XC x 2

I went cross country (xc) skiing again tonight! It was a balmy 23 degrees tonight . . . 4 degrees warmer than last night. There was only 1 "customer" out skiing when I arrived. The two staff members on duty were a student named Natasha and Leigh. Leigh is an amazing woman who headed up UMF's nationally famous Ski Industries program at UMF for many years. Her office is on the second floor of the Education Center with mine and I've really enjoyed getting to know her this past year.

I explained what a rookie at all of this that I was and I knew from a conversation with Leigh earlier in the week, that Natasha was a really good cross country instructor. I got my equipment and was getting ready to head out, uncertain if I was going to have the great personal service from the night before or if I was on my own. Suddenly, Leigh is by my side ready to go. Oh my goodness!! I got really good coaching last night, but tonight, I had my own private ski lessons from a gifted teacher. About every fifteen minutes as she would find a way to explain the subtleties of what I needed to do next to REALLY cross country ski (and not just "get around" on skis, or as I called it, cross country walking), I would have to stop and just say, "Leigh, as a fellow educator, I gotta tell you that you're phenomenal!" It was such a treat to be in the presence of an amazing teacher and I had to pinch myself as I realized I was having the privilege of being the student! I learned so much that night. I was able to build on the confidence and balance I had gained the night before, but I leaped forward about 9 weeks of personal coaching in this one night. I ached from using muscles that have never flexed before but I not only understood what to do, I could feel when I was doing it and when I wasn't, I knew how to correct it. Wowser, was it awesome.

Thank you, Leigh!!! Thank you UMF for arranging for this equipment loan and providing this week of free skiing and coaching!!!

Cross Country Skiing

UMF is hosting a week of cross country skiing. They got a big trailer full of equipment from some association that promotes winter sports in Maine. So M, W, F they're offering cross country skiing from noon to 1:30 and M, T, W, Th they're offering it from 6 to 8pm (headlamps provided). And on M and W nights, they're offering clinics for newbies from 6 to 7.

I was aiming for the 6pm clinic tonight but didn't realize how long it would take to put on all those layers, so I didn't get there until 6:20. I was their first customer of the evening. Jim, who runs the Fitness and Recreation Center, and Lucas, a senior political science/geography major, were in the trailer just waiting for me. :-) They were both incredibly patient and they were really good teachers. They got me all outfitted with boots, skis, poles, and a headlamp. Since no one else was there, they decided to both go with me! Talk about special attention! I started out slow and uncertain and did "a lot of rookie moves" but as the time wore on, I got better and more certain. It was pretty fun!

Around 7:00, two UMF students came to ski. One of them had been there both M and T nights. I guess the temperature (18 degrees F) and the falling snow might have scared people off, but there was no wind and it was not very humid. I was appropriately layered in my clothing (on top I had silk long johns, a long sleeved t-shirt, a sweatshirt, a hoodie, and a windbreaker with a hood . . . that's a lot of layers!). But I actually brought an additional layer (a big thick jacket) and didn't need it. It was quite pleasant. I was never cold.

I've only been cross country skiing one other time . . . three years ago when I first moved here, MRM took me to Titcomb. That was a fabulous introduction and tonight was a great re-introduction. Now I've gone twice and I think I'll go again tomorrow. w00t!

White and Gray

That's not a cloudy day, that's how thick the falling snow is right now. :-) It's 5 below zero and sunrise was a few hours ago. Yep. It's winter.

Have You Seen Harvey?

I braved the cold (and the slippery sidewalk conditions) to go see Harvey. I love the story and the 1950 movie. I knew whoever played Elwood P. Dowd was taking on a thankless task as everyone would be comparing him to Jimmy Stewart, but I went anyway.

The Sandy River Players did a phenomenal job! The stage setting was fabulous as they artfully co-mingled the Dowd's home and the sanatorium and never had to do a scene change. The actor who played Elwood was fabulous. He made the role his own, not a hint of Jimmy Stewart, and yet just as lovable and convincing. The woman who played Veta Louise, the sister, however, stole the show. I read an interview where Jimmy Stewart said the woman in that role in the movie had the hardest part because she had to believe and not believe in Harvey at the same time. This woman did that convincingly. She had just enough "drama" to pull it off without getting melodramatic. The whole production was fabulous.

When I arrived, I saw some friends and I also saw some graduates. I ended up sitting with my former students, one who had come from Portland and one from New Hampshire. It was so great to see them. This was about the fourth time I had run into the NH grad at a play at UMF. The other three times he was a student on campus, but it was still unusual that we kept picking the same performances of the same shows to attend. It turned out that none of them (there was another UMF student with them that I hadn't had in a class) had ever seen the movie, so I was wrong that most people in the audience would be comparing this production to the movie. How could someone have not seen the movie?? Oh. I guess since it is 60 years old, not everyone watches the classics. ;-)

Great drama with good friends--What a great way to spend a cold winter's evening.

New look

I rejuvenated my blog. Put up a new picture (taken from my verandah looking across the Sandy River on a snowy sunset) and tried out the new Google Web Fonts. As an amateur calligrapher, I love a good font. But when my friend Dawn is part of the Google team that put together the fonts, I'm especially excited to try them out. :-)

Since the day and date appear right above the blog title, my "new year's resolution" is to leave the date out of the title starting this year. Now if I can just keep my new year's resolution of getting back into the blogging habit. You'll know when I know!

How cold??

