I want to do that too

I am the taxi service to my kids' various activities. I participate in some activities (usually the 4H ones) but most are the 'be waiting by the door after class' kinda deals. At 13 and 14 years old, drop-off is the way most activities in this age group are organized, unlike their younger years when parental presence was periodically required.

But there has been an activity I've had to sit on the sidelines and watch due to the logistics of the time/location. It has made me realize that I would really like to take lessons too.

I want to learn to ice skate.

If you've read my blog you have likely surmised I am much more of a join-in rather than sit-around kinda person.

I know some very simple ice skating basics - like gliding, general balance and maybe a front cross-over.

But there are several reasons why I have not enrolled in ice skating lessons this year.

* Cost. It isn't crazy expensive but me taking lessons is the 'extra' that breaks the monthly family budget.

* Time. Usually when the girls are taking their lessons, I'm working in the stands (I love the fact that the rink has wifi).

* Lack of Ability. I am not the most athletically inclined person and as I get older, the idea of falling on the solid ice while learning to skate has much less appeal than powdery snow while on my xc skis.

But as the year has gone on, I've seen the girls progress to each new level of skating (their lessons are structured around the Ice Skating Institute guidelines). And as I watch how well they're doing, I just keep thinking... hey, I want to do it too!

So I have been to a couple of public skating sessions (at Falmouth Family Ice and Portland Ice Arena) during the past few weeks with the girls. I wanted to get a sense of what I can do, and can't do, on ice skates.

The girls have offered some pointers that have left me thinking my daughters are not my ideal instructors.

When I suggested they teach me how to swivel backwards because I think it's cool to skate backwards, L. told me, "You can't do that as the first thing mom."

When I tried to do forward cross-overs G. told me I had to point my front skate forward, not sideways. L. said it didn't matter at first how I did it when I was just learning.

When I asked G. to show me how to stop, L. told her, "The T-stop is too hard for her. She's going to fall."

When L. showed me how to push my skates backwards, G. said, "You're showing her the wrong way."

My teachers seem to disagree - a lot - on how to teach me the basics of skating and I've left the ice feeling the desire to take lessons from a real coach even more.

So I spoke with their girls' skating coach the other day and she explained a 4-week session of adult-only lessons is coming up next month. It's a short session with a lower price tag.

I think I'm going for it.

"Yeah mom, you really need it," chimed G. while L. nodded her agreement.

Thank you girls for helping me make a decision... and agreeing on something.

Bridge adds to allure of Sunday River trails

When you combine nicely groomed trails with a picturesque covered bridge, you have the makings for a great winter adventure. Sunday River's Outdoor Center has just that combination and 35 kilometers of ski and snowshoe trails to explore.

The Artists’ Covered Bridge offers a picturesque place to stop while cross-country skiing at Sunday River in Newry.

Although Sunday River is best known for its downhill skiing, the trail system at the newly acquired Outdoor Center is great for cross-country skiers of all abilities and for any length of skiing adventure. There are even a few kilometers of dog-friendly trails, while others are designated only for the center's dog-sled team.

I enjoy groomed, classic skiing tracks. The two narrow grooves in the snow ensure my older skis point forward without much effort. I just push and glide along the track and my ankles appreciate that at the end of the day.

My kids have skate skis, so they like wider groomed trails for this style of skiing. They have a good sense of balance for lifting one leg and pushing off to skate across the snow on each ski. I don't have that kind of balance in abundance. Thankfully, these trails offer both classic and skate-style grooming.

After reviewing the map and talking about our trail options with an Outdoor Center staff member, we decided to head to the Artists' Covered Bridge.

The girls have done a lot of postcard trading and had purchased cards of this bridge but had never seen it in person. They also wanted to see a dog-sled team. We were told the team traveled in the direction of the covered bridge on the dog-sled-only part of this trail system, but it intersected several times with the trails we planned to take.

Once we started on the trail, we almost immediately came upon an intersection. This trail system has markers at each intersection that correspond with a number on the map, so you know where you are. I really appreciated these numbers, because sometimes following only trail names at intersections can be confusing when trails intersect in multiple places.

The map had color-coded trails, so skiers know if the trail they are headed toward is "easier," "more difficult" or "most difficult." We stuck to the easier trails that had minimal hills -- with the exception of the Gulch trail, since we knew the direction we were headed ensured it was a downhill experience. The trick of the Gulch, which is noted on the back of the trail map, is that it is S-shaped. The kids are comfortable turning while going downhill on their cross-country skis, so we thought this was a doable "more difficult" trail for us.

