Breakfast: The Most 'Important Meal of the Day'

Mothers and nutritionists have told us this for years, yet I’ve never been a breakfast person myself and have always been extremely healthy and fit in spite of it. All through my growing up years in fact, I could never bring myself to eat anything in the morning; and even as an adult the most I can ever consume before lunchtime is a piece or two of fresh fruit. This does NOT include tea, of course, which I consume by the potful. (When someone recently asked me what my blood type was, without missing a beat, my son answered “Earl Gray”). But while I never eat breakfast myself, I do enjoy making it for others. Dana and I bought the Lodge 5 ½ years ago, and there had never been any sort of breakfast served here before we came, so I saw this as an opportunity to add an amenity for our guests. It started out simple, with homemade muffins and orange juice. It was well received, and because I like to bake (and also have an obsessive personality), it grew. And Grew. AND GREW … Last year my complimentary “Continental Breakfast” was almost like a full hot meal. It consisted of a buffet of homemade muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, pastries, homemade granola, hot oatmeal, apple crisp and bread puddings, bagels and cream cheese, egg and cheese frittatas, fruit salad, etc. To bake all this fresh every day I was getting up 365 days a year between 4-5 am, and not being finished with breakfast cleanup until almost 11 am … at which time I then switched hats and ‘started’ my next 10-12 hour shift as the “Lodge Lady”. Of course, while 99% of our guests were thrilled and raved, the squeaky 1% -- the kind of people that cannot be pleased no matter what you do – took it upon themselves to write unpleasant things on Trip Advisor about my breakfast, such as “Not enough variety” or “Dining room is too small”!! (We don’t even have a dining room!!!). And so in a way, breakfast was beginning to be a problem rather than the ‘gift of myself’ to my guests I had intended. Owning a business is a big responsibility, and doing it right is both time and labor intensive. It can also be costly. While our expenses at The Lodge have risen dramatically each and every year and we have continually upgraded and made improvements, we have not had a rate increase in the last 4 years. In fact, due to the economy, we even lowered rates last year to make it easier for our guests to travel. All this is to say that I have had to “re-think” our breakfast concept and necessity has required that I eliminate the red ink on this part of our P&L. Instead of raising rates to cover the costs, I am scaling back to more realistic Continental fare, with one big exception: everything will always be homemade. (No day old donuts, or holiday inn-style commercial-grade pastries here, EVER!). We will serve our Continental breakfast from 7:45 – 10 am 7 days a week, with the exception of April and November. We will continue to offer our great French-pressed coffee, a wonderful tea selection and orange juice, and will offer a homemade pastry each day, such as muffins or cinnamon rolls each morning. It will help get everyone going in the morning, and if you are a big breakfast eater, The J-Town Deli, Yesterdays and Glen Junction – all just a stone’s throw away, will be happy to short order cook for you and your family. I'm looking forward to seeing you at The Lodge at breakfast time, and having time to share a cup of tea, a hot, steamy muffin and some good conversation with you during your next visit!

It’s Not really Gossip if …

Okay, I’m not into gossip AT ALL, but there IS a lot of talk about town this week that’s just too good to keep to myself. The first is that if you’re in Jackson this weekend, then you are automatically invited to the opening reception of the new River Arts Gallery at the old town hall in Jackson. It’s taking place on Saturday, May 1st from 7-9 p.m. and would make a great evening’s entertainment after a hard day of skiing up at Tuck (which, by the way, should be fantastic … with more than a foot of new snow in the last 24 hours. Just be sure to check the avalanche reports before going up). Anyway, this art show will run through the month of May on weekends, and will include the work of 16 Jackson artists. Entitled "Ever Present Past", it will be the first of many to be held in the gallery of the Jackson Historical Society's new home, the newly refurbished Town Hall. The opening reception takes place on May 1st from 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. and the show is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from May 2nd through May 30th. If you want more info, check out their new website at http://www.riverartsjackson.blogspot.com/ .

