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When the players went in to the locker room after warm-ups one of the players tossed up his gloves and Alex got them! Talk about lucky…. Alex also got his picture taken and an autograph with Mr. Patriot and Mr. Guinness. I did a belly bump with Mr. Guinness, but i didn't get a picture (your loss ).

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Rocky Mountain National Park - Alpine Road

Our trip covered Boulder CO, Flat Irons, Rocky Mountain National Park, Brigder National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Shoshoni Reservation, Wind River Canyon, Eldorado Canyon, Jackson Hole, Steamboat,  and Red Rocks Amphitheater just to name a few.

Frozen Dead Guy Days 2010?

Our first day in Colorado we hung out and took a drive up through the Flat Irons (baby rockies) and  a canyon beyond Estes to a town called Nederland. This was an interesting place. The town reminded me of a remote Alaskan outpost with old steam shovels rusting near the side of the road and a very lodgy western makeshift feel even though it has probably been there for 100 years. We saw this really interesting wood carver who carved the Frozen Guy Dead Days statue and payed him a visit. What are the Frozen Dead Guy Days?  No it’ isn’t the Grateful Dead revival or anything it is actually a long interesting story you can read about here. We also took a short hike on Walker Ranch and had a fantastic meal at this roof-top Mexican restaurant in Estes near the square. Deciding our itinerary and plan of attack for the coming days. This day also worked well to help acclimate us to the change altitude.

Rocky Mountain Park - At the Top of Alpine Road 12,000 Feet...Yep they still had a little snow.

We decided to hit the Rocky Mountain National Park in the morning for the day and head from there to Steamboat and then up to Jackson Hole WY, there we would stay at a hotel overnight and then make way through Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone. Our plan was to keep things loose and flexible and just try not to double track over ground we covered. We also wanted to see all we could keeping to a small budget. Speaking of budget.. In case you didn’t know you can purchase a pass for the national parks for like $80 for the year and it covers admission to any and all national parks for one vehicle full of people

Our First Crossing of the Continental Divide

Rocky Mountain National Park is amazing an amazing wonderful park and is very close to Boulder. The three most things striking about RMNP was the large valley with the river teaming with wildlife, the Bear Lake area, and the Alpine Road. The Alpine Road was similar to the Mount Washington Auto Road but not as aggressive in climbing and allows for many miles driving peak to peak as you cross the range. On our first day the clouds were low so we didn’t have views on top, again similar to Mt Washington with the fogged in effect. However after seeing pictures at the visitors center on top we stopped back by several days later (after Yellowstone)  to cross the road in clear weather. I am so glad we did because it was amazing! Shannon said it is clear more often than not, which is definitely different the Mt Washington.

After crossing out of RMNP we headed west for Steamboat and then north for Jackson Hole and ultimately our hotel room. We had a lot of ground to cover before we could get some rest. It was interesting to see the land flatten as we progressed north.   Jackson Hole WY was interesting. The ski mountains surrounding the town seemed nothing very crazy and certainly Wildcat in NH looked to be more massive and steep. I suppose it is the snow though. We did see some interesting shops one with a Bigfoot and the town park had a couple arches created from Elk antlers. the national Elk preserve is reportedly close by but we missed it.

Elk Antler Arches - Jackson Hole WY

Shannon With Bigfoot!

Leaving Jackson Hole WY we went north through Grand Teton on our way to Yellowstone. The Tetons were spectatular however we didn’t go deep into the park and only passed through and edge on our way to Yellowstone.

Rosie in The Old Faithful Lodge Warming Up

We spent a good two days in Yellowstone and were able to drive though much of the park. I would have loved to have been able to spend many more days hiking camping and fishing. The vistas afforded by the drive were spectacular and the geo-thermal displays unique. Probably the most disappointing part of the entire park was Old Faithful geyser. We listed it under the obligatory must do and headed straight there. Old Faithful itself was quite anti-climatic but the geyser walking path near it and the old lodge that is part of that area was quite impressive and shouldn’t be missed.

Geyser Walk - At Old Faithful, Yellowstone WY

Lower Yellowstone Falls - Yellowstone National Park

See the people at the top of the falls on the right?

Camping in Yellowstone was a real treat even though it really cooled off over night to about 30 degress the days warmed quickly and we dodged any rain and foul weather. I had the opportunity to fly fish the renowned Firehole river in Yellowstone, although I did not actually catch a fish. During the morning I was kept constantly distracted by the Elk, Mule Deer and Buffalo that kept walking by in my area. (I was a little worried about bear) Spending the early morning on the river was breathtaking and balancing for the soul, truly a memory that will ring within me for a lifetime.

