Broonz Blog

White Rock Part II

2009-09-28T18:52:00.006-04:00

While climbing White Rock earlier this summer we couldn't help but notice how perfectly flat and open the summit was - absolutely perfect for sleeping on - if you're into sleeping on rock, that is.

So, a few weekends ago - back when summer was still in the air - Matt and I donned our packs, laden with all the necessary supplies to sustain ourselves for a night atop a rocky summit... and some "unnecessary" items as well (see collapsable plastic wine glasses in photo below).

We got there well before dark and found a spot where we could enjoy the sunset and sunrise without moving an inch. We set up camp, getting a few sideways glances from the straggling day-hikers as they decended for the evening. We bid them adieu as we lit up our stove to cook our ramen-lisious dinner, pop open the bottle of wine and sit back to enjoy the sunset.

As the sun set, the waning moon rose and we snuggled deep into our sleeping bags for the night. I ended up completely inside my bag for most of the night because the moon was so bright and the wind was somewhat relentless. Although, I do recall waking at one point to dead stillness, then again later on noticing the wind had completely changed direction.

Those kinds of experiences are the reasons that I will continue climbing mountains and sleeping on top of them.

Photos by Matt Bruhns

White Rock

2009-06-29T20:36:00.004-04:00

Somewhere in our busy schedule Matt and I found some time this past weekend to squeeze in a hike - one that we've been meaning to do for quite awhile. We headed to Middlesex to climb the Worcesters from a different angle... our usual route is up Mt. Hunger on the Waterbury Trail (the trail head is only a couple of miles from our house), but this time we decided to tackle the peak to its south - White Rock. This past winter we attempted to summit it, but ended up somewhere on the saddle between Hunger and White Rock. It's quite disorienting when the blazes are nearly buried beneath feet of snow.

The weather cooperated for us and as we reached the summit we realized why it had been so hard to follow the blue blazes this past winter... most of them are painted on the rocks!

Matt on the summit of White Rock.

Looking south.

We worked up quite a sweat on the way up, but cooled down quickly in the breeze.

Rainbow on the Reservoir

2009-06-29T20:23:00.003-04:00

Family Reunion

2009-06-24T15:09:00.008-04:00

We spent last weekend in Long Island for a Family Reunion

All of my photos from the day can be found on snapfish at

http://nielsfamilyreunion09.snapfish.com/snapfish

You will be asked to create a simple account & password.

If you wish, you can purchase prints directly through the site at a very reasonable fee (9 cents each for 4x6 print).

ALSO, you can right click on photos and save them to your computer, if you would rather print them yourselves.

Waterbury Staycation

2009-06-15T10:06:00.015-04:00

Erin, Heather, Kevin, and I spent the weekend exploring and fishing on the Waterbury Reservoir. It's kinda nice having places like this in our backyard....

Our site

Heather and Kevin with fish on each line

Nice catfish

Waterbury Reservoir in the AM

Trout??

Yup

The adventure up the Cottonbrook riverbed

The amateur herpatologist

The End!

Frolf

2009-06-02T21:35:00.008-04:00

Otherwise known as Frisbee Golf...

Matt and I were introduced to this sport when we first moved to Waterbury Center. The course was literally in our backyard. So we went to the General Store and each got a set of discs. Since then we've played maybe a dozen times - we're just not as into it as some people are (there is a PDGA - Professional Disc Golf Association). And we've gotten relatively good at it... which is to say that we haven't lost a disc yet...

Matt lining up his shot.

The search for our discs begins...

Kevin and Austin size up the fairway.

Frisbee golf is fun!

Austin and Steve wait to putt.

Matt, Steve and Austin's second throws.

View from Hole 16 - Camel's Hump.

A Sunday Afternoon Endeavour

2009-05-28T15:04:00.003-04:00

Matt and I arrived home from a wet and cold camping experience early on Sunday a few weekends ago, and after warming up a bit, decided we wanted to do something productive around the house. So, naturally we decided it would be a good idea to dig up a gigantic rock next to the walkway that leads into our house. It was one of those "tip of the iceberg" moments - we didn't really know what we were getting into - but we decided to hedge our bets and try to move the rock anyway...

Slowly we began excavating around the rock, trying to figure out what we were working with exactly... how deep did it go? How heavy was it exactly? Were the two of us going to be able to budge it by ourselves?

A lot of digging and pushing and prying later we were able to unearth the rock in its entirety. We then proceeded to stand around and stare at it, occasionally picking up a tool and trying to move the rock to its final destination: a mere few feet away in front of the step onto our deck. Matt was afraid the shovel was going to snap under the weight of it and come flying up into our unsuspecting faces sending us to the ER.

