This year Alan decided to purchase a tree for his Mom's house from Weir Tree Farms, where we've been buying our trees for years. It's ultra convenient -- you choose the size and type of tree you want and they deliver it FedEx to your doorstep. It's a comparable price to Big John's, plus you get a fresher tree, and you benefit the economy of the North Woods. We typically get a 5 foot tree for our 50s ranch home. Mrs C. has 10' ceilings, so Alan ordered her an 8' tree and it arrived fine and was stored until our arrival on the 18th. So far, so good.
A quick look at the tree Sunday morning revealed that it would never fit into the old plastic stand at hand, so Alan, Jacques, Bandit and I headed over to Home Depot to pick one up. At the store, Alan was intrigued by a plastic stand that promised to "self adjust" by stepping on a lever. I had my doubts but held my tongue.
Back at the house, we convened for a yummy lunch of chicken, ribs, and salad with the whole gang (Mom, Suz, Henri, Trevor, and Pierce). Afterwards, the boys headed outside to take care of the tree. Sproing! Within about two minutes, the saw broke, clearly not the right tool for the job. Back to Home Depot. On their return, the tree was successfully sawed down -- excellent, progress being made. Now, time for the stand. Tree in, screws tightening and -- crack -- the plastic holding one screw shattered.....Sigh. You guess it, back to Home Depot for a metal stand. Did I mention that Home Depot was 25 minutes away?
Metal tree stand in hand, the boys were really determined to get this taken care of and Mrs. C and I retired to the kitchen to get out of their way. This stand was definitely an improvement over the plastic one but the tree was enormous -- and heavy. They managed to get the tree and stand in the house and, after some adjustments with magazines and all, it was more or less upright. Whether it was steady enough for government work was a question left for another day. We all could agree, though, that it was a magnificent tree!
Monday afternoon Alan and I decided to test the tree's steadiness -- which turned out to not exist. Simply touching the stand made the tree list to one side. And the stand appeared to be strangely bent -- the weight of the tree had simply warped it. It was clear the tree had to come back outside. Only problem? There was water in the stand. After a moment of reflection, I took a turkey baster and sucked out most of the water, then we pulled back the carpets and heaved the tree outside. Did I mention the tree was really heavy? However, our methodology resulted in relatively little water on the floor, so that was good.
After taking Mrs C to get her car from the shop, he headed over to M&A where Lisa had said we might get a heavy tree stand. Once there, owner Jimmy showed us two options -- one metal which looked like it would be easier to put up and one plastic that had a large reservoir but which didn't look as easy. We went for option one -- Santa's Solution, Too -- and also picked up a nice wreath for the garage. We were on our way!
Back the house, we attached the round stabilizing base to the tree with two wood screws. That round base was designed to fit exactly into the cylinder that houses the water. Support arms are inserted in four spots around the circumference, eyebolts threaded through the support arms, and then plastic pads affixed onto the eye bolt to distribute support and keep the bolts from drilling into the tree trunk. Sounds simple, right? Well, if you do this every day like Jimmy, I am sure it is. For we mere amateurs, it took several false attempts and a couple of capsizes to get it right. For next year, here is the approved method:
1. Affix round stabilizing base with wood screws.
2. With tree on side and elevated with a recycle bin, place reservoir over base and get base as flush as possible with the reservoir floor.
3. Insert support arms, rotating tree as needed to minimize the need to lop of tree limbs.
4. Once support arms are all in, loosely rotate eyebolts through and place green plastic pads on eyebolt ends.
5. Lift tree and place stand squarely on floor, so that the stabilizing base falls to reservoir floor evenly. While one person holds tree straight, screw in eyebolts to support the tree. Voila! A stable and straight tree!
And that is the story of One Tree, Two Saws, Three Stands, and Four People.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Quiet fall day in Averill
The day dawned cold, gray, and wet. I took the option of a sleep-in which only broke when Alan came in with an open-faced egg, ham 'n cheese sandwich to tempt me into the kitchen. It still being cold and gray, I then got back under the covers! Read until noon when I was shamed into emerging from the bedroom. To be fair, I was completing a really good novel -- Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke. I have read later novels in the series but this one is early and very engrossing. So far this trip, I have read four books and one New Yorker cover-to-cover.