I’m not a “shopper” … I’m just not. When I go into a store, it’s for a specific purpose; I make a beeline to the item in question, and then head straight for the checkout. The rest of my shopping is done online or through catalogs. However, besides bookstores, I used to love the April Cornell store down in North Conway, and was heartbroken when it left. Today, I got an email that it’s coming back!! The beloved April Cornell Outlet is returning to Settlers’ Green Outlet Village after a five year hiatus. The Vermont based company designs and manufactures uniquely colorful women and children’s fashions, accessories and home décor. April Cornell designs the fabrics, with much of the manufacturing taking place in her own plant in India where she also operates a design studio. Her inspiration comes from the people and places she has seen during a lifetime of extensive travels to India, British Columbia, Paris, Portugal and Hong Kong. The April Cornell website quotes April’s vision for her products: "I like my designs to fashion an oasis for women, a place of beauty, calm, original ideas and uplifting and feminine things that make them feel great about being a woman." April Cornell operates two flagships stores in Montreal and Burlington and her products are sold in specialty shops across the US and Canada. Her web site, aprilcornell.com, sells the entire line of clothing, bedding, tabletop linens and accessories, but is also filled with inspiration for those who love and use her product, a travel-blog of her adventures around the world and a place to connect to April’s passions for the people of India, especially children. The outlet store will sell discontinued patterns and styles at discount and will also feature some furnishings and current designs on a seasonal basis. Located next to the Children’s Place, the tentative opening is scheduled for May 15.

Spring is officially here (despite what the weather in Pinkham Notch is trying to tell us today, as it continues to snow and hail) … and the first event of the spring at Great Glen Trails is only two weeks away! The Spring Trail Running Series starts on Thursday, May 13. The folks up there have been in hibernation now since the end of the XC ski season, dreaming of the perfect courses. Once again, they'll have long, short & mini courses, and running and walking divisions. It's a great way for the whole family to spend the afternoon. More details can be found here: http://www.greatglentrails.com/Summer-Page-216.html While you’re there, you might also want to check out the details of the “There’s a Black Fly in My Eye 10 Mile Race & Relay”, to be held Saturday, June 26 at 10 am. The Spring Trail Running Series is a great way to train for the big race up Mount Washington, which fills us up here at The Lodge! Run it solo or grab teammates for the relay division … I know that life sometimes seems hard enough as it is, but some folks think that running 8 miles straight uphill is actually a lot of fun! I admire them.

I Guess You Just had to be There!