In the end we were able to muscle it about, with Matt pulling and me pushing, me lifting and Matt pushing and Matt shoving and me standing there telling him "a little more to your left".

We added a few more much lighter, easier to manage rocks, courtesy of my folks, and called it a day. And now we're one cleaner step closer to personalizing our house.

2009-05-20T15:58:00.001-04:00

Setting Sun, Robert Moses, NY

The First Hike

2009-05-07T09:49:00.004-04:00

This winter, Erin bravely embarked on her first real backcountry snowboarding experience. While she had accompanied me in the past as a snowshoer, photographer, and emergency responder, this was the first time she carried up a snowboard and rode down.

Sugarbush Triathlon

2009-04-10T15:06:00.021-04:00

5 Miles into the run, finish in sight

Transition #1

To the ship!

Viani in the lead

In pursuit

Transition #2

The little known "wife chase" leg

4:33 behind Kevin (actually :28 ahead)

The Final Push to Transition #3

Derek "Truckin"

Overtaken!

Thanks to Sarah and her camera for many of the pictures.

A river runs through it

2009-03-31T07:11:00.011-04:00

Our very own hand-made quilt

2009-03-29T10:34:00.006-04:00

Matt's mom is a very talented quilter, so when she asked us if we wanted a quilt of our own we said "YES!" But when Matt and I sat down and tried to decide on a color theme we couldn't agree. Being the ever diplomatic mother, Pat said, "I'll just make you something and you'll like it." And so we were bumped to the head of the project line and we waited eagerly for our very own hand-made quilt.

This past weekend Pat, Cam and Andy came up for a short visit to look at some local colleges and spend the night with us. At some point during the overnight Pat plopped down a turquoise duffle bag with a little bow tied around the handles and said it was a present for us. We untied it, completely in the dark about what it might be and found our quilt!

The pictures don't do it justice. Each square is different, coming together to create our beach themed quilt: blues and greens for the water, tans and browns for the shore. I think it's going to take a lifetime to appreciate each square and every subtle pattern.

You know, it's funny how Matt and I couldn't agree on a color theme, but we both agree that our new quilt is absolutely PERFECT! Somehow Pat managed to translate what we were looking for while we were busy arguing...

Pat, thank you so much for our new quilt and for choosing the pattern that reflects us so perfectly.

2009-03-04T18:10:00.011-05:00

Stone Hut

2009-03-04T17:47:00.002-05:00

Erin had first tracks down the mountain today. More pics to come from our Stone Hut stay...

Mega Update Continued...

2009-02-06T12:05:00.007-05:00

A couple of days after Christmas we packed up all our goodies and headed back home to begin planning for our New Years party - round two. We had our first New Years party the year before and it was a great success. So many people asked us if we were having another party this year that we decided it would be fun to do it again. Matt's folks came up and so did Cam, Andy and Eli. My folks and Sarah and Joe came, too. A bunch of friends from Saratoga and also a few locals stopped by, too. It was a good crowd and everyone mingled and had a good time. We had another bonfire, but since it was so darn cold not everyone came out to enjoy it. Everyone did bundle up and head out onto the back deck for the count-down though. We all watched the ball drop through the sliding glass doors and popped confetti and champagne corks everywhere. As I sit here on our couch writing this I can still see some confetti dangling from tree branches blowing in the breeze. And I'm sure we'll find many a champagne cork come spring...

The next morning after most people had packed up and headed home, those that were left bundled up for a New Years day walk. We made it out to Valley View, about a half mile walk from our house, but didn't stay long. Once we got out in the open the wind was blowing and making it almost unbearable. Matt snapped a few photos...

Camo-Cam

Eli hiding from the wind

Pat bundled up

Everyone - minus Matt the photographer

then we booked it home to the warmth of the wood stove. That night we all gathered in the living room and played a game of Pictionary. All in all it was a great way to bring in the new year.

Mega Update

2009-02-04T16:35:00.009-05:00

So based on our blogging, some people might think that Matt and I are simply hibernating the winter away. But alas, you would be wrong. Instead we've been having so much winter fun that we haven't had time to sit down and blog about it. Okay... that's only half true. There have been a few moments when we might have found the time to update everyone as to our where-abouts and doings, but for whatever reason other things have occupied our attention. But fear not, no longer will you be in the dark... over the next few days I will attempt to update you all on what we've been up to over the last few months. So just sit tight and enjoy the ride.

Lets start with Christmas, which we spent with the Bruhns family in Saratoga, NY. Matt and I took about 5 days total and used it as best as we knew how... eating, opening presents, playing in the snow and hitting up downtown for a night, as well as just loafing around and visiting. Matt got the new lens he asked for for Christmas and so we all had a chance to experiment with it.