After we got back from fishing yesterday, I made a yellow-split-pea soup with onions and carrots from Hans' garden plus garlic, summer savory, salt and pepper. It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. We had it last night for dinner and then again today at lunch (it was that kind of day). Afterwards, we dropped by Quimby's and had a nice chat with Kevin. Rain continued on and off, pretty much eliminating hiking as an option, so we decided to take a drive over to Lewis Pond.
After Gaudette Rd ended, the road was in poor condition with some stretches verging on a complete washout. Suffice it to say that the heavy recent rains have not been kind to dirt roads. But we made it through to the Vermont section of the Silvio Conte Wildlife National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the roads got better. It was cold at Lewis Pond -- 8 degrees celsius -- with a brisk wind. Even brisker up on the overlook. Clouds were passing a high speeds, the sun periodically peeking out, and distant mountains encased in mist. rom the overlook, you really get the sense that you are in the Nulhegan basin, in a watershed. It's a great viewpoint.
As we left, though, the day was waning and we were eager to get out of the forest before twilight. Heading south we passed some large logging operations on the way to Rte 105 and the rain started again, making the dirt roads slippery. We made it safely, though, and on Rte 116 heading to Norton we saw perhaps the best rainbow of either of our lives. It was perfect, it was clear, and it was an entire arch. Too big to capture with the camera. And it went away in a flash -- sun went behind a cloud and it was gone. One minute there, the next gone.
Beautiful sunset finished the day and we headed home for a fire and supper. And the first NHL game of the season.
After we got back from fishing yesterday, I made a yellow-split-pea soup with onions and carrots from Hans' garden plus garlic, summer savory, salt and pepper. It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. We had it last night for dinner and then again today at lunch (it was that kind of day). Afterwards, we dropped by Quimby's and had a nice chat with Kevin. Rain continued on and off, pretty much eliminating hiking as an option, so we decided to take a drive over to Lewis Pond.
After Gaudette Rd ended, the road was in poor condition with some stretches verging on a complete washout. Suffice it to say that the heavy recent rains have not been kind to dirt roads. But we made it through to the Vermont section of the Silvio Conte Wildlife National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the roads got better. It was cold at Lewis Pond -- 8 degrees celsius -- with a brisk wind. Even brisker up on the overlook. Clouds were passing a high speeds, the sun periodically peeking out, and distant mountains encased in mist. rom the overlook, you really get the sense that you are in the Nulhegan basin, in a watershed. It's a great viewpoint.
As we left, though, the day was waning and we were eager to get out of the forest before twilight. Heading south we passed some large logging operations on the way to Rte 105 and the rain started again, making the dirt roads slippery. We made it safely, though, and on Rte 116 heading to Norton we saw perhaps the best rainbow of either of our lives. It was perfect, it was clear, and it was an entire arch. Too big to capture with the camera. And it went away in a flash -- sun went behind a cloud and it was gone. One minute there, the next gone.
Beautiful sunset finished the day and we headed home for a fire and supper. And the first NHL game of the season.
Last fishing day of 2010 with Bill
For our last day of 2010 fishing with Bill, we knew we wanted to wade the Connecticut. Water flows were up, temperatures down = a recipe for landlocked salmon of the larger variety. 8am rendezvous at Lopstick and the plan was on.
We were sort of a ragtag mob heading to the river. Under waders, I was sporting my "lily of the valley" flannel PJs, while Alan had on the Santa red flannel bottoms. It had been so warm back in Averill (about 60) that I hadn't had the strength of mind to put on my capilenes -- a decision I would regret! We headed down to the river underneath charcoal grey skies that in lower temperatures would have promised snow.
My rod was rigged (caddis with a dropper) so I started out first and got a small salmon on an early cast (she took the dry). In what was the become a pattern of the day, I missed a boatload of fish (we both did) and, unusually, we hooked the big ones and missed the small. A small male brookie followed the salmon before Alan even got started. Once he got going, though, he landed three nicely sized salmon, about 18" and fat. The higher river flows had flushed them out.
