Summer’s End

September 3, 2014
It has been creeping ever closer, and yesterday was D-day: the start of school. It begins and Summer ends, with all the freedom and travels and family time replaced by institutional regulations. I have always loved my schools and the learning and teaching that occurs within the walls, but will eternally dread the return to regimented schedule! Summertime was fantastic while it lasted, and we left Brooklyn every weekend but one. Bellport, Warwick, Osterville, Chester, Portland and a phenomenal final week in Bar Harbor made Ivy's first Summer a Northeast classic. I love these places so much and loved introducing…

SNOW!

February 22, 2014
I was born a snow lover, a few weeks before the blizzard of '78 in Boston, and have always appreciated the convergence of atmospheric phenomena that produces dendrites! Sledding was the earliest form of snow fun and my backyard, with its 15' vertical drop was more than enough to thrill me through my tiny years. When I outgrew that, I would sled down our back steps off a jump onto the patio. I started skiing when I was 7 and was quickly obsessed, following daily conditions in the Boston Globe Sports Section and memorizing mountain statistics; I drew hundreds of…

Two Months

October 15, 2013
Time has lost any relative meaning it might have had for me. It is impossible to believe that two months have passed since Ivy was born; it still seems so new and yet hours pass instantly with me doing nothing but holding her and staring in amazement. She is always incredible. But in many ways my life is the same! Every day I go to work as I did since before the dawn of Ivy! I still have friends that existed before she was ever imagined! And my eternal devotion to the sports teams of my youth has never been…

Vermont Land

July 15, 2013
Since leaving Middlebury, I have had a insatiable need to return to Vermont as often as possible. It is a beautiful and inspiring place to be and absolutely necessary as a counterbalance to my life in the city. I have always dreamed of owning some raw and natural Land somewhere and recently the dream became reality with the purchase of 11.5 acres in Chester for $7,500. It is cheap and steep. A brook runs through the bottom of the property and the hillside shoots up a few hundred feet to a gentler slope that could have nice views with some…

Summer Swing

July 8, 2013
And then it was Summer! Hot and sunny with a two-day-a-week work schedule, the shift is quick and extreme and I am thoroughly enjoying it. One of my favorite aspects of the city at this time is the wealth of free outdoor cultural events. Concerts in Prospect Park have been supremely fun, with Amadou and Mariam, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Os Mutantes and Javelin providing the early season entertainment in my backyard. The venue is perfect and free events promote attendance, so bringing a group of friends to see a show by a band few have heard is easy; everyone has…

Welcome Spring!

April 9, 2013
After a two-week vacation in which I logged 7 ski days (@Wildcat, Black, Burke, Stowe and Magic!) I am ready to spring into some warm weather, and today was the first T-shirt day of the year. The windows are wide open and I hope I don't have to close them until October (early Spring naïveté). While I worship the winter and its white alpine bounty, I might have a harder time appreciating it without the warmth of summer. Being outside can be beautiful or miserable, depending on surroundings and weather, so anytime the factors align pleasantly, I am sure to…

Jay Peak

March 13, 2013
Jay Peak has Mystique. As far North as you can drive in Vermont, it is the one major New England Ski mountain I have never sampled in all my years of obsession. You need to really want Jay all the way to drive by countless other great resorts and make the epic trek, but it is worth it. Jay Peak is unique in its terrain and has skiable trees everywhere, from steep one liners to gently sloping sapling slalom tracks. Getting lost in the glades of Timbuktu and running into the occasional ski area boundary sign feels about as remote…

Nemo

February 12, 2013
The snow predictions began the previous weekend and steadily rose throughout the week. Emails were exchanged remarking on the prospect of glorious Northeastern powder and arrangements were made. Massachusetts looked ripe for a slamming so we honed in on Berkshire East in Charlemont, but just before we left, Massachusetts ordered a statewide driving ban, sending us up the Taconic to Vermont. It was a slow and slippery drive, but I had full confidence in Captain Jack to deliver us safely. Fortunately, southern VT was also graced by Nemo and Saturday morning we were whoopin' down Magic Mountain. It was a…

Hurricane Sandy

October 30, 2012
An epic storm blew through the Northeast US yesterday and while I am always skeptical of weather hype, this one seems to have lived up to the billing. Satellite images revealed a hurricane core far bigger than most (making last year's Irene look puny) barreling down on the Eastern seaboard, and the wind began accelerating 24 hours before landfall. Schools were shut down days in advance (and remain closed today and tomorrow) and subways and buses remain out of service, effectively shutting down the entire city. It appears that many subway tunnels were flooded with salt water, which could destroy…

Long Trail

September 5, 2012
The Long Trail was the first long-distance hiking trail in the US, running 280 miles through Vermont along the spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Canada. I have spent time on the trail before doing day hikes, but have always wanted to make an extended adventure of it. So last Thursday, Alaina and I packed our bags and drove up to our established start point near Killington and set out on a five day journey. We have done lots of camping in our day, but most of it has been out of a car without the need to…