#21 Boston - Look Ma, No Rain! October 29 2005

That is true, no rain last weekend for the hikers out here in New England - we made it through an entire day of hiking without a drop on us, and only when we made it safely to the car was there a little drizzle! Amazing, eh? Today, of course was an entirely different story - driving out to Sturbridge (about an hour west of Boston) at what looked like a beautiful autumn day, I thought there were a few snowflakes, but dismissed it- snow in October, c'mon!! I left Sturbrigde late in the afternoon - again, fall weather, nice, colorful leaves, the whole works, only to return to Boston to the first dusting with snow!! I felt as if I had done time travel and landed in December of last year!! The Farmers Almanac had promised a snowy and cold winter, and I guess we are starting early. Ooh, goodie!!

Back to last weekend though - the conditions for outdoorsy activities were indeed favorable and we made it through an 8-mile hike perfectly dry! The path of choice was a portion of the Massachusetts Midstate Trail(http://www.midstatetrail.org/), which leads hiking enthusiasts 92 miles (North/South) through Worcester County (if they chose to do so). We started out somewhere near Leominster State Forest (http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/lmsf.htm), made our way toward and up Wachusett Mountain (http://www.wachusett.com/mountainviews/) and ended up at Redemption Rock(http://www.midstatetrail.org/rrock.htm). There is a whole complicated story about this site that has to do with the capture of one Mary White Rowlandson. The rock features an inscription: "Upon this rock May 2nd 1676 was made the agreement for the ransom of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson of Lancaster between the Indians and John Hoar of Concord. King Philip was with the Indians but refused his consent." Mary, her three children and 20 other colonists were taken into captivity by Native Americans who were apparently a bit miffed about the increasing encroachment of colonial farmlands on their territory. Redemption Rock is maintained by an organization called "The Trustees of the Reservations", which is a pretty cool group (I just joined.....) (http://www.thetrustees.org/). They are a nonprofit organization that buys up land and invests in conservation and education here in Massachusetts; to date they have protected more than 53,000 acres in this lovely Commonwealth of ours.

It was a most enjoyable hike with yet more spectacular views of beautiful fall foliage - and it ended with a brief but very delectable visit to the Applefest at the Wachusett Ski Lodge, where Barbara and I loaded up on apples, apple cider, apple bread, and even received a free apple pie!!

Despite some rain on Sunday morning and first wintry temperatures, I joined some of my running colleagues, and headed for the lovely town of Somerville for yet another road race (you did not think I would stop because it is winter, right?). The "Boogie Woogie Run and Somerville Neighborhood Block Party" organized by the tireless Paulie Collyer and the Somerville Striders Athletic Club was one of the more unusual road races I participated in. Registration started at the Old Magoun Salon in Magoun Square, and ended at the Powderhouse Pub! A pub-to-pub race so to speak, and needless to say there was lots of beer involved, and great music!! Runners showed up in their winter regalia, gloves, and whatever else they needed to stay warm. Paulie accompanied the runners on his bike and provided the necessary motivation to get us all going, while his beagle Buddy was in charge of the pub scene, and seemed to strike up friendships with anyone in possession of a burger. I did not feel on top of my game that morning due to an impending cold, but sucked it up and wheezed my way across the goal line with a very nice time of 27:06 (8:43 min/mile).

Balancing out this sporty weekend was a cultural fix on Friday night - ushering with Boston Cares at my favorite venue in Boston, Faneuil Hall, at a concert with the most delightful Boston Classical Orchestra. The night's program featured Haendel, Leopold Mozart (Wolfie's dad), one of the Bach sons (Carl Philip Emmanuel) and Teleman. Doug Myers and Gregory Whitaker were two featured musicians that night and were stellar in their performances with "corno da caccia", the French horn. Originally a large brass circle and used by huntsmen on horseback, this instrument burst onto the music scene in Europe in the 1700s and there was no looking back! It was actually a young German nobleman, Count Franz Anton von Sporck (how's that for a German name?) who brought the horns back from Versailles to German-speaking countries, and the rest is history as they say... Lots of interesting things to learn that night - apparently Leopold Mozart was quite the violin player and teacher and wrote a book on how to play the violin in 1756 that had quite an impact at the time. C.P.E. Bach was one of Bach's large gaggle of children, including four sons which became composers themselves. He was considered to be "one of the most original musical minds of the 18th century".

The week did go by in a jiffy after that, not without its hiccups, but short and sweet, as I took Friday off work to celebrate my birthday in style and go for every imaginable beauty treatment there was. Nail salon, hair salon, pub (beer is good for the skin, you did not know that??) - you name it. Thanks to all of you for your calls, emails, letters, attentions, and to Elaine, Denise and Natasha for the brewskies!!! It was fun! (Denise Schubert - you rock!!! Vote for Pedro!!)