Dave with his new Lego set

Tim, Christmas morning

Eli and Andy

Matt opening his presents

It wouldn't be Christmas at the Bruhns House without building some sort of snowboard feature in the backyard. And so the shoveling commenced, the picnic table was commandeered and the flood lights were borrowed from the front yard display.

Murray Hill Tree Farm

2008-12-10T18:29:00.007-05:00

So, as some of you may remember, last year when Matt and I went to cut our first Christmas tree together my camera died mid-experience. I'm not sure if it was due to the cold (because it was cold!) or the fact that I was on the twentieth charge for those batteries. Anyway, we didn't get many shots of the event and I was kind of bummed.

This year I brought backups (two sets of extra batteries) just in case, but lo and behold my camera pulled through. It was a lot warmer this time around, and so we found the perfect tree and took a few pictures...

2008-11-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

Ever since I've gotten more serious about taking photos, I find myself less interested in writing. Not that I was ever really much of a journal or diary type to begin with.

I end up wanting to "blog", but not really having much to "say", so I'm implementing a new creative idea: A photo of the day blog. My goal is to get to the point where I'm taking photos everyday for this purpose, but while I get the routine down, there are plenty of images I'd like to share that have accumulated over the recent past. I have decided that it should take the form of a new blog, so as not to commandeer the Broonz Blog space:

http://themindseyed.blogspot.com/

Please take a look!

Never fear, this won't preclude me from posting here about adventures that Erin and I take together.

Here is a sneak peak.

Sunrise over the Worcester Range.

2008-11-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

I've recently discovered the Picasa function that allows you to publish photos to your blog without the annoying intermediate steps. As a result, I'm sorting through some images that I've been sitting on for awhile.
Hope you enjoy.

This October I was asked back to help photograph the 3rd Annual VT Agency of Natural Resources "Science on the Green" event. I had volunteered last year, and ended up with a photo on this years advertisement flyer. Middle and High School students from all over Vermont attended this event, where ANR converts the Waterbury State Office Complex and surrounding community into an outdoor environmental learning Laboratory for a daylong exploration of science and the environment.

Mandate

2008-11-12T14:43:00.000-05:00

Austin and I had a "mandate" to ride at Stowe on Veterans day.

Then we ate wings and drank Budweiser

(and Erin had Blackberry Wheat)

And our pics are up on the Stowe website
http://www.stowe.com/news/photo_gallery.php

The End

2008-11-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

Dave, Pat, Cam, and the newest member of the Bruhns family visited us this past weekend in Waterbury

The Adirondacks

2008-10-16T17:31:00.005-04:00

Last weekend was a long one, thanks to Christopher Columbus and the fact that I, along with Matt and our friend Austin, hiked approximately 16 miles over the course of three days. Now, that might not sound like a lot to some people, but consider the fact that we were carrying all of our supplies in and out and we gained a total of ____ feet of elevation. Granted we did not carry our full packs up or down any high peaks, but speaking for myself the 8 miles that we did carry those packs was intense. I must say that I am proud of us all for the adventure we had.

Saturday we rolled out of bed at the normal work-week time, finished packing, took our last shower for the next three days and headed to Williston to gather our third party. We were headed SW to the Adirondacks by 9:30. We stopped at the Mountaineer in Keene Valley to grab our last few supplies (aka bear canister, dookie trowel and a delicious lunch at the Ausable Inn... the pulled pork sandwich is worth mentioning.) Since it just so happened to be Canadian Thanksgiving the trail heads were packed. We took the shuttle to the Johns Brook Lodge trail head, where the torture began. I'm kidding... even though we were carrying everything we would need for the next few days on our backs the load was "light" as were our attitudes. We'd all been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time. The plan: to bag three high peaks - Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw - on Sunday then hike out Monday morning.

Shuttle parking lot. Look how clean we are.

At one of our rest stops a little friend decided it liked my pant leg.

River.

Austin gazing into the river.

The sun was shining all weekend.

Matt taking a break by the river.

Cool suspension bridge near the camp sites.

Erin relaxing after the hike in.

Nearing the summit of Gothics.

Using the cables provided so I wouldn't slip to my death off the exposed rock face. The rock was actually quite grippy which made it easy to scale the almost vertical face.

Between Gothics and Armstrong.

Summit of Upper Wolf Jaw.

Group shot after the long day of hiking. We bagged three high peaks: Gothics, Armstrong and Upper Wolf Jaw.

Our sweet, illegal camp site. Matt looking out from inside our tent.

We saw a MOOSE!

