Spring Update

Spring is here in Northern Vermont ... daffodils and tulips are blooming, leaves are budding on the trees, the ticks are out in full force, and pollen is starting to coat everything. It's SO nice to be able to wear shorts and Chacos after a long winter in ski boots. I even went swimming in the river yesterday ... I think I'll wait until it gets a little warmer to do THAT again! My vegetables starts got a great start, then I shocked 'em good ... oops. Some of them came back, but the cukes, okra, and basil took the worst of it. Oh well. I'm no master gardener and I'm bound to make mistakes! Zach is in his third week of work with the Kingdom Trails Association as a trail crew leader; I start at the local country store (deli, pizzeria, market, antique/craft/gift store) on Monday. Work is only a short bike ride away for both of us (the buildings are literally 50 feet apart), and it's nice to not have a hellish transportation problem like last summer. Mountain biking season has officially begun with some of New England's best single track riding in our backyard. It's bound to be a good season! We already miss our awesome neighbors Josh and Jen, but hopefully they will come down and ride with us (hint, hint!). We're parked next to a river about a mile outside of town; the lot has LOTS of camping room, so visitors are welcome :)

Now for the pictures. This last winter was a lot of fun ... Jay Peak got a decent amount of snow and we were up there just a couple of weeks ago skiing the last of it. Being parked right in town was really nice, and we had great neighbors. While the mountain didn't have much of a challenge to offer Zach, it has a lot to offer me and I finally starting getting into the trees with some confidence. Oooohhhh next winter is going to be so good (have I told you we're planning on heading to Mt. Baker in WA?) ...

Here are some pics ...

First big storm in December ... much more to come

I know it's the same shot, but the snow looks SO COOL!

Who dat?

Zach, Josh, and Maple the dog out for a morning stroll

Hahahahaa ...

Neat snow circles on the skylight

Oh no! Please don't!

Zach was "photo of the day" for Jay Peak on multiple occasions!

There are A LOT more pictures of Zach skiing ... 

our neighbor Josh took some great shots and film footage too ... 

and also some from other sources ... I will try to get those on here too ...

Sliding down the terrain park while sitting on a snowdeck (skateboard for snow) ... 

he is at MACH SPEED in this shot ... and then he went over a jump and ate it ... bwahahahaa

And then it was over ...

You know I love those Black Dog shots

Sno-no-mo!

Love my man

BBQ on the roof

And now for the present ...

Graciously allowed to park on abandoned private property ... 

more road noise than we would like, but it's better than the Burke Mtn. parking lot!

Old sawmill

Back side of the lot (all I can see is a great Frisbee spot!) ... 

the river is just down the hill back there

Not usually this brown or high (it's been raining a lot lately) ... 

swift current, deep enough to swim, flows right into town (gotta get a boat!)

That's all for now, folks. I'll try to do better about posting more frequently. Thanks for loving who we are and what we're doing! 

Kelly

End-of-Season

Well! You wouldn't know it because we haven't posted anything since November, but it's been a good season here at Jay Peak and it comes to an end for us this weekend. May will see us moving to be near the mountain biking mecca known as the Kingdom Trails. And YES! We will be in the SAME state! Hahaa ... my grandmother always forgets where we are because we move so much, so this will make it a little easier for those of you still tracking our adventures. At least until fall, when we will head back out west for another ski season.

We have some stories, pictures, and videos to add ... I will try to do that once work ends.

Happy Spring!

Kelly, Zach, and Black Dog

Let It Snow!

Zach and I have made it to Jay Peak, Vermont and the past week has been spent getting settled in and working up at the resort. I'm in rentals; Zach is in the repair shop and the demo shop. It works out well because we work the same hours so we don't have another transportation nightmare like this past summer! The little town we're parked in is really nice: you can walk or bike where ever you need to go (small grocery store, yarn shop, ski shop, ATM, library, bar!) and the locals are friendly and helpful. The bus is in a small field behind the houses on Main Street, so Black Dog has some room to stretch her legs, play a round or two of Chuck-It, and socialize with the neighbors and their dogs when they walk around back here. Also cool, a Jay Peak employee shuttle right from our "yard" might be in the works, but that's just a rumor right now :)

We're "renting" from a family that owns all this land we're on and a house. They've been good to us and are actually leaving for the winter for Florida after Christmas. They are the only ones that can really see a lot of the bus (some others can see a little, but they've been really great about it and we don't think we'll have any trouble with them), so we're crossing our fingers that everyone is okay with us being here. We really don't want a repeat of last year ...