Goodbye my friends - I have to go put up my feet and tend to my two bird tenants at home (yes, Marge is visiting!). I attended a very lovely wedding today about which you will hear more in next week's update. (Congrats Ellen and Patrick!!)

pet:)

#20 Boston - New Hampshire by the Sea - October 20, 2005

It has stopped, the rain has finally stopped!! It might come back, but as of now we can dry out a bit here.

Last weekend was absolutely horrendous - ignoring the weather reports and focusing our stupid brains on the fact that they (the weather forecasters) might be wrong (duh!!), we headed to a very saturated New Hampshire, which by my last impression was on its way to slide toward Massachusetts and probably end up in the parking lot in front of my house, or maybe even become beach front property. Waterville Beach, how does that sound?

How far did our stupidity go? Well, let me tell you, the sky is the limit! (Actually it was....) Unimpressed by the torrential rains, I wanted to attempt to do another one of the 48 4,000 footers in New Hampshire, and talked poor Rick and Barbara into going up Mount Garfield. At 4500 feet it is not a small undertaking, even though it is known to be the most mellow of the 4000 footers, at least in its approach. The hike to the top, which on a normal day, provides spectacular views (http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/whites/garfield.html), is about 5 miles, and leads along pleasant hiking trails with a couple of brook crossings. Hah! There was nothing pleasant about it! Maybe the first two miles or so we were pretty good sports about it, but then all bets were off. The rain showed no sign of letting up, rather it increased its intensity with every new level of frustration we experienced, as the moisture content in our clothes reached new peak levels. We eventually reached the final fork in the road, where 0.2 miles led to the summit and the same distance in the other direction supposedly led to a shelter. Grumpy, wet, hungry, we climbed the final insanely steep part of the hike up to the top where the weather proved even more repulsive, and you could not see the hand in front of your face. I am sure at this point Rick and Barbara where ready to push me off the cliff, as I had insisted to come up here first instead of heading for the shelter. Finding the shelter then proved to be the next adventure - I don't know who makes the friggin' signs up there, but 0.2 miles, puhleeezze!! You must be kidding me!! By the time we got to the darn lean-to, we had about 5 minutes time to eat, warm ourselves up by slipping into our soaked sweaters, and then hoof it back down the mountain before darkness caught up with us.
Meanwhile, 5 hours into the Hike From Hell, the situation had gotten worse, and we were pretty much sliding down the hill, walking through lakes, and on the last section faced two major river crossings - the brooks we had crossed a few hours earlier had turned into raging rivers, and it took us quite a while to figure out how and where to get to the other side.. Eventually I just walked through the damn river, knee-deep in water, and for the rest of the early evening made friends with the lake system that had formed in my previously waterproof boots. Phoebe, our bona fide mountain dog Labrador retriever, was a good sport most of the time, but I think her opinion of the humans she hangs out with definitely took a turn toward the unfavorable.

It took some serious effort that night to warm up - hot cocoa, fireplace, heater, beer - you name it! No one was allowed to mention any word that was even remotely related to water.

Now here is where it gets even more moronic - guess who went out hiking the next morning?? Yep, you guessed right. This time up Fletcher's Cascade, a 3-mile hike that starts in Waterville Valley and leads up to a spectacular set of waterfalls (See picture up top), but even the most spectacular sight could no longer compete with my grumpiness and the increasing amount of cuss words that I kept uttering ever so quietly. Next time it rains like this, I will opt for some indoor hiking around my living room with a glass of Jamesons in my hand!

Back in the hub, it was time to switch gears and head for the Wang Theatre (http://www.wangcenter.org/) - Boston's premier playhouse, designed by Clarence Blackall, a leading American theater architect in the late 1700s. Originally known as the Metropolitan Theatre ("The Met"), it is simply stunning with its crystal chandeliers, marble doorways and towering columns. The performance of the Boston Ballet that night (http://www.bostonballet.org/) featured a very unusual production of "Cinderella", with the principal roles danced to perfection by Larissa Ponomarenko and Roman Rykine. Cinderella's step mom was a drunk, and all she did was knock down one drink after the other, one of the step sisters was blind as a bat and had glasses the size of dinner plates, and then there were entire dance sequences featuring guys with pumpkin heads (??). In a very ironic twist of fate, the guy sitting in front of Ellen seemed to be related to the pumpkin guys, at least when it came to the size of his noggin' and needless to say, he did make a better door than a window....

