My girls have been making their own videos since they were little (6 and 7 years old) with my old camcorder. Then I bought a digital camera that could record video with sound (the first camera had video option but not sound) and that prompted us to create an account on YouTube in 2006. They have been sharing their movie creations ever since.
G. and I were going through our family YouTube channel together the other day and had a grand ole time laughing about some of her and her sister's earlier years antics.
I decided to share a few of these little gems to offer a chuckle to those who can relate to the various inspirations that happen when kids are given the opportunity, and the technology, to be their silly selves.
"Saving Toddy" is one of my all-time personal favorites. Toddy is our blind cat and the unwilling star of this movie. The girls are a bit embarrassed with this video right now because they're 12 and 13, but were pleased at punch with themselves when it was made (they were 8 and 9 at the time). The last bit when G. turns the camera on herself cracks me up, as well as L.'s karate moves as the "burglar."
Saving Toddy
Prince Toddy (his role is a little less active in this one)
Barbie Rani takes over Christmas Tree (the cats weren't the only ones who have caused Christmas tree problems at the Almeida homestead)
The video the girls made of their Barbie dog Tanner has the strangest history. Until recently I had never been able to figure out why it's such a popular video on our YouTube channel (6,370 views to date). Yes it's silly, but it's not that great. But looking at the expanded stats "audience" option on our channel, I discovered, "This video is most popular with: Males 13-17." I get it now.
Barbie with her dog Tanner
I wasn't home when the gem below was made otherwise I would have suggested they knock around dolls that didn't cost over $100 a piece.
Indoor bowling/golf with dolls
But the movie below was written purposefully and although I recorded the video, I was 'directed' the entire time to ensure I was getting the "right" footage needed so they could edit it in to a "real movie." (Both kids know their way around Windows MovieMaker to edit their videos.)
It stars an orphan who escapes her orphanage, an evil chicken king (yes, a live one from our coop), a princess and her cat king, a magical (sword-like) fork to protect the orphan and a magical leaf that saves the day. It's a 6-minute video so a bit overly long for general viewing but the bloopers they included at the end are amusing, and include a panic attack when one actor noticed a tick crawling on her co-star during a scene and both started screaming as well as L. forgetting her character's name. It's definitely one of those, "only a mother could love" kind of videos but I do cherish those years when the girls felt free to be silly (it was made in early 2007).
Quest for the Magical Leaf
I admit that I miss the girls' earlier years but there are so many more opportunities for fun now that they are older that I've moved on, as they have. But I still get nostalgic every once in a while and I'm glad I have these few gems to remind me what life was like before my babies really started growing up.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Skiing up mountain a challenge, especially pole-less
When the girls were small and just learning to cross country ski, they had a hard time using poles. The poles would get caught up in their skis and create general confusion on how to get in a rhythm of gliding on skis and pushing off with poles. So for the first couple of years we mostly left the poles at home, myself included. I liked skiing pole-less so I had my hands free to assist with the kids' various 'issues' including glove fixing, boot tying, stepping in and out of bindings, taking a picture, grabbing a tissue for someone's nose, etc.
After a couple of years on cross country skis and the girls were showing some proficiency with the sport, I remember chatting with a coach from the Maine Winter Sports Center about our pole-less status. I was embarrassed about it because I hadn't taught the girls how to use poles up to that point. The coach actually thought it was "great" that my kids learned how to ski without them. Apparently skiing without poles is part of the MWSC's athlete training program. It helps skiers become stronger because your body has to work a lot harder to kick and glide without the assistance of poles.
But skiing without poles back then was always done on mostly level terrain and since we've expanded our trail horizons to include hills, now we almost always ski with poles (and the girls are much more proficient at using them).
But this season I've been having a pesky problem with my hand and gripping my ski poles for even a short time causes a lot of pain. So I've left them in the car on all of our cross country ski treks this season. And although I'm not always graceful in my pole-less form, I have been managing just fine until our ski adventure at Bald Pate Mountain in Bridgton.
After spending our morning at Highland Lake during the Musher's Bowl, we decided after lunch to head to Five Fields Farm to watch some of the dog sledding and skijoring races and then ski to the top of Bald Pate Mountain.
I had taken the girls hiking at Bald Pate when they were small and knew it was not a big elevation gain to the summit. We found the Moose Trail at the trail head for Bald Pate to be ungroomed and not being used by the races. From that trail, it's a short hike to the summit (about 1.5 miles round trip) so I didn't think we'd have much trouble skiing it.
Well, it was a bit harder than I anticipated because ungroomed trails are narrow by nature and not all that conducive to duck-walking up an incline on cross country skis. We were all having to lift our ski tips through a few inches of snow with every step and that was harder (even though it doesn't sound like much) and more tiring.