The access to wild life at the National Parks was magnificent. Herds of animals here and there as well as solitary ones moving about. The was no shortage of opportunity to simply walk up to a deer, elk or buffalo if one was inclined. Of course this is discouraged and it was obscene how on a couple of occasions people would start do just that.  At times it seemed a bit like a zoo with the rangers protecting the animals from the people. Then again one can simply walk off into the back country after a quick check in at the ranger station.

A Doe Elk at the Old Faithful Geyser

Yellowstone was so impressive from the sheer scope of the park. While most of the millions of visitors simply stay on the main road there is so much deep wilderness and much of it still left so undisturbed.  Our second night we camped near Yellowstone lake. The area had signs all over of closing trails and areas due to Grizzly Bear activity. As we set-up our tents Rosie’s great concern over bear switched to Buffalo as she observed piles of Buffalo chips literally every ten feet. We were treated to a fantastic sunset sky that night and a free box of wood the next morning from somebody. (We learned shortly after our return that the camping area was closed to anything other than hard sided RVs due to Bear activity)

Sunset Sky - Yellowstone WY

We headed out of Yellowstone and decided to exit the east entrance and cross Wyoming diagonally since it was the most direct route back to Boulder. It was a very interesting drive through some spectacular canyons and eventually onto what I would call high plains desert.  The canyons were the biggest surprise since I did not expect us to loose elevation like we did leaving the park.

Shoshone - Wind River Canyon

Some of the area we crossed in Wyoming was really some very remote terrain. There was our highway of course and power, but miles and miles of nothing but sage, pronghorn, and dirt. We would come upon a town with a couple small farms and the sign would literally say population 20. There were no services, grocery, gas, hospital, nothing. It would be hours to get many of the simple things we each take for granted every day.  This is probably the most remote area I have ever experienced, it was beautiful, but a little unnerving. I was impressed with what these people must do on a simple day to day basis to live and prosper.

We spent the last day hanging about Boulder and day tripped to Red Rocks amphitheater. Red Rocks was an amazing venue and would be a great place to see a show. We walked the grounds and the visitor center actually getting on stage and playing a little air guitar. Shannon and Aaron were returning in a couple weeks to see Tool.

Poster in the Visitor Center at Red Rocks

We stopped by the Dark Horse to meet Shannon and Aaron’s friends and see there local hangout. It was an interesting place with a nice outside area and varied indoor areas. Aaron participated in a the world famous Dark Horse Trike Night in hopes of winning a coveted t-shirt and prizes. He didn’t win but it was a really fun time cheering them on and quite enjoyable.

We also spent some time on Pearl Street in Boulder CO. Pearl Street is a couple blocks of street that has been closed to cars. It is a great area with people hanging around, shops, food, and street performers doing magic or playing music. One of the great surprises was a band from Nashville called Barefoot Surrender. They put on quite a show as you can see from Rosies recording below. I wish we had bought one of their CDs…hopefully they get it up online for sale.

The Boulder Colorado area was really unique. The lifestyle enjoyed there by most people is an active one. The city caters to biking by providing special lanes though out the main roads. It was interesting to note that there were not a lot of heavy people as one might see here in new england. I contribute that to the activity ethic and the lifestyle. There is also a strong environmental awareness in the region as observed by monitor stations and the press for alternate energy. If I were to move away from the coast, Boulder Colorado would be a place I might consider looking strongly at. The climate, mountains, and lifestyle would appear to suit me well.

Bear Lake - Rocky Mountain National Forest

The area in general is dry. When we were there there was major run off from the mountains but there were no real bodies of water to speak of. many of the small rivers were simply too high to fish safely.  The roadsides had green grass which Aaron explained tuns brown as the season progresses. So we were there in the “wet” season. We also did a couple stops at Boulder Beer and

On the Stage - Red Rocks

The trip was a truly memorable one. It was great to spend quality time with kids and be able to share such a wonderful experience. I feel so blessed that we were able to make it out there as we did. Words and pictures cannot describe the scenery and vistas we experienced. We also had some fun moments at various eateries “on the road” and with “car games” we kept playing to pass the time. My only regret is we didn’t have even more time with them and to soak it all in. (see the rest of the vacation pictures in here)

A Painter on the Alpline Road

Yes…the trip was one Rocky Mountain Kinda High

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Didn’t catch a fish but had a seal rise 20 feet away..had a lot of fun on a perfect day.

