Dispatch #1 From Laradise

Charlotte and I have been busily settling in here on our windswept plain 7,220' above sea level.  It's quite a change from the East Coast, New England, and sea level, but already we're discovering the charm that leads people to call this not Laramie, but LARADISE!

We'll do our best to post some more photos from our new hometown (and of Fort Collins, CO, our other new hometown, once we have the chance to head down towards Colorado State University).  In the meantime, here are a few initial glimpses for our East Coast viewers!  The first shot shows a sort of aerial view of downtown Laramie...

...made possible by standing on this massive (and very cool) pedestrian bridge which crosses the Union Pacific Railroad immediately adjacent to town!

Back at street level, there are plenty of quaint shops, restaurants, and businesses in the main portion of the downtown.  We've been fortunate to join some of Charlotte's labmates, advisors, and fellow grad students at several already!

We have also been easing our way into the local community, which has been super-easy, since everyone is extremely friendly!  Happily, we've already managed to join both the local food co-op and library!

However, what we're very, very excited about (and what everyone has been telling us about) is the proximity of Laramie to some outstanding natural locations and vistas.  So, after doing more serious work and move-in chores early on in the day, we headed to Medicine Bow National Forest for an initial glimpse.

Amazingly, this is literally only 10 minutes by car from our apartment, and so we are very excited by the prospect of hikes, bikes, and more as we settle in!

And, as you can see, the Snowy Range is also extremely close to Laramie, which we hear offers its own set of outdoor activities.  In short, we'll have lots of new sights to share with you on the blog, but we hope that in the meantime you enjoy this initial glimpse, and that you have a wonderful weekend!

Heading west

This update comes to you from Lincoln, NE, which is 1,543 miles from where we started.  We're making lots of headway and seeing lots of new places, including Iowa (see below)!  The state's motto is "Fields of Opportunity," and while we can't confirm there are lots of opportunities there, we can confirm that there are definitely a lot of fields.

We've also encountered lots of wind, and lots of cool wind-related things!

And, best of all, our day ended with yet another nice, open section of parking lot at our hotel in Lincoln.  What more could you ask for?

Well, our adventure gets underway again tomorrow morning bright and early, so we'll end this post here, and see you next in Laramie!

Westward ho!

Well, we're off!  After posting photos from our time in Kittery and surrounding areas for the past few years, we've pulled up our roots and are heading West-to cowboy country!  Charlotte is heading to the University of Wyoming to study ecology, and Mike is heading to Colorado State University (about an hour south) to study environmental politics.

So, starting in about a week, we'll be regaling you with photos of our new hometowns-Laramie, WY and Fort Collins, CO.  But first, we have to get there!  And that's where this lane-hogging, gas guzzling land yacht comes into play.  We're learning lots about driving with a trailer in a short amount of time, and getting ready to see about 1,900 miles of this country that we've never seen before.  Today, however, we spent some time driving the 200 miles from Kittery to Latham that we've seen lots of times to regroup with Mike's parents, thank Charlotte's parents for their help with packing and car-moving, and enjoy a couple delicious meals before heading West!

Anyway, we hope that all's well with you, and we'll check in again from somewhere further west than here!

News Roundup!

Hi again! It's been a busy week here in the Northeast, so here's what you missed! After a nice trip to Denmark, Charlotte arrived back in time for my birthday with some decorations in tow (along with an awesome key lime pie)! Thanks to her and everyone else who made my day special!

More recently, Charlotte and I had the surreal experience of glancing out our window and noticing a large portion of the Memorial Bridge, which formerly connected our island to Portsmouth, steaming by on a barge!

With this section gone, along with another before it, there's now only one final section remaining. Talk about a quick change of scenery!

Finally, Charlotte and I took a little jaunt to Gloucester and Rockport, MA today to enjoy some sunny weather while it held out.

For early April, the weather was great, so we had a great time being outside and exploring the towns! In Gloucester, we spent our time walking the streets and strolling along the beach...

...and in Rockport we visited some of the wonderful sights, including the frequently photographed and painted Motif #1 (below).


We also took time to visit the wonderful bead shop in town, where Charlotte gets to indulge her crafty side!

Well, since it's been far too long since I had a vacation day, I've craftily opted to take one tomorrow. Hope the rest of you have a great day at work-I'm sleeping in!

The Dude Abides

Well, folks, my time holding down the fort in Kittery is coming to a close.

