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....

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.

Dog of the ....Month?

I have been reprimanded by the boys for not keeping up with their favorite feature so today I present.....Doodle! Once again, I'm not sure if this is his official dog name but his owner and our great neighbor Bill calls him "Doodle". If you can picture a gruff, white-haired, extreme skiing guy, driving a John Deere Gator referring to a dog as "Doodle" or even better "Doodle Bug", you can just appreciate our neighbors. Doodle only comes by with Bill, much shyer and truth be told, better behaved then some of our solo dog visitors. His loyalty to Bill is endearing and makes the boys work really hard to win him over. Best of all, he sees our cats and casually yawns.

Week 2:Dog (s) of the Week

Like peanut butter and jelly, or red wine and anything, these two dogs have to be featured together. Lucy and Mac live at the Joanne and Dave compound, along with pigs, chinese pheasants, hens, a plethora of deer, and a sometimes bear visitor. Their sweet dispositions and playful demeanor are like a magnet to boys of all sizes, Oscar and Clarke included. Lucy is more passive but ready to run around or show off her dead squirrels. Mac, well Mac is "special." He is sort of like the Rain Man of dogs, obsessed with all things ball. You pet him and look at his deep eyes and you can almost hear him thinking, "just throw the damn ball." He is a beautiful giant.

Congratulations Mac and Lucy, you two are the the 46er Family Dogs of the Week

Dog of the Week

(A new feature on 46er Family is an idea from the boys to pay tribute to the plethora of dogs that make their way, unaccompanied, into our yard each day. Mostly, we don't know their owners, and often, the boys assign the dogs their own names. )

Today, I'd like to introduce you to "Root Beer" (the rumor is that his real name is Kodiak but to us he's Root Beer). When not jumping in the pond and needing to be rescued because he's too fat and old to get out, he likes eating rotting food in the compost pile, chewing all our wiffle balls, and generally trying to eat the cats. He is also a "stick man" and can spend hours with the boys chasing and chewing. Congratulations Root Beer, You are a 46er Family Dog of the Week!