Five Great Days

Back at work after five great days. The photo below showing Upper Plunge with the fun not nearly used up yet...

Skier: Gidget

KTEX2009 Day 5

It was forecast to be snowy, but the day was blue skies and some wind. I found that the skiers right of everything on 9 was great. Speaking of Blue, air-Blue arrived in the afternoon, we had dinner at Hongas, drinks at Excelsior, then Noir Bar where Steve is still MIA.

Andy and Danni

Shep, Chrissie, and Clara

KTEX2009 Day 4

First tracks in ankle-deep pow down Plunge and Lookout. Any other commentary is superfluous.

KTEX2009 Day 3

A gorgeous, sunny day, if a little bit windy at times. Skied with the girls in the morning, then rendezvous with Gabriel for his 2PM local's "early start"...

KTEX2009 Day 2 PM

You just never know you may run into in this old mining town.

KTEX2009 Day 2 AM

Sun shining bright, I rode the fourth chair up 8 and the second up 9. Lookout, Bushwacker twice, and then Lookout to Cats Paw (still soft) to come back an meet Heidi at the airport. Sweet!

859AM at Chair 8

KTEX2009 Day 1

Day one was great. There was nearly a foot of fresh, dry pow on the hill as I got out to ski for the first time this season (yikes!). Serious electrostatic forces pulled me to Chair 9, where I found they have added a footrest and safety bar (yawn). My fave of the day, which I must have ran five times, is hard skiers right down the start of Lookout. It was essentially fluffy, nearly untracked stuff, with few bumps to throw me off... well, I did go out the front once in a painless powder face plant. ... The sun is out this morning, and another fine day is in store

Tuesday Morning Downtown Telluride 705AM

Telluride Arrival Drama

Over perhaps a dozen trips to Telluride in the winter, I believe I've only been diverted on the inbound once. Well twice now! Came in from Phoenix on a Dash-8, practically a jumbo next to the Beech 1900s. Below minimums, we diverted to Montrose. Picked up 5000 pounds of Jet-A; and 22 passengers got off while 3 of us stayed on. Gabriel said the weather was looking OK, and sure enough, we shot the approach at 2000 ft ceiling and 2 mi visibility.

Our Dash8

Ulster County in the 1970s

There has been a revival of interest in the historical record of Ulster County, Woodstock, and Onteora High School from the 1970s. I took a whole bunch of photos back then, and some of them have found their way onto my Smugmug account linked below...

• Onteora 1976 Yearbook
• Onteora Candids
• OCS Senior Class Trip
• Onteora Era
• Bearsville Era (late 1970s)
• Bushkill (West Shokan) 1970s
• 1970s Faves (mixed bag)
• Bushkill Video Highlights

Don Jennings (1974)

Linus-Like Behavior

Linus has been a handful lately. Our mellow male bully sometimes wakes from sleep and gets all up in the face of his bed. I doubt he's possessed, although I can't prove it. Will have to pay more attention and seek professional help.

Stink Eye

Eleven Years On

It's been eleven years now without Chris. What makes a spirit so strong that years, even decades later, it illuminates ones life? I miss and curse Chris at the same time.

Coming Home From Killington, 1980s, Susan and Chris in Vermont

When I Grow Up

It was November 1992 when Chris and I were driving to Killington in his Jeep for some early-season skiing. The Lemonheads “It’s a Shame about Ray” had become a hit that fall with their cover of “Mrs Robinson”. On the way home, after a few beers; Chris, in his warm, Texas drawl started singing “there’s still some of the same stuff we got yesterday…” over Evan and Juliana. And so it was through Chris’ atonal mashup of “My Drug Buddy” that I discovered Juliana Hatfield.

I quickly discovered the Blake Babies– I had probably heard them on WFNX in the late 80s. And with “Hey Babe” and “Become What You Are” I was hooked. Juliana’s music would be the soundtrack to many 90s summer weeks on Hunter Cove in Rangeley. Well Juliana, PJ Harvey, and The Golden Palominos. Through the 90’s I made it to perhaps six JH gigs. Most memorable: 1995 at Avalon with Jeff Buckley opening.

For well over a decade Juliana’s music has been a catalyst for reaching my emotions. Sometimes pleasantly painful, like listening to her early 90’s work when I’m just pissed at Chris for being dead. Sometimes deep, like the riff at the end of “Ten Foot Pole”, which to me, is the quintessential, instantly-identifiable JH guitar vibe. Sometimes pissed-off – why didn’t Gods Foot get released? And how do I fix that?

Juliana’s memoir “When I Grow Up” was an enjoyable, illuminating read. The cadence of the book is not unlike a Beckett play; especially if you have some suspicions on how things might turn out… or not. Keep going!


Juliana (Manchester, NH - May 12, 2000)

Christmas 2008

We went with Ed and Claudia to Pesce Blue in Portsmouth for the traditional "Seven Fishes Feast" on Christmas Eve. Yummy. Then a mellow, mild, day with no stress at all - and the dogs happy to get out of the house.

Spring Conditions (Mine Hill Christmas, 2008)

Blue Skies Up Ahead

My emotions are amplified this time of year. What is it about the "holiday spirit"? For children, this should be a magical time - indeed, what isn't magical in your youth? And why does that fade for some? The news of Tery this year, like other tragedies that have worked to align with the stars, makes me even more in awe of this life's great arc. Good and bad.

Pig-Pen Party: Maureen, Tery, Andy, Kathy, Mike, Rick, Shep (1977)

Missing Tery

I remember Tery carrying around that Pink Floyd album with the Hipgnosis cover. Shit, that's ambiguous. The one with the man shaking hands on fire. Wish you were here.

Tery (1975)

The Ice Storm of 2008

After four days "off the grid", power, landline phone, and broadband found their way back to us. We are fortunate that we are off of a state highway that has been well maintained. It was still an ordeal. More pics on the click-through.

An Attractive Nuisance

About the year we moved into Manitou House, the Town of Olive had cleared trees and established a roadbed for what would become Hillside Drive in West Shokan. When the snow fell that December, the fat and gullible city kid would be one of the first to challenge it on sled. Of course, I went right past Rick's driveway and into the creek.

I garnered a small amount of `cred, in that I could actually hurt myself. A year or two later, "the pit", became the focal point for much mini-bike activity. I don't think I ever damaged myself too bad, although the possibility surely was there. And in time perfected my cross up.

A Vinyl-Only Evening

We stayed close to home this Thanksgiving. Ed and Claudia cooked an amazing dinner. I got to see Zoe and David. And Susan and I had a "vinyl-only" evening. I think the vinyl-only bit is vital. Three decades later, my early 1980's Technics SP10 still works fine. The LP of the evening... the original Utopia album from 1974. Frog included. Very cool.

Griff and Geo abhor daylight (Bearsville 1979)

Geo

I spoke with George today: my dear friend from "The Bearsville Era" is on the mend. It seems like only yesterday Carol, Geo, and Eddie had their digs in Mt Tremper. That was thirty years ago. Frick!

George in 'B' control at the Ted Rothstein-modded Quad-8 desk

Super Freak

Dee called and said "Halloween Party" and so we were up for it. Susan was much more into her 70's revival than my 80's rock guy move.

Rick James