The girls did great with the hill, but I took a wipeout on the second curve. It reminded me that it is important to read both sides of a trail map. It's the only way to make an informed decision when you're unfamiliar with trails. A more difficult rating might not just mean a steeper hill. In this case it also meant being able to turn while going downhill (not a typical novice skier skill).

My fall was minor and much to my children's chagrin, I could be heard laughing all the way down the hill.

I should note that there are several "easier" trail options to get to the covered bridge that navigate around the Gulch trail. But the one thing you can't avoid in getting to the covered bridge is a paved road crossing.

The map is clearly marked to identify roads, but I hadn't noticed that initially. So when we came upon Monkey Brook Road, we realized we had to take off our skis to cross it. It wasn't a big deal for my older kids, but if you have younger skiers in tow, it might take you a couple of minutes to help with the off-and-on process.

According to my GPS, we covered 2 miles before arriving at the bridge. It was a wonderful place to stop for a snack break and take some photos.

On our trip back to the Outdoor Center, we varied our route and thoroughly enjoyed the nicely groomed trails.

The cross-country skiing trails at Sunday River wind through some beautiful wooded scenery and the trail map was easy to follow. It's a great way to take a break from the downhill experience for a slower-paced afternoon this winter.

Just be sure to bring along a snack, because you're going to want to have an excuse to linger at the covered bridge.

SUNDAY RIVER OUTDOOR CENTER, NEWRY
CONTACT: SundayRiver.com, 207-824-5700
FEE: Full day, $16 adult, $12 teen, $8 junior/senior; after 12:30 p.m., $12 adult, $10 teen, $6 junior/senior.
RENTALS: Cross-country skis and snowshoes
BATHROOM in the Outdoor Center, and an outhouse on the Covered Bridge Trail.
ABILITY LEVELS: Novice to advanced.
DOG-FRIENDLY: Only on a designated portion.
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: Great.
OTHER: There is a cafe and a room with a fireplace and couches. Cross-country skiing lessons are available. The trails are shared by Nature's Kennel Sled Dog Adventures, which offers 30-minute dog-sled rides. Reserve by calling 1-800-543-2754.

KID REVIEWS
13-YEAR-OLD: "I liked the view and being in the woods. And how the trail was more downhill than uphill on the way we went. I also liked staying in the classic ski track."
14-YEAR-OLD: "I liked this trail because I could skate-ski and not worry about snowmobiles or too many other skiers. I liked going to the bridge and thought it was really neat. One thing, though, was that we had to do a lot of starting and stopping to figure out what the map said, because there were a lot of paths to take."

XC skiing at Sunday River

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram February 6, 2011

An ice fishing drive-by with underwater views

I told my friend who regularly ice fishes that we wanted to go fishing with her family this winter. I received an impromptu text from her while getting ready for a day of cross country skiing with the girls and decided to adjust our schedule so we could do both activities that day.

We had already loaded our usual ski gear and backpacks (with fleece-covered water bottles and lunch) in to the car and then added a few extra things for ice fishing. We had a key learning during last year's ice fishing trip...

It's all about socializing and staying warm while sitting around.

So folding chairs, an extra set of "little hotties toe warmers" (for toes that get chilly just sitting around in those chairs), hot cocoa thermoses (for socializing and staying warm in those chairs) and a snack (to share while sitting around in those chairs).

Truth be told, I'm not so interested in fishing. Actually, I have hyperactive tendencies and don't generally choose to just sit around so me and fishing aren't the best of compadres. But I like socializing with my friends and I like being outside in the winter. Plus my friend's husband, Josh, had just picked up an underwater camera and I was curious about how it worked.

The girls and I thought the underwater camera was super cool! Josh was determined to find a fish and he was dipping the camera in various holes all around the ice in hopes of spotting one.

We never did catch site of a fish that day but viewing the ice from the underside was really interesting.

We were also able to check out what the bottom of the lake looked like. In the summer I'm generally not so keen on seeing what creatures are swimming with me. But I wasn't going to be jumping in the water afterward so it was fun to get a close up view of the bottom.

The girls were interested in watching the baiting of the traps on the ice but then were quickly distracted by other things.

A fish was caught in one of the traps while we were at the lake but the girls were doing something else.

Maybe they were drinking hot cocoa.

Or maybe they were eating cookies.

Or maybe digging in the snow with their two-year-old friend.

In the end, the kids seemed unconcerned about missing the big event.

That got me thinking - ice fishing is just a drive-by event for us. It's about spending a couple of hours out on the ice with friends. If a fish is caught that's great. But it's not the whole story. Ice fishing is really just one of many things to do on a frozen lake in the winter.