I have returned!! My wonderful visit with my even more wonderful sister zipped by in the wink of an eye. I can’t believe I left to see her a whole week ago today. Our last couple of days together were as much fun as the first few, and as usual, we spent much of it laughing and rolling on the floor. Here’s a typical scene: We were having lunch at another fabulous salad place; it was a pretty big restaurant but the tables were rather close together. Sue, as usual, started laughing hysterically over something, and her laughter is naturally contagious (to everyone but the grouchy old couple sitting next to us, that is, who looked as if they hadn’t smiled since at least 1940). They got up rather abruptly and moved across the room. Later that same day we found ourselves at an internet cafe in a bookstore, and Sue brought over a book she had found with a list of some very funny things you can do to annoy your co-workers. She started reading them to us, and forget the funny things she was saying … it was just the way she said them, that had us rolling on the floor in hysterics. But then, the guy next to us got up and moved. “Was it something we said?” I asked her, which sent us reeling again! I guess you had to be there … but it really WAS funny. On my last day, we stayed up for 24 hours straight, watching DVDs of a TV show I had never heard of called The Office. This is my nephew Ryan’s favorite show, and he wanted me to see it, warning me first that it is either something one loves or one hates … there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground on this one. Well, we were watching it on Sue’s 54” HD TV, and she was beside me, and we laughed so hard that there were many times we literally couldn’t breathe. The scary thing was that we got addicted to it and watched every episode of the first 3 seasons without coming up for air! (a pretty tall order for someone like me who doesn’t watch any TV). I have now re-charged my laughing quota batteries until the next time we are together. Coming home was a stark reality adjustment from the humor and the 80 degree temperatures I left in West Palm Beach with my sister. First of all, I had to go through security at the airport … always a challenge for me, terrorist look-alike that I am. Ever since 9/11, I have NEVER been able to go through airport security without having ALL my carry-on luggage rifled through by Homeland Security. I’m even talking about small make-up pouches and all the little bags I have inside them. EVERYTHING is scrutinized, and they always use some sort of magic wand on me to detect dangerous weapons I might be concealing. But this time it was different. I’m talking about a full body search!!! Now, I’m a 55-year old, middle aged conservative-looking white woman wearing a gold cross, with some slightly distinguished looking gray streaks starting to appear in my hair, and I think this is a bit excessive, but I dealt with it on the way down to Florida with grace. But then it happened on the way back as well. TWICE, in fact! (I accidentally went out of the secure area and had to repeat the process, and so, of course, did they). So here’s my advice of the day for you: Security People don’t have much of a sense of humor, so remember that. As the security lady was patting down my back and shoulders, I said to her, “Ahhh, a little bit higher and to the left please!” I thought it was funny, but my advice is that I wouldn’t recommend that as a response if it happens to you! Well, I did finally make it home, only to find the snowy view above. Oh, my, I’m not in Kansas anymore, Toto! (That’s an inside joke for my sister, Sue, if she ever reads this). Before I went to bed last night, I tried to get my family to watch the pilot episode of The Office, which I bought on my way back home. Chris, Zia and Josh said they couldn’t stand it and they wouldn’t watch it with me. I had more of a chance with Dana, because he had never heard of it, but then he fell asleep about 15 minutes in. He'd wake, then doze on and off for the next 3 shows. The magic was apparently gone. Oh well, as I said, I'm not in 'Kansas' anymore, and I guess you'd just have to be there to know just how much fun I had with my sister!

A Salad a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

It's been a few days since I've been near a computer to check in at my blog site, but here I am, and I've been having fun in Florida with my sister. (at least as much fun as one CAN have in Florida ... I ALWAYS have fun with my sister). One day we had an unbelievable massage, a great lunch at another fantastic salad place (I live almost exclusively on salads), and then spent the entire afternoon at Barnes and Noble. How can you beat that? The answer is: you can't. Sue, my party-animal sister, threw a big party on Saturday for friends and neighbors in her backyard, which is like a tropical botanical garden, and it was about 80 degrees. Amazing ... especially since there were about 45 people there, and she only decided to have the party that morning. Then we had to go buy the food and then make it, and the first guests started arriving at 2 pm! The 'Florida way' of doing things is a lot more relaxed than my highly planned New Hampshire habits, and it is always an education for me here to learn to relax and 'go with the flow'! Somehow she always pulls it off superbly, though I would be (and sometimes am) a wreck until its over! Today we are experiencing a tropical monsoon with Noah-type floods and thunder and lightning that has been flashing and crashing since 3 am. I am spending the day catching up on emails, long-distance Lodge business, and my writing. I'll be back in NH on Wednesday night, but hopefully I'll be able to check in here once more before I return. I hear that skiing Tuckerman is still unbelievable, but being a world away, I am having a hard time relating. Now I can understand it a little better when my sister comes to visit me in the dead of winter in high heeled open-toe sandals. Northern reality just doesn't translate well down here.

What is white with white, and white all over?

