark blue. The slides on Wright Peak were visible.

Phil tried to convince us to ski the slide on Wright Peak but we stuck to our original plan.

After a short break, we continued up the trail, turning left at the fork shortly after Marcy Dam. This trail leads to Mount Marcy and Phelps Mountain.

Along the way, as we would throughout the day, we ran into numerous people snowshoeing.

At one point, we stopped to talk to a group of about 10 Canadians headed to the summit of Mount Marcy. Only one of them — who happened to be dressed in a ridiculously colorful outfit — wore skis, narrow ones at that.

Phil wondered out loud how he would ski down Marcy with such skinny skis. He responded that he had been on the mountain in them numerous times before.

“I fall a lot,” said the man.

Before long, we were at the bottom of the trail to the summit of Phelps Mountain.

Up until this point, we had managed to ski the uphill sections without our skins. The scales or wax had been enough to overcome the steep parts.

From here, we would need skins. The majority of this one-mile climb is steep.

After putting on the skins, we headed up the hill. About half way up, after finishing one particularly difficult section where I had to sidestep, I headed around a sharp corner. There was a snowshoer sliding down the trail on her backside.

I moved off to the left of the trail and she slid by. Several of her friends followed. They were upright.

As we neared the summit, views of the surrounding mountains — The McIntyre Range, Marcy and others — became visible over the tops of spruce and balsam fir trees lining the trail. We were now stopping often to look around.

As distant scenery became increasing spectacular, we ran into a man snowshoeing down the hill. He informed us we were about 10 minutes from the summit.

Finally, when we reached the top, Phil remarked that Bob Marshall, the first person to climb all 46 high peaks, hadn’t enjoyed his time on this mountain.

Brown would know. He edited “Bob Marshall in the Adirondacks: Writings of a Pioneering Peak Bagger, Pond-Hopper and Wilderness Preservationist.”

Marshall wrote the first trail guide for the Adirondack Mountain Club, “The High Peaks of the Adirondacks,” published in 1922. By the time, Marshall climbed Phelps, much of its surrounding forest had been logged and then burned.

“I climbed this mountain one dark afternoon from South Meadows,” wrote Marshall. “I never enjoyed climbing a mountain so little. There were hours of pushing through terrible fire slash, working up slides and walking logs. Fortunately old lumber roads led up as far as South Meadows Mountain.

“A view over miles of ugly slash toward Heart Pond and a glimpse through the second growth toward Marcy Brook are all one can see from the summit.”

But that was hardly what we found. Instead, on the summit, we discovered an open clearing with great views.

We weren’t alone. A couple from Wilmington, Dela., who were staying in nearby Wilmington, had snowshoed to the top and were equally impressed.

As we ate lunch, the conversation steered toward a man who calls himself Pin Pin Junior. He is a Canadian who has reportedly climbed all 46 high peaks more than 70 times. The Wilmington man had encountered him on one of his trips.

Maybe they should name a mountain after him, perhaps, this one and give Phelps a different mountain. That would have suited the historic trail guide writers.

“It is a misfortune, amounting to an injustice, that the name of Old Mountain Phelps, the great Keene Valley guide, who himself named so many of the mountains, was given to the unimportant peak in North Elba on the opposite side of the range from the locality where he achieved fame,” wrote Russell M.L. Carson in “Peaks and People of the Adirondacks,” published in 1927.

But Phelps would have enjoyed this day had he skied.

Now resuming our trip, we headed off the trail for the descent, making our way through untracked powder more than a foot deep. Beneath the powder were several more feet of snow. High on the mountain, trail markers had been just a foot off the ground. Before long, Jeff fell into a spruce tree hole, burying himself up to his waist in snow.

We hadn’t found any of the ice that we had been concerned about, and we were told later Mount Marcy was just the opposite at the top. Its icy glare shimmered in the afternoon sun, warning skiers to stay away.

Making our way through the trees, we skied on a horizontal slope for the first several hundred yards or more.

Eventually, we found a section where the birches ran through the middle of the thick patches of spruces and balsam firs. We were headed toward Pelkey Basin, which would put out on the Marcy Dam Truck Trail.

The descent was fast and open, with the birches two to 20 feet apart. There was some, but not much, blowdown.

The snow was untouched and deep.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

I Love New York in April















75 degrees and sunny. The city was on fire today. The sidewalk cafes were teeming, Union Square had about 784,000 hipsters with guitars, the skateboards were flying, and Frappucinos were ubiquitous. Clarke and I had a nice walk through Greenwich Village/Chelsea to pick up Oscar. Here are a few pics of Union Square with the daily chess matches.

Mad Hot Ballroom

For those that have seen the movie, you know that the ballroom dancing program in the New York City public schools is one of the gems of the school system. I've never successfully made it through a program without crying, much to the chagrin of my boys. I have fond memories of Clarke teaching me to fox trot in 5th grade. Today was the first competition, held at Oscar's school. Oscar's school won't be competing until June but just the same, we were spellbound. I didn't have a camera but couldn't help myself from pulling out my blackberry camera and snapping madly along with the parents. It makes me feel lucky and proud to live here. P.s. The program is founded and directed by the wonderful Pierre Dulaine, who in my opinion, is a superhero. With apologies for the picture quality, enjoy!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Warning! Warning!

