Signs Of Global Warming!

This weather is so crazy! We woke up this morning to huge snowflakes falling, it really was beautiful. The weatherman is forcasting 40's tomorrow with rain. I tell John "there is no way it's going to rain tomorrow, it's snowing like crazy outside!"
Well.....the sun came out. And it's in the 40's. No rain today, but the snow is melting at an alarming rate!

John is not going to be happy! We have plans to go snowmobiling in New Hampshire on Saturday! Dratted weather!

Here are some pictures of signs of global warming in Stowe.





This is the ice skaing pond. It's been covered in nearly a foot of snow since we arrived this weekend. They shovel it off for the skaters, but I have not seen the ice yet. Till today.



Look at the "Wet" spots! I don't think I'd be brave enough to try to skate out there!



And then there's the slushy muck on the roads. BLECK! One of the many reasons I hate winter!



And, it appears the wild critters think this warm up is the start of spring! The squirrels are doing the spring time dance, chasing each other up and down the trees.

There are more birds out today than I've seen since we got here.







And a few minutes ago, I tell you no lie....a SKUNK passed right outside our window! I was sitting here in a chair, reading an email, when I thought I saw a really fat squirrel under the tree. That wasn't any squirrel! It was an honest to goodness SKUNK! I have a Pepsi chilling in what snow is left on our patio, and I'm afraid to go get it! What if he's still out there? Exactly how far can a skunk shoot you with their spray?! I do not want to experience that first hand!







Enough for now. Will housekeeping ever come to clean our room?! It's 2pm already! And I'm beginning to have my doubts!

Email me if you know how far a skunk can shoot. I'm curous to find out!

Ta ta for now

February 25, 2009

First of all, my mother-in-law reminded me that "10 months from today is Christmas!" And 1 month from today is my birthday! In case anybody wants to jot it down on their handy dandy calender! LOL!

John and I spent the majority of the day exploring. I read about a waterfall in Stowe that I wanted to see. So, we turned on Garmin, and headed off in search of the waterfall. It turned out not to be a waterfall, but instead a gorge. According to the signage, "A waterfall is anything 3' high or taller". 3 feet high?! R U Kidding Me! I was disappointed that it wasn't a true waterfall, but it was a very scenic walk, and the ice formations were quite unique.









On the drive back we passed this unusual formation.



I call them ice penises. Don't know how else to describe them! LOL! I thought they were some kind of natural geyser that sprays water, then freezes, and continues getting bigger and bigger. I got brave and asked the clerk at the front desk. Not anything natural! They are fountains that people have installed. They continually spray water into the air, thus freezing, and making these giant mounds of ice and snow.
Now answer one thing, WHY would you want this gigantic phallic symbol in your yard?! I am just sitting here shaking my head right along with you! There is one right outside of Stowe, and then this one that we found on some body's farm.

Then we headed off to Glenn Moss Falls, on the outskirts of Stowe. We go to this fall every time we come to Stowe. I can say I was quite disappointed this year. It's usually an incredible display of frozen water. This year, not so impressive. The ice that was there was covered in snow. But I did get some great shots of the frozen stream. We hiked up to the bottom of the falls, which was a scary experience. I just knew that Klutzy here was going to fall in! But, I didn't. I made it back out dry, and no damage to the new camera! Yea Me!



This is like one of those "Where's Waldo" pictures. Only in this case, it's "Where's John"! Can YOU spot him in the picture? :-)









Dinner was Chinese buffet, then John treated for a couple's massage. Oh my God! One word to describe it.....heaven! I was sooooo relaxed and loose after the massage! I swear, if I ever become a millionaire, the first thing I am going to do is hire a full time masseuse that can be at my beck and call whenever I desire! Sorry, no pictures of our half naked bodies sprawled out on the massage tables! This is a family page after all! LOL!

More of our Stowe adventures tomorrow.

And don't forget to click onto the pictures so you can view them in all of their glory!

February 24, 2009

Ok, so don't look at the date which I am entering this, or you will be really confused! LOL!

These are the events that took place on Feb 24, I just now got around to posting them!

