Between traveling this summer and not having a bicycle in working condition, it had been three months since I had been on my bike, but I'm back in the saddle!

happy to be heading out for a ride... taken before I turned back after getting a flat at mile 3

Over the years, bike parts have worn out, but I somehow managed to get enough gears working to comfortably ride on all but the steepest mountains here. ("All I want for Christmas is a bike tune up...")

After a few weeks of what seemed like weather better suited for the Pacific northwest, it has been magnificently sunny and mild outdoors during the day. We've lost all our flowers up at altitude, thanks to below-freezing temperatures at night, but the aspen trees have turned their leaves ...or lost their chlorophyll... and have changed the landscape daily.

                          
Down at lower altitudes in the city, I have been enjoying the last of the summer flowers and much warmer temperatures. I'm not ready for wearing all those layers just yet!

Even though I have been quite familiar with this area for a long time, living here now is completely different. The easy parts have been knowing which trails I enjoy, where to buy groceries and the like, while the more interesting bits have included living in such a small town-- everyone knows you even if you haven't met them yet. I met a couple at the museum today, visiting from New York City, who mentioned how friendly they found people here, and that I find to be very true.

I have made a few friends here so far, but just in the past week I have been delighted to hear from people that I knew in previous areas of my life-- my Tibetan teacher, whose subtle wisdom always has given me pause for thought, and a former co-worker in Massachusetts who I always looked forward to talking with while at that job. And it's those heartening conversations that I feel are most important to us. Thinking back over the path I have taken so far, and all the moves to new cities or states I have made, I look forward to meeting many more wonderful individuals here as well.

chains required...?

Is it that time of the year already? I've only been back to the US for a little over a month, and it sure feels like fall. This past weekend I was driving back from Denver and a roadside sign caught my eye: chains required through May 31-- for trucks, of course, and thankfully not for my little car! The accountant who comes by to collect our money at work every morning even told me how it had snowed the previous night, though high up on the mountain tops. I can't say I'm ready for it, but I guess that's what I signed up for living at altitude.

The transition to my new job here has been the easiest of them all. I would say the laid-back atmosphere of the town and its museum is the reason for it. I really enjoy the few people I work with, and having more freedom and responsibility in this role was very easy to get used to.

 Aside from the job, mountain living has its perks, and being able to walk out from work and be at the trail head in just a few minutes probably tops them all. That, and I'm more centrally located for family visits!

dad and me at Hoosier Pass

 The city isn't far away either, and that makes a big difference. I can have the best of both worlds. This past weekend while I was there, I knocked one item off my bucket list: the Ferris wheel! I'm not a fan of heights, but I always love a challenge. We were the first ones loaded on, and so we waited while the wheel slowly made its way around so the others could get loaded into their baskets.

Finally we reached the bottom again and were about to get going up to speed and the ride operator told us we would have to get off. Someone had broken a door, so the ride could not continue until it was repaired. Such a disappointment. At least I made it around once or twice and got to see the city from the top, but I was just getting started! Next time...

A few sights from my first month here:

Chihuly at the Botanic Gardens

interesting meditation exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art

concert at Red Rocks

rainbow at Loveland Pass

Australia!

It's 4 am Brisbane time and given that I've been in five different time zones in the past week and traveled to the other side of the world in the opposite hemisphere, my body feels confused enough that it could be in either sleep or wake mode and be alright. I've tried to balance the two over the past 48 hours.

The last leg of our trip was a 10 hour flight from Honolulu to Brisbane. We had such a relaxing time on the beach during our 22 hour layover, despite spending about three hours in traffic trying to get around. We were using a very rudimentary tourist map, but it was enough to lead us to Waikiki where we spent all afternoon swimming. We weren't used to such strong waves knocking us around, and Graham and I both ended up with cuts and bruises on our feet from the rocks on the ocean floor. It was well worth it though, and we ended our day with a meal at a Korean restaurant well away from the tourist areas.

courtyard at the airport: excellent idea

Our AirBnB host was eccentric and very helpful, although the heat and humidity got to us with there being no AC on his apartment. The pane-less windows had only slats that opened, so along with a box fan, we enjoyed the sounds of the city all night until a crying baby next door woke us up for good at about 4 in the morning.