As we are city-bound these next weeks due to Little League season, fair warning to our ADK enthusiast friends, that these posts will be decidedly urban, un-urbane, and jam packed with trivial family life! Boy, I'm yawning just posting this. I promise I will try my darnedest to spice it up and I will be blogging about my gardening and canoe trip plans. We will be barn-bound for spring break at the end of April, though. Can't wait!!

In the meantime, enjoy our latest family addiction. I'm trying to find a way to embed but until then.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Small Fish, Big Pond

I love the idea that there are a million other people in this city doing what we do, passionate about our passions, and many are smarter, faster, younger, wiser(insert adjective of your choice here) than us. The thing with NYC is the constant inspiration and constant humbling. Our hero Clarke learned a lesson about that yesterday, as he auditioned for the Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center. He is a fantastic guitarist, true talent. He is dedicated. He is creative. And in NYC, there are many others like him. It's truly inspiring -really cool kids - but for a 13 year old, it could be tough. Not Clarke - he was brave, did a great job, and was very "chill" about it all. We should hear results in 2 weeks but I thought it was cool when one of the Lincoln Center musicians punched him on the arm on the way out and said "awesome playing". Whether he gets in or not, hanging out with the best of the best is pretty neat. We are very proud.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Ski We Did

And it was tremendous.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

It's Settled

We will ski one final time this weekend. Broken cars, ice storms, work, budget, locusts be damned because The Williams Family Is Skiing This Weekend. And then, we will start working on the house for spring. We Promise.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Papalpalooza

My brother-in-law has been living a lie. Through his years of loyal attendance at Sunday mass, volunteer work, charitable donations, sacrifice to send his kids to catholic grade schools/high schools, various sacrament parties etc., he was living among us...but not one of us. GASP. Well, unless you paid close attention at communion time, boy, you'd never know it. He's been a better Catholic than me since I have know him. My sister's family is the type of Catholic that give Catholics a good name: knowlegeable about the faith, open-minded and willing to discuss, charitable, socially conscious and kind. And they have a healthy(some may say irreverent but not me)sense of humor about it all, which is why we descended upon Carlisle PA, for "Papalpalooza." - Doug made it official, with my sister as his sponsor and his 3 boys serving the Easter vigil mass. Welcome to the club Doug!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

I'd love to blog more

...but with all my trysts with hookers, and dating multiple side "partners" using area budget hotels, i just can't find the time. You know how we New Yorkers roll. I need to get back to my extortion and nefarious money transfers now but I'll try to post later.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

And Just Like That...

Summer is scheduled, mostly around the barn of course. We have a shore vacation with Joe's great family, then the Beloved Bower Boys come to the barn, then some friends from the city join us at the barn, then we visit my brother and his family in Cape Cod, then the Carter/Edmunds Milwaukee consortium is in town, then we descend upon my mom in Cleveland, and then off to a western road trip, before we hit the Democratic National Convention in Denver to nominate the best candidate our party has presented in my lifetime. (If you doubt his intellect and integrity, I encourage you to watch this.)

In between this, I have to continue my consulting work and Joe has to keep saving the Democratic Party from itself.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Barn Love

We have been very clear with friends and family that we expect to the barn to be used "often by many for fun and frivolity". I believe there is something really magical that happens when you keep that philosophy front and center. Last night was a wedding celebration party for our friends Shouvik and Shay, for those of us that could not attend the festivities in India. During the night, I introduced Joe to Debbie, another friend and former co-worker who once accompanied Shouvik up to the barn for a weekend when they both really needed a getaway. Debbie than introduced us to Marcus, a friend of hers, who accompanied them that same weekend. Turns out Marcus is Swiss and new to New York and says it was the most "magical" weekend of his summer. He was really getting depressed and missing the fresh air of the mountains and he said the trip renewed him. Debbie says she thinks about that weekend all the time. Now mind you, they left at 10pm on a Friday, got lost, and arrived at the barn around 4am. They watched the sun rise, went to bed for a few hours, got up and climbed a mountain. Then, they went to Tail O the Pup for BBQ and went canoing. They woke up the next day and went home. Yes, these people are nuts. But, they get it. We get it. It brings us such pleasure to share it. We are busy planning their next round.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

More craziness

Our power went out about midnight until around 3am. Joe was heroic and kept the fire stoked and kept guard that no power lines were tangled in our ever-stooping trees. We woke up to a state of emergency declared in surrounding areas. Trees were all over the road and our car doors were iced shut, but surely we could ski, right?
We headed to Whiteface, confident, not only would we ski, but it would be tremendous. First, we found out that opening was delayed because the power company wanted Whiteface to keep lifts off for a few hours. We settled in the lodge, confident we would ski, and it would be tremendous. Then, we noticed the winds were pretty crazy. We heard talk (Joe did actually...in the men's room)of "95 mph winds" but that would die down and we could ski, right? We walked outside to look at the hill for signs of activity and noticed it was darn cold - like below zero cold, but it was morning. Surely it would warm and we would ski and it would be tremendous.
Sigh. Not to be. We are home, drinking Wildberry Zinger herbal tee. The boys sledded but Clarke ran into a tree and now they are playing each other in Power Soccer online. We know we can't come back for awhile (probably till after ski season) so this is tortuous.
Meanwhile, our Ski Magazine "spring skiing" issue arrived and I am pouring over, looking for any driveable place that we could ski in late April for the boys next break. The season can't be done yet, can it?