We started the morning with another hearty Vermont breakfast. Sorry, no more food pictures. People look at you strange when you're snapping pictures of your food! Whatever! The best part of this resort is FREE breakfast every morning! And we're not talking continental breakfast with donuts and coffee, we are talking full menu. It's incredible!

After breakfast, we suited up, and drove up to Mt. Mansfield. It was a beautiful, sun shiny winter day. The sky was so crisp and blue, it was a photographer's dream! It had been snowing every day since we got here, so I hadn't seen a blue sky since our arrival on Saturday!

At the mountain we rode the Gondola to the top. What breath-taking views from up there! The trees are so covered in snow and ice, it looks like they had been dusted with powdered sugar! It was truly a memorable occasion for me, since I do not ski or snowboard, so I have never been up the mountain before.

These pictures are straight out of my camera! The only Photoshopping done to them was to add my watermark, so that people cannot steal them and post as their own on a web site. Please click onto the photos to view them in a bigger image! I am really happy with the way they all turned out! This is just a sampling of what I took.









I did do some Photoshopping here. This is the before picture straight out of the camera:



And this is after a black and white conversion. What do you think? I was going for the Ansel Adams look. I know I could not hold a candle to Mr Adams, but I love his B/W snow scenes, and since I had some awesome shots, I thought I'd try my hand at it. I like the result.









After the gondola ride back down the mountain, we parked and walked up Vermont 108 which connects the Mt Mansfield area with Smuggler's Notch.



This portion of the scenic bypass is only opened 4 months of the year! It opens in June and closes down again in October! The road is so snow covered, it is impassible with a vehicle.



But it is open to skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, and hikers. I left the snowshoes at the hotel, and sure wish I had taken them this time! The snow was incredibly deep, and very difficult to walk thru! We reached higher on the road than I have ever gone before. Guess all those miles on the treadmill are paying off after all! LOL! I just could not go any further, my legs felt like spaghetti noodles! Between the incline, the cold air in your face, and slipping in the snow, it really wore me out quickly! But, I kept it up for more than 2 hours. The walk back down took only 30 minutes! Hard to believe! After we got back to the hotel, I tried to find out how long the road is actually. Are you ready for this? It's 8 miles long!!! Holy Moly! There is no way I will ever make it to the other end! I am very curious how far we got yesterday. Wish I had my pedometer with me!

After soaking in the jacuzzi tub and popping some Aleeve, we went for a romantic dinner at a quiet little Italian Restaurant named The Foxfire Inn. John had a baked penne pasta with 3 cheeses and sausage and peppers. It looked de-licious! I had my usual chicken Parmesan, and it was yummy!

Missing my Meow something awful, so here's a picture of my baby, just to fill the void. He's laying in the sled before we packed for the trip!



Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures from this morning's hikes.

Miss everybody, and wish ya'll were here!

Greetings From Snowy Vermont!

Let me first say that the Internet connection here at the resort sucks this year! I am having a horrible time connecting, or when I finally do get on, it freezes up on me quickly. So, hopefully it will keep me on long enough to post some photos! For some reason, it does not like Facebook at all, so I have most of my issues with Facebook. Maybe after some guests leave, or head off to the mountain, things will improve for me. I can only hope. As a non-skier, there's not a whole lot more for me to do!

We arrived in Stowe Saturday afternoon. A very long, boring, uneventful 2 day drive. We always stop at the same place in Pennsylvania, and I didn't think we'd ever get there! I swear they move it every year! :-0 The weather cooperated for the drive, cold and windy, but sunny with no snow. Horray! For some of those who follow my blog, you'll remember the snow storm we drove through last year? If not, you can check out the archives, and see for yourself the "fun" we experienced! I was not up for any "fun" this year, so I am forever thankful for the nature Gods and how they blessed us this year! Thank you!

Saturday I discovered this little squirrel in the tree outside our window. Truly sad huh? Most people are playing in the snow, I'm harassing a squirrel with my camera! Oh well...that's me, and it's what makes ME happy. That's what it's all about, right? John threw my squirrel buddy some Cheez-It crackers, so I am going to call him Cheesy! He enjoyed those silly little crackers! Now that the snow covered up his stash, I'm going to have to take him some more! I LOVE the shot with snow on his little nose!