The girls have skate skis, which require regular waxing and don't have the fish-scales of waxless skis like classic and back country skis do, so they have a bit less "grip" on the snow. This means the girls have to work harder to keep their skis from sliding backwards up a hill. But the girls had poles to dig in to the snow and give them the leverage needed to climb.
I did not bring along my poles and I really, really missed them on this ski/hike up the mountain.
I fell down repeatedly as my ski tips were caught in the snow and/or I lost my balance with a slide backward as I was trying to make my way upward.
I'm OK with falling down, I do it all the time, but I couldn't keep up the pace Fino had set at the front of the line. He had waxless skis with poles and although a challenging climb even with those benefits, he had equipment better suited for the conditions than the girls or I did.
So being the good wife I am, about 1/4 mile in to the uphill trek I got snippy and told him to let one of the girls lead the way to set a more manageable pace for the group. And being the good and predictable husband that he is, he became annoyed with me. In a short video clip I took on the mountain you can hear him say, "Come on carpel tunnel." He's such a supportive and caring guy when I need him to be.
My friend Shannon came along with us on this adventure and brought along the comedic relief needed to find some humor during our uphill climb. When we made it to the summit we were treated to a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains so we hung out there for a while. Well, we also spent some extra time at the summit because I needed to catch my breath while I tried not to throw up. My body's reaction to the physical exertion of climbing a mountain on skis without poles had my heart pumping hard, my face bright red, and my stomach churning with a need for more carb fuel. A few Hershey kisses and some water fixed me up just fine though.
Our trip down the mountain was much more fun, although not without it's own share of challenges. As I've mentioned previously, we have not mastered the Telemark turn on our cross country skis so the traversing mountain trail was tricky. We basically skied a bit then intentionally fell down near the turns to avoid going in to the trees. There was a lot of laughing at ourselves, and each other, all the way down the mountain and everyone gave this part of the adventure two enthusiastic thumbs up.
Although this skiing adventure was harder than I had anticipated because of the elevation gain (550 feet according to my GPS) on cross country skis, it would have been much easier on snow shoes. I'd highly recommend the trail for families to visit in the winter if you hike it. The view of the surrounding area at the summit is one not to be missed at this time of year. And actually, everyone in our group thought that it was worth the effort to ski up to the summit because the view - and trip down - were that great.
TRAIL REVIEW
BALD PATE MOUNTAIN, BRIDGTON
LENGTH: 486 acres are managed by the Loon Echo Land Trust and include about 10 miles of looping trails
TRAIL MAP: Loon Echo Land Trust
GROOMING: Five Fields Farm does groom some of the land trust's trails but the Moose and summit trails were not groomed the day we visited.
PARKING: Yes
FEE: none on ungroomed trails but fee required to Five Fields Farm to ski groomed trails through the land trust.
EQUIPMENT RENTALS: None at the land trust but Five Fields does offer rentals and is 1/2 mile away from Bald Pate's trail head.
BATHROOM: No
ABILITY LEVEL: Intermediate to make climb on cross country skis to summit
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: OK on cross country skis, GOOD on snow shoes. For kids with only advanced beginner skills on cross country skis, the mountain trail could be more challenging than fun for them.
We took a couple of much-needed breaks on our way up the mountain. The kids were playing to the camera by throwing themselves down in the snow to show how hard they were working but I was appreciative of the photo op to take a breather myself.
At one point the trail was very narrow and the incline steep so the girls and I took off our skis for a respite and walked for a bit. Shannon and Fino kept their gear on the whole trek up. The girls and I did not mind being "shown up" by the waxless skis-with-poles people.
L. spotted a house on a mountain top as well as the snow-capped Mount Washington further in the distance. It was a clear day and the view of the White Mountains was fab.
The girls like to eat snow and say it helps cool them down on the xc ski trail.
We all did our fair share of falling on the way down the mountain trail. Here Shannon has an amused audience before I make my way down and end up wiping out in the same place.
After a couple of years on cross country skis and the girls were showing some proficiency with the sport, I remember chatting with a coach from the Maine Winter Sports Center about our pole-less status. I was embarrassed about it because I hadn't taught the girls how to use poles up to that point. The coach actually thought it was "great" that my kids learned how to ski without them. Apparently skiing without poles is part of the MWSC's athlete training program. It helps skiers become stronger because your body has to work a lot harder to kick and glide without the assistance of poles.
But skiing without poles back then was always done on mostly level terrain and since we've expanded our trail horizons to include hills, now we almost always ski with poles (and the girls are much more proficient at using them).
But this season I've been having a pesky problem with my hand and gripping my ski poles for even a short time causes a lot of pain. So I've left them in the car on all of our cross country ski treks this season. And although I'm not always graceful in my pole-less form, I have been managing just fine until our ski adventure at Bald Pate Mountain in Bridgton.