2008-09-17T17:54:00.004-04:00

No matter how many times I see a moose I never cease to get really excited about it. This statement rang true a few weekends ago when Matt and I and a few friends paddled by a seemingly confused, narcissistic moose on the Green River Reservoir. It was a chilly, yet mild, rainy day and we were all canoe camping on the reservoir for the weekend. After a bout of fishing, we convinced the guys to come out for a paddle to see what there was to see. We wanted to see some wildlife, so we quietly set off to a narrow section of the rez.

We were coming up on the end of the fiord-like waterway when off to our left someone spotted a moose. It was a cow - no rack - and she stood at the water's edge looking a little awkward, like we caught her right as she was deciding she might like to swim to the other side. At first we thought she was avoiding movement so as to blend in and not be noticed, but soon she turned her head this way and that, trying to get a better look at the three floating objects in the water. We all stopped paddling and floated by quietly, amazed to be so close to a moose and not have it run off. We each took our turns paddling a bit closer to get a better view and then decided we'd better be on our way and leave her be. We continued until we could go no further and turned around, wondering if she had made her move yet... but she was in the same place sort of gazing at her reflection in the water, obviously mesmerized by something, or lost in thought... who knows...

Race to the top of Vermont!

2008-09-02T15:01:00.006-04:00

This past Sunday Matt rode his bike 4.5 miles - a 2550 foot vertical climb - up the Mt. Mansfield Toll Road along with 80 other riders and 90 runners. He made it in just over an hours time... I was certainly impressed. There were certain points where the grade was up to 10% along the dirt road, making it almost impossible to keep going. But he trucked along, his heart rate averaging out at 181 bpm after the hour long ride.

Here are a few photos just yards away from the finish line and relaxing after the ride.

Coming up the last stretch before the finish line. Mansfield's nose in the background.

Making his way to the top.

Finishing time 1 : 06 : 38

Relaxing after the race at the top of the Mt. Mansfield Toll Road. Mansfield's chin is in the distance.

Ocean City, NJ

2008-08-24T09:39:00.008-04:00

This August I went on my first Bruhns Family Vacation. Everyone - minus Tim who had a prior engagement and plus Eli, Andy's girlfriend - packed into two cars (I wish I had a picture of the cars... they were reminiscent of the Clampett Family car when they moved to L.A. with all of their worldly belongings!) and headed south to the Jersey Shore for a week. From what I understand this has been a long-standing Bruhns tradition, beginning with Dave's memories of the shore from going there as a child. The tradition continued with his own family; this year being the first time in about 4 years that a trip to Ocean City was planned an executed.

From my point of view, it was a great time! It was fun being the "new" person and having everyone share their specific memories or favorite spots with me. We did all of the "traditional" stuff - played mini golf, strolled the boardwalk, ate at Prep's Pizza and cruised the Surf Mall looking for souvenirs, rode the surries and of course relaxed on the beach. I caught a few good waves on the boogie board and Andy, Matt and Cam took turns mastering the surf board. At the end of the week, we were all a bit fuller (on water ice, ice cream, fudge, pizza and the amazing dinners we prepared for ourselves each night), tanner and sandier.

Here are a few pictures from the week!

Riding the surrey with my honey

Driving the surrey with Cam as my co-pilot

The boardwalk before noon - all wheeled vehicles were banned after noon so pedestrians could walk safely without fear of being mowed down.

Pat and Matt hanging out on the boardwalk at night

After our 2 1/2 hour game of mini golf - apparently everyone else wanted to play, too!

The boardwalk at night

Andy, Eli, Dave, Erin, Cam and Pat (Matt's the photographer of course)

Andy, Matt and Cam shooting hoops in the arcade

Dave, Cam and Pat playing bocce on the beach

Matt catching a wave

Matt catching some rays

Double thumbs up for the beach

The view

Reading/relaxing at the beach

One of many sand castles that Cam and I created, with the help of others

Our front porch - 4802 West St. Ocean City, NJ

View from our roof deck out over the back bay

Enjoying the sunset

Sweet!

Kingdom Trails

2008-07-23T20:40:00.006-04:00

This past weekend Matt and I packed up the truck and headed to the Northeast Kingdom to ride the famed Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT. We've heard only great things about this network of trails and had to go check it out for ourselves.

View from Heaven's Bench, looking east. The peak on the left is Burke Mountain (all of the ski trails are on the other side).

Matt squinting into the sun as we take a snack break on Heaven's Bench.

Erin enjoying a home-made PB&J and looking a bit hot and tired.