Yesterday the snow started. It started snowing some time Saturday after we went to bed, and as I write this, at 10:30am Monday, the snow is STILL coming down! We've received about 10" here in Stowe, and more is predicted for today. It's beautiful out there!

We started the day yesterday with a hearty Vermont breakfast.



One of the most fun parts of this trip IS the food! There are no fast food places here, all mom and pop type restaurants, and the food is incredible! I should have started my diet sooner, to knock off some pounds long before we got here! Because there will be no dieting while here!

John and I spent yesterday afternoon sledding. We drove to the sledding hill, but there were so many people there, we decided to just come back to the resort and play on the hill here. I swear John could stay out there 24/7 to play in the snow! Not me, I get cold!

For dinner we went to Gracies. It's one of our usual stops while here. The entire restaurant is decorated with a dog theme. They have cute dog photos on the walls, and the menu has dog names. I had some scrumptious New England Clam chowder, and fish and chips.



Because, let's face it, you cannot visit New England and NOT partake of the chowder! And it was de-licious! I should have just made a meal of that and the oatmeal honey bread! Afterwards I waddled to the car! LOL!

This morning, we awoke to a winter wonderland outside. Snow, snow, and more snow. John is in heaven, so that is all that counts!

We strolled over to breakfast again this morning. Sorry, no photos of my yummy Cinnamon raisin french toast and bacon, I'll just let you imagine how wonderful it looked, and how yummy it feels in my belly! Instead, here's a picture of the snowplow we encountered on the walk back to the room.



He was busy plowing out the area in front of our room.



John suited up, and headed off to the mountain for some snowboarding. I ventured over to the lobby for some better internet connection. I'm enjoying the peace and quiet, and watching the snow fall while sipping hot cocoa, with my feet propped up in front of the fireplace. I know, it's a rough job, but I do it for my hubby, who I love more than words can say!

I'll probably spend the day being lazy. Might walk around with the camera. If I feel ambitious, I'll venture over to the fitness center and put some miles on the treadmill. Then I have that arduous task of picking somewhere fabulous for dinner tonight. Let's see, do I want Italiano tonight, or steak, or Chinese, or some good country cooking?.....that is yet to be determined. Then, after dinner maybe a couple's massage to work out the kinks? You know.....a girl could get used to this! Just wish I was somewhere warmer, like a beach in Jamaica! Maybe some day, huh?

Hope everyone enjoys their day.

Wishin' For Spring

I am just wishing for some spring to come soon! I am so ready for it! So, I had some spare time between doing laundry and packing for our trip, and thought I'd take some pictures of my tulips before they die!

Playing around with the new camera, and my macro lens that John got me for Christmas.
This camera takes AWESOME pictures, but I still need more practice. The pictures look great on the screen, but then when I upload them to the computer, I see they are not as sharp as I would like. It also might have a lot to do with my eyes! As I get older, my close-up vision is perfect without my glasses, but I need the stupid glasses to see! I might have to use bifocals when it comes to looking in that view finder! Oh no! Say it aint so!
So, here are some pictures of my pink tulips.

And a shot of Meow, just because.
John took this one! Isn't it sweet? He was napping on the sofa where momma usually sits.

The Case Of The Missing Fish

Once upon a time..actually about 2 years ago, I bought a Beta fish for in my craft room.
Mr Blue lived happily in his goldfish-shaped bowl. Swimming around inside of his bowl, hiding in the plant, and blowing bubbles when he was content.
Every night before going to bed, Jingles and I feed Fishy. Tonight, I go to feed Fishy, but he's nowhere to be found!
He's not hiding in the plant, not laying on the rocks. Not even laid out on the floor under the bookcase where his bowl sits!
So what the heck happened to my fish?
Did Jingles find him on the floor earlier today and enjoyed a fishy snack?
Did he hide his decomposing corpse somewhere in the house?
Guess we'll find out if we start smelling fish in a few days!
Poor poor fishy! You will be missed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everybody has time to relax, and enjoy the day with their special Valentine.

I unfortunately have to work tomorrow. Insert sympathy here! But, at least it's Valetnine's Day I'm working and NOT Friday the 13th! Those can be worse than any full moon when it comes to hospitals!
Just praying that my day will fly right by, and I'll be home in John's arms before long.
Happy V Day everyone!