I took one final solo journey over to Seapoint and Crescent beaches to explore a bit despite the weather, which you can see has turned decidedly different from the sunny 80 degree days that last week provided. It was low tide, so I saw lots of snails out for strolls on the rocks, but not many people.

Anyway, as Monday wraps up, and we get ready for Charlotte's return to town (and, hopefully, to BlogLand!), I bid you all adieu-hope your weeks are off to a great start!

A Saturday Update

The Seacoast's geography lends itself to contrasts. It is mind-boggling to note what can be reached within an hour (Boston, Portland, White Mountains, farms, etc.). As a result of this incredible diversity, one can have quite a Saturday adventure (as long as that alarm clock gets set early enough)!

My day started with a stop roughly a half-hour away from home in Barrington, NH, at a folding card table inside a firehouse. Why, you ask? Well, it's Maple Syrup Weekend in NH this weekend, and so I joined the early crowd for a wonderful pancake breakfast.

Meanwhile, across the street, the folks were getting their evaporator up and running at Spring Harvest Maple Farm. The head honcho is an engineer by day and a maple syrup guru by night (speaking of contrasts!), and since I beat the crowd, I got a personal tour of the setup from the three farmers.

Best of all, seeing my interest, they kindly suggested I visit another sugar shack down the road. As I drove, it turned out to be well down several bumpy dirt roads, which I found encouraging, since this is how Charlotte and I accidentally stumbled upon a massive maple syrup operation last winter doing the same sort of exploring!

Pulling into a farm driveway, past tubes connecting ~1,400 maple trees to the sugar shack, I stumbled upon an enchanting small farm world. The farmer, his wife, and his 3 kids immediately whisked me inside and continued their preparations to make more maple syrup, but all the while telling me so much about what they do.

Though it may not have been life-changing, it was certainly inspiring and indescribably pleasant to spend the next hour talking to them about their life, the state of small farming as a way of life, and the economics of living off the land. They were certainly very humble, but also very dedicated to farming, and had at one point turned down a developer's offer of $1,000,000, in cash, for their small farm property so that they could continue to do what they love. They got a conservation easement instead and have almost paid off their mortgage. Hooray!!!

Anyway, it was time to quickly buzz over to the Winter Farmer's Market in Rollinsford, where Charlotte and I occasionally preach the joys of our beloved Dover Community Garden! Since Charlotte is still in Denmark, I had the pleasure of sharing the table with a hearing-impaired and crusty old guy (who I find charming) who repeatedly screamed "DO YOU LIKE GARDENING?!?" at literally every person who walked by. Taken aback by his very forward approach, some people backed away startled, saying "NO!" Others were more enthusiastic, including one globe-trotting left-wing chap who was so enamored with our communal approach to gardening (we don't have individual plots) that he exclaimed "I've finally found some socialists!" and called his Bolivian wife to tell her that he'd be late because he was hanging out with "las Comunistas!"

Anyway, as you may be able to understand, these markets are awesome, and are an absolute high point in our winter weekends up here...

...especially today, since our very beloved Silver Moon Creperie decided to give away free Tunisian Apricot crepes as a "thank you" to everyone.

After savoring my nearly free lunch, I took a little time to explore Portsmouth, where spring is continuing to burst forth.

Speaking of contrasts, I am continually fascinated by the way in which the old and the new, and the city and the sea, interact in Portsmouth. My work gives me the chance to see how these various facets of Portsmouth intertwine and conflict with each other through the law, and so I enjoy observing how they mesh and coexist in real life (sometimes more naturally than others).

All in all, it's such a beautiful place, and I had a fun time today observing many peoples' different takes on what life on the Seacoast means to them.

For now, though, life on the Seacoast means cozying up with a warm dinner in our apartment (left of center in this photo), so until we meet again, have a wonderful rest of the weekend, and I hope your own weekends have been cozy and pleasant so far!

Signs of Spring

Well, after a little hiatus, we're back! While Charlotte gets treated to a week in Denmark visiting family and seeing familiar sights, I apparently get treated to a week of summer-like weather on the Seacoast (with temperatures into the 80s for the past two days)!

I'm not the only one who's noticing...it's amazing to see all the plants that have been patiently waiting through the somewhat cold (but not really) winter suddenly burst forth over the span of a couple days!

Even the magnolia tree outside our window is getting ready to put on quite a show...and it's not even April yet!

Perhaps best of all, though, the later sunsets are making it possible to enjoy some after-work barbecues!

All in all, we're doing well here on the island. We're sorry for our leave of absence from the blog world, and we hope that all is well wherever this update finds you!