Well, the trails were amazing, just like everyone said. The sheer quantity of trails is astounding and the variety of terrain is gratifying and mind boggling. One minute you're in a pine forest with florescent-green mossy ground cover and the next you're careening through a giant, muddy bog hoping that you don't have to unclip or step off your pedal (I unfortunately did get stuck smack dab in the middle of a puddle (more like a lake) and ended up with a mud coated, soaked foot!) We rode through wide open fields and double track through lush green forests and then a quick turn lead us on a roller coaster of a ride... up and down, up and down (Tap'N Die <- awesome trail!)

At the end of the day, though, both Matt and I were able to have a good time (he occasionally darted off on a "black diamond" while I took the easier "blue square" and then we'd meet up down the way.) He would patiently await my arrival if I got too far behind and we took many a snack break so Erin wouldn't turn into a jerk! Personally, it was one of the most satisfying rides I have ever been on and I can't wait to go back and explore some more.

The sunset from Heaven's Bench.

It's a bird... it's a plane... It's Erin and Matt being dorks!

Pondering life

Love

Heaven's Bench

The 4th

2008-07-08T17:41:00.007-04:00

We headed down to Stockbridge, MA for the 4th this year... a much welcomed change from the usual Burlington mayhem. Andy, Matt's brother, bought us tickets to see James Taylor at Tanglewoods for our birthdays and everyone else - minus Tim - made the trip down. I never had the chance - even though I grew up in Massachusetts - to see a concert at Tanglewoods, although I've heard a lot about it.

So, I guess I have to be honest and say that we traded Burlington's mayhem for a new version of mayhem. It seems that it is quite the tradition for people to gather in large crowds for Independence Day; all vying for the best seats to see whatever it is they came to see (fireworks, concert, both). Our evening was filled with musical blankets... I think we moved our location a total of 4 times, each spot bringing us closer to the music and finally having a "front row seat" for the fireworks (of which I hear there were approximately 400 - according to Dave, Matt's Dad) :)

We packed up a cooler filled with all sorts of snacks - guacamole, baguette, chicken salad, fried chicken, deviled eggs, and a few brewskies - which we munched on throughout the evening.

Everyone was prone to people watch since there was quite the crowd!

Relaxing before the music started

Putting our feet up

Happy 4th everyone!

Birthday Camping Surprise Photos

2008-05-20T15:42:00.008-04:00

Mary and Derek arrive stealthily

Austin and Jenny follow a short time later... beer in hand

Cam tending to the fire

Group Shot

Matt's Birthday Present

Heading home the next day

Cam and Andy in the Old Town

Snowboarding on May 15th?

2008-05-18T21:53:00.007-04:00

Only in Vermont...

For Matt's 27th birthday, which was this past Thursday, he decided he would go snowboarding. Why not? If there's snow on your birthday why not snowboard on it, right? Well, there wasn't much snow to be had, seeing as it is the middle of May, but he made the best of it... carving a few precious turns, then having to unstrap and hike back to the top before having another go. It certainly put a smile on his face and now he can cross one more accomplishment off the old life list.

The next night I had a bit of a surprise in the works... Matt's two youngest brothers came up from Saratoga (which he knew was happening) and we loaded up our cars to head out on a canoe camping trip (which he also knew was happening). What he didn't know was that I had made arrangements for a few of his friends to meet us at our campsite and camp out with us for the night. His friends Mary, Derek, Austin and Jenny showed up after we had reached our site and began setting up. I think he was surprised, although I also think he knew something was up. He's a hard one to surprise... very aware. He actually told me that this time he decided he wanted to be surprised so he didn't try to figure out what I was up to... Maybe one of these times I'll be able to pull the wool over his eyes... although I think it will entail weaving quite the web of deception and about 2 months of planning!

It's official. We got a new truck.

2008-04-09T20:24:00.004-04:00

And of course there's a story to go along with that statement...

See, about three weeks ago Matt and I purchased a used Toyota Tacoma in White River Junction, VT. And then approximately a week and a half ago we totaled it! We got into a pretty insane accident heading to Saratoga on Route 4 just outside Rutland. We did a few 36os, hit the guardrail a few times (thank god it was there) and slid backwards down a 20 foot embankment and into the median. Thankfully we were okay and there was no one else involved in the accident. We even drove the truck to the nearby Toyota dealership for service. My folks came to the rescue, bringing us back to Salisbury for the night and lending us the van so we could continue our journey to see Matt's folks. It was a stressful weekend, but like I said, we were quite happy to only be sporting a few bruises, as was everyone else.