Our flight that morning was uneventful until we landed at BNE and were told, after a few people stood up to get into the overheads, to sit back down. Then the flight attendants came down the aisles and after opening all the overhead bins began spraying aerosol cans of... disinfectant? It seems to be a new procedure since talk amongst passengers led to no conclusions. After deplaning, we went to customs where the first Aussie we encountered chastised us both for not knowing where we were staying beyond 'Brisbane'. Because "Brisbane is a big place". Additionally, "cousin John" is inadequate info for customs.

Finally at home and after showers, we had a wonderful meal. A home cooked meal is always very welcome after you've been consuming airplane food and backpack snacks for the majority of your meals. With it being winter here, the sun set at 5-something which really threw me off after being in Seattle where it wasn't completely dark even after 9. We ended up going to bed before 8.

It's nearly 5 am now and I've been writing this on our drive to the Gold Coast Half Marathon. The sun won't be rising for another hour, but we've been told it will be beautiful over the water.

0 to 9,500

I've made quite the change in altitude since my last post, having gone from sea level on Cape Cod and driving all the way to the Rocky Mountains. I didn't fare as well this high up as I normally do, but after almost two weeks here, I can get out for a good hike and not feel like I've done 10 times that effort afterward.

While I was back east saying my goodbyes, I had a Tibetan friend stop over for a few days. We didn't know we were living so close to each other at the time, but as they say: It's a small world! I hadn't seen him since two years ago when I was in Tibet myself, so it was a nice surprise. His English has improved very much since then, and it made me happy to see him more easily express himself in this language.

(Looking back now, I miss that ocean! I have many wonderful memories there, like I do of all the places I have lived and visited.)
 
The drive west went by quickly. I think the more cross-country trips you make, the faster they seem to go. I stopped for a day or two at my aunt's in Ohio, then my parents' in Kansas, and finally on through to Colorado.

Today, I was chatting with a "neighbor" a ways down the road, as I had stopped by their multi-family yard sale, about how lovely it is in the summertime here. With it being the weekend, plenty of visitors were taking advantage of that: we had a running road race this morning, along with an air and water show after that-- one of my favorite spectator activities. No, I wouldn't appreciate being inside one of those acrobatic aircraft, but it sure is fascinating to watch.

Newport cottages

I ventured to Newport today, one last time to visit the historic mansions since my membership expires next week. I can't believe I have been in the northeast for over a year. My mother gifted this membership to me, as our trip together to the mansions last year was the first. I have visited about seven times since then, especially when I have other out-of-towners with me. The beauty and craftsmanship of these homes is not something you see every day, and it leaves me in awe every time.

Today, I finished out the guided tour my mother and I bailed on last year (Chateau-sur-mer), and it was good. (My mother prefers to go at her own pace, hence our early departure.) I think the beginnings of tours are usually slow and dry, but as the docent got going, she really had a sense of humor, and she knew everything about every single thing in that house. Down to the tight white gloves the butlers loathed to wear in the 1960s, and to the different types of wood used for carving. Her knowledge on this topic stemmed from her father having been in the building business, and it was especially interesting to me. She has been working there for 26 years (she was about 80 years old). 

After that, I drove the "scenic route" down Bellevue Avenue, home to many of the grandiose mansions in Newport, and I kept going. I circled all the way around the coastline, and suddenly became aware of all the modern-day estates dotting the waterline, overlooking the cliffs, or trying their best to be obscured by the enormous glacial boulders scattered along the coast. I was amazed.

Even with so many mansions razed after the end of the Gilded Age era, seemingly in admonishment for the duality of extreme lavishness that existed alongside insufficiency for so many, the size of these built structures that stand today are symbolic of a certain eminence. I began to wonder, a century down the road, will these abodes be the next added to the list of historically preserved Newport homes?

Acadia National Park in April

Last week was National Park Week. I got a jump on this with my trip to Acadia National Park the week before. Even though all national parks were free for the weekend, Acadia is free until the start of May. It's still essentially winter up there. In fact, the park opened for the season the second day we were there, and we got there 40 minutes after they opened the gate. I think I was the first person to put a donation in the box, too!