The water temperature was 54 degrees, perfect for trout but much less ideal for humans. Really wished I had those capilenes....and wool socks. Fortunately, we did have rain gear, as the day decided to deliver a bout of showers midway through the morning--it was a late fall morning as can only happen in the early fall on the Connecticut. And the glare was unreal--the sky was this mottled grey that as it was reflected in the water was positively hypnotizing. One minute you say the fly, the next you were finding your footing as water and sky melt together. It's a wonder that we caught any fish, but between Alan's salmon and a beautiful female that I landed (same size range), we had an exceptional day of salmon fishing.
The area we fish is otherworldly. Even when you're there, you can't believe it. And ultimately the fish make it real as does the company we share with each other. Some may wonder about the rejuvenation that some place so wild can provide, but it is quite real, and quite electric. We finished the day at Happy Corner, as we have so many great Connecticut days, and bid Bill farewell for 2010. A great morning, a great place, a great guide, great fish, and ourselves in place. Magic.
We were sort of a ragtag mob heading to the river. Under waders, I was sporting my "lily of the valley" flannel PJs, while Alan had on the Santa red flannel bottoms. It had been so warm back in Averill (about 60) that I hadn't had the strength of mind to put on my capilenes -- a decision I would regret! We headed down to the river underneath charcoal grey skies that in lower temperatures would have promised snow.
My rod was rigged (caddis with a dropper) so I started out first and got a small salmon on an early cast (she took the dry). In what was the become a pattern of the day, I missed a boatload of fish (we both did) and, unusually, we hooked the big ones and missed the small. A small male brookie followed the salmon before Alan even got started. Once he got going, though, he landed three nicely sized salmon, about 18" and fat. The higher river flows had flushed them out.
The water temperature was 54 degrees, perfect for trout but much less ideal for humans. Really wished I had those capilenes....and wool socks. Fortunately, we did have rain gear, as the day decided to deliver a bout of showers midway through the morning--it was a late fall morning as can only happen in the early fall on the Connecticut. And the glare was unreal--the sky was this mottled grey that as it was reflected in the water was positively hypnotizing. One minute you say the fly, the next you were finding your footing as water and sky melt together. It's a wonder that we caught any fish, but between Alan's salmon and a beautiful female that I landed (same size range), we had an exceptional day of salmon fishing.
The area we fish is otherworldly. Even when you're there, you can't believe it. And ultimately the fish make it real as does the company we share with each other. Some may wonder about the rejuvenation that some place so wild can provide, but it is quite real, and quite electric. We finished the day at Happy Corner, as we have so many great Connecticut days, and bid Bill farewell for 2010. A great morning, a great place, a great guide, great fish, and ourselves in place. Magic.
Monday, October 4, 2010
From the earth
This day profoundly reminded us from where we get our food -- the earth. 
Mid-morning, we went back over to Hans's to help him harvest the last of his vegetable garden and to receive some lovely bounty in return. From the garden there were baby yellow squash that you would pay $5.99/lb for at Whole Foods plus swiss chard, beets, and the most amazing stalks of brussel sprouts that required a saw to hack off. In the greenhouse, there were still some heirloom tomatoes and in the garage, potatoes and carrots. We won't have to shop for any veggies this week! A vegetable garden is such an amazing thing.
After a brief lunch, we headed over to Colebrook via Caanan Hill Rd which was regraded this year. Lots of traffic on the road today as we passed through the yellow haze of fall leaves (not much red this year or right now). More houses up here than ever -- more houses in the north country than ever -- makes you wonder about the economy, financing, all of the above.
Arrived at the Two Sparrows Orchard which is just east of Colebrook off Rte 26. We came here two years ago about two weeks earlier in the season and got the most amazing Paula Reds, which are the best applesauce apple ever. This year, we got Macs and Cortlands. A bag for Priscilla, a bag for Hans, and a bag for us. Yum, they are delicious. Gorgeous day, lots of sunshine and high clouds. Lake is lapping, however....