After spending our morning at Highland Lake during the Musher's Bowl, we decided after lunch to head to Five Fields Farm to watch some of the dog sledding and skijoring races and then ski to the top of Bald Pate Mountain.
I had taken the girls hiking at Bald Pate when they were small and knew it was not a big elevation gain to the summit. We found the Moose Trail at the trail head for Bald Pate to be ungroomed and not being used by the races. From that trail, it's a short hike to the summit (about 1.5 miles round trip) so I didn't think we'd have much trouble skiing it.
The girls have skate skis, which require regular waxing and don't have the fish-scales of waxless skis like classic and back country skis do, so they have a bit less "grip" on the snow. This means the girls have to work harder to keep their skis from sliding backwards up a hill. But the girls had poles to dig in to the snow and give them the leverage needed to climb.
I did not bring along my poles and I really, really missed them on this ski/hike up the mountain.
I fell down repeatedly as my ski tips were caught in the snow and/or I lost my balance with a slide backward as I was trying to make my way upward.
I'm OK with falling down, I do it all the time, but I couldn't keep up the pace Fino had set at the front of the line. He had waxless skis with poles and although a challenging climb even with those benefits, he had equipment better suited for the conditions than the girls or I did.
So being the good wife I am, about 1/4 mile in to the uphill trek I got snippy and told him to let one of the girls lead the way to set a more manageable pace for the group. And being the good and predictable husband that he is, he became annoyed with me. In a short video clip I took on the mountain you can hear him say, "Come on carpel tunnel." He's such a supportive and caring guy when I need him to be.
My friend Shannon came along with us on this adventure and brought along the comedic relief needed to find some humor during our uphill climb. When we made it to the summit we were treated to a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains so we hung out there for a while. Well, we also spent some extra time at the summit because I needed to catch my breath while I tried not to throw up. My body's reaction to the physical exertion of climbing a mountain on skis without poles had my heart pumping hard, my face bright red, and my stomach churning with a need for more carb fuel. A few Hershey kisses and some water fixed me up just fine though.
Our trip down the mountain was much more fun, although not without it's own share of challenges. As I've mentioned previously, we have not mastered the Telemark turn on our cross country skis so the traversing mountain trail was tricky. We basically skied a bit then intentionally fell down near the turns to avoid going in to the trees. There was a lot of laughing at ourselves, and each other, all the way down the mountain and everyone gave this part of the adventure two enthusiastic thumbs up.
Although this skiing adventure was harder than I had anticipated because of the elevation gain (550 feet according to my GPS) on cross country skis, it would have been much easier on snow shoes. I'd highly recommend the trail for families to visit in the winter if you hike it. The view of the surrounding area at the summit is one not to be missed at this time of year. And actually, everyone in our group thought that it was worth the effort to ski up to the summit because the view - and trip down - were that great.
TRAIL REVIEW
BALD PATE MOUNTAIN, BRIDGTON
LENGTH: 486 acres are managed by the Loon Echo Land Trust and include about 10 miles of looping trails
TRAIL MAP: Loon Echo Land Trust
GROOMING: Five Fields Farm does groom some of the land trust's trails but the Moose and summit trails were not groomed the day we visited.
PARKING: Yes
FEE: none on ungroomed trails but fee required to Five Fields Farm to ski groomed trails through the land trust.
EQUIPMENT RENTALS: None at the land trust but Five Fields does offer rentals and is 1/2 mile away from Bald Pate's trail head.
BATHROOM: No
ABILITY LEVEL: Intermediate to make climb on cross country skis to summit
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: OK on cross country skis, GOOD on snow shoes. For kids with only advanced beginner skills on cross country skis, the mountain trail could be more challenging than fun for them.
Cross Country Skiing at Bald Pate Mountain
Monday, January 25, 2010
The now annual dog sled ride at Mushers Bowl
We spent all day Saturday in Bridgton at the Musher's Bowl. The highlight of the day was of course, the girls' dog sledding ride on Highland Lake.
This year we took along our friend Shannon and the girls were eager to share their excitement about the sport. I decided to ride as well this year and paired up with L. while G. rode with Shannon.
This year I brought along my GPS unit because I was curious how fast the dogs pulled the sled. The musher L. and I rode with said his dogs were bred, and conditioned, for endurance rather than speed. When the team races, they typically do the 30-60 mile ones as well as the occasional 100+ mile type. That's some serious mileage for both dog and musher! My legs were a little tired standing behind the sled for our short adventure (a little over 2 1/2 miles).