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Another short clip from the Kayak adventure, at this point we are back into the Piscataqua River off of 4 tree island.

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The come on to any of these services is they help you connect to people you haven’t seen in years and help you stay in closer contact with those you see regularly, share pictures and more. These websites encourage you to share more details so that you are easier found by friends. In the case of Facebook that was fine when they started, but they have repeatedly opened up your information accessibility to the world. Even though initially you may have set the access to private or friends only.

I point this out since many are under the assumption when they have set a privacy setting or interacted with a service such as this the settings are fixed. This is NOT the case, they can be changed or ignored via policy as is the case with Facebook. I use Facebook as an example but this could happen with any website. It is important to understand if you share anything even with a friend that doesn’t mean for example they can’t share it.

Social media has much to offer and as connectivity improves in the smart phone world you will see services and opportunities increase to interact with them. Televisions are being integrated with services so you will see IP in the TV allowing direct streaming of Podcasts and Internet TV as well as Netflix. It won’t be long you will viewing Facebook or the web directly on your TV. This is all good and decentralizes access and reliance on network and cable broadcasters.

Just know with certainty most information shared on the web via services is likely to be viewed by others. Take the approach when posting and sharing pictures and video that ANYONE can see it. As an example Government agencies and Employers are looking at content on the web when screening and considering candidates for positions.

Here are typical things you can do to protect yourself…

• Don’t share your status updates on walls or tweets while your doing them or in advance,  Share them AFTERWARD. Telling people you are not home is an invitation to be robbed.
• Do not share details online that are not easily located as part of public record.
• When making accounts at websites, don’t use real answers to security questions. For example mothers maiden name, high school, college mascot etc should be filled in with something totally ODD and unguessable. Much of the information like these questions are in public domain if people do the research they will find them easy enough.
• Don’t use your main email as part of your banking or secure site access. It is best to have a separate account for these which limits it use. It should also use HTTPS as a login such as Google Gmail does.
• Use password manager like LastPass.com to securely manage and generate secure passwords. NEVER have a web browser remember your log-ins or use a local password login manager. Make your passwords and usernames varied, include special characters and numbers.
• Be aware of location based services on your Smartphone that include location information when you post.
• Do not access banking or credit card websites from a public WIFI hotspot. It is simple for someone to scan for email log-in credentials thus starting a means of access. Use hotspots for simple browsing only.
• Always logout of your PC as well as place a PIN on you’re Smartphone. Many of the apps today on Smartphones will access your password managers, banks, social sites and other private information quite easily. Setting the PIN option will wipe the phone in the event someone tries to login repeatedly saving any potential loss. Your phone is easily restored if and when recovered.

The web is a fantastic resource but like anything you need to manage your information wisely and take simple precautions to protect you and your information. I am not paranoid just a realist and some people out there amaze me by not really looking at things and considering there impact. Keep sharing just share and access your in a smart way.

The route for the race started just after the Hanson School, then basically around the block finishing at the Town Hall. As it worked out the route was about 60/40 hill and decent, leaving the decent for the last mile or so.

I felt really good during the race. A couple of times I pressed a bit to hard and slowed up just a bit to recover. My final time was just about 30 minutes, which was my goal. I recovered quickly and felt great. I finished about 7th or 8th which is respectable given my age and the competition. The Community Festival as a whole was excellent and well done with volunteers and a lot of donated equipment and time. There was a Jaws of Life demonstration, Life Flight Helicopter, and Sky Divers and so much more. A great family event!

I got a later start than I wanted for the ride, instead of being one of the first on the route I ended up being one of the last. I did my registration, safety training, and fastened my number to my bike and headed out on the route. A couple miles from the start I missed a bike path cut over between roads and thus detoured to a dead end at the wildlife reserve in Newington which added a couple miles to my day. The route I took started near the Red Hook in Newington, looped out through Greenland and North Hampton, to the beach, then traveled along up to Wallis Sands.

Then the route cut back inland to a loop around New Castle and through downtown Portsmouth crossing into Kittery and up to Fort McClary. After a mandatory check-in the route followed Rt103 up to York and along the coast to Nubble Light and though short sands. The last leg of the route traveled the road that passes by the Cliff House and Perkins Cove ending in Ogunquit on Rt 1. As last year the support staff and organization of the event was exceptional. I covered the 58 miles in just under 3 1/4 hours which I am happy with considering my knees quit at mile 50 and I fought a wind which was never to be at my back all day. All things considered it was a glorious day and a ride that was certainly a memorable one. Thank you all for the support and supporting such a wonderful cause!!