We were in luck the first day they opened because the weather was decent enough that they were also able to open the Park Loop Road, about 27 miles of paved road that circles the largest portion of land, popular with cyclists in the summer. We had planned to ride it as well, but it rained... a lot. We still decided to hike through it, until we got to the top of Cadillac Mountain, 1528 ft, the highest point in the park.

boyfriend searching out cairns/bright colors are a good choice

 It was windy, and getting foggier as we ascended. Luckily, there were cairns to follow, otherwise we might have gone around in circles. We reached what we thought was the top. All we know is we launched ourselves up over large flat boulder, and immediately felt gale-force wind from the other direction that nearly knocked us over, and we both automatically went into a crouching position. We stayed up there maybe 10 seconds before deciding to head back down. (The only other time I felt wind that strong was when I was clinging to the side of an abandoned house while experiencing near-tornadic conditions while on a bike ride.)

Around the Park Loop Road, we came across a beautiful architectural example of a European hunting lodge. It must be mentioned that John D. Rockefeller was one of the key individuals responsible for the creation of Acadia National Park. He donated 11,000 acres of his property and this gatehouse (1932), as it actually is, was commissioned by him to serve as a barrier to automobiles entering the park. Encouraging non-motor traffic, he developed a vast system of carriage roads during the first part of the 20th century that are well-maintained even today. This foresight, and the preservation measures that have come since that time, are factors that make this park easily accessible without a car, across the whole island.

So, back to our adventure. The day after we toured the Loop, it snowed. We were thinking, "But, it was 60 degrees and sunny when we got here!"

Then, by mid-morning, it started clearing. I love to watch this over the ocean, because it's completely blue on one side, and just grey as the clouds on the other. Here is where we drove down to Northeast Harbor, a very quintessential coastal Maine town. After reading that Martha Stewart lived somewhere around here, I was joking that we should be able to find her house. Even though we weren't far from it, it turns out she lives on 63 acres, assuredly hidden away from any curious tourists.

Despite the weather, we enjoyed the seaside cliffs I had always seen in photos, the forests of evergreen, aspen, and birch, and the lack of tourists. It was almost as if we had the park to ourselves. The park staff even told us this is the best time of year to come. However, I would still love the chance to be there at peak season!

day trip to Newport

Last year, one of the first sure signs of spring on Cape Cod was the crocus blooms. This year, I found the same. They are everywhere, much like the daffodils will be in a few weeks. I discovered a nice little patch of them out by the wood pile this afternoon.

The pup apparently found these springtime blooms before I had, as I noticed one of her many holes-to-China was nearby. Her humans are about to make their way back to the Cape in a few days, just in time for the tolerable weather. They have still requested the heat be turned up to 70 in their part of the house.

Being with the dog for the past three months has been very enjoyable, although I will sure be glad to be able to get away for a few days and not have to worry about what to do with her. The other day I realized I had been on the Cape for nearly all of winter, save for a few trips up to Boston. That was quite a hibernation by my standards-- almost as if I had turned into one of these homebody New Englanders! So to celebrate the start of spring, I took a day trip to Newport, RI to visit the mansions. I never tire of visiting these lovely historic homes with their formidable architecture.

It was busier than I expected (tour groups already??) although it was a beautiful Saturday. I know some people may not enjoy listening to a "guided" audio tour, but the stories told are fascinating to me. Life at that time in these houses was so different from what we know today, and it's just fun to imagine what it would have been like.

The beach was hopping as well with dry suit-clad surfers and stand-up paddle boarders.

I stopped for lunch at the same restaurant shown to me by the hostel owner I had stayed with back in November, Anthony's, and enjoyed a salmon burger. The restaurant was actually featured on the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a few years ago. It's definitely a local place, and I do love to escape the tourists...

Next week's adventure: Acadia National Park in Maine. It's been on my list of places to see for quite a while!

another year!

Recap of my 27th birthday, because it's been a long, but happy, day:

Blizzard. All night. All morning.

No electricity.

Dog with cabin fever. I had to get creative.

Work in the afternoon, followed by much appreciated birthday chats with my family.

An impromptu four-course meal at an Italian restaurant followed by a birthday cake, inspired by my love of cornbread:

Polenta pound cake. 