Bunny steps back to mountain adventures

My youngest took a nasty fall while downhill skiing on an icy slope when she was 8 years old. No bones were broken but she had the wind knocked out of her and a good long crying jag wrapped up the event. She declared after that trip that she would not get back on downhill skis again. It took four years and the gentle teaching style of a Perfect Turn ski coach at Sunday River to get her back to loving the sport again.

My kids learned how to downhill ski when they were 4 and 5 years old. My husband, Fino, and I decided we needed some time to ourselves and signed the girls up for downhill ski lessons. They were busy for several hours while he and I had some freedom to do our own mountain activity (learning to snowboard), kid-less.

The girls loved their ski lessons and by the time they were 8 and 9 years old they were navigating the moguls and skiing on advanced trails during their classes. My youngest daughter showed no fear on the mountain pre-fall and was one of those little (annoying) kids whizzing past all the adults on the mountain.

When an opportunity to take a Perfect Turn class at Sunday River came up this year, my now 13-year-old decided she was ready to give the mountain another try. But she had conditions.

“I’m only skiing on the bunny hill. You can’t make me go on the mountain mom. And you have to stay with me the whole time. That’s the only way I’ll do it again.”

I thought these conditions were a reasonable first step. It also prompted me to agree to learn to downhill ski. I figured I could handle the bunny hill even though I have put on a pair of downhill skis exactly once. I was 16 and I managed to ski down a very small mountain, jump a snow bank, and ski in to a parked car in the lot.

I was not hurt but it was a (reluctantly) memorable moment.

Time for downhill skiing redemption. I figured I could manage a pair of downhill skis for an afternoon and provide my daughter with some entertainment. I have found the best way to make my daughters less nervous is to try to do something new. This typically ensures a display of uncoordination on my part that usually prompts a laughfest for my progeny.

The day of our family lesson I explained to our ski coach Jill about our varying levels of skiing ability and confidence on the slopes - from my complete lack of experience on downhill skis to my daughter’s fear of them. Since my husband had learned to downhill years ago and my older daughter was eager to get back to the sport, my youngest and I were, initially, the focus of the lesson.

Jill’s teaching style was the perfect fit for my fearful daughter. She kept the pace of the class slow, didn’t push and offered lots of tips about how to control the speed of her skis and about how to stop.

I learned how to snow plow (a.k.a. “pizza pie” to my kids) to stop on downhill skis, which I found much easier to managed than with my cross country skis.

Jill also reviewed other options for slowing down while on the mountain that included traversing. That’s when a skier points his or her skis diagonally across the width of the trail and skis in that direction. Once across, the skier turns and skies in another diagonal line back to the other side. And if a skier feels like their speed is still too fast, they can simply point their skis slightly uphill until the speed slows (you aren’t going to go very fast with skis pointing more uphill than down).

Depending on the angle of your traversing, it can be a slow ride down the mountain but for beginner skiers it’s a great way to feel confident at controlling speed on your descent down the mountain.

My daughter and I practiced our traversing on the bunny hill and within a few runs my daughter was smiling and looking confident on her skis again.

I wasn’t doing too shabby either, thanks (I think) to my years of snowboarding and cross country skiing.

Then Jill said we were doing so well that we should get on the lift to try the beginner slope. My 13-year-old shrugged and agreed easily, which I had not anticipated would happen after only 30 minutes.

I was thrilled and put aside concerns about my own ability to actually get down the slope without a fall. I decided to believe Jill’s assessment that I was ready for it.

We did a couple of runs on the beginner hill with Jill and then did a couple more after our lesson. It was clear a lot of my daughter’s confidence had returned. She was leading the family pack and pondering why I was skiing so slow.

“Come on mom. You are taking forever.”

Not a comment I normally appreciate but that day it made me smile.

Our visit to Sunday River included an overnight stay at the Grand Summit Resort and we woke to a raging nor’easter the next morning. That might have discouraged less eager skiers but my kids had not had their fill of the mountain. They were ready for more.

After a couple of hours of pelting snow and wind, everyone was still smiling on the mountain.

I think we weathered the storm and came out back on top.

Preview: Naples Winter Carnival

Naples is known as a popular destination in the summer months, but its annual Winter Carnival rivals the Fourth of July crowds as the community comes out of hibernation to celebrate the "other season."

The carnival kicks off Friday with snowmobiles assembling at Black Bear Cafe for a 6 p.m. torchlight parade.

"We have the groomers lead the snowmobiles for the parade. Anyone coming down Route 302 can see it because every snowmobile will have an airplane flashlight like the ones they guide the planes on the runway with. Seeing all those lights is really something," said Dan Allen, Naples Winter Carnival chairman.