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I had read and researched a lot lately and have learned how fresh juice from vegetables and fruits are so much more nutritious and how juicing provides an exceptional supply of nutrients to the body.  The Gerson Therapy and many others use juicing as part of treatment to help empower the body to heal itself from illnesses and even cancer by flooding it with rich easily digestible nutrients.

So I purchased a Norwalk Juicer / Food Factory.  I weighed all the options and felt the Norwalk was the only way to go,  if I could only find one used, and I did. The Norwalk has a two step process that is very simple. It breaks up the vegetables or fruits like a grinder but without heat. You grind into a bag that is placed over the chute that captures all the pulp. Then you take the ground pulp in the bag, fold it and place it on the press. The hydraulic press squeezes the bag releasing the juice keeping all the pulp and fiber in the bag. The result is a HUGE amount of clean pulp free juice and a pulp in the bag is dry and literally tasteless. The process doesn’t induce air like a blender does so there is no oxidation or froth. There is also no heat to break down the juice. The Norwalk is a rugged little machine and certainly built to last. It’s heft and quality remind me of equipment from my early restaurant days.

So far I have only done carrots and apples (just got it last night) but this thing can juice anything including greens and wheatgrass. It also makes nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter and it will ground coffee and or grains for flour.  The Norwalk can also process foods for salads like coleslaw, jams or relish. You can take food and simply grind them to a dish for baby foods and or frozen fruits for  smoothies. It is very versatile. Items like pineapple or lemons you simply slice and place in the bags and press, super simple.

Clean-up is easy… the machine is all stainless and chrome so it washes out easy in a couple minutes. The bags are simply reversed and rinsed, and turned right side out and rinsed again. Then folded and stored in a Ziplock bag in the freezer until next use. Storing in this way prevents bacteria from forming.

I would say that this machine will lives up to it’s reputation as far as high quality build and high quality of juice. The clean-up is simple and easy and the straining bags are reusable.  The design has been in place for 75 years and changed very little, there is a reason. I am looking forward to many years of juice and a healthy future.

We have a CSA this year and expect much in the way of extra greens and vegetables, I can’t think of no better way than to juice these things out. I guess I will carry the asterisk with me because… I am a juicer, no not that kind…the good kind.

The venue was the Capitol Theater in Concord NH, this is a typical old theater and was much smaller than I thought it would be, seating about 1200 people with a rear balcony shelf area.  Wilco took the stage and immediately began the onslaught and relentless attack to the senses. Many of the tunes I was familiar with as being slower acoustic mixes were picked up and re-invigorated. Wilcos method of playing is literally non-stop. At the end of one song Jeff Tweedy swings his guitar off , swings on a new one and they are off on another sonic escapade. After an hour or so they reconfigured the stage and went into a more acoustic mode, again all while never stopping a song. The conversion back to a normal stage was just as seamless. Impressively they played over three hours continuously. When Wilco did eventually stop and leave the stage the crowd called them back out and they did three more tunes.

Jeff Tweedy - Wilco

I certainly was baptized by Wilco’s performance and left the performance a solid born again fan. The lyrics, melodies, and song progressions really come alive in their live show, and the vocal or performance never seems pressed, it’s all genuine.  The crowd vibe in the hall was amazing, and I have to agree with with one spectator who exclaimed at one point it was like church. The entire audience was singing a tune for Wilco and dancing in place. Wilco maintains an up vibe and allows the introspective lyrics to come through. Wilco covers all the bases weaving many musical genres into there own unique sound and style.

So your asking.. Is Wilco the best rock act in America?   I will dodge and let you decide… My friends say every time they see Wilco they get even better.  If you get the opportunity to see them DO IT!   You won’t be disappointed.  They have a massive body of work If you want to hear some of the live cuts check out this link http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/five-places-to-download-free-wilco-shows,26544/

Wilco also streams live shows and podcasts off their website Wilcoworld.net on occasion and they do a lot of charity work for causes like sustainable farming , Haiti relief etc.  The tickets for the three hour plus “sold out” show were $35 and unheard of value and a testimony to the bands working class roots. More artist should follow Wilco’s lead.  BTW… Wilco stands for “will comply” in radio parlance, Jeff Tweedy the bands founder and front man thought it ironic to refer to a rock band as in this way.

I want to send out a special thanks to Marty, Jay and Mark for thinking of me… it was an Awesome time!