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Trees

I am glad I don't have my camera because I know I would just get frustrated trying to capture the scene outside our window. The freezing rain first wreaked havoc on our trees. Joe and I just took a moonlit walk and you could hear trees creaking and crashing through the woods from the weight. We saw two of our trees that we knew were in trouble felled and then had to saw through and haul a huge fallen limb from our beautiful white pine (dangerously close to our house. Note to self: call tree doctor in the spring.) Of course, it was dangerous conditions all around but tonight when it started really snowing, the effect was simply awesome. We walked through the low-hung, painted trees, with the snow just dumping down from the sky. We are now back inside and the whole kitchen smells like fresh pine from our sticky, pine, hands.

Well, that was interesting

Out of the city by 3:30 pm! Snow in the forecast! One last 2008 Whiteface Hurrah! Almost past the Catskills already! Hmmmm, battery light is on...
We were lucky. When our alternator decided to cut out, we were just past the Woodstock exit but only 1 mile from a truck parking stop. We literally coasted with low headlights for the last quarter mile and made it. Another lucky break is that while pouring rain, it was not frigid, so the 45 minute wait for the tow truck was painless: Oscar dead asleep, Clarke playing some god-awful game on his cell phone, Joe and I using our blackberries to google "geico road-side", "ny 87 map", "hotels in woodstock". We were thinking of any way to continue to Saranac Lake still, but there's a point when you just have to surrender to the fates; we were 3.5 hours away, it was pouring rain, getting dark, and our car was broken. So the tow driver was adorable and nice, the Holiday Inn - Kingston was exceptional. I mean it. I have stayed in a lot of hotels in my career - some much fancier than a Holiday Inn, and this was a really well-run hotel. The woman at the desk heard our tale, and sent us upstairs with a goody bad of toothbrushes, deodorant, extra shampoo. Our room was pristine, comfy, overlooked a creek. We ordered in some rainbow sherbet and wine and watched some half-funny Hugh Grant movie. The next day started with free breakfast buffet for the boys (they really should exclude children-boys?- over 10. It was a little embarrassing how much food was consumed). Our car was ready by 11am and then the fateful decision. Go back or forge forward... Well, of course we forged ahead. We are now at the barn, fabulous fire, Joe and I finishing the work we were going to do tomorrow afternoon so tomorrow we can ski all day! It was a weird freezing rain but now it's turning to wonderful snow. We are on our way to Casa Del Sol, our favorite, for some fun. All in, our "sidetrip" to Kingston was around the same cost of skiing today so we'll call it a wash. All's well.
PS. Except for the full-on fist fight they boys got into while sharing a bed last night. Joe and I decided to completely ignore and see how it escalated/played out. Fascinating sociological study, tortuous parental exercise. They "hugged it out" this morning.

Friday, March 7, 2008

The Mind of a 13 Year Old

7:30 am. Clarke calling from subway. "Mom, do you see my Metrocard around" Mom, scrambling frantically, "he'll be late for school...does he have money with him for subway fare...should i run to subway.....where could it be...." Mom blazes through house, roots through jeans pockets, checks garbage cans, and breathlessly returns to phone. "Clarke, I can't find it". Clarke: "oh, ok, let me look in my backpack. I didn't want to waste time looking if it was at home. Oh, here it is."

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Dar Williams!

April 18th, Lake Placid. The weekend which begins the boys spring break (!) Cue the chorus of angels. Any Dar fans going to meet me there? Dar is the personification of what Clarke calls my "strummy dummy" music. Enjoy!

Friday, February 29, 2008

Just Regular

This week began what I have now realized is months of "regular": no crazy trips planned, lots of work for both Joe and I, the routine of routine. Joe is working long hours, every day. I am trying to plan and manage my next round of consulting gigs. The boys are knee deep in school and the homework load is at its peak. We will hit the barn for a weekend or two still but then Little League begins and we don't see much of the barn until summer (and NYC schools don't start summer until the end of June!). Our weeks usually revolve around our weekends at the barn, and without that target, we are all a bit scattered and a bit out of our element.

The city is cold with none of the "joys of winter" feel that we have upstate. The street vibe feels more formidable and isolating than usual. Everyone seems a little cranky. We have seen little of our city friends and I know we need to start getting some dinners and play dates on the calendar to reconnect. We need to start some serious budgeting if I want to take the summer off again. The apartment is in need of organizing. You'd think that a big house would take more work but keeping 800 sq. ft. functioning for two adults, two kids, and one business is difficult. The lighting is feeling dark (sidenote: the new energy efficient bulbs don't help. The light casts a really bad hue and I feel like i'm in a school auditorium). It is too cold to escape to Central Park, or Chelsea Piers, or outdoor restaurants, and we are tripping over each other (especially because Clarke and most of the 7th grade appears to be grounded right now ).

The family is collectively hunkering down. All in all, I can feel a sort of melancholy creep. Still, it feels good to embrace the routine and know this is the time to tackle tasks, and jobs, and hurdles, and challenges. And then, my friends, we get back to the business of hiking the 46. I guess when you think about it, these months are pretty good mental prep for climbing. Just keep plugging along, trying to embrace the hurdles and enjoy the journey.

