Skyline lodge.

Sunshine

So I was thinking about little people as of late and it just so happens that for the last two days this sweet little ray of sunshine has been in the shop and shes' all smiles and giggles. How is it that this little tiny person does it? Sure I've heard her cry and scream but this Rose cheeked kid just has something about her that well other kids just don't. So as I approach my finer years I start to think; am I going to be able to show my child how to live life? Love seems to have a large capacity for margin and error and pull us through tough times but I think raising a child has more to do with the way we look at life. What do we value and covet in life? For every person one can expect very different answers but ideally I think it takes two very special people that can show and share with that young person what life truly means through unique experiences. Those young formative years that maybe we cant remember early in life are truly very important and have more to do with who we are or end up as than we may think. So as I write I cant help but smile as I look forward to meeting my little ray of sunshine someday soon. I look forward to showing that sunshine just how fun life can be and I think I have a pretty good idea of just how to do it!

Just another Pine Hill park day.

Another beautiful sunday down at Pine hill park with good friends. By far the driest singletrack I have seen in years this early in the season. Heres to more.

A Fun Ride

Today I took a bike ride by myself; out Route 12, up Gould Hill and up to and around the ridge that North Street runs along. What a beautiful day for a bike ride. As I rode out to Gould Hill, another biker passed me, apparently too busy to say hello. Or maybe huffing and puffing too hard. Anyways, I passed this same rider again as he came zooming back down Gould Hill; his grimmacing face was hunched over his handlebars. Again he must have been too busy/huffing to say hello. I've never been one to care much about pace, speed, or milage. But some people take themselves very seriously.

As I rode up into the hills of central Vermont, I heard and saw and smelled so many wonderful things. The dandelions and other green leaves are popping up everywhere. Daffodils are blooming. Damp, heavy clouds hung in the valley headwalls and in the sags between summits. It looked like thunder and sunshine both at the same time. But the birds were singing, so I knew it wouldn't rain on me. I even heard the distinctive call of a red-winged blackbird; the arrival of these particular birds means that Spring is now truly here. The sweet, sappy, stinking smell of dank, thawing earth was on the wind. A light mist hung over the reservoir and over streams and open fields. My legs and lungs felt worked and my mind was cleared. And on my way back into town, I passed someone I knew heading out on a run; it was nice to see a familiar face and to say 'hello.' Again, what a beautiful day for a bike ride. I just wonder whether huffing/puffing/zooming man noticed any of these wonderful things.

Don't forget to have fun out there. Happy trails!

Airing out the laundry.

ORS Man night.

Loving the Riding...and the Living

Okay, so before you bust me I'll admit this picture is from last summer. Nonetheless, this is where Tristan and I found ourselves about sunset-time last night. This might be our favorite spot in all of Vermont - it's the hill just up from the intersection of Jacobs and Horn of the Moon Roads in East Montpelier.

Tristan and I have gotten out on the bikes the last two nights in a row (see below post about Tristan's new love), but last night's ride was by far the better one. A little longer, a little muddier, and much more scenic. Oh yeah, and we climbed a rock hill over by the dam, so this was even a multi-sport adventure! And while the intention of these rides is certainly to get ourselves back into the swing of things for trail riding, the scenery is what gets me out there in the first place. Ahhh, Vermont. And bikes. And dirt roads. I love you.

Although I love trails better.

Happy trails!