The parade is only about two miles, but it's an interactive event with various stops to greet passers-by around town.

"The recreation department hosts a skating party at the town rink and we sort of crash it with our parade of snowmobiles," Allen said. "We stop to say hello, give out some gift certificates and then we jump back on and go to the next place."

After the rink, the parade continues on to Bear Bonz BBQ and then Bray's Brew Pub before ending at the Tiki Bar.

But even without a snowmobile, Allen wants visitors to know they can follow the parade from start to finish.

"I tell people if they don't have a snowmobile, you can follow in your car," he said.

Saturday events kick off at sunrise with the annual ice fishing derby sponsored by Hannaford. In addition to cash prizes for both adults and kids, the first-place winner of the derby also receives his or her own personalized Wheaties box.

"The kid who won the derby last year had his picture on the Wheaties box. It was great. You can actually see it at Naples Town Hall," Allen said of the extra fun feature for the kids' derby.

The bouncy house opens at 9 a.m. Saturday on Long Lake and is expected to be a popular activity for kids.

"The bouncy house was nonstop last year. It was full from the time we opened it until the time we closed it up," Allen said.

Saturday and Sunday will feature a drag strip for snowmobiles to test their speeds with radar runs on the 1,000-foot ice track and 700-foot snow track on Long Lake. All ages can participate as long as riders wear helmets and have a safety kill switch on their machine.

Kids without a snowmobile can receive free rides around the lake thanks to the Muddy River Sno Seekers Snowmobile Club. This club is also responsible for helping to organize the carnival.

Helicopter rides, which do have a cost, are also part of the fun and take off from the lake during daylight hours.

"The rides are about 10 minutes. The guy is a really good pilot and gives a great ride. Everyone who comes off it raves about how much fun they had," Allen said.

When the kids decide they've had enough fun outside, games, movies and hot cocoa will be on tap at Naples Town Hall all day Saturday.

When dusk approaches, though, everyone will want to head back outside for the bonfire and fireworks show. But Allen offers a warning about the show.

"The fireworks begin promptly at 6 p.m. If someone is 10 minutes late, they're going to miss it."

But he assures visitors that it's worth watching the clock.

"The fireworks are the icing on the cake while sitting around the bonfire," Allen said. "Some people say they're even better than the Fourth of July."

Sydney's Restaurant will host this year's carnival party Saturday night. Although cocktails are served, the party is family-friendly, with lots of food and door prizes.

Carnival events continue through Sunday afternoon.

"This event wakes people up midwinter and gets people out of hibernation. If you want to find some fun this winter, come out to Naples," Allen said. He also pointed out that "pretty much everything is free. You don't have to have a lot of money to enjoy this event."

NAPLES WINTER CARNIVAL
WHEN: Friday through Sunday.
WHERE: Town Dock on Long Lake (Causeway), Naples.
HOW MUCH: Free for most activities; there is a fee for helicopter rides and there is a fishing derby entrance fee.
FOOD OPTIONS: Food booths on the lake benefit Naples Fire Department and Lions Club; several restaurants are within walking distance of the lake.
PARKING: At the Causeway, Town Hall and Kent's Landing and the town skating rink. A shuttle from Town Hall parking lot to the lake will run both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
DON'T MISS: Fireworks over the lake Saturday at 6 p.m.
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: Great. With free events at both the lake and town gym, and shuttle buses to each venue, there's plenty to keep little ones happy all weekend.
BENEFITS: Fishing derby sponsored by Hannaford benefits the United Way.
BAD WEATHER: In case of a major storm, the event will be rescheduled to the following weekend.
MORE INFO: muddyriversnoseekers.org

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram February 6, 2011

Afghan square making... from jail

I've been organizing a Warm Up America! afghan project with  my kids 4H club for several years and every year opening each package of donated squares is a little like Christmas for me. I never know what colors, textures, stitches and designs will come from each square maker.

This year there are some great squares (with more still coming in). The yarn Uschi made her squares with is soft and cuddly. My girls loved them.

The girls' grandma made a ton of colorful granny squares with some fun variegated yarn. 

And the Korner Knitters in Standish always do a fab job making squares for us too. I can always depend on their squares to be precisely the size requested with beautiful stitching.

Last year was the first year I made a connection with the Cumberland County Jail's education coordinator, Hope. She encouraged the inmates she works with to crochet (knitting needles aren't permitted in the jail) squares for our project last year. They turned over a bunch of hand-made squares. It was a win-win for both groups working within their own abilities to give back to their local community.

Having seen what the kids did with their squares (Hope shared a picture the 4H club sent after the afghans were assembled), the inmates were inspired to make even more squares this year.