What is white, with white, and white all over? Give up? The Baltimore Airport in the fog!! My layover flight, en route to West Palm Beach, landed there today, but you could have fooled me. The only way I knew we had actually touched down was by the feel of the rubber wheels on the runway and the sound of air resistance against the wings as we taxied to a halt. I have never seen such white-out fog in my life, apart from my various extreme weather adventures atop Mount Washington. Even when the plane connected to the terminal, the Southwest building was totally obscured from view, and needless to say, the second leg of my trip was delayed. To my eyes, the fog never did improve, but once the planes were given the 'green light' for takeoff again, the control tower made each one wait an additional 5 minutes for extra 'good measure'! Not exactly confidence building, but better than not waiting at all, I suppose ... or taking a stab in the dark and hoping for the best! (And we all thought airline traffic control was a science!!!). The second leg of my journey brought me to the land of palm trees and 70-degree temperatures, where I was met by my mom and my neice, Donielle. I arrived in the afternoon, so we stopped at one of my favorite lunch spots near the airport, "Sweet Tomatoes" which I have been trying to get to open a location here in the Mount Washington Valley of NH ever since the last time I visited. (I even went so far as to contact their corporate office about getting a franchise, only to find out that their stores are all down south and company owned. Darn ... to a salad lover, the place is heaven on a plate). Anyway, I am here for the next 5 days to decompress and enjoy my sister and her family. I will try to write when I can, but my laptop is home and getting computer access and internet here is a challenge.

Countdown to LAUGHTER!

Believe it or not, the last remnants of snow are still lingering here and there, especially around the little Lodge Cabin on Tin Mountain … (although I doubt whether much of it will remain by tomorrow; especially after today’s warm temperatures and the afternoon thunderstorms which are predicted later). Somehow though, between now and then, I have to switch gears, both physically and mentally, to pack for a short-but-exciting trip which I embark upon EARLY tomorrow morning. I’ll be visiting my sister, who lives on the coast of Florida, a world apart from my New Hampshire mountain life. We’re as different as night and day in every other way, too (a compliment to her!!), but we are as close as best friends can be. She makes me LAUGH! This is a wonderful gift, and she has that effect on everyone she meets. There are some people in this world who light up everything around them just be “being” there, making it a much better place, and she is one of them. Whoever said that laughter is the best medicine was right … and most likely knew my sister Sue. I always part from her feeling years younger and so much healthier. Today is her birthday, and while I can’t be with her until tomorrow, I am thinking of her all day. I’ll be staying with her and some of her children (the unmarried ones who still live home). My mom arrived there yesterday, so it will literally be old home week; a mini family reunion! I will try to post some blogs while I am away if I can. If not, I’ll be back ‘online’ at the end of next week with many stories to tell. Meanwhile, back at the Lodge, Dana, Christopher, Zia and Joshua will be holding down the fort to welcome our guests and take your phone calls.

The Shannon Door Makes the Big Screen!

Well, almost ... (it depends on the size of your TV monitor!)Today I want to give a big ‘Congratulations’ to our good neighbors, the Mulkern family, owners of the Shannon Door Pub, conveniently located (diagonally) across from our Lodge. Not being big TV watchers, we almost missed the wonderful tribute and personal story, which was featured on The New Hampshire Chronicle (WMUR) a couple nights ago. (And had it not been for a thoughtful phone call from a friend alerting us to the fact: “Turn on your TV, NOW!”, we would have!). The Shannon Door is an institution here in Jackson, welcoming locals and guests for generations. It’s an intergenerational favorite as well, where adults, children and families of all ages come together to eat, drink and be merry. For 57 years, The Shannon Door Pub and Restaurant has been serving up food, music and good times, with live Irish entertainment every night. It was even recently named by The Boston Globe as the 6th best Irish pub in all of New England. For those who have been patrons for years (and even decades), the accolades don't matter because they've known all along what a wonderful one-of-a-kind place it is. The specialty of the pub is an award-winning, thin crust pizza which the Mulkern family has been turning out since 1953. Says Nora Mulkern, granddaughter of the founder, they use the same family recipe that her grandfather brought from Boston, and the secret is the hand-stretched, homemade crust topped with mild Wisconsin cheddar. Our family can vouch for it’s popularity! Tommy Mulkern, Nora’s dad, was so very welcoming to us right after we bought The Lodge. He made us feel right at home with his friendliness and generosity. Many of our guests are very familiar with the Shannon Door, especially on St. Patrick’s Day, when their parking lot overflows down both sides of Route 16! Folks make reservations with us at The Lodge well ahead of time, knowing they will be celebrating with good food, drink and Irish music, all of which flow freely this night. They appreciate the fact that they can then walk back to The Lodge and not have to drive home after a night of fun. If you missed the television tribute the other night, not to worry! Thanks to technology, this link will take you there in a flash: http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/19260536/detail.html Click on the video image on the right side of the page to learn more about this special place.

