He Knew He Was Right

From August 4, 2013 through the start of this MLB season, it felt good knowing that I had seen all 30 teams play in their current home ballpark. I've watched the home team play in a total of 43 ballparks, in fact. The Braves opening their new stadium this year of course knocked me out of that all-30 club. Surprisingly to me, though, I didn't feel an overwhelming urge to visit the new ballpark as soon as the season got underway. I was perfectly content to wait until the NFL schedule release later in April to see if I might in one weekend couple a visit to SunTrust park with one to Mercedez-Benz stadium to catch the Falcons in their new digs. A few weeks later, the scheduling gods did set up the alignment I sought, but I balked when realizing the football half of the setup was a Sunday night game in their new stadium's debut. While that'd be nice to see, chances are it's going to be more expensive than I'd like. So, I still haven't made plans to see the B...

I must have used more paste when gluing my ski map to its cork base, because it is not sagging at all. After all, there are a mere 45 pins on it, the vast majority of which are on the upper right side. No, there are few pins in the Cascades, Rockies and Sierra Mountains, and not enough to sufficiently prevent the sagging, lumping and other visible eyesores afflicting my National Park map discussed in my previous post . The problem with this one is the pin color selection. Clearly red pins against a red mountain outline was not the most prudent decision. Then again, nor would have white, black or blue pins been any better. Green and yellow pins might stand out more, but they just don't seem like ski colors, do they? Anyway, I may buy some bigger pins next time I'm in a crafts store. I'll also try to get a clearer picture, but, for now, here is a tabular representation of my ski resort visits; as with my last map, resorts are sorted alphabetically by state, and here foll...

So, yeah, that lump under my carpet was nothing more than one of my cross country skis, which ended up staying in the basement closet all winter long, and never once saw the light of day nor found their way to parallel tracks in the snow. Usually, I get on them once or twice locally and also bring them on my "big" ski vacation each February. But, for the first time since 2003, I didn't take off President's week, staying off of any kind of ski that entire week. Of course there were ski trips throughout the winter, but nothing more than long weekends, and in retrospect that worked out really well. And let me note that I was more eager than usual for time on the slopes this winter. My purchase earlier in the year and subsequent extensive use of the Skier's Edge trainer had me more fit heading into this ski season than I had been in recent years. I couldn't wait to see how my workouts translated into actual skiing fitness and technique improvement. Last yea...

It won't be long now. The skis are in the shop being tuned, and the snow tires have been mounted. Last night, this started to happen...   And this morning I was greeted by this...   No, it won't be long now...

Remember those roller ski things I bought? The whole point of them was fitness, and being ready when ski season got here. Well, not too long ago, I figured I'd be sailing like this by now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbqiF0y6Occ&feature=colike . Yeah, I was going to be in great shape, better shape than I had been in any recent ski season, in fact. That's right, I was going to put more time in on the skinny skis this winter and be ready to glide, well, something approximating this: http://youtu.be/XDZTHQlc1N8 . Ok, maybe not nearly so well, but certainly be able to move effortlessly along the trail, up hills, around turns, and all that.  Instead, ski season is just about here, and I realize I don't quite have my ski legs ready. So, I'm frantically trying to get in shape. And, forget the roller skis, I'm getting ready for the season the old-fashioned way: http://youtu.be/qaeRaHNszws

...because I've been doing a good amount of this... that... and the other thing... Wordier posts to come back soon...

Last week I dropped them off, and now I have them back. Look how shiny the edges are... Yeah, I know, lots of people get their skis tuned each year, but I got a little bit excited because I happened to go out and pick them up on a really cold and windy evening, an evening that started with some peeks at the snow reports from resorts to my north: six inches and up is what they're boasting. Finally! Cold weather, snow, and a set of skis ready for it. Sweet! But, take another look at that picture. Look how the flash bounces off the sharpened edges. Trust me, those edges are sharp. Sharp enough to shave with. Sharp enough to split a hare/hair. Sharp enough to cut a shadow off an icy slope. And the base is waxed as smooth as it was the day I picked them up. Really hoping for a few good runs at some point over the weekend.

As I noted back in September, I look forward to autumn big time. I look forward to this season, and the promise of what follows, with skiing a huge part of that. Skiing requires snow, and so the first snowfall is something I await rather eagerly each year. It doesn't need to be a blizzard, no, just some flakes, flurries, and really just a little white on the grass will do. And, to make me really happy, let there be some white upon the trees, especially those bearing leaves that have changed colors. It's called "snowliage" by some, a term I would like to see in the dictionary one day. Snow + fall foliage = snowliage. Simple and beautiful. Most years I actually don't get to see any snowliage, as, despite my Hudson Valley locale, the first snow usually doesn't strike until the trees are bare. That was not the case last month. It was Thursday, October 27 when some snow started to fall. The trees in my yard were well past peak at that point, but there were stil...

Where to Hit the Slopes in 2011-12 | Farmers' Almanac This past Friday I was at good ole Adams Fairacre Farms and picked up and flipped through a copy of this quaint almanac, something I remember showing up in our home every year when we were young. I was doing some serious shopping though--I was there for a roof rake and a stink bug trap, neither of which I even knew existed until these past couple of years, let alone ever read about in the Farmers' Almanac or any other resource. It hit me while shopping that I hadn't put down fertilizer since the spring, and I do know the importance of that fall fertilizing, so I set myself up with that. Then I walked by the bulb rack. I didn't bother doing my usual checking labels for that little portrait of the deer with a circle and slash, and went straight for daffodils, which I know they don't like. I used my neighbor's roof rake last winter, and knew it was something I should have. Apparently, the Farmer's Alman...