And now, let spring officially begin!

film festival and feijoada

Last week I spent an evening in Boston to see the  Banff Mountain Film Festival, which is an annual event for me. I had two favorites this year. The Last Ice Merchant is about a man in Ecuador who harvests ice daily from nearby glaciers-- well worth watching. The film that won best feature-length film was Ready to Fly, the story of Lindsey Van and how she worked toward getting women's ski jumping into the Olympics. It just amazes me that it took until this year to make it happen, and it made watching the event in this year's games that much more important. There were a number of other great films, so many that I didn't make it home finally until about 1 am. So tired.

The next day was an all-day work day, and since I hadn't had time to make food the night before as I usually do, during my lunch break I was dreading having to find something decent at Dunkin Donuts or some other fast food chain. Then I noticed a small cafe, sign out front that read "Now Open". I thought it was Mexican by the name (my least favorite), but I decided to give it a try anyway. I was the only one in there, but was greeted by a very friendly couple who own the restaurant. I looked at the menu: Brazilian! Feijoada! The woman gave me a sample and was amazed I knew how to pronounce the name. I explained that my mom often made the dish growing up, and she was surprised again. (Thanks mom!)

I ordered and ate, and then she and I started chatting again. She and her husband had opened the cafe only a few weeks ago, and it was going pretty slow. I assured her the food was excellent and it was only a matter of time, because really, they are making true homemade food. It was delicious. Her husband is a trained chef, and she worked various jobs including teaching English to Brazilian children near Boston. They seemed so proud having finally started their own business. Then she told me that because she knows what it's like, [retail] employees get a discount. Just pay what you can, because they may not have much, but they have food. Of course I will always pay the fair price, but having someone show that sort of generosity is uncommon. It's not something you'll find at Dunkin Donuts.

marine biology

Last week I picked up this on the beach:

 

I had no idea what it was, but I knew it wasn't a part of any inner skeletal structure, even though that's what it looks like at first glance. It was later made known to me that it's actually an egg case of the knobbed whelk, which I often see on the beach. I picked up this one too, for reference.

We've been having a snow about once a week lately, and this past week's snow day I spent dissecting this egg case. This is what I found.

Miniscule sea creatures! The top is the tiny whelk, which I was expecting to find. But also within a few of the other egg cases I found a tiny sand flea, and then what looks like a tiny quahog or some similar bivalve, separated. This was the highlight of my day, obviously. Growing up inland, we didn't often get the chance to explore this area of the natural world-- except for my high school marine biology class, which I loved. 

In addition to my growing shell collection, another find on the beach has been a snowy owl that I can invariably locate at the end of our run near the water each morning. It blends in beautifully with the snow.

 The beach we frequent is home to piping plovers that the dog seems to herd down to the end of the beach and back as we go. They are fun to watch, and the owl is watching them as well. It's amazing to see it swoop down over the water and back to its perch on the dunes.

Anyway, I don't understand the people who make the mass migration to Florida to stay with the 70 degree weather. Cape Cod in the winter is just beautiful.

the kindness of strangers

It was a foggy morning this morning, but much warmer than it had been, in the 40s. I had even opened my living room window to let some fresh air in. The pup and I went out for our morning run as we always do, although since I had to work, we had to make it a quick run, doing one loop instead of three. It was all going well until Shahna decided she wasn’t ready to go home yet. She refused to be caught, so I ended up chasing her about a quarter of a mile back down the trail. I bribed her with a stick to fetch and eventually got her on leash, but quickly realized I had lost my car keys in the process.

So back and forth that section of trail we went. I had my eyes on the ground, scanning, and the next thing I knew, there was a large barking dog on top of Shahna, who had been knocked to the ground. She had slipped out of her collar, and this dog was dragging her. I was terrified but had my pepper spray ready in seconds. Just before I was about to open it up, the other dog bolted back to its owner who had appeared over the hill. She assured me he was friendly, just an alpha male type. So he was, and off he and Shahna went down the trail again.

I was rather distraught at this point and explained to the woman that I needed to get to work soon but had lost my car keys. She went off after the dogs and I for my keys. Only the dogs were retrieved and the woman offered to drive me home. Also a runner, she and I ran our respective dogs to her car and piled them in the back, windows down to enjoy the mild air. Shahna loves car rides, but on a car ride with her new friend, she could hardly contain herself. The two dogs began roughhousing in the back, and the next thing we heard was clunk, clunk.  We both looked back to see only Shahna in the backseat. The other dog had somehow exited the car via the open window-- I kid you not. He was just standing roadside, oblivious to what had happened. We all made it home, with me thanking the heavens I hadn't closed my living room window yet. I climbed through, got my spare car keys, and a short bike ride later, I was back to my car.