Monday, February 25, 2008

The Invasion of the CheeseHeads

I kept meaning to post during our extended break at the barn but with all the strenuous skiing, and eating, and drinking, and napping, you know, a girl just couldn't keep up.
First, our 13th annual Porkies Fest was a tremendous success. There were a few traveling snafus for the group (one involving Homeland Security but we won't get into that) but by Thursday evening, most everyone had arrived and we convened at the Lake Placid Brew Pub. Joe and I had never eaten there before, but a friend was enamored by something called "The Growler" so we couldn't resist. After hugs, and helloes, and quick catch ups on life, it was like family, everyone falling into their familiar roles, complete with on-going story lines and great jokes.

For days 2-4, groups convened, regrouped, and headed off for cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, sledding, shopping, etc. Whiteface was more crowded than I had ever seen it, but we all managed to ski ourselves silly, staying on the upper mountain and finding the lifts less traveled.

Tom, bravely keeping with his role of obsessive compulsive outdoor nut in the group, tackled the entire Jack Rabbit Trail. He seems to think it went quite well but his wife now refers to the trail as the Jack Ass Trail, so draw your own conclusions. Tom and Katrina also brought out the big guns in preparing oven fried chicken and home made macaroni and cheese. Did they think we had all skied the Jack Rabbit that day?

Not to be outdone on the dinner front, Mark and Carter, while caring for a feisty young lass named Maeve, still managed to cook up a pasta feast for the ages and take in some dog sled racing on Mirror Lake. Mark treated us to.... "The Best of Shania Twain?"

Dan and Jill made a great breakfast but will be most remembered and revered for bringing an unwieldy amount of wine that still seemed to have disappeared. We must have been using it in the cooking.....

While we missed Laura and Courtney, we still enjoyed the Half Nelson and Jim managed to push delicious berry pancakes onto everyone's plates and then managed to push all Dan's bachelor buttons. Eric was a participant in the great "Oreo Cookie Robbery" which ended with boys hiding in their beds with squirrel cheeks and black teeth.

Sarah and Jessica brought out some delicious casseroley breakfast thing and also brought out their usual "FiredUpNess" (quoted directly from Joe). They both have an unrivaled talent for "giving the business" to the man folk in the crowd which I particularly enjoy. Thanks Ladies! They also made it to The Waterhole to check out the Saranac Lake male species, but no man was lucky enough to ensnare them in his charm trap. Maybe next year fellas. In the meantime, feel free to send pictures c/o 46er family.

Clarke and Oscar were thrilled to ski with their heroes, Eric, Jim, Dan (aka Big Air Spider Dan) and were proud of their new Black Diamond Prowess.

Joe arrived on the scene just in time to get the trapeze up and running and soon it became a focal point. Of course!

Embarrassingly, I took no pictures of anything other than sitting around eating and drinking but hopefully Jim can add a few to prove we actually left the house.




After the hordes left, we had a few days with Big Air complete with more skiing and some poker and then our final fun left. The rest of the week consisted of Joe sick as a dog on the couch, a few days of work for me, and then....a few more days of skiing!

We were very proud of the Barn for staying in one piece with all systems working. It was like we had always imagined. When Jim starting talking about grand kids at Porkies Fest 25, I became a little scared though.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

A New Record

So Team Williams had to go to the barn this weekend come hell or highwater to prepare for the pending Cheesehead onslaught, starting on Wednesday. We wanted to get the kitchen stocked, sheets changed etc. On Friday, 75% of the family had terrible colds. Joe was flying in from California and didn't get home until almost 6pm. I was knee deep in my work project at 7pm and everyone was exhausted. We decided to get to bed early and get on the road at first light. Well.....that didn't happen. We ended up getting to bed much later than anticipated because, well frankly, our children were being highly uncooperative, nay, bad. It was boys behaving badly. Such is life. After the floggings and waterboarding, it was quite late. The next day, we stopped at Joe's dad in New Jersey to pick up a few barn items and before we knew it, we were getting to the barn around 4pm. We arrived, did a bit of work and went to bed. The next day, we sprung into gear as we had to leave by 3pm to arrive back in time for a Sunday night board meeting for Joe. So let's put this in perspective, 5 hour drive, arrive Saturday 4pm and leave Sunday at 3pm. Here's the weird part: it was great. The drive is a non-issue anymore. We have books on tape and the boys veg and listen, or read, or sleep. (this time was Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer). We arrived and the barn was cozy and inviting. The snow was bountiful and the boys played for an hour yesterday and most of the day today. Joe and I were busy beavers in the house but it was fun and relaxed. We had North Country Public Radio on through Garrison Keilor, Riverwalk Jazz and This American Life. We drank tea and stoked the fire. We did not attend any of the Winter Carnival activities - NOT ONE - but that will never happen again. Though certainly not ideal, we decided that 23 hours in the Adirondacks is STILL worth it.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