The Herb Lady

One of my favorite people came to visit us at The Lodge yesterday. Emelie Tolley is actually my mother’s cousin, so that makes her mine as well, and (obviously!) part of the family. But as we all unfortunately know, not every relative is someone you can sincerely call a ‘friend’. Not so with Emelie Tolley, whom I consider one of my few kindred spirits! Funny thing was, we had never met until a few years ago, and when we did, I felt like I had known her most of my life. Emelie is a prolific writer and author (mostly about herbs) and a woman of many talents. As a young woman, I delighted in her books and started corresponding with her at Christmas time (… and she was gracious enough to write back!). So by the time we actually met face to face here in Jackson, I felt like we were already friends. Emelie’s visit this time coincided with the Mountain Garden Club’s Annual ‘Lunch And Learn’ Speaker Series, held next door at The Red Fox, where Emelie was the Guest Speaker. It was enormously successful, with over 110 people attending. This event has been in the works for well over a year now. Her topic was (of course!) herbs, one of the most rewarding and versatile plants you can grow. And we learned that choices of these wonderful plants aren’t just limited to the expected culinary, fragrant, or medicinal herbs. Emelie is an experienced public speaker and she taught us (with some humor thrown in) how to add color and texture to a border; enjoy a fragrant ground cover; enhance a rock wall; plant stunning containers, hedges or topiaries; grow culinary herbs without an herb garden; and create both formal & informal gardens.

Until we stayed up talking last night, I never knew much about her background, but Emelie has a fascinating one. She began as Fabric Editor for Seventeen Magazine, and then worked at an advertising agency dealing with Fabric and Cosmetic accounts. Over the years she was a Fashion Director for that industry. Ever wonder what colors will be popular next season? Until very recently, Emilie was one of those people who helped decide what colors would line the inside of your wardrobe, even before you did! To do so, she traveled extensively in Germany and France for the fashion industry, helping to choose “colors” for The Color Box, which forecasted upcoming colors for fashion designers. Having now been involved with herbs for over 30 years, Emelie began this adventure with an herb newsletter called “Living With Herbs”, and then wrote 8 beautiful books on herbs, including: Gardening with Herbs; Cooking with Herbs; Herbal Bouquets; The Herbal Pantry; Gifts from the Herb Garden; A Potpourri of Pansies; Tulips; Herbs: Gardens, Decorations and Recipes; Flea Market Style: Decorating with a Creative Edge; contributed to a book called Attention to Detail; published a gorgeous, annual Herb calendar and numerous magazine articles. Her first book, “Herbs: Gardens, Decorations and Recipes” (now celebrating its 25th year) was the first lifestyle book on the subject, became one of the best-selling garden books ever, and has since become a classic. Many were translated into other languages and published in France, Germany, England and even Japan. Emelie was a Contributing Editor with Victoria Magazine from its first issue until its last. It has since been revived after a lapse of several years and is now under new ownership. Emelie has just written 2 wonderful articles for the latest issue, currently on the newsstands. Some of her TV appearances include Regis Philbin, and her show ‘Life With Herbs’, many segments of which can be viewed on You Tube, ranging from such topics as potting and planting herbs, making lavender shortbread, creating herbal honeys and vinegars, to distilling lavender oil and making herbal soaps. Along the way she created lines of china and wallpaper as well as a group of private label candles and spa products for Georgio Armani. She also created a line of bath linens and products for the Japanese market, and also had her own specialty shop at one point. Today I discovered that she once wanted to open a tea shop, something I have ALWAYS wanted to do … See what I mean? Lots of things in common … Anyway, this June, Emelie will be launching a website, ‘emelietolleyherbs’ with information and photos on all the many ways herbs can add pleasure to life. Her wonderful books, all of them overflowing with lusciously beautiful photographs, are collectors items and coffee-table treasures. Most are now out of print, but all can be found on Amazon. Unfortunately, right now she is on her way back to to her home state of Maine, and our two days together were fun-filled and too short. We had dinner at one of the local Thai restaurants last night, stayed up late talking about all sorts of neat things, and this morning we visited the White Mountain Artisans gallery where I sometimes work part time. It’s been a great couple of days … too good to keep all to myself, so I thought I would share her visit! Check out her books on the web. Spring is in the air up here in Jackson today and I’m itching to start planting some of those wonderful herbs!