Nice long walk down Jackson Rd this afternoon, saw a few trucks but no real traffic. Got back to the house and the sunset looked promising, so we jumped in the car and headed up Brousseau Mt Rd. Up on sunset hill, we had company -- Suzy and Peter Chapman and their two dogs!
Back at the house, Alan took the lead on a curry-infused beer chicken, while I made mashed potatoes and roasted carrots and onions. A great day that reminds us all of where we get our sustenance from.
Side note -- Pulled Edna Ferber's So Big from the shelves when I got here and am captivated once again by this Pulitzer-prize winning novel. What a picture of the times set against the vagaries of parents-ambition for children...or vice versa. A great and readable book.
Mid-morning, we went back over to Hans's to help him harvest the last of his vegetable garden and to receive some lovely bounty in return. From the garden there were baby yellow squash that you would pay $5.99/lb for at Whole Foods plus swiss chard, beets, and the most amazing stalks of brussel sprouts that required a saw to hack off. In the greenhouse, there were still some heirloom tomatoes and in the garage, potatoes and carrots. We won't have to shop for any veggies this week! A vegetable garden is such an amazing thing.
After a brief lunch, we headed over to Colebrook via Caanan Hill Rd which was regraded this year. Lots of traffic on the road today as we passed through the yellow haze of fall leaves (not much red this year or right now). More houses up here than ever -- more houses in the north country than ever -- makes you wonder about the economy, financing, all of the above.
Arrived at the Two Sparrows Orchard which is just east of Colebrook off Rte 26. We came here two years ago about two weeks earlier in the season and got the most amazing Paula Reds, which are the best applesauce apple ever. This year, we got Macs and Cortlands. A bag for Priscilla, a bag for Hans, and a bag for us. Yum, they are delicious. Gorgeous day, lots of sunshine and high clouds. Lake is lapping, however....
Nice long walk down Jackson Rd this afternoon, saw a few trucks but no real traffic. Got back to the house and the sunset looked promising, so we jumped in the car and headed up Brousseau Mt Rd. Up on sunset hill, we had company -- Suzy and Peter Chapman and their two dogs!
Back at the house, Alan took the lead on a curry-infused beer chicken, while I made mashed potatoes and roasted carrots and onions. A great day that reminds us all of where we get our sustenance from.
Side note -- Pulled Edna Ferber's So Big from the shelves when I got here and am captivated once again by this Pulitzer-prize winning novel. What a picture of the times set against the vagaries of parents-ambition for children...or vice versa. A great and readable book.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
First Day at Camp
Wonderful first day at camp on our last trip of the year. This one feels extra-special because it's a 10-dayer, so it promises the possibility of rejuvenation as only camp can offer. We arrived amidst the remnants of what was clearly the drenching of the summer. Coming from Montreal, we passed through North Hatley where the picnic benches and gazebo sat fully 6' into the lake. The Coaticook River was roaring its way north, having clearly reached the top of its banks the day before.
Today dawned cool and sunny, a brilliant if cool fall day. Tons of sun, remnants of foliage. Gary, a friend and classmate of Alan's from Dartmouth, came up for the day with his two youngest and we had a great day visiting, eating, walking, and fishing. Youngest son Gordon sported a Fenwick 5 1/2" fiberglass rod with a mid-70s vintage Penn reel. For such a young caster, a sweet little rod that he put to good use. He tried his tricks and talents on the dam and at Big Rock. No fish, but the promise of future fishing adventures clearly loomed for Gordon. Daughter Cora quietly surveyed the scene and took it all in. A true girl of the north country, we talked of the Indian Stream Republic, as well as the history of logging on the Averill Lakes. Laura, Gary's wife, is lucky to have had such precocious students in her home schooling efforts.
Visiting with Gary was a joy from memories of the Providence GD show to adventures 4-wheeling in the Berkshires, lots of great stories and a good friend. We had a wonderful walk down to Big Rock amidst the just past peak autumn foliage and then back to camp for some Coaticook maple ice cream. All agreed it was the best ever. Gary, like Alan, never could have maple walnut ice cream, but Coaticook's maple is the real deal.