So... since we traded in Matt's Saab when we purchased the Tacoma we were down to one car between the two of us. I got a glimpse into what it might be like when we have kids and they need to be driven everywhere, and Matt dusted off his bike and rode to work in 30 degree temperatures, like a trooper. We made it work, but Matt was on a mission to find another Tacoma as soon as possible. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long. His diligent efforts uncovered some likely candidates and by yesterday afternoon we had "purchased" a new 2008 Tacoma at a great price! (I say "purchased" because it was an internet/phone transaction, so it wasn't completely legitimate until this evening when Dawn and Lloyd dropped off the new truck at our front door.) That's right... we had it delivered... all the way from Portland, ME!

So, that's the end of the story. Matt now has his very first NEW truck, complete with that new truck smell. And I will never again have to take the trash to the dump in my car!

The home improvements have continued!

2008-03-23T21:29:00.002-04:00

There's nothing like reaching the finishing point of a long anticipated home improvement project. I can't even tell you how long Matt and I have put off finishing the trim in our dining area. I guess it's been since we put our hardwood floors in way back when... Well, now that it's nearing completion (apparently we need a special saw to make a special cut to be completely finished) we are both saying to ourselves "why did we wait so friggin' long?" I guess there were too many other more important things to do. Whatever it was that held us back from completing the project doesn't matter at this point; all I can say is that it looks wonderful! It's amazing how much difference one little piece of trim can make.

Now that that project is getting checked off the list, Matt has embarked on the beginnings of yet another home improvement project... soon (hopefully) we will have a nice new built in cabinet and shelf space where there currently is an empty recess in the wall. The previous owners had a dresser and some adjustable shelving in the same spot, but we thought it looked a little tacky. The dresser didn't fit perfectly enough and the metal tracks along the inside of the walls looked, for lack of a better work, gross.

So, first things first... Matt is building a frame for the cabinet and table top that will cap it off, then we will have to figure out the built in shelving. The end product will allow us a bit more space to store stuff and add a touch of class to an otherwise awkward space in the house.

Here's to finishing what we started and then promptly starting something else that will most likely take us way too long to finish! ha!

Jay Peak Extravaganza

2008-03-10T19:08:00.014-04:00

A few weekends ago Matt and I headed to the Northeast Kingdom for Jay Peak Extravaganza '08. Last year, about the same time, was the inaugural gathering in Lowell Vermont, put together by Matt's industrious friend Peter Robinson. Pete found the place, got the tickets, orchestrated the food and drink and kept everyone apprised of the details as the event drew nearer and nearer. He was the ring-leader this year as well.

Peter "using the facilities"

Matt and I were the first to arrive on Friday. Others were traveling from Providence, RI, NYC, Connecticut and Saratoga, NY and some didn't arrive until 3 a.m. One couple, Neal and Cristina, didn't make it until the next morning; bad weather forced them to pull over and spend the night at a motel. The weather they were dealing with on the way up worked its way north and made for some nasty skiing conditions (nasty in the bad sense). It was raining at the base lodge and from what I heard (I didn't bother buying a ticket) it was cold and icy at the top. People were coming down completely covered in a thin sheet of ice, resembling glazed donuts. We were troopers, though. Those that decided not to hit the mountain hung out in the lodge and sipped tall-boys while we waited the more daring folks to call it quits for the day. Lunch consisted of a wet, but surprisingly satisfying tailgate bbq in the parking lot.

Eventually everyone convened back at our digs for the weekend, Tranquility Lodge, and most were able to take showers before the power went out. Matt and I, and a few others, being the resourceful folks we are had brought our head lamps (just in case of such disasters). Everyone gathered around the propane fireplace while a crew went out in search of candles. Soon the place was lit up and things resumed somewhat normally. At some point during the evening, a few guys figured out a way to run an iPod off of their car battery and a dance party broke out.

Tranquility Lodge

The weekend ended up being more about socializing than skiing and the power-out definitely put a different spin on the whole affair. It's interesting how light and heat will influence people. For a while there, before the candles came, everyone was huddled around the only source of heat and light. Basically, it will be a weekend to remember and I find myself already looking forward to next year...

Old friends are the best...

2008-02-26T03:54:00.009-05:00

This past weekend my friend Aly and I took a "road-trip" down to Hanover, NH to see our good friend Jules. Since graduation in 2005, and the inevitable dissolution that goes hand in hand with it, we all haven't lived in the same place. Prior to that we had been daily parts of each other's lives. We lived together, cooked together, brushed our teeth together... did pretty much everything together. When you think about it, college is a weird ritual. You most likely pick yourself up and move to a different state/part of the country, sometimes you don't know anyone, and then you begin the process of making life-time friends that you will most likely end up moving away from after four years - some kind of mild torture. Then begins the process of "keeping in touch". Sometimes you are really good at it, taking advantage of email, facebook and verizon-to-verizon minutes. Other times there are weeks that you don't talk or perhaps even think of the other people. The wonderful thing is, though, that when you do find the time and place to get together it's like no time has passed at all... you just fall right back into rhythm...

