There is always snow at Calumet!

I spent another wonderful weekend at Camp Calumet, which is on the shore of Lake Ossipee in New Hampshire.  Even though the crazy warm weather and rain washed away all the snow in MA, there was still plenty of snow (though icy) at Calumet.

Glamping

Toboggan run (a little icy but not bad!)

 

 

Out walking with the ladies--it was in the 60s!

No visit to Calumet is complete without a visit to Lake Ossipee

With all the crazy, warm weather, I can't believe some folks (not from our group, of course) still went out onto the lake.  Yikes.

I'm going to miss these semi-annual retreats with my FLC family...

Alpaca my bags, let's hit the slopes! (Bo's words, not mine)

Happy 3rd 29th birthday, Bo!  To celebrate her big day we planned a ski trip to nearby Nashoba Valley, and her two friends, Vera and Christian, joined us.  The combination of a couple good snow storms last week and unusually warm weather over the weekend made for great skiing and enjoying the outdoors.

Celebrating Bo's birthday at the top of the Nashoba Valley Ski Area (not really a mountain).

As much as I loved skiing when I was little, I had only been skiing once since middle school.  That time was in Australia and I really thought Seth and I wouldn't make it; either the terrifying, unpredictable slopes (no trails, just free-styling down the face of the mountain, yikes!) or the freezing temps that we were not prepared for would do us in!  This time Bo and I only had to face bunny slopes, but they were still enough of a thrill for us.  Despite Nashoba's small size, I do feel lucky that I don't have to go very far to ski, just 30 min down the road in Weston, and there were hardly any lines, even on this holiday weekend.  But it is not exactly an inexpensive hobby, either.  My preferred snow sport shall remain snowshoeing! 

We had a Korean fusion dinner then spent the evening at a super cozy and cute inn in Littleton.  The inn keeper set out port and warm cider for us in the evening then made us a special "farm to table" breakfast of homemade cinnamon roll scones, yogurt parfait, and a ham and cheese souffle with asparagus.  A couple notches above where we would normally stay.

Before heading home we drove through an active Shaker Village just outside of town, then stopped at an extremely cute alpaca farm in Harvard, MA.  My dream for the future now includes a goat, a chicken, and 3 alpacas (apparently they need to be in a group).  Alpacas are such sweet animals and I believe I could have stayed at this farm forever :o)

Happy Birthday, Bo!

Women's March 2017!

We felt the love and support today at the Boston Women's March, all 125,000 of us!  It was an unusually warm January day in the mid 50s but I am sure that only encouraged the crowds.  They overwhelmed the MBTA (folks couldn't even get into the T entrances!) and Yulia and I ended up walking from Central Square, Cambridge to Boston Commons.  The only downside was that cell phone service was out and I couldn't find my friends to march with them (Bo, Alice, Emily, and Seth's sister).  I am sure they will have their own amazing stories to share!

Heading down the Longfellow Bridge from Cambridge

We made it just in time to hear Mayor Marty Walsh followed by my favorite gal, Elizabeth Warren!

Yulia and I were pretty much stuck in place for about an hour and a half, waiting to march (and we were at the front of the line!).

We people-watched while standing in some pine bushes

Listening to the speakers before the march--we are 125,000 strong!!

Annika's favorite emoji ;o)

This black sign was one of my favorites (deceivingly cute!)

The march route was 1 mile and not nearly long enough.  People were returning to the Commons way before the end of the line even began moving! 

Sporting my pink pussy hat (minus the little ears)

 

There were over 600 marches worldwide.  I think the message has been sent!

Last day in BC

We were graced with more clear skies on our final day and it was thrilling to take in the stunning colors of the sunrise.  I can't remember the last time I saw such an amazing sky. 

The Seawall once again

As Seth was conferencing I was walking down Robson St to the West End. 

On my way back to the City Center I caught a really awesome Indy movie from Northern BC called Our Land Beautiful at the Vancouver International Film Center.

The quirky but very cool and modern public library.

Samesun Backpackers... should have stayed at the place across the street instead.

Vancouver

On another rainy day we left Squamish and drove back south along the Sea to Sky highway, dropped off the rental car at the Vancouver airport, then checked into our hostel right in the city center.  Seth met up with some music colleagues and I spent the evening watching some of the final game of the world series over curry at the nearby Indian takeout place; at the moment it was a tie in the 7th between the Cubs and the Indians but due to technical issues I didn't watch the end of the game :o(

The next morning things looked brighter and the sun finally came out!  

Jogging along the Seawall.

The bridge to Granville Island

While Seth spent the morning at the library getting some work done I took a long walk over to Granville Island.  The view from the bridge was so beautiful!  The trees still had their colorful leaves, too.

I was surprised to learn that Vancouver is the city with the fourth highest population density in North America, behind NYC, San Francisco, and Mexico City!  Here we can see why.

I eventually made it over the bridge and to the Granville Island Public Market.  It was really a nice excursion!

The thing I appreciated the most about the market is that it wasn't overly crowded but still lively.

As I was reading the guidebook at that food court I realized I was sitting in the exact spot where the photo in the guidebook was taken!!  Spooky.

Just behind the market were some feisty birds.

I had waited all day to take the mini ferry/aquabus back to downtown.  It was so cute and !  I was a little disappointed, however, that I had to ride the larger minibus (the smallest ones are like tiny little pods that glide over the water).  Also, the trip was too short, probably less than a minute long.

By the evening I met back up with Seth and we walked to Chinatown.  For having the largest Chinese population of any city outside of China, the Vancouver Chinatown actually wasn't all that great when we went.

I guess the highlight of Chinatown was the world's narrowest office building (only 6 feet wide).

Gastown

We spent some time admiring the cobblestones and lights of historic Gastown. It was worth waiting until the top of the hour for the steam clock to play the Westminster Quarters with actual geothermal steam.

Friendly Canadians

Chinatown was a bust, but not to worry--Japanese food in Vancouver is amazing!