I DIG this town ... community garden, local farms, strong outdoor community, maple syrup! ... and of course so much more that we have yet to discover. Vermont is definitely one of my favorite places so far.

The mountain has limited terrain open, but that hasn't stopped Zach from finding some okay lines. I'm waiting for some intermediate trails to open so I don't go out and wreck myself on the first day!

I have no excuse for not having any pictures to share this time. Maybe I'll work on that this afternoon ...

Do your best snow dance for us!

Kelly

Vermont Bound!

Sorry for the lack of posts here lately ... I can't find the adapter that we use to put pictures from the camera on the computer!

It's official; we're heading to Vermont this month! Our destination is Jay Peak Resort and we've got jobs and multiple places to park. (Wow!) I can't believe winter is so close: it snowed here on Halloween and last night the low was in the teens! I had some carrots growing in a pot outside and the water in the soil is frozen solid. Poor things ... they didn't grow too well anyhow.

More to come soon!

Kelly

In Loving Memory

Tom "Popi" Perdue

10/17/1932 - 09/23/2010

Tomorrow marks one month since my grandfather passed away. It will also be the first full day of fall, which is my favorite time of year and the beginning of the end for summer harvests. In my mind, his memory will forever be entwined with gardening. Popi was a gardener, fisherman, politician, writer, lover of hummingbirds, carpenter and handy-man, among so many other things. He also had a hell of a stubborn streak, and I know for a fact that I inherited it. Popi courageously fought his illness for several years and stayed strong for all of us as well as for himself. I miss him very much and hope that one day I can grow tomato plants as big as he could!

Popi would be tickled pink to see his picture on this blog. He was an avid follower, checking the weather where ever we were to make sure we were staying warm. I didn't make as many updates this summer as I meant to ... I will be posting a large update soon and will add it to this posting in his honor.

Happy Fall Equinox!

Kelly

BATHROOM!

YAY! We finally have a crapper and a shower!!! It's so bright and nice that I almost don't want to poop in there ... almost. Our toilet is nothing but a 5-gallon bucket whose contents are emptied into a compost bin when full. We layer deposits with local wood chips and it helps any smell from developing. No black water tank for us! (Gross!) The shower is a fiberglass sit-down RV shower base that we snagged from an old RV for $20. It's not hooked up yet, but it will be SO nice when it is. Zach has made this new addition look beautiful with tongue and groove paneling and wood panels from a neighbor down the street. Neighbor Dave is quite the man ... he has a herd of cattle, vegetable gardens, a sawmill that cuts up the harvested lumber from his "backyard", and a 1959 MCI bus conversion! He stopped by our bus one afternoon and climbed up onto our new roof; he got a kick out of us being here and has offered us any help that we might need! 

We're enjoying being in our small coastal town. There's the waterfront with restaurants, art galleries, unique shops, the local co-op, and a "green general store". I've seen loons and harbor seals in the harbor and Black Dog has found the biggest puddle, ever. I'm working on a local farm and Zach is in job limbo. The container garden is great and growing!

Here are some recent pictures. Happy Summer Solstice!

New bathroom!

 Zach testing out the shower seat

A bit of bathroom humor

"Eight Ball" Zucchini (Popi's got me beat!)

Snap peas

Lobster in the pot!

View from nice campground near Acadia National Park

Yes, that is a tent on the deck! The loons sang us to sleep that night ...

Coastal Maine

We've made it! We're in Maine visiting with Zach's family and it's good to be back. We don't eat seafood anywhere other than RIGHT ON the coast and since we're here, we've been taking advantage of it! We've decided to stay in Maine for the summer and are in the process of finding work and a place to park. OH! And we've made a HUGE addition to the bus ... something we've been wanting to do for a while ... was inspired by rafting buses ... A DECK ON THE ROOF! It's done and looks AWESOME! I've only got an in-the-works picture at the moment, but you will definitely get the idea. YAY! Time for cocktails on the terrace ...

DECK ON THE ROOF!!!!!!!

Our house / in the middle of the [interstate] ... SCARY!

This mama duck had 17 ducklings following her around in Virginia!