Later at work today, a woman came up to me, and said “It’s me! From this morning!” We had been chatting in the car on the way home, and I told her where I worked and she had showed up just to let me know she and her husband had searched for my car keys but had not found them. Nevertheless, I was incredibly grateful for her kindness.

Blizzard, take two

Our second winter storm of the year has passed, and we were able to enjoy some lovely mornings out in the snow. The Cape has slightly milder weather than the rest of the surrounding area, and as far as the northeast goes, this winter has been quite tolerable with temperatures are generally five degrees warmer than in Boston.

Ten degrees feels like summer with calm air and sunny skies. We set out one morning to try to retrieve a certain giant horseshoe crab shell that the puppy dug up the previous day during our snow romp. With me on skis, I wasn't able to easily transport it back, but the following day I had two partners in adventure.

 There was one to transport the horseshoe crab molt...

And another who wanted to toss it about...

Along a different trail, there was a new discovery! Another huge molt.

     We ended up taking only the original find back with us, and it is now drying out in front of the window.

There may not be a whole "going on" on the Cape during the winter, but the simpler life is enjoyable for the time being.

cabin fever

The weather lately up here in the Northeast has been alternating between frigid/snowy and moderate/rainy, and the puppy and I have been enjoying our morning runs-- either on cross-country skis or on foot. We are lucky that there are so few people out right now because that means the pup can get her sillies out off-leash. Her favorite activity is reaching the beach, where she darts back and forth across the sand, as fast and as happy as can be. I'm not sure what it is about the beach, but that's where she really gets excited!

After all that energy exertion, back in we go where that tired puppy sleeps for most of the rest of the day. That leaves the rest of the day free for me. There are not as many work hours at the stores now that the holidays are over, so I've been doing a lot of at-home projects and activities. However, a few days ago it hit me that I wanted to go out and do something. (I can state with confidence that there is really not much in the way of open businesses on Cape Cod in the winter, at least if you prefer something other than Starbucks or Wal-Mart.)

So, my friend and I grabbed a discount pass from the library and headed to the New Bedford Whaling Museum where we learned all about the history of whaling in the area. Who knew there was so much trade between New Bedford and places like the Azores, Cape Verde, and the northern Pacific? Of course it makes sense for island and coastal communities to form trade alliances leading to the exchange and movement of people. That always fascinates me, so in the spirit of these cross-cultural exchanges, we ended up eating at a Portuguese cafe for a late lunch. I chose a not-quite-American burger that included linguiça, a fried egg, sliced potatoes and some incredibly spicy chilies, which after one burning bite I promptly removed.

 Lots of scrimshaw...

 I recognized this from my graduate studies as a Loango carved whale tooth

 The largest model ship ever built

 grey day

 I spy... lots of fishing boats

think two-year-old

"Think two-year-old"

That was the advice given to my upon the departure of this puppy's humans, on their way to spend the winter in Florida. Shahna the dog...puppy... is a one-year-old Boxer, left in my care for the next few months, and so has our bonding begun! Luckily, we are both active (a BIG plus, and convenience), though Shahna being the young'n is constantly on the go. I can't keep up. She is still learning, and although a little stubbornness comes through periodically, she is generally very easygoing.

Born in Florida herself last year, Shahna had never seen snow until this winter. We had a standard winter blizzard going on the past 24 hours, which left a beautiful blanket of snow on Cape Cod about a foot deep. Puppy seemed slightly disoriented at first, but quickly realized how NEW everything was! And of course that set her off. We went down her favorite trail to the water, me on my cross-country skis, and Shahna with a friend on foot (read: runner who could keep up with her).

It was gorgeous out by the time we reached the water! The entire morning it had been flurrying, and by the time I scraped and defrosted the car and plowed the drive later in the afternoon, the sun was peeking through. It was about an hour before sunset when we reached the water. It was my first cross country ski of the season, and a beautiful one at that!