I Should Have Known

It would have been hard for the boys not to start asking questions about the elections, given the level of discourse around them. Clarke, of course, took it all in stride. Interested but pretty passive. Asks a few questions and then he's out. Oscar, on the other hand, I should have been more careful with. As regular readers (and oscar's many fans through the country) know, he is a math whiz and slightly obsessive, compulsive. I believe an insensitive soul may have once referred to him as a "cracked out investment banker". I should have known how he'd react to elections, given how I've seen him analyze Yankees baseball. I ignored the warning signs: the tell tale Jim Lehrer News Hour on when I came into the room, his new home page set to NYTimes.com Election Guide, his insistence on going to the voting booth with Joe. It all became clear to me on Super Tuesday, when he was glued to the TV, with the laptop on his lap, clicking between CNN and NYTimes. He wolfed dinner and did a countdown, New Year's Eve style, to the first poll closing in Georgia. Things devolved from there, as poor Clarke wandered in to comment that Obama was losing Missouri. Oscar practically tackled him yelling, "they haven't even gotten results from St. Louis yet. He's going to surge with the urban vote." Yes, he used the word surge. He had a pencil out and was adding delegates, reading the laws on super delegates, and clicking county by county maps for updates. He was impossible to get to bed, even yelling for updates from his bed. He finally fell asleep and I started dreading the next morning when I'd have to drag him out of bed, exhausted. What was I thinking? 6am the next morning, blurry-eyed Oscar, crawled into my bed demanding, "How did it go in California?"

I am worried that he cares too much. I am worried that we haven't peppered him with enough cynical pragmatism about our country, how he probably knows more about the process than most Americans. Should we have told him that Joe and I are normally laughing at the debates and were members of Kerry Haters for Kerry? He has leapt onto our hope bandwagon and I hope our worried planner can survive the mean streets of politics.

As for us, we are more fired up than ever. Care to donate to Obama? http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/bridgetwi
We are heading up to the barn this weekend to ready the house for the onslaught of Cheeseheads next week. I want to start planning my Saranac Lake fundraiser but not even sure I'll have time in the short weekend. We promise not to ski and be diligent about organizing the house. We promise not to ski and be diligent about organizing the house. We promise not to ski and be diligent about organizing the house.....

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Needs No Comment



It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.

Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.

Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.

Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.

Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.

Yes we can heal this nation.

Yes we can repair this world.

Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ........... We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea --

Yes. We. Can.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Winter Carnival!

One of our favorite things about the Adirondacks is the utter embrace of cold and snow. The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival starts tomorrow. We will just catch the last few days when we are up next weekend.

Here are some great pix of the Ice Palace from a great local blogger

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The family curse

700 reminders to pick up their stuff, pack up their bags, take their coats, brush their teeth etc. and we came home to find out son #1 had forgotten his school backpack containing every book and notebook. arrgghghghg. We couldn't be too harsh though, because Joe and I certainly forget our fair share of stuff between homes. Our apartment has 3 ketchups in storage, none for months at the barn, and every time I shop at Price Chopper I seem to think I have it. The boys are livid. Our CD's are either in the car, the barn or the apartment and usually the case and cd are not together. How does this happen? My boots end up in the city, and my high heels will end up stacked up by the wood stove with bark and snow piled on them. My apartment keys are in a bin by the door of the barn for 3 straight visits now. The boys flannel pajamas go unused in our smoldering apartment while they freeze in their boxers some weekends. You get the idea. Not the most organized family in the world.

Lucky for Clarke, we have fabulous neighbors like Bill who called me before I could even call him to tell me he found Clarke's backpack. One fedex package and a grateful phone call from Clarke later and he was back in business.

Monday, January 28, 2008

GOBAMA in the Adirondacks

Adirondack Enterprise Presidential Poll Results

My goal on this blog was to stay focused on our experiences in the Adirondacks (failed), to keep it light and not too soul-baring (kinda failed), and to stay out of news and politics (failed as of this post).

I can't help it. I am a political person and much of my thoughts these days focus on the primaries. Joe is knee deep in politics for his job and we are both huge supporters of Barack Obama. I won't go on about why because many have said it better. He may not win NY but my guess is he will win the Adirondacks and NYC. Like I've said before, the people are cut from them same cloth. Independent minded and forward-thinking.
Stay tuned Saranac Lake residents. We are planning a fun Obama fundraiser!

Now THIS is Whiteface

Yesterday's skiing was "magical", as Clarke is found of saying. Sunny, warm, with loose granular snow, very little ice. There were few crowds and we were all feeling great. We went to the summit for the first time this year (4,600 ft) and just skied and skied. We don't venture all the way up to the summit too often - if conditions are at all windy or icy, it is certifiably scary. But days like today make me want to venture up more often. It is utterly spectacular. The runs are great and open and the view is breathtaking. We thought we'd stay for a few hours and head home but ended up about closing the place.
We will be back up in a few weeks to ready the house for the arrival of 16 of our closest friends. (Luckily our new friend Spyder Dupree will be renting us his cabin up the lane to help with the spillover!) For 13 years now, we get together with the same group of people (take or leave a few ex-girlfriends/boyfriends, one time visitors, busy teenagers) and rent a house to downhill/cross country, snowshoe, etc. We cook huge dinners and sit around the table until all hours. Truth be told, we consume a lot of frosty beer (chilling in a snow bank), brandy Manhattans (thanks Mark!) and have dabbled in fresh mango and rum snow cones, "pingha" - a roadside liquor from Brazil (with about 300 limes), Irish coffee, and various scotches over the years. We look forward to the trip all year and it's so much fun to see new marriages new babies, new careers, growing kids. I remember when Joe and I would take turns skiing while the other was on nap patrol, or toddler-chasing patrol. We'd be lucky to ski an hour or two the entire trip. I remember being exhausted, after skiing, and staying up late, and waking up with babies all night. I remember Joe's back being broken by skiing with toddlers between his legs. I remember pulling sleds around the foot of the mountain and the first time on a lift with Clarke. I pressed my arm over his chest, so scared he would just slip out, he was so little. Most of the years, the trip, which we still call Porkies Fest, was at the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, another magical place, far from civilization. The boys learned to ski there. It was so remote, never crowded with guaranteed great snow. If you can imagine driving 9 hours NORTH from Milwaukee, you can imagine how far north this place is. Right on the shores of Lake Superior, which looks like a scene from a horror film in the winter. The mountain has not much "vertical" or quantity of runs but perfect family skiing. We made a few trips to Gore Mountain with the group before we bought our house. (by the way, we had the absolute best house in Gore Mountain if anyone needs a recommendation). We always look for a place a little off the beaten path, as the big marquis resorts wouldn't fit in with vibe (or the budget). This is the first trip to Whiteface for many of our friends and it should be a blast. We are so grateful everyone is willing to fly across the country to check out The Barn. What do you think the chances are that the trapeze will not be in use? Stay tuned....