They crocheted 201 squares and put a lot of extra effort in to making each one fun and interesting. My kids sifted through the two large shopping bags from the jail yesterday and were "oooohing" and "aaaahhhhing" as they scattered them across my daughter's bed.

"Mom! Look at these squares. They are wicked cute!" exclaimed my 14-year-old.

She especially liked the one with the butterfly on the flower.

Then these squares were pulled out of the bag.

We all paused to take in the multi-layered meaning of these special squares - for the inmate who made them to the family shelter and food pantry who will receive the final afghans.

I will never meet these inmates.

I will never know what crimes any of these women committed that led to their incarceration (the Cumberland County Jail facility houses minimum, medium and maximum classifications of inmates).

But if these women have the compassion and thoughtfulness to make these extra special squares for the 4H kids' project, I have faith.

I have faith that when each of these square-making women is released from jail, she will make better life decisions. That she will pursue her dreams without breaking the law again.

You can call me naive if you like. You might be right.

But these women had a choice to make a couple of squares this year and call it good. 

They didn't.

They chose to go that extra mile to help a group of kids they never met make their project extra special.

They chose to make a contribution to the afghans for the family shelter in whatever way was available to them. 

So yes, I choose to have faith that given the next choice these women will choose to take a better path when they are released from jail.

I also have faith in the law enforcement officers at the Cumberland County Jail.

Faith in officers like Hope who work with these inmates every day to offer educational opportunities that give them opportunities to make positive life decisions. To help inmates make a conscious choice to give rather than to take.

Yes, these inmates have a debt to pay to society for their poor decisions. Yet every single person in our community can choose to have faith that an incarcerated individual can find a way to turn their life around when they are released.

So I choose to have some faith in these women. I have faith the officers' work will pay off for everyone in the larger community in the long run.

Hope, you and the inmates at the Cumberland County Jail ROCK!

Meandering thoughts from dogs to cake

The girls made their 3rd annual pilgrimage to the Musher's Bowl in Bridgton two weekends ago. Their 30-minute ride on the sled with the dogs has been the highlight of the past two (going on three) winters for them.

Last year I rode with L. on the dog sled and caught some video out on the lake during that ride. This year I didn't sign up to ride with them (finances were tight and this is not a cheap activity) but chatted with a volunteer snowmobile driver at Highland Lake about taking a ride on a snowmobile instead. They run short rides by donation and I thought I had worked out my timing to catch some video of the girls on their ride while I was in the snowmobile sled. The snowmobiles were running parallel to the dog sleds so I thought it would be possible.

Nope.

The dogs were too fast and we never did catch up to them in the snowmobile.

(Well, I am sure it would have been possible to catch the dogs but I was riding on a sled-type attachment to the snowmobile and my driver didn't think it was safe to drive the machine too fast towing the sled.)



Our day turned away from the dogs to a meander through Bridgton's village for some window shopping. An item caught my eye that I thought would be great for our 50s-style camper in an antique shop window. Since Fino is all about second-hand shopping, he insisted we go in the store to find out how much it cost.

The item was an old 50s cake cover just like the one my grandmother and mother had when I was growing up. It's not that I plan to make cake while camping but having a pan with a cover has many uses when grilling and camp cooking. Fino could come up with just as many uses for the pan as I could in the store to justify why it would be useful. And the fact that the cover fits our camper's 50s motif was the icing (so to speak) on the cake.

I inquired about the price (it was surprisingly reasonable) so I bought it. I also found out while making that purchase that the world is a small one. Through a series of seemingly unrelated comments and questions about old campers, old cars and people, I discovered that my dad and the shop keeper knew each other.

My take-away from that visit - I was meant to own this cake cover.

But to get back to dogs, mushing and snow... G. has had notions of teaching her foster puppy about skijoring this winter. Since G. loves to xc ski, she wanted to be able to take the puppy out on some ski adventures when trails allow canine visitors.

Our puppy friend is very high energy and he absolutely loves the snow. This would have seemed a good combination for skijoring. But no, his love of the white stuff includes jumping around and getting uncontrollably excited about it. Focus isn't part of his brain function right now.

G. figured out before I could offer my 2-cents that there was no way she was going to feel safe rigging herself up to the puppy to try skijoring.

It was also clear why the foster pup is not in his training program yet.

Puppy does enjoy his runs on a long leash through the woods. G. doesn't actually hold his leash but the length of it drags enough to remind him he's tied to us and gives us an advantage of catching the leash more easily. Truth be told, none of us are brave enough to handle his leash while still attached to our skis until he's run a while and is showing signs of slowing down.

G.'s ideas of combing her winter sports with a dog have been dashed (again) this year.