As Gary returned to Johnson, I got the great idea to go for an early evening fall canoe cruise. The water was a bit cold getting in but nothing bad and the canoe ride was lovely. Views of Mt Averill revealed a stately lady with her colors just past. The Snares camp is shut up and the boats away. Lake very quiet and lovely evening colors.
Eveningwise, we headed up the hill to Hans's for a drink in his sun room. He proudly privisioned us with homemade cassis and pinot grigio -- yum. And we enjoyed a nice sunset and turkeys on the lawn, along with good conversation with a good friend.
Today dawned cool and sunny, a brilliant if cool fall day. Tons of sun, remnants of foliage. Gary, a friend and classmate of Alan's from Dartmouth, came up for the day with his two youngest and we had a great day visiting, eating, walking, and fishing. Youngest son Gordon sported a Fenwick 5 1/2" fiberglass rod with a mid-70s vintage Penn reel. For such a young caster, a sweet little rod that he put to good use. He tried his tricks and talents on the dam and at Big Rock. No fish, but the promise of future fishing adventures clearly loomed for Gordon. Daughter Cora quietly surveyed the scene and took it all in. A true girl of the north country, we talked of the Indian Stream Republic, as well as the history of logging on the Averill Lakes. Laura, Gary's wife, is lucky to have had such precocious students in her home schooling efforts.
Visiting with Gary was a joy from memories of the Providence GD show to adventures 4-wheeling in the Berkshires, lots of great stories and a good friend. We had a wonderful walk down to Big Rock amidst the just past peak autumn foliage and then back to camp for some Coaticook maple ice cream. All agreed it was the best ever. Gary, like Alan, never could have maple walnut ice cream, but Coaticook's maple is the real deal.
As Gary returned to Johnson, I got the great idea to go for an early evening fall canoe cruise. The water was a bit cold getting in but nothing bad and the canoe ride was lovely. Views of Mt Averill revealed a stately lady with her colors just past. The Snares camp is shut up and the boats away. Lake very quiet and lovely evening colors.
Eveningwise, we headed up the hill to Hans's for a drink in his sun room. He proudly privisioned us with homemade cassis and pinot grigio -- yum. And we enjoyed a nice sunset and turkeys on the lawn, along with good conversation with a good friend.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sun Valley 2010
Joined Jim and Suz another time in Sun Valley at 33 Cliffside. We were greeted by an uncharacteristically cloudy day but still managed to enjoy lunch at Shorty's home of the famous Orange freeze. This time Jim's younger sister, Lisa, joined us. Naps in the afternoon and the our luggage showed up about 5pm, which was great because it was pants weather. I did not bring warm enough clothes -- with it as hot in Atlanta as its been, it just is impossible to pack warm clothes. Hot tubbing before dinner and then some wonderful lamb chops from the grill, along with some corn Alan had bought on Sunday in Maine. Finished up with raspberry pie and butter pecan ice cream.
Thursday was cloudy, too, but that didn't keep us from taking the new gondola up Mt Baldy for lunch at the roundhouse. The gondolas are a definite improvement over the open chair lift, at least in my opinion. And they are quiet! Speaking of quiet, the car Suzy rented is a hybrid electric and it is so silent you can't even tell you've started it. In fact, on a couple of occasions, it has been left running for long periods of time.... Lunch at the Roundhouse was good -- burgers and chicken sandwiches along with -- DORITOS. We ate seven bags in all. Well, the burgers did take awhile to get there. We fixed dinner of wonderful cedar planked Idaho trout -- highly recommended. However, a lot must be attributed to the quality and freshness of the trout.
Friday finally brought sun -- yay! We celebrated by driving up for lunch at Galena Pass. Alan and Jim had their special beer, made by a guy in Hailey who only distributes kegs to restaurants. Apparently, it lived up to its reputation as they scarfed them down. After lunch, a quick peek at the Sawtooth and then headed back to Ketchum for a nap and then to hike the Chocolate Gulch Trail which offered its usual lovely views of the river. Such a hike must be rewarded and we did so with cocktails in the pool and hot tub. Dinner was out at the Ketchum Grill.