It's the 18th of April ...

'On the 18th of April in 75, hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous date and year...'

And I'd venture a guess that fewer today remember even the poem, written by Longfellow in 1860, of that famous midnight ride! I was just talking with my mom on the phone a few minutes ago when she asked me what today's date was. As soon as I said it, we both (being history buffs and literature lovers) spontaneously burst into verse! I think Longfellow is partly on my mind, because on Monday my husband Dana, our daughter Zia and I went to Portland for the day to look over the Maine College of Art, one of her possible academic choices. While Zia's portfolio was being critiqued and reviewed, Dana and I walked down the block and discovered Longfellow's house, a magnificent, historic brick structure built in the 1700's. I am definitely heading back to go through it when it reopens next month, and to spend more time in the absolutely stupendous museum shop next door. If you haven't read through Longfellow's poem recently (or heaven forbid! ... never read it at all!!) it's definitely worth a read through, especially on this, the 18th day of April!

Listen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry archOf the North Church tower as a signal light,--One if by land, and two if by sea;And I on the opposite shore will be,Ready to ride and spread the alarmThrough every Middlesex village and farm,For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oarSilently rowed to the Charlestown shore,Just as the moon rose over the bay,Where swinging wide at her moorings layThe Somerset, British man-of-war;A phantom ship, with each mast and sparAcross the moon like a prison bar,And a huge black hulk, that was magnifiedBy its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend through alley and streetWanders and watches, with eager ears,Till in the silence around him he hearsThe muster of men at the barrack door,The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,And the measured tread of the grenadiers,Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,To the belfry chamber overhead,And startled the pigeons from their perchOn the sombre rafters, that round him madeMasses and moving shapes of shade,--By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,To the highest window in the wall,Where he paused to listen and look downA moment on the roofs of the townAnd the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,In their night encampment on the hill,Wrapped in silence so deep and stillThat he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,The watchful night-wind, as it wentCreeping along from tent to tent,And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"A moment only he feels the spellOf the place and the hour, and the secret dreadOf the lonely belfry and the dead;For suddenly all his thoughts are bentOn a shadowy something far away,Where the river widens to meet the bay,--A line of black that bends and floatsOn the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,Booted and spurred, with a heavy strideOn the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.Now he patted his horse's side,Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,And turned and tightened his saddle girth;But mostly he watched with eager searchThe belfry tower of the Old North Church,As it rose above the graves on the hill,Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's heightA glimmer, and then a gleam of light!He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,But lingers and gazes, till full on his sightA second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a sparkStruck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,The fate of a nation was riding that night;And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,Kindled the land into flame with its heat.He has left the village and mounted the steep,And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;And under the alders that skirt its edge,Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clockWhen he crossed the bridge into Medford town.He heard the crowing of the cock,And the barking of the farmer's dog,And felt the damp of the river fog,That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,When he galloped into Lexington.He saw the gilded weathercockSwim in the moonlight as he passed,And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,Gaze at him with a spectral glare,As if they already stood aghastAt the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,When he came to the bridge in Concord town.He heard the bleating of the flock,And the twitter of birds among the trees,And felt the breath of the morning breezeBlowing over the meadow brown.And one was safe and asleep in his bedWho at the bridge would be first to fall,Who that day would be lying dead,Pierced by a British musket ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have readHow the British Regulars fired and fled,---How the farmers gave them ball for ball,From behind each fence and farmyard wall,Chasing the redcoats down the lane,Then crossing the fields to emerge againUnder the trees at the turn of the road,And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;=And so through the night went his cry of alarmTo every Middlesex village and farm,---A cry of defiance, and not of fear,A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,And a word that shall echo for evermore!For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,Through all our history, to the last,In the hour of darkness and peril and need,The people will waken and listen to hearThe hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