What else? Work, Work, Work, Name Change, Name Change and Name Change, Running, Running and Running.
Oh ya, Movies, movies and movies..... And yes, it stopped raining, and we had a couple of decent autumn days here in New England. The first snow has arrived in New Hampshire - Mt. Washington has received is first dusting and some ice (http://www.mountwashington.org/) - it is 19 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 Celsius) up there and the winds at night are riling themselves up to a decent 100 mph (160 kmh).

Tomorrow is Friday, the weekend is coming mercifully quickly and there is some hiking (caveat: No Rain!) and a road race ahead for this weekend. Tomorrow night I will be resuming my role as a friendly usher at Faneuil Hall, this time for a concert with the Boston Classical Orchestra.

On that fine and cultural note, I bid thee farewell!

pet:)

#19 Boston - Women on the Move - October 13 2005

Women were on the move this week - 7000 of them to be exact! That might sound scary to some guys, but it did not keep a few of them to join us in the Tufts 10 for Women (http://www.tufts-healthplan.com/tufts10k/thp10k.php) this past Monday. They must have either posed as women on their entry forms or maybe just felt particularly feminine that day - whatever floats their boat, right? For the first time in the 29-year history of the race it rained, and about an hour prior to the start it was not what you would call ideal running weather - cold, goosebumpy, cats-and-dogs-rainy weather. But the running goddesses smiled upon us, and a few minutes before the race the downpour eased up, and we just had a little drizzle to deal with. It was an inspiring race with some rainy but most agreeable vistas - starting on Beacon Street adjacent to the waterlogged Boston Common (http://www.aviewoncities.com/boston/bostoncommon.htm) and the neighboring Public Garden (the oldest public garden in the country), down beautiful Charles Street (http://www.beaconhillonline.com/tour/) across the Longfellow Bridge (http://www.pbase.com/dellybean/image/48617492) along Memorial Drive (with the incomparable view of the Back Bay) and up stately Commonwealth Avenue for the homestretch! There is no better tour of Boston!! Even if you have to run it! A small contingent from the Running Partners was on hand, and I finished in a quite commendable time of 56:05 minutes (9:02 min/mile).

Despite the fact that it was a pretty soggy excuse for a holiday weekend, the diversions enjoyed by yours truly were manifold - starting with a volunteer/ ushering entertainment experience on Friday night - Urinetown The Musical (http://www.urinetown.com/flash/index.html) was featured at one of my favorite Boston theater houses, the Lyric Stage Company (http://www.lyricstage.com/). The LSC has been around for quite some time, the 70s I believe, and has been housed in different locations around the hub. It received the right shot of adrenaline with the appointment of Spiros Veloudos as its artistic director in the late 90s and it has been uphill ever since. A small, cozy performance venue, the LSC has impressed with spirited productions and UrineTown was no exception - dancy, humorous from slapstick to whimsical, downright hysterical at times, a little sappy here or there, but not without conveying a message to the audience. The musical gave a little reminder of the theater approach of Bertold Brecht, and his attempt to awaken the audience's mind so that he could communicate his version of the truth. Two-time Tony award winning author Greg Kotis was there to answer questions at the end along with the intelligent and talented cast.

Ignoring the rain but not my anxious desire to not miss the spectacular display of fall foliage here in New England, I made tracks and with mercurial speed chased poor Ella up to New Hampshire, in particular Waterville Valley where my friends Barbara and Rick were awaiting my impending arrival. (I could not find a good link to a website with lovely pictures of WV, but I am happy to report that I learned that the unemployment rate there in 2003 was 1.1%). Since the deluge showed no signs of letting up, we decided to not hike a major mountain where with my propensity to injure myself and others, death by drowning might become a probable event. Our hiking trail of choice was the Coppermine Trail and Bridal Veil Falls just a tad outside the Franconia Notch area (http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/whites/franconia.html) - a 2.5 mile hike up the hill to see a spectacular 80-foot waterfall (and back of course). Not only was the display of fall foliage colors striking, but the hike provided us with a nice little story that involves our old friend Bette Davis. Apparently Miss Davis during a summer vacation got lost on the Coppermine Trail and was rescued by none other than local worker Arthur Farnsworth. The two of them hit if off right away and eventually got married in 1940. After Arthur's accidental death in 1943 Bette had a memorial plaque placed on a rock in the brook near the spot where she was rescued. It reads "In Memoriam - Arthur Farnsworth - the Keeper of Stray Ladies - From a Grateful One".