Saturday Lisa departed for Santa Barbara, so the four of us decided on a morning hike up the Liftline Trail followed by lunch at the Gold Club, followed by errands in town and then a visit to the Arts and Crafts Festival. All in all, a gorgeous Sun Valley day.
Thursday was cloudy, too, but that didn't keep us from taking the new gondola up Mt Baldy for lunch at the roundhouse. The gondolas are a definite improvement over the open chair lift, at least in my opinion. And they are quiet! Speaking of quiet, the car Suzy rented is a hybrid electric and it is so silent you can't even tell you've started it. In fact, on a couple of occasions, it has been left running for long periods of time.... Lunch at the Roundhouse was good -- burgers and chicken sandwiches along with -- DORITOS. We ate seven bags in all. Well, the burgers did take awhile to get there. We fixed dinner of wonderful cedar planked Idaho trout -- highly recommended. However, a lot must be attributed to the quality and freshness of the trout.
Friday finally brought sun -- yay! We celebrated by driving up for lunch at Galena Pass. Alan and Jim had their special beer, made by a guy in Hailey who only distributes kegs to restaurants. Apparently, it lived up to its reputation as they scarfed them down. After lunch, a quick peek at the Sawtooth and then headed back to Ketchum for a nap and then to hike the Chocolate Gulch Trail which offered its usual lovely views of the river. Such a hike must be rewarded and we did so with cocktails in the pool and hot tub. Dinner was out at the Ketchum Grill.
Saturday Lisa departed for Santa Barbara, so the four of us decided on a morning hike up the Liftline Trail followed by lunch at the Gold Club, followed by errands in town and then a visit to the Arts and Crafts Festival. All in all, a gorgeous Sun Valley day.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Returning home
After 12 hours of travel by automobile, taxi, and plane (and then automobile), we are back at 1245. Left Averill around 10am, only stopping by Priscilla's to settle up, before heading over to Rte 3 to head down to Manchester. We left ourselves plenty of time, luckily since we got behind a series of slow vehicles heading south. Stopped off at the Tidal Basin at Franconia Notch State Park to enjoy a picnic lunch of lobster salad sandwiches and peaches next to the Pemi. Another reason we left early was to avoid the late afternoon traffic leaving the NH lakes heading back to Boston, which we were successful at doing -- at least in this leg.
As we were pulling up to the airport at about 3pm, I pulled up our flight to find that it was delayed an hour, almost certainly meaning we would miss our connection in Detroit. Crap. iPhones in hand, we researched different options but found nothing good. Confident we would be spending the night in Detroit (ours was the last flight to Atlanta), we headed to the counter to check in. Surprise! Delta rebooked us on a direct Boston to Atlanta flight and paid for a taxi to Logan ($130). Through aforementioned traffic returning to Boston. But we made it -- got there at 5pm, enough time to get a little dinner at Legal before cramming ourselves into 25A and 25B on the 757. Kids in front of us reclined, we couldn't because the exit row was behind us, so a real treat of a flight, featuring some real characters behind us speculating on the fortune they were going to make selling burglar alarm systems on Nantucket. They started the flight by asking the septuagenarian next to them where the good strip clubs were in Atlanta and it went on from there. Good luck in Nantucket, boys.
Home is hot, humid, and home.
As we were pulling up to the airport at about 3pm, I pulled up our flight to find that it was delayed an hour, almost certainly meaning we would miss our connection in Detroit. Crap. iPhones in hand, we researched different options but found nothing good. Confident we would be spending the night in Detroit (ours was the last flight to Atlanta), we headed to the counter to check in. Surprise! Delta rebooked us on a direct Boston to Atlanta flight and paid for a taxi to Logan ($130). Through aforementioned traffic returning to Boston. But we made it -- got there at 5pm, enough time to get a little dinner at Legal before cramming ourselves into 25A and 25B on the 757. Kids in front of us reclined, we couldn't because the exit row was behind us, so a real treat of a flight, featuring some real characters behind us speculating on the fortune they were going to make selling burglar alarm systems on Nantucket. They started the flight by asking the septuagenarian next to them where the good strip clubs were in Atlanta and it went on from there. Good luck in Nantucket, boys.
Home is hot, humid, and home.
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