The dogs' maximum speed, according to my GPS, was a little over 6 miles an hour pulling two adults and a 90-pound child. The dogs were not in racing mode but clearly enjoying themselves. To someone who has never seen a dog sled team in action firsthand, it's a remarkable sight to witness the canine excitement and enthusiasm for pulling a sled. Really. I am certain those dogs were grinning and as happy as they could be out there on the lake with us.
Unlike last year, G. refrained from begging for a dog. She still wants one, for that I have no doubt, but I did hear her explain to Shannon the arguments against getting a dog at our house right now (too many other animals to take care of was included as well as the logistics of what to do when an outdoor adventure was not dog-friendly).
But like last year, there were BIG smiles all around at the lake and we had a mushing good time on a gorgeous winter day.
This year we took along our friend Shannon and the girls were eager to share their excitement about the sport. I decided to ride as well this year and paired up with L. while G. rode with Shannon.
This year I brought along my GPS unit because I was curious how fast the dogs pulled the sled. The musher L. and I rode with said his dogs were bred, and conditioned, for endurance rather than speed. When the team races, they typically do the 30-60 mile ones as well as the occasional 100+ mile type. That's some serious mileage for both dog and musher! My legs were a little tired standing behind the sled for our short adventure (a little over 2 1/2 miles).
The dogs' maximum speed, according to my GPS, was a little over 6 miles an hour pulling two adults and a 90-pound child. The dogs were not in racing mode but clearly enjoying themselves. To someone who has never seen a dog sled team in action firsthand, it's a remarkable sight to witness the canine excitement and enthusiasm for pulling a sled. Really. I am certain those dogs were grinning and as happy as they could be out there on the lake with us.
Unlike last year, G. refrained from begging for a dog. She still wants one, for that I have no doubt, but I did hear her explain to Shannon the arguments against getting a dog at our house right now (too many other animals to take care of was included as well as the logistics of what to do when an outdoor adventure was not dog-friendly).
But like last year, there were BIG smiles all around at the lake and we had a mushing good time on a gorgeous winter day.
Dog Sledding on Highland Lake
Friday, January 22, 2010
XC Skiing around Otter Ponds, Sebago Lake
We've been cross country skiing on the Mountain Division Trail in Standish many, many times over the years and last Saturday we met up with some friends to ski the trail system for the first time this season. The kids thought a trip around Otter Ponds and on to Sebago Lake sounded like a good plan for the day.
It was a great trip and the most mileage we had ever covered on skis together as a group (the varying ages of our group generally keeps our mileage short).
The kids had some fun "posing" (i.e., action shots of the group jumping on their skis) for pictures but there were several other highlights on the trail.
Sliding
We found a steep hill once we got to the Otter Ponds. I wouldn't let the kids ski down the hill because of the curves and proximity to a lot of trees (I'd rather not deal with a concussion on the ski trail a mile from the car so I play it safe when I'm with the group). The snow was packed down and icy enough that the kids had no trouble flying down the hill without any additional equipment but the snowpants on their butt.
I thought the ice on the pond was a bit questionable (i.e., not thick enough) but there were ice fisherman out doing their thing so after a quick check in with them, we made our crossing to connect with the trail on the other side of the pond.
Ice Smashing, Licking, Eating
As soon as Sebago Lake came in to view the kids had to stop to check it out. The lake did not look frozen to me but again, there were a bunch of ice fisherman out on the ice.
The kids had a ball picking up ice chunks and smashing them on the ground. One of our young friends thought it was very funny to smash the ice over his head. His dad suggested he stop that activity (immediately) before he hurt himself.
Once the ice smashing demonstrations were over the group decided to find "clean" chunks of ice to lick and eat instead.
One of the kids told me that when water forms to ice it takes out all the "bad stuff." I'm not sure about that but since Sebago is our public drinking water source I let the kids do as theylicked liked.
And after covering 2.8 miles on our skis, the kids were tired (OK, moms and dad too) and happy to return to the trail head to enjoy our tailgating party with hot cocoa and G.'s brownies.
I took along my GPS to record our loop around the Otter Ponds and Sebago, which is not marked clearly on the trail system as we left the main Mountain Division Trail (MDT) to make our way to the big lake. The trail markers on the MDT are very good and offer mileage markers so you can gauge how far you'd like to go before turning back (it's not a looping trail unless you loop around the unmarked pond trails). It was a beautiful trek through the ponds but the one downside was that to make the complete loop as we wanted we had to cross Route 35 (and had to take off our skis to do that). But it was a quick route back to the car so the kids didn't mind the brief break from their skis to cross the road.