Sunday, January 27, 2008

The Belles of the Ball


So we donned our sweaters and headed to Whiteface for what we hoped would be a fabulous evening of fun for everyone. Welllll........................not so much.
First, it was billed as having a separate kids's party with hikes, and food for kids and activities. We walked the kids over excitedly and found some lackluster teenagers, essentially running a daycare. Rubber hamburgers on the table. Great idea to have babysitting but if it had been billed that way we may have made alternate plans. Our big mistake with kids was not bringing their skis as they were going to have night skiing but we all thought the boys would like to try some other stuff. The organizers were also adamant about not having kids in the main lodge so we didn't get to see or mingle with the kids, as they were in separate building. Again, if it were adults only, period, Joe and I love and appreciate these kind of events but it wasn't billed that way. The kids would have liked the music and the food and we might have paid extra for them to be able to hang.
The next problem was organization. After about an hour, Joe said "so, which line do you want to stand on next". Lines for everything, not enough seats, mediocre food- though I didn't try a lot because we would have literally been in a line all night. Joe and I decided to trek over to check on kids and loved what we saw. They had found (smuggled) a cafeteria tray and were trekking up one of the darkened ski hills and riding the trays down the mountain, having a blast. Joe and I headed back to sweater land and sat outside to watch a 1950's promotional film for Whiteface, really great and a nice touch to have the outside viewing with fires going. After that, the kids were freezing and we were kinda done. We decided to not stay for the snowcat parade or the fireworks. I kept saying, more simple, better executed would have been my druthers. We were home by 10pm, and ended on a high note watching The Wire on DVD

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Enough

Of this trans-continental stuff, let's get back to the barn, shall we? Heading up this weekend for the ski ball. Two of Clarke's friends were unavailable so we are going to postpone his boy weekend and to be honest, I am pretty happy about that. I am pretty sure that there are still remnants of Christmas ruins throughout the rooms which I need to attend to. Really, is there anything more depressing than Christmas in February? Hopefully a little skiing and a little organizing.

Private sidenote to Whiteface Mountain: YOUR WEB SITE IS DOWN!!! HELLOOO??? It's the weekend before your big event! It looks like someone forgot to re-register your domain or pay the serving bills. If you'd like any help with your website and marketing, I can highly recommend this firm www.splitrocknewmedia.com..... :-)

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Quick Trip Review - Madrid

Making a 13 year old almost speechless was fun.
The Surprise
We loaded Clarke into a taxi and and then told him to open his presents.
Clarke: "In the taxi?!"
Us: "Yes."
He opened a Madrid guide book
Oscar, the imp: "we know you'd like to learn more about Spain.".
Clarke: "thanks....."
He is obviously getting confused at this point. He then opens his next present, a map of Madrid and says "wait a minute...".
The piece de resistance, though, was the present from my sister Mary Jo (aptly nicknamed The Peach) who had fedex'd him some euros inside a spanish-language card.
Clarke: "MOM, ARE WE GOING TO SPAIN?!!"
mom: "Yes"
Clarke: "When?"
Mom: "Right now"
Clarke: general freak-out ensues

