Dispatch from the snowy north!

Well, after over 1.5 years of Charlotte residing within 1.5 hours of the White Mountains, we finally had a brainwave: why don't we GO to the White Mountains?!? This brainwave was inspired in part by the beautiful winter weather of last weekend, our desire to cross-country ski, and our equally strong desire not to do work on such a beautiful day.

So we gassed up the trusty Subaru (thanks Mr. Graziano/Daddy!) and headed north. Within perhaps one hour of leaving Dover, our drive was graced with gorgeous views of the Whites, and soon we had Mount Washington-you can guess which one it is-in our view more often than not. It was spectacular!

Before long, we arrived at our destination for the day: the gorgeous Mt. Washington Hotel and Bretton Woods Nordic Ski Center. The place is famous for great skiing, the cool-looking hotel, being the site where the Bretton Woods institutions (e.g. the IMF) were established, and, um, halfway decent views of Mount Washington.

In addition to the excellent views (which you can see here), another great advantage of XC skiing at Bretton Woods is the grooming. With those grooves, it's like skiing on autopilot! It's also very handy for those lacking in the coordination department, although I will say that even with the grooves, hills are still hills. (Quick note: Mike wrote this paragraph; Charlotte could probably ski down the side of a building with her eyes closed).

Anyway, the sights were incredible, and the occasional spills were far outweighed by the opportunity to practice skiing on a gorgeous day and soak in some truly breathtaking scenery.


I should also mention that with over 100km of groomed trails, Bretton Woods was also fun because you can select routes that take you to different fun destinations. Charlotte and I picked a route (approximately 12km total) that took us, at our furthest, out to this fun warming yurt! It had great views of Mt. Washington, chairs and benches, and, as you can see, quite a lot of snow surrounding it.

Were you worried this blog post would end without the obligatory smiling self-photo? Well, fear no more! And, finally, Charlotte was very kind to note that this photograph highlights what is perhaps my own most prominent geographic feature (my nose). Hint: look at her forehead. Wow! No wonder you can't see Mt. Washington too well in this one!

Artie's Growin' Up

While the weather outside is definitely still cold and snowy (but sunny, today!), the plants of 37 Grove St, Dover seem to be very happy. The orchid has put up another stalk and has two big blooms with 3 more big buds on their way, the amaryllis is poking its leaves out, and for the subject of this post, Artie the Avocado is growing up! He is definitely in his lanky stage, as he is over a foot tall now, but only a few millimeters in diameter at his widest, but he's growing! We will keep you updated on his progress : )


Catch you soon.

Snow Day in New Hampshire (and White Plains!)

So...we both got walloped with the snow today! Here in New Hampshire, the snow lasted all day, with blustery blizzard-like weather. It's 10:30 in the evening now and the snow has finally tapered down and the snowblowers and plows are in full force trying to clear up the mess.

Here are a few pictures from my exploration/errand-running in the tundra this afternoon!

My cozy abode...

The bridge in a complete white-out!


The tree seems to have undergone an attack by the snowblower.


The roads still look like this hours later. The snow was just too much to keep up with.



Hopefully everyone enjoyed their snowy days!

Portland for a Day

Well, continuing along with the Maine theme of our preceding post, Charlotte and I decided to take advantage of her proximity to the Maine coast for a quick bit of sightseeing. Stop numero uno was Two Lights State Park, not far outside of Portland, where the waves and rock strata are really incredible to observe.

We took a lot of pictures, especially since we had two cameras.

It was definitely chilly, but there is absolutely nothing better than being at the ocean (anytime of the year!).





After rock-hopping along the coast at Two Lights State Park, we headed to Fort Williams Park, and to the Portland Head Light.



After another hike near the lighthouse and by the shore, we headed into the city of Portland. Our first stop was at a fun food shop, Simply Scandinavian Foods, where we chatted with the owner for awhile and left with herring, and salt licorice!


And then it was time for lunch at Gilberts Chowder House, where we had a whopping pile of steamed mussels and some hearty seafood and clam chowder. Yum!



The rest of the day was spent poking in the fish market and all the shops, sitting down in a cozy cafe for tea, and ending the day with a quick stop into Trader Joe's.



What a wonderful little day trip. Now it's time to hunker down and get back to work for a bit, but we will surely be back soon to regale you with our newest adventures.

It's Native Shrimp Season!

Well, among the other great seasons we are currently experiencing (ski, football playoffs, etc.), I can now proudly say that Charlotte and I took part in Maine shrimp/native shrimp/boreal shrimp season! Described by journalists with terms including "miracle," I can now attest that in addition to being really cheap, relatively sustainably harvested, and somewhat googly before you prepare them, they are also exceedingly delicious!

Everything we learned affirmed that simple preparation is best, so here is our first batch, over angel hair in a sauce of whole tomatoes, pimiento, olive oil, and garlic. They made a nice accompaniment to a little salmon, and I'll be back for more!

Returning to US soil

Well, after the blizzard wound down a couple weeks ago, Charlotte and I had the opportunity to travel to NYC. Since my pass at the United Nations didn't expire until Dec. 31, we opted for one final hurrah.
This is Charlotte.
So is this!
My alma mater, Grenada.
Inside the Security Council chamber.
Here's the General Assembly building.
And here is the North Lawn Building, where most negotiation sessions are held, and where I spent almost all of my time at the UN. Unfortunately, this will likely be the last that I (or you) see of the inside of the United Nations for a little while. What an experience, though!

Not exactly in the thick of it...

Happy New Year, everybody! Until this instant, our blog has been claiming that Charlotte and I are "in the thick of it." Actually, we have been "out of the thick of it" for a couple weeks. However, with our holiday recharge over (Charlotte) or winding down (Mike), we should be returning to more regular posting here.

To account for our absence, we may have some holiday-themed postings from our time spent in Latham (NY), Otisville (NY), and Harrisburg (PA). Also, our blog will definitely be benefiting from a certain new sidekick of Charlotte (details to follow). Until then, though, here are a few snippets of what we've been up to so far in 2011!

Seeing Phish at Madison Square Garden on New Years' Eve!

You may be saying to yourself, "Well, that's cool and all, but it doesn't look like they bothered to create an elaborate onstage diversion involving dozens of dancers, disappear, and then suddenly reappear floating above the crowd in an enormous hot dog, showering the crowd with hot dog-shaped balloons and mustard confetti, all while singing a hot dog-themed song, like 'Meatstick.'" You would be wrong.

Anyway, aside from the excitement on New Years' Eve (and early January 1), my activities have largely included:

Channeling my inner Oda Wiedbrecht;

Unveiling "JMA Books" on Amazon Marketplace to unload some old textbooks and show the e-commerce community some REAL customer service;

And hoping that my Christmas cactus blooms soon, while simultaneously hoping that the Tiny Tim of my cactus collection, who we have now affectionately named "Prosthetic Saguaro," makes it through the year in good health.

Anyway, here's wishing you good health (and happiness) in the New Year, too!