TRAIL REVIEW
Trail: Mountain Division Trail, Standish
Length: 5.7 miles one way
Grooming: No, but snowmobiles pack down snow so it has a groomed feel to it
Parking: Parking at Johnson Field on Route 35 in Standish
Fee: None
Equipment Rentals: none
Bathroom: Porta-potty at Johnson Field
Ski Level: Beginner
Dog-friendly: yes, on a leash
Kid-friendly factor: GOOD
The Porta-potty is a nice feature at the trail head. Snowmobiles are permitted on these trails so families skiing with kids should stay to one side and keep an ear out for approaching snowmobiles. My family has found snowmobilers on this trail to be courteous and slow down around skiers.
It was a great trip and the most mileage we had ever covered on skis together as a group (the varying ages of our group generally keeps our mileage short).
The kids had some fun "posing" (i.e., action shots of the group jumping on their skis) for pictures but there were several other highlights on the trail.
Sliding
We found a steep hill once we got to the Otter Ponds. I wouldn't let the kids ski down the hill because of the curves and proximity to a lot of trees (I'd rather not deal with a concussion on the ski trail a mile from the car so I play it safe when I'm with the group). The snow was packed down and icy enough that the kids had no trouble flying down the hill without any additional equipment but the snowpants on their butt.
I thought the ice on the pond was a bit questionable (i.e., not thick enough) but there were ice fisherman out doing their thing so after a quick check in with them, we made our crossing to connect with the trail on the other side of the pond.
Ice Smashing, Licking, Eating
As soon as Sebago Lake came in to view the kids had to stop to check it out. The lake did not look frozen to me but again, there were a bunch of ice fisherman out on the ice.
The kids had a ball picking up ice chunks and smashing them on the ground. One of our young friends thought it was very funny to smash the ice over his head. His dad suggested he stop that activity (immediately) before he hurt himself.
Once the ice smashing demonstrations were over the group decided to find "clean" chunks of ice to lick and eat instead.
One of the kids told me that when water forms to ice it takes out all the "bad stuff." I'm not sure about that but since Sebago is our public drinking water source I let the kids do as they
And after covering 2.8 miles on our skis, the kids were tired (OK, moms and dad too) and happy to return to the trail head to enjoy our tailgating party with hot cocoa and G.'s brownies.
I took along my GPS to record our loop around the Otter Ponds and Sebago, which is not marked clearly on the trail system as we left the main Mountain Division Trail (MDT) to make our way to the big lake. The trail markers on the MDT are very good and offer mileage markers so you can gauge how far you'd like to go before turning back (it's not a looping trail unless you loop around the unmarked pond trails). It was a beautiful trek through the ponds but the one downside was that to make the complete loop as we wanted we had to cross Route 35 (and had to take off our skis to do that). But it was a quick route back to the car so the kids didn't mind the brief break from their skis to cross the road.
XC Skiing at Otter Ponds, Sebago Lake
TRAIL REVIEW
Trail: Mountain Division Trail, Standish
Length: 5.7 miles one way
Grooming: No, but snowmobiles pack down snow so it has a groomed feel to it
Parking: Parking at Johnson Field on Route 35 in Standish
Fee: None
Equipment Rentals: none
Bathroom: Porta-potty at Johnson Field
Ski Level: Beginner
Dog-friendly: yes, on a leash
Kid-friendly factor: GOOD
The Porta-potty is a nice feature at the trail head. Snowmobiles are permitted on these trails so families skiing with kids should stay to one side and keep an ear out for approaching snowmobiles. My family has found snowmobilers on this trail to be courteous and slow down around skiers.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Kid Tracks column: Get into your skinny skis
Cross-country skiing is a great way to explore all the wonderful winter trail systems that make an appearance when the snow does. A trip to Five Fields Farm in Bridgton was all about exploring a place we've never seen during the winter months and discovering a hill there that offered some thrilling speed for the kids.
When learning to cross-country ski, we avoided trails with a lot of hills. The girls learned to downhill before they tried cross-country skis, and we realized that first-year "skinny skis" feel, and respond, differently on a hill. Doing a "pizza pie" to slow down and stop on cross-country skis takes some getting used to if you first learned the technique on downhill skis. The response time to actually come to a stop when you've built up some speed going down a hill is a lot longer.
But these days the girls love going down hills on cross-country ski trails. Although they can't stop quickly, they have developed a comfort level for speed on their skinny skis. As a mother, I have mixed feelings about this development, but can't deny there is a certain appeal for speeding down a hill, even for me.
At Five Fields Farm, there are some looping trails through the apple orchard that are fairly level, but if you really want to explore the area, you're going to have to do a little downhill, and uphill, skiing. We spent some time on the trails leading to Bald Pate Mountain's summit and enjoyed the beautiful mountain views before turning back to the orchard. There was a big hill the girls spotted earlier there and were itching to try.