And the good news is ...

What a difference a day can make! On Thursday we were out in T-shirts doing spring clean-up activities around the Lodge, and today the Tuckerman Inferno – extreme sport that it is – was canceled for nothing less than extreme weather!!

It was still dark when I was awakened by the sound of SNOW PLOWS this morning! Not believing my ears (but knowing all too well that familiar sound of metal scraping on pavement) I made my way to the window where a literal fairy land met my glance with six inches of new snow coating everything from lawn to limbs. Since I have just recently returned from visiting family in New Jersey (where temperatures topped the 90 degree mark), I could barely believe my eyes today … but such was my view and it could not be disputed (especially when I had to go dig out my windshield scraper before I went to the store!). The Inferno is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow if conditions improve, but the good news is that Wildcat Ski Area just received over 10" of freshie powder snow from a storm that is forecasted to continue for the next few days. Conditions have quickly returned to mid-season form and if Spring Skiing is your thing, drop everything and come play hookey in the mountains. I’ll even write you an “excuse” for your boss!

The Seasons are Running Backwards!

After a week of blue skies and T-shirt temperatures, just when summer seemed around the corner, we woke up to a replay of winter this morning! And to look outside, with everything covered by 2+ inches of snow --- it could be a photograph from last December! But how perfect is this, considering that the infamous Tuckerman Inferno is this weekend? They are expecting up to 8" of snow by tonight!! We have a bunch of guests checking in this afternoon who will be participating in this always-awesome event! The Inferno Pentathlon race consists of 5 legs: an 8.3 mile run; 6 mile kayak, 18 mile bike ride a 3 mile hike and a 1-mile ski. Competitions include the Tuckerman and Tuckerwoman events where 1 racer does all 5 events; The Inferno Team Competition which is limited to 30 male and 30 female teams of 5 people each, one of whom must be of the opposite sex; and the Dynamic Duo: a 2-person team where each member must do at least 1 event but the team competes in all 5 areas. Media attention covering this annual ‘rite of spring’ in the Mount Washington Valley is huge, with TV networks and major newspaper & magazine coverage. It is most definitely a community event, with up to 420 competitors, 60 volunteers and up to 2000 spectators along the way! Now that may sound big to you and me, but on Easter weekend a few weeks ago, the weather was almost summer-like, and as I drove past Pinkham Notch and the base of Mount Washington, I witnessed a sight I haven’t seen in all my time living here! I called it “Winter Woodstock”. For 5 miles solid up either side of Route 16 and in every pull-off and National Forest parking lot, it was solid cars! The Visitors Center estimated that there were over 800 cars, and 3000 people making the sacred pilgrimage up the mountain on foot, and the descent on snowboards and skis. It was definitely a sight to behold. The warm weather ever since has been delightful --- until this morning! Hard to believe that just last night I was out exploring vernal pools in a light shirt, discovering masses of salamander and wood frog eggs, and seeing trailing arbutus! But as they say in the mountains, if you don’t like the weather, just wait a few hours! Unfortunately, it sometimes works the other way too, but in today’s case, it couldn’t be better timing for all those Inferno fans!