a This weekend I took a bike ride down to Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred, Maine. This has been "our" farm for six years, which is how long they've been a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm. The chickens (and the portable chicken coop) are new this year.
After a hot 30-mile ride, it was nice to cool off in the Mousam River!
Last week I finally finished getting all the odds and ends out of the old house. It's the last 5% that takes forever!
We considered ourselves lucky to find it almost exactly four years ago and had a lot of good times there. It is over 100 years old and was originally a barn before being converted into a duplex. It looks like a standard old house from the outside, but has amazing detail work within. In fact, when we first called the landlord to set up a viewing he pleaded with us not to just drive off when we got there and saw the outside, because he was having work done to restore that as well.
It is in the center of downtown and was walkable to everything - especially the library, which was just a few steps away. On the minus side, that meant it was a bit loud - especially in warmer weather with windows open. Also, there is no yard space to speak of, and while you were close to parks it is nice to have a least a few square feet where you can do your own thing once in a while.
Many more details and pictures in the photo collection:
Or, at least on the top of North Peak at Sunday River:
After surviving a colder and snowier than usual December, January 2008 is off to a mixed start. Last week began with piles of snow and then ice ruts from the two feet of snow that fell on New Year's Eve & Day. Friday was my coldest commute yet at 2 degrees F! Out of paranoia I actually over-layered and was too warm. By contrast it is 43 degrees F today (and, the streets are mostly melted clear).
I took the Christmas lights off the bike and stored them for next year. The days are getting a little longer, and we'll see how many days I can stay on the bike this winter. Last year the real snow didn't hit until Feb/March/April!
that is all :)
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LetItSnow()
First snowfall of the season here in the Portland, Maine area.
It is an unseasonably warm day (upper 50s F) and the sun is kind of shining, so I decided to do a quick lunchtime ride into the Old Port section of Portland. It's a pretty good ride - there is one downhill section where you pick up speed and end up coasting at 30 mph. Then I meandered down Commercial Street and sat for a while. It was nice to let the breeze and sun and random bits of cruise ship tourist conversations wash over me. Then a quick ride back up the hill and over the bay.
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