For our trip to this trail system we brought along our GPS unit. The kids enjoy using the "trip computer" feature on the unit to determine our maximum speed when we're on the trail (i.e., the fastest hill). We also like to know how far we traveled on our skis.
At Five Fields Farm we skied about two and a half miles, but the total elevation gain on the looping trails we explored – nearly 500 feet – was a bit more than we usually do, according to our GPS. Typically our cross-country ski adventures are not more than 200-foot gains. T
o put this in perspective for people who do a bit of hiking with their kids, a trip to the summit of Douglas Mountain in Sebago is about a 550-foot elevation gain; Morse Mountain in Phippsburg is about a 100-foot gain. If you're a beginner cross-country skier, be sure you are familiar with how to do a snowplow down a hill, as well as duck-walk (i.e., herringbone) yourself back up one, before your visit to Five Fields Farm.
My kids' need for speed was well satisfied on this trail system. The GPS clocked us at 17 miles per hour skiing an open straight-away trail down part of the mountain. None of us have mastered the telemark turn on our cross-country skis yet (we had a primer from a high school Nordic coach recently, so we're going to give it a try soon). Until we do, we are more cautious on our approach to winding trails through the woods.
The kids handled themselves well on their skinny skies down the fast hill and did not attempt to stop until the terrain (and their speed) leveled off farther down the trail. I, on the other hand, felt like I was going too fast down the mountain and attempted a "controlled" fall. The control part of that plan didn't happen quite the way I had hoped and after skidding and bumping on my behind for at least 25 feet, my ski was caught under some snow and flipped me forward. I avoided a full face dive into a snowbank but did manage to get a pretty purplish bruise on my left knee. The kids came over to check on me as is their usual practice when I fall, which is (unfortunately) frequently, to ensure I was OK. Then they proceeded back up the mountain while giggling for their second, and third, runs down again. I opted to skip a follow-up trip.
The hills weren't the only thrill of the day for my kids at Five Fields Farm, though. We saw a dog sled team on the trail as well as a couple of harnessed dogs pulling a skijor racer. The kids stopped to admire the dogs running on the trails and briefly greeted them when they stopped nearby. My kids love animals and any opportunity to combine an outdoor adventure with an animal is always a treat.
My 12-year-old summed up our adventure this way: "These trails are for kids who have some experience skiing. I would have been scared on some of the hills if I had never been cross-country skiing before. When you go down the hill you feel like you are going to fall because you get going really fast, really quick. But it is fun!"
So for parents out there who have some experience cross-country skiing with their kids, Five Fields Farm offers some beautiful mountain views and some hills for your thrill-seekers to keep everyone in the family entertained.
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TRAIL REVIEW
FIVE FIELDS FARM, BRIDGTON
LENGTH: 27 kilometers of groomed trails that leads to backcountry
terrain in the surrounding 450-acre Loon Echo Land Trust and Bald Pate
Mountain
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.fivefieldsski.com, 647-2425
GROOMING: Yes, 12 feet wide for classic and skate skiing
PARKING: Yes
FEE: $10/adults; $8/kids 12 and under
EQUIPMENT RENTALS: Yes
BATHROOM: No
ABILITY LEVEL: The farm's trail map identifies novice to advanced ski
trail options but there is a hill or two to manage to get on the
looping trail system, so children will need some experience on
cross-country skis.
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: Great. For kids with some experience cross-country
skiing, the hills on this trail system offer a thrill. And the wide
looping trails through the orchard offer plenty of space to skate ski.
OTHER: Dog sleds and skijoring can be seen around the trails, but no
snowmobiles are permitted.
KIDS' REVIEW
THE 13-YEAR-OLD: "I liked the easy trail loops and skiing into the
preserve where the mountain was. But my favorite part was the fast hill
because that was fun! Our GPS said we went 17 miles per hour. That's
really fast for us on cross-country skis."
THE 12-YEAR-OLD: "I liked going down the hills. I didn't like how it
was flat for a long time because hills are much funner so I was happy
when I was skiing down the mountain part. And I also saw a skijoring
guy on his skis with a pair of huskies in their harnesses on the trail.
That was cool."
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, January 17, 2010
When learning to cross-country ski, we avoided trails with a lot of hills. The girls learned to downhill before they tried cross-country skis, and we realized that first-year "skinny skis" feel, and respond, differently on a hill. Doing a "pizza pie" to slow down and stop on cross-country skis takes some getting used to if you first learned the technique on downhill skis. The response time to actually come to a stop when you've built up some speed going down a hill is a lot longer.
But these days the girls love going down hills on cross-country ski trails. Although they can't stop quickly, they have developed a comfort level for speed on their skinny skis. As a mother, I have mixed feelings about this development, but can't deny there is a certain appeal for speeding down a hill, even for me.