Day 1:
We headed to the airport and took an overnight flight. After not too much sleep by anyone (except Clarke) we landed at 11:30 am in Madrid. We checked into our great apartment, (thanks Jose!) and Joe and I insisted upon a quick 45 minute nap. By 2pm we were out and wandering the streets. It was sunny and we just walked and walked and stumbled upon a great restaurant. We met some really nice people inside who were very proud of Joe for ordering the local specialty which was a special shrimp cake with all the bones and shells and innards. Joe, as you can imagine, was thrilled to learn this. We then walked through the Latin Quarter, past the Royal Palace and checked out our local plaza San Domingo. We just hung outside and had drinks and another small snack and successfully stayed awake until 9pm Madrid time.
Day 2
Alarmingly, we did not move until 10:30am but decided it was ok, as we'd be staying up late for tapas anyway. We walked down to Puerto Del Sol to gets churros & chocolate and cafe con leche. We decided to walk to Retiro Park to hang out. It was beautiful day and a lovely, long walk. We picked up sandwiches and snacks for the park and just hung and people watched for a bit. Oscar, who must compare everything to his New York, thought Retiro Park was on par with Central Park, which is a grand compliment. Clarke needed no comparisons and just loved Madrid unequivocally. Period. When we visited Costa Rica, Clarke stated that when he grew up he was going to live there his whole life, and now, he is determined he is going to live in Madrid. So adorable. After Retiro Park, we headed to El Prado. The boys slightly protested but I told them they'd make me turn in my parent ID card, if we went to Madrid and didn't visit our friend El Greco and his pal Goya. As I knew, they ended up really liking and being very intrigued with all the dark images, especially the religious. We kept it quick and light and they could decide when and if they wanted to stop to look longer. They found 1 or 2 "cool" paintings in each collection. Afterward, we collectively agreed that it was truly amazing museum but we were a MOMA type family and wish we had the time to see Reina Sofia. We then decided to try out the metro, as we were all exhausted, and successfully made it back to our apartment for a little siesta before our first night out. At 9:30 pm we headed into the throngs, and walked down to Santa Ana neighborhood to check out the tapas scene. It was insane. Our limited spanish was a bit of a hindrance but we finally found some great spots. We made it home around midnight!
Day 3:
OK, another sleep in but we were starting to dig this night owl scene. We headed over to the Royal Palace. This was tons o fun. The boys loved every minute of it and had some very good questions about monarchy and wealth. We walked through the armory which of course was super cool and they noticed that medieval spanish knights were very tiny. :-). We had a great paella lunch and then started on a crazy path trying to find the football stadium for the night's main event. Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid (think Mets/Yankees). After a 20 minute metro ride mistake, we found the scene...and immediately ran for the hills. I don't know if it was the M80 exploding at our feet or being shoved by the riot police but we decided we'd gladly watch from a bar. We then found this really cool street with cave bars. We found one specializing in football and belgium beer and had a lovely time with our Cuban waiter, watching the game with some insane locals. Of course, Oscar backed Real Madrid, Clarke had allegiance to Atletico Madrid and the waiter promised chocolate to the winner. Oscar made it look like the most delicious chocolate he had ever had...
We were darn exhausted by now but decided to skip siesta as we were leaving the next day. We walked through Plaza Mayor and made our way to tapas again. More yum, more nice people. The amount of sausage, pork products, olive oil, and bread we consumed was fairly staggering. We stumbled home exhausted around midnight and prepared for our departure. It was a fantastic trip and the boys were such great travelers. They are already planning our next trip so if you have any rich uncles, send them our way.

Monday, January 21, 2008

So.....Madrid!

So much to tell. So much fun. So tired.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Shhhhh

Team Williams is embarking upon another crazy adventure this weekend but we have to keep it on the down low because it is a surprise for Clarke, our dearest first born, who turns 13 this weekend. Once the cat is out of the bag, we will provide fun details and pictures. Clarke's party will be up at the barn next weekend and thankfully just a few friends "chillin". Amazingly, Whiteface is throwing a great party called the Ski Sweater Ball (free for kids..hello?!) and we will append Clarke's party to theirs while Mom and Dad also have some fun!

Our Clarke is an artist at heart with a temperament that fits perfectly in the Adirondacks and not always perfectly in the city. If he were any more mellow, he'd be living in reverse. Clarke was born in Milwaukee which has something to do with it, I think; he really loves the vibe at the barn. Oscar - different story. He storms the Adirondacks with the energy of a cracked out investment banker. He is dawn to dusk activities and feels free to make suggestions for Joe and I about how we can optimize our inefficiencies and improve things in his life.

Back to Clarke, against his nature, he is working so hard at a very challenging school. Each night he has hours of homework and still manages to get in at least an hour of guitar (his true passion). He is an intellectual, not always interested in the grades as much as the subject matter. And we love that, except when we don't. His sense of humor is exquisite and he loves the absurd. After a heated debate on music last night (he seems obsessed with something called neo-classical, which is hurting my ears), he called my music "strummy dummy" which I thought was the most accurate and funniest thing I have ever heard. As a child of immigrants who is a pragmatist at heart, I don't always "get it" but I sure have learned from him. Most of all he is a good soul and what more could we ask for.

So here's to Clarke. Raise your chocolate milk for a toast to our new teenager (oy).

Friday, January 11, 2008

A First

Growing up, my brother used to joke about his night guy and his day guy. He always ended up staying up too late and the next day he'd lament about his night guy screwing over his day guy. His night guy was a really fun guy, but sometimes irresponsible. His day guy was often quite tired and angry at the night guy.

Today our city guy screwed our mountain guy. We are supposed to be half way to the barn right now. As is our usual plan, when the boys finished school, we would all meet up, grab the car and head out. The first nail in our mountain coffin was a meeting rescheduled for me at 4:30. We still kidded ourselves that we'd head out around 5pm. Then I had still had tons of work to do. Joe was going to arrive home around 4pm and at 5:30, he still hadn't come home. We hadn't gathered anything, and knew traffic was escalating. At 6pm, we were collectively exhausted and bailed out. This is a Williams first. A Sad One.

Subliminal messages

See how our thoughts of the barn seep into our every day lives!

  1. My Company


2. Joe's recent press coverage. Name that pond!
3. Over the summer, oscar said he was going to name his kids by choosing ADK mountain and pond names. It was a little frightening that he was considering this at age 8 but that's oscar.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Being Neighborly

So we've had the first sign that small town living can be tricky. A neighbor would like to build something on his property which interferes with our deed. He is a reasonable and kind man and came over to discuss the possibility of us changing the deed to accommodate. It is not a crazy request but it also will definitely impact our property and the property of other neighbors. We talked to some folks around the streets and have decided we are going to say no thanks. gulp. Not fun. Tougher being tough when you aren't surrounded by lions.