The prediction for tomorrow night is a low of 23 degrees below zero. How cold?? Minus 23. Start at the temperature at which water freezes and go down more 55 degrees. I can't even get my head around that number. I think the coldest it's been since I arrived is 13 below. Wow. I have no idea what to do except "hunker down" and wear my long coat. Oh, and they say don't count on your car battery working very well in those temps.


We'll see . . .

Home again home again jiggity jog

I had the chance to spend 6 days in Denver over this winter break. Well, it was supposed to be 6 . . . One of several really big snowstorms hit Boston the day before I was supposed to return. I called Southwest Airlines to say my schedule was flexible and I'd be happy to swap my ticket for a later date if they would do it at no extra charge. And they did. So I left 48 hours later than originally planned and had a delightful 2 extra days in Denver.

Now that Southwest flies out of Boston, I always double check fares out of both Boston and Manchester. When I fly out of Manchester, parking is $8 a day. When I fly out of Boston, if all goes well, I can take a bus out of Portland for $26 one way that takes me right up to the Southwest terminal and I can park my car at the Portland bus station for $3 a day. Even better is if I can take the bus out of Augusta which is 45 minutes of drive time instead of 2 hours and the parking is free, but so far that infrequent bus schedule hasn't suited my flight times. But on this trip, Boston (and all the accompanying expenses) was cheaper than Manchester and I do enjoy not having to drive those last 2 hours but instead sit on a bus with free wifi, electrical outlets on every row, and a movie on the little screens overhead. And on this last ride, they offered bottled water and pretzels. :-)

So the storm left Boston incapacitated on Wednesday and I wasn't scheduled to fly out until Thursday. But the idea of sitting around an airport uncertain of take off or landing and hanging out with people who'd been stranded in the airport for 24 hours with even greater uncertainty did not appeal to me. And I figured someone who couldn't fly out on Wednesday would be thrilled to have my seat on Thursday. I did double check the flight status: my scheduled flight left Denver 9 minutes late and arrived in Boston 7 minutes early, so I would've been fine in my travels. But the only reason I was heading back Thursday was to attend a meeting on Friday that didn't happen, so I could easily justify returning later.

I lucked out with the way the winds drifted the snow after the big storm and before I arrived. Here's my car in the parking lot in Portland. I don't think Portland received as much snow as Boston (probably only 1 foot compared to Boston's 2 feet), but it still could've been a problem. As you can see, I didn't even have to brush the snow off my car. And that pile of snow in the back of my car would have daunted me 4 years ago and I would've used the shovel that I keep in the trunk of my car to move that snow. But nowadays I'm less daunted and sure enough, I pulled right out of that spot over that little bank. There was a car parked in the fire lane behind me which made negotiating the departure a little tricky, but I even handled that like a pro and left the Portland bus station just as the new snow was falling for the next storm.

Wicked snowstorm

I'm actually not in Maine right now, but I've been hearing about and reading about a "wicked" snowstorm they're having while I'm gone. The Maine Office of Tourism posted this picture on their Facebook wall in honor of this storm. I think it's oh so appropriate.

Happy Anniversary

January 8th--an awesome day. Four years ago today, I moved to Maine. Of course, back then, I thought I was only coming for four months. Now it's been four years. How does that happen??!!

I have a ton of amazing memories amassed in this very short time. Thank you especially to MRM (My Room Mate) for the first 18 months. I doubt seriously I would've acclimated so well or enjoyed life in Maine so much without your support (both moral and physical) and good humor. You are a very special friend.

And here's a big thank you to all the amazing and wonderful people I've met in these last four years--both in the Farmington/Wilton community and at UMF. I definitely believe in the state motto: Maine--the way life should be.

Happy birthday to me

 

Stephanie is one of many UMF faculty and staff who is a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church with me. Today I looked out in the congregation and she was there with Margaret. Margaret is NOT a member of St. Joe's and in fact, is a deacon at her church. After mass, I scurried out to the congregation to say Howdy and see what the special occasion was. Margaret and Stephanie had had breakfast with Margaret's daughter who was in town and therefore Margaret had missed her church's morning service, so Stephanie brought her to ours. It was fabulous to have such a great guest at our church!

We chatted about everything and nothing the way that good friends do and Margaret said, "Let's have dinner tonight at my house." And we all agreed to do so. Patti, a fellow choir member, came up to join the conversation as she and Margaret are good friends and she, too, wanted to know what was the special occasion that brought Margaret to our church. In that conversation, Pattie revealed to Margaret and Stephanie that today was my birthday. Suddenly our planned dinner was now a birthday dinner. 

When I arrived at Margaret's, she had made a cake! That was not part of the original menu. I was honored. And the cake was delicious. And the meal shared with dear friends was indeed a special way to celebrate.

Homestead birthday

Andrea (music minister at St. Joe's who organizes our choir and plays keyboard and who teaches ESL and gifted students for the local school district) and Patti (guitarist and lead cantor for our choir who teaches science at the local high school) took me out for brunch at The Homestead for my birthday. :-)

Andrea and I go to The Homestead nearly every Sunday for brunch after church, but today was a special treat in honor of my special day. Paul joined us, which was a delightful treat. He's a lawyer in town but he must be the unofficial town historian. He knows everyone and everything in town. Ask him any question and get ready for a spellbinding story for an answer. Needless to say, the conversation at my birthday brunch was as special and as fun as the friends who created the event for me.