At Five Fields Farm, there are some looping trails through the apple orchard that are fairly level, but if you really want to explore the area, you're going to have to do a little downhill, and uphill, skiing. We spent some time on the trails leading to Bald Pate Mountain's summit and enjoyed the beautiful mountain views before turning back to the orchard. There was a big hill the girls spotted earlier there and were itching to try.
For our trip to this trail system we brought along our GPS unit. The kids enjoy using the "trip computer" feature on the unit to determine our maximum speed when we're on the trail (i.e., the fastest hill). We also like to know how far we traveled on our skis.
At Five Fields Farm we skied about two and a half miles, but the total elevation gain on the looping trails we explored – nearly 500 feet – was a bit more than we usually do, according to our GPS. Typically our cross-country ski adventures are not more than 200-foot gains. T
o put this in perspective for people who do a bit of hiking with their kids, a trip to the summit of Douglas Mountain in Sebago is about a 550-foot elevation gain; Morse Mountain in Phippsburg is about a 100-foot gain. If you're a beginner cross-country skier, be sure you are familiar with how to do a snowplow down a hill, as well as duck-walk (i.e., herringbone) yourself back up one, before your visit to Five Fields Farm.
My kids' need for speed was well satisfied on this trail system. The GPS clocked us at 17 miles per hour skiing an open straight-away trail down part of the mountain. None of us have mastered the telemark turn on our cross-country skis yet (we had a primer from a high school Nordic coach recently, so we're going to give it a try soon). Until we do, we are more cautious on our approach to winding trails through the woods.
The kids handled themselves well on their skinny skies down the fast hill and did not attempt to stop until the terrain (and their speed) leveled off farther down the trail. I, on the other hand, felt like I was going too fast down the mountain and attempted a "controlled" fall. The control part of that plan didn't happen quite the way I had hoped and after skidding and bumping on my behind for at least 25 feet, my ski was caught under some snow and flipped me forward. I avoided a full face dive into a snowbank but did manage to get a pretty purplish bruise on my left knee. The kids came over to check on me as is their usual practice when I fall, which is (unfortunately) frequently, to ensure I was OK. Then they proceeded back up the mountain while giggling for their second, and third, runs down again. I opted to skip a follow-up trip.
The hills weren't the only thrill of the day for my kids at Five Fields Farm, though. We saw a dog sled team on the trail as well as a couple of harnessed dogs pulling a skijor racer. The kids stopped to admire the dogs running on the trails and briefly greeted them when they stopped nearby. My kids love animals and any opportunity to combine an outdoor adventure with an animal is always a treat.
My 12-year-old summed up our adventure this way: "These trails are for kids who have some experience skiing. I would have been scared on some of the hills if I had never been cross-country skiing before. When you go down the hill you feel like you are going to fall because you get going really fast, really quick. But it is fun!"
So for parents out there who have some experience cross-country skiing with their kids, Five Fields Farm offers some beautiful mountain views and some hills for your thrill-seekers to keep everyone in the family entertained.
Cross Country Skiing at Five Fields Farm
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TRAIL REVIEW
FIVE FIELDS FARM, BRIDGTON
LENGTH: 27 kilometers of groomed trails that leads to backcountry
terrain in the surrounding 450-acre Loon Echo Land Trust and Bald Pate
Mountain
CONTACT INFORMATION: www.fivefieldsski.com, 647-2425
GROOMING: Yes, 12 feet wide for classic and skate skiing
PARKING: Yes
FEE: $10/adults; $8/kids 12 and under
EQUIPMENT RENTALS: Yes
BATHROOM: No
ABILITY LEVEL: The farm's trail map identifies novice to advanced ski
trail options but there is a hill or two to manage to get on the
looping trail system, so children will need some experience on
cross-country skis.
DOG-FRIENDLY: Yes
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: Great. For kids with some experience cross-country
skiing, the hills on this trail system offer a thrill. And the wide
looping trails through the orchard offer plenty of space to skate ski.
OTHER: Dog sleds and skijoring can be seen around the trails, but no
snowmobiles are permitted.
KIDS' REVIEW
THE 13-YEAR-OLD: "I liked the easy trail loops and skiing into the
preserve where the mountain was. But my favorite part was the fast hill
because that was fun! Our GPS said we went 17 miles per hour. That's
really fast for us on cross-country skis."
THE 12-YEAR-OLD: "I liked going down the hills. I didn't like how it
was flat for a long time because hills are much funner so I was happy
when I was skiing down the mountain part. And I also saw a skijoring
guy on his skis with a pair of huskies in their harnesses on the trail.
That was cool."