The previous owners seemed to be really great people. We don't have total details but at one point they owned many many acres and gave away or sold for a pittance many of the acres and outbuildings to friends and other neighbors. They put deeds in place so the beauty and rural feel of the land could still be maintained even as they subdivided it. It is right in town but really feels private and quiet. Just perfect. Ok, we are definitely going to the barn this weekend. I am starting to daydream. :-)

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Barn Music Part 1

We love all kinds of music but truth be told i really love to get my folk on and what better place then in the Adirondacks. While I search for a player to embed in the blog, here are some favorites:

  1. Crescent and Frost. Brooklyn based - Adirondacks in their soul. We discovered them randomly by walking into a bar with friends a few years back and have been hooked since. Me thinks we need to lure them upstate this summer. Here's a great cover. You can get it free on their website

2. Greg Brown: Our thanks to Tom and Katrina for bringing Greg into our lives. This is ultimate barn music. Please enjoy "Canned Goods"

3. Wailin' Jennys: We were bummed we missed them live in Saranac Lake but our friends at Ampersound Music assure me it was an amazing show.



ps. isn't it ridiculous that the easiest way to share music through the site, is I have to resort to Youtube videos??

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Where we live

Not only do we live in Manhattan, we live in probably the nuttiest place to live in Manhattan. It's midtown, not really a neighborhood, essentially Times Square. Surrounded by lots of business folks and tourists, the kind of tourists who never leave...Times Square. The silver lining is as "business folks", Joe and I can walk to most business meetings and are a short subway ride from all. The other silver lining is that we are walking distance to lots of fantastic arts venues, Central Park, and museums. (Of course the biggest silver lining is that our move here from Chelsea reduced our rent so much that we could buy a barn and still have money left over).

Today, we woke up and went over to Moma (7 blocks). We spent a few leisurely hours seeing the new exhibits. (here's today's favorites ) and then grabbed some Asian for lunch. The boys and I then headed over to the ginormous Times Square movie theater to watch National Treasure (thumbs up) while Joe popped into office to get some work done. We are now watching the presidential debates, Clarke is jamming on his guitar, while we enjoy some tropical weather by our blasting heat -unregulated - with 50 degree temperatures outside. All in all a great day. And last week, we were stoking the wood fire in our fuzzy slippers. It's schizophrenic. As is obvious, the upside is a deep appreciation for both and a mandate to make the most of our lucky living situation. But it's weird.

The last thing I want is the lame country/city cliche "the people are nice but I miss the sushi". There are amazing people, arts, intellectual stimulation, and food (of course) everywhere. But there are things that are not replicatable (if that's a word) in both places. For instance, I don't know if we can continue our careers, which we both like, upstate. Also for instance, I don't think I could possibly replicate our stress levels from the city anywhere else. The stress levels here are truly monumental. So which is more important?

I'll get up from the couch now. Thank you doctor. Will you send me the bill?

Saranac Lake: Things we need to do

This is NOT a resolution list. Serious, life changing decisions don't come at year end but it's a good time for task lists.

  1. Buy our shares in the community store
  2. Get serious about our compost pile
  3. Clean out the shed
  4. Research Saranac Lake schools
  5. Complete 5 low cost, low energy house projects before summer
  6. Get more involved in Saranac Lake

Thursday, January 3, 2008

December Dog of the Month


Sometimes a dog comes along that, though not an Adirondack resident, truly embraces the spirit of the Adirondacks. During break, we had the honor to host Sebastian, (or "Sebaby") the Bower family beloved mutt. Who cares if he may not be brave enough to stare down a cat. Who cares that he may not be a canine rocket scientist? He romped in the snow and had brunch at the compost bin, lounged by the woodstove, and collapsed into a submissive rub position if you even looked at him - all components of a great Barn Dog of the Month. The pup is all heart and he loves his life.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Serious Thoughts


The 10 days at the barn were heaven. It snowed virtually every day. We skied 5 days, had some family down time, had a rocking time with my sister Ann, Doug, and the "Bower boys", Connor-16 (thanks for the blogging), Colin- 13 and Cormac -10. An impromptu party arose as we drank way too much wine with Linnae and Sandy and ended the night at Casa Del Sol.... We saw our friends Tess and Linda and Rick from NYC and met some new Saranac Lake/Manhattan residents for dinner at Caribbean Cowboy. Joe and I snow-shoed ( after Casa Del Sol). The boys found new ways to tempt the fates by sledding down a new steeper hill that shot them off a rock. We had a brief visit with Joe's dad and enjoyed some nice catching up before he headed back down to civilization. Oscar and Cormac discovered their mutual love of Monopoly and Annie and I are hoping they will fund our retirements with this business acumen. Our neighbors stopped over and we enjoyed the fruits of Joanne's baking. Our house was in constant chaos and never seemed cozier. We tried to be grateful for every last minute.

Yesterday was truly depressing as we headed back to the city. We kept putting off the inevitable, not leaving the house until almost 6pm. Joe is usually quite sage about these transitions but even he admitted it was getting very difficult to leave these days. We have to get serious about how to make this our permanent home.