Matt, the Pro-Snowboarder

2008-02-16T08:00:00.004-05:00

The Florida Keys

2008-01-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

Oh, how we all love long weekends... they are the perfect opportunities to take off on short holidays, but also hold the potential of ending up too short. This past weekend - Martin Luther King long weekend - Matt, Sarah, Joe and I set off for the Florida Keys. We were supposed to leave Thursday evening, but due to inclement weather and an unavoidable delay we were told at the Burlington Airport that we would most definitely miss our connecting flight in D.C. so we should just stay put... oh, and there weren't any other flights available to anywhere in Florida until who knows when. So, we sadly dismissed the idea of heading south for a bit of sunshine, headed to the ticket counter to announce our defeat and to ask for our bags back (we had put them as pending, which we thought meant that if we didn't get on the plane then our bags wouldn't get on the place... boy were we sorely mistaken) So, our bags were enroute to Florida and we were not... sigh... and that was only the beginning of our trials and tribulations of the next day. I won't go into the details for my own sake and for yours... all you need to know is that we got to Florida a day late, ultimately cutting our already short vacation shorter. Thankfully our bags were patiently awaiting our arrival.

Sarah and I have been vacationing in the Florida Keys, Islamorada to be more specific, for at least the last 15 years. My Grandmother has a condo and for a while there we would make yearly trips down to visit during the cold, winter months. Joe has been a few times before, but it was Matt's first time south of Miami so we had fun showing him around. Unfortunately, we had only one day of spectacular weather; the other 2 1/2 days were sub-par by our standards... but who could complain too much considering we were missing out on some of the coldest weather yet for Vermont this winter? We sucked it up, layered up and found some activities to keep us occupied.

We watched sunsets.
And played with the local fauna.
And went to Theater of the Sea and saw dolphins
and sea lions.
And we soaked up the rays.
And went to the Southernmost Point in the U.S.
And smoked cigars.
And went to the bars...
the bars.
And sat in big chairs.
And wound up at the end of the road...

2008

2008-01-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

This year Matt and I decided to host a New Years party. Matt is no stranger to hosting great parties. I remember many a great time at one of his old college apartments... 22 Henry Street. Of course he did have his three roomates to share the burden of setting up before and cleaning up after. This year we also had a lot of help... cooking and cleaning and snow fort building... bonfire uncovering, stair building, keg buying and snow luge creating. It turned out to be a great time.

Matt's brother, Cam, came up early to help us set up. He was the master snow sculptor, turning our boring, flat, snow-covered yard into a battle zone for the imminent snowball fights. He and Matt also spent a good two hours carving a sledding luge in our backyard. Matt's mother, Pat, cooked up her usual delicious treats, tempting us all with peanut butter cookies and blonde brownies. Matt's dad, Dave, helped to complete the never-ending stair project and was instrumental in stocking our bar. It was a combined effort and everyone's contributions helped to make it a great party!

The Bonfire!!

The Champagne!!

New Years Day Matt and I were in bed recovering when we started talking about our new year's resolutions. We both agreed that we would thoroughly enjoy taking 2008 down a notch. We fondly remembered all of the wonderful events that happened in 2007 and were extremely glad that it was all over. We are ready to embrace the normalcy and perhaps even boredom that 2008 may bring...

We wish you all the best for 2008! Happy New Year!!!

Honestly... who puts beige carpet downstairs in a house in Vermont?

2007-12-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

This is the story of how our floors downstairs went from what Matt's brother Cam would call "drab" to "fab".

Ever since we moved in, Matt and I have had plans to replace the awful beige carpet in the downstairs dining/living room area. Even though the carpet was claimed to be "new" by the previous owners it had obvious signs of wear, and carpet just isn't really what you would call our style. And come on, who puts a beige carpet in the downstairs of a house in Vermont... that's just asking for trouble (think mud season).

So... there are a few tales that must be told before I get into the details of this weekend, because as we've learned there are many things that must be attended to before one actually begins to install a floor. First, there is the ordering of the wood, which we did at our local Home Depot. Apparently the wood we chose recently went through a price and quantity change. One used to be able to get 20 sq. ft. (one carton) for approximately $100; so based on those figures we needed 15 boxes and it would cost around $1500. The changes decreased the square footage per carton to 17 and the price dropped to $85 per carton; so based on those numbers we would need 18 boxes and still spend approximately $1500. The whole point of me filling your head with all those random numbers is to convey that Home Depot screwed up and as a result we ended up with almost 60 sq. ft. extra without paying a dime for it! We ordered 18 cartons upon their suggestion, paid $85/carton but there were really 20 sq. ft. in each carton, instead of 17. HA!