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, January 17, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tunnel vision and the weird injury
Today I had a doctor's appointment and while I was there I asked about my right hand. My fingers have being going numb off and on for several weeks and the shooting pain from my wrist to my thumb has been less than pleasant. It wasn't why I was actually at the doctor's office but the pain has been downright irritating lately and I needed to find out what was going on.
I had myself convinced I had carpal tunnel because of all the time I spend behind a computer keyboard and using a mouse. I was more than ready for some professional advice about exercises and/or other non-invasive things I could do to alleviate the now constant pain.
After the doctor examined my hand and had me do a few simple exercises, she thought I had the signs of some minor carpal tunnel issues but that wasn't the real problem.
No, the diagnosis instead was arthritis.
Arthritis?! Yeesh, am I that old now?
The doctor's determination was based on several factors, including one I had not really noticed until she pointed it out. The palm area around my thumb joint was actually quite swollen and bruised. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I hadn't noticed this obvious (now) issue because I had myself convinced the evidence of my pain would not be visible with carpal tunnel. I had never bothered to look for visible signs of injury on my hand.
I was tunneled alright, but in the completely wrong direction.
The doctor asked me what I'd been doing lately to see if we could narrow down why the arthritis was flaring up (I learned from my doctor that the thumb is typically the first area to show signs of arthritis in the body).
After listing off a couple of things, including the iron grip I typically have on my cross country ski poles while on the trail, the culprit was none other than something totally unexpected (at least to me).
Crocheting.
So let me be the one to tell you that possible injury can lurk from any corner, at any time. Danger is everywhere, including sitting on your couch with a crochet hook and yarn to help your kids make an afghan with their 4-H club.
I'm now on an ibuprofen and ice regiment for the next two weeks before I start a few simple exercises to strengthen the muscles and joints in my hand.
But something tells me the bruise on my knee from cross country skiing last week will likely be the injury I whine more about even though it doesn't hurt nearly as much as my hand right now (and appears almost gone in comparison to how it looked last week).
I mean really, how can you not laugh at my declaration of pain when I am forced to admit it's a CROCHET injury?
Sometimes life is downright weird.
I had myself convinced I had carpal tunnel because of all the time I spend behind a computer keyboard and using a mouse. I was more than ready for some professional advice about exercises and/or other non-invasive things I could do to alleviate the now constant pain.
After the doctor examined my hand and had me do a few simple exercises, she thought I had the signs of some minor carpal tunnel issues but that wasn't the real problem.
No, the diagnosis instead was arthritis.
Arthritis?! Yeesh, am I that old now?
The doctor's determination was based on several factors, including one I had not really noticed until she pointed it out. The palm area around my thumb joint was actually quite swollen and bruised. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I hadn't noticed this obvious (now) issue because I had myself convinced the evidence of my pain would not be visible with carpal tunnel. I had never bothered to look for visible signs of injury on my hand.
I was tunneled alright, but in the completely wrong direction.
The doctor asked me what I'd been doing lately to see if we could narrow down why the arthritis was flaring up (I learned from my doctor that the thumb is typically the first area to show signs of arthritis in the body).
After listing off a couple of things, including the iron grip I typically have on my cross country ski poles while on the trail, the culprit was none other than something totally unexpected (at least to me).
Crocheting.
So let me be the one to tell you that possible injury can lurk from any corner, at any time. Danger is everywhere, including sitting on your couch with a crochet hook and yarn to help your kids make an afghan with their 4-H club.
I'm now on an ibuprofen and ice regiment for the next two weeks before I start a few simple exercises to strengthen the muscles and joints in my hand.
But something tells me the bruise on my knee from cross country skiing last week will likely be the injury I whine more about even though it doesn't hurt nearly as much as my hand right now (and appears almost gone in comparison to how it looked last week).
I mean really, how can you not laugh at my declaration of pain when I am forced to admit it's a CROCHET injury?
Sometimes life is downright weird.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Pin the tail on the donkey, err chicken
G. made up a game to play with her 4-H club to teach the group about basic chicken anatomy. Instead of a donkey (or a tail), it's a pin the body part card on to the chicken drawing. She designed the game so that each person could stick the name of the body part to its corresponding place on the poster.
I thought it would be fun to do a picture version of her game on my blog just for fun.
Want to play?
Post a comment below with the number and corresponding body part name.
Here's a word bank in case you need a bit of help.
toes, comb, waddle, hock, shoulder, shanks, beak, ear lobe, eye, breast, vent
The 4-H kids had the game completed in just a couple of minutes. How about you?
I thought it would be fun to do a picture version of her game on my blog just for fun.
Want to play?
Post a comment below with the number and corresponding body part name.
Here's a word bank in case you need a bit of help.
toes, comb, waddle, hock, shoulder, shanks, beak, ear lobe, eye, breast, vent
The 4-H kids had the game completed in just a couple of minutes. How about you?
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