5 Miles later we were nicely soaked, piled back into the car and headed home to spend the rest of the weekend fighting with a 500-piece puzzle that featured a photo from the Boston Marathon. It was finished late morning the next day, at which point I had no energy left and zipped back home to Boston. This was followed by the purchase of some Jamieson's Whiskey at the New Hampshire State Liquor Store, a lovely dinner at Ma Soba on Cambridge Street and an at-home presentation of the absolutely hysterical movie "Napoleon Dynamite". All good things.

I can report that the weather has not improved at all, and we are looking at continuous rain for at least the next week or so. Our plans for this weekend to hike Mt Lafayette and Mt Lincoln up in New Hampshire are pretty much way up in the air, but there are probably enough puzzles in this world to get us through yet another soggy weekend.

To add just a little personal news, yesterday I received the judgment form the Suffolk Country Probate Court regarding my name change - still waiting for the certificate, but I am getting closer to have my maiden name back, and take joy in the facial contortions most of my non-German friends perform when pronouncing an Umlaut.

On that note, Tschuess!

pet:)

#18 Boston - Surprise with Apples - October 6, 2005

Surprise - hmmmhhh, what could that be?

Well, I am happy to announce that Miss Petra Josephine singlehandedly, and by her own strength and miraculous willpower, completed her first Half Marathon this past weekend!! Yes, yes!! The event of choice was the most wonderful AppleFest in Hollis, New Hampshire (http://www.gatecity.org/AF/index.html). Located in apple country, the very lovely town of Hollis went all out for this event - this is what it must feel like to ride the Tour de France. Every single resident it seemed line the streets (they may have dug up a few to fill in some gaps), cheering us on. Families reunited, barbeques were held, pop got the PA system out of the basement, and armed with a microphone shouted indecipherable encouragements our way (at least that was what we thought they were...). At some point along the very scenic route, a bagpiper stood in the middle of the forest in support of us weary runners.
I was lured to this esteemed event by none other than my running friend Joanne, in particular by the promise that there would be apple crisp at the end of the race. Boy, it does not take a lot to get me to commit running 14.1 miles (aka 26 kilometers). The race led along rolling hills in New Hampshire, emphasis on hills (some of them might have been rolling) - unfortunately some of the more challenging ones appeared at the end of the race, in particular one vicious hill between mile 12 and 13!! Bottomline - it was hard, but I finished, and to boast just a little, in a decent time of 2 hrs 7 min 44 seconds which equals a good pace of 9:45 min/mile. Not too shabby!!

The Day After - I intentionally had loaded myself up with tons of movies courtesy of Netflix and the Boston Public Library and nursed myself through the day - only to leave the house for a brief excursion, which involved the purchase of some high-calorie ice cream (well deserved) and People magazine. Aah, the good life. If you need movie recommendations, just let me know, I have become quite the little addict, and I am not too ashamed to admit, that "The Swiss Family Robinson" was among my choices for the day.

Monday, in sharp contrast to the outdoorsy stuff I usually sign up for I attended an event advertised by Boston Event Guide - as expected this resource caters a bit toward the ditzy 20 to 30 somethings, and the "Cinderella Makeover Event" was no deviation. A room at the swanky Boston Harbor Hotel (http://www.bhh.com/) was filled to the brim with a preppy crowd, and most of the evening was spent standing in line trying to accesss all the little perks we were promised by the event organizers. We were given wine (wayyyyy to much wine) and not enough appetizers (most of them were dime-sized anyway and disappeared within inches of entering the room), so about 1 hour into the event, you had a room full of very ornery, uncooperative inebriated women - what could be more fun!! Well, there were some upsides to the shindig - it was a benefit for a local charity, the Ellie Breast Cancer Fund in Needham. It is a nonprofit organization, who helps women afflicted with Breast Cancer with some basic needs, such as transportation to treatment, child and pet care, you name it. http://www.elliefund.org/ The charity is named after Eleanor Popkin of Newton, and was started by her two sons.
Another little perk was that we all received tickets for the Boston Ballet's October 16th performance of Cinderella -an event I will definitely look forward to (maybe except for the fact that all the ditzy girls from Monday night are going to be there.....).

Since then the week has been one big blurr, mostly due to the fact that work has been absolutely insane, and the only thing I feel compelled to do upon returning home is popping in a movie. I have become quite the little Roger Ebert here, and have started to annoy friends and family alike by sending them movie tips every day. Even my optometrist is not safe.

Thank goodness for the upcoming weekend - the day Columbus got lost and stumbled upon America is being celebrated, which means a three day reprieve from work!! I am heading up to New Hampshire to do some hiking in and around Waterville Valley, and on Monday it is time for the Tufts 10K, a Boston tradition - a women's only road race!!!
http://www.tufts-healthplan.com/tufts10k/thp10k.php

Wishing you the best of weekends, my friends, be nice to each other!!

pet:)