The point must be made that neither Matt nor I had ever seen a carton of flooring before, so when we went to go pick them up from Home Depot we thought we were being clever by taking both of our cars. Indeed, we were wrong. Flooring cartons are much longer than both a Jetta and a Saab, so instead we ended up renting a van to transport all 18 cartons from Williston back to Waterbury Center. Now, it is winter and we live up in the hills (1200 feet up in the hills) and our shared driveway is "tricky" when there's snow and your vehicle isn't front wheel or 4-wheel drive. So, Matt loads the van while I drive home to meet him and help him unload, because we're under sort of a time restriction so we don't end up spending tons of cash to rent the van. He arrives and we unload the van as quickly as possible. I am literally using all of my strength and balance to lift these cartons into the house. We finish with enough time to make it back to Home Depot under the time limit and then... we can't get out of our shared driveway... 25 minutes, 7 attempts, a bag of sand and a lot of frustration later we finally emerge and are on our way. Thanks a lot Home Depot, for renting us a piece of crap van...

Anyway, we had the wood acclimatizing to our house for about a week before this weekend, when Matt's oldest younger brother, Tim, headed north to help us install our new Kempas hardwood floors. Tim previously had a job installing floors, both hardwood and tile, so he taught us how to do it and installed the bulk of the floor with Matt's help. I fetched wood and prepared all the sustenance to keep the crew going. On the menu for the weekend was Chicken Parm, eggs bacon toast and tater tots, Pizza and a night at The Shed... not to mention A WHOLE LOTTA caffeine and various other snacks. I'm still full from it all. The result was an absolutely beautiful, house-changing floor. Now all we have to do is put all the moulding back on... it's never ending.

We would like to thank Tim. We honestly couldn't have done it without his knowledge and help. Well, maybe we could have figured it out, but we'd still be at it and I'm almost positive we would have had to order a few more cartons...

O Christmas Tree!

2007-12-02T09:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Matt and I embarked on an adventure to get our first Christmas tree. Negative temperatures forced us to bundle up as we trekked down the road to the local "cut your own" Christmas tree farm, where we were given a sled and free reign to choose which ever tree our hearts desired. We wandered around through rows and rows of trees, scrutinizing every detail... that one's too round, not tall enough or too sparce on one side. We made our way almost all the way to the edge of the property and promptly found the perfect tree. After circling it a few times and discussing it's high quality we set to work cutting it down; me cutting half way and then stopping to let Matt cut the rest of the way through.

I still remember the times we went to the local Christmas tree farm in Berlin, MA: White's. It was always freezing the day we would choose to get our tree, and Sarah and I, bundled up to the point of immobility, would waddle around shrieking with excitement, pointing at this tree and that tree until Mom and Dad agreed we'd found a good one. Then, Dad, with his blue handled saw would set about cutting it down. We'd load it up and drive slowly home where we promptly unloaded it and stuck it in it's stand, making sure it wasn't crooked or leaning too far this way or that. That was always quite the process... our stand was old and metal so of course it was very cold to the touch, but one couldn't adjust it very easily with gloves on. So, off came the gloves and a few minutes later numbness settled into our fingers. Inside there would be a rush to move the furniture out of the way to make room for the tree, and when it was in place the decorating began. First, there was the choice of multi-colored or white lights, then which boxes of ornaments to use. All of the Christmas supplies were tucked away up in the eave in my room, so I would scramble up there and move any furniture out of the way of the little door and crawl into the eave to extract all the decorations. There were boxes of elves that we would hide around the house, the ancient Advent calendar and the Nutcracker to bring out, among numerous other things...

Well, back to yesterday's events. In all the excitement I didn't think to check my camera batteries, so when I went to take a picture of Matt roaming around through the endless rows of Christmas trees yesterday I was unpleasantly surprised to find out it was dead. So, unfortunately we weren't able to document our outing as thoroughly as we might have liked... Still, once I got home I rushed in and changed the batteries and managed to catch Matt in the act of unloading the tree.

The tree has legs!

After unloading the tree we performed the ritual task of putting it in the stand and making sure it was straight. For some reason it wasn't as much of a hassle as I remember from previous years. It helped having a fancy, new plastic tree stand, not to mention the fact that we picked the perfect tree...

One step closer...

2007-11-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

It seems like every weekend we tackle a new project at the Bruhns homestead. The current project has been on-going since last weekend and completion will most likely be postponed until after Thanksgiving due to the magnitude of the project.

Last weekend, boredom led to the ripping out of the carpet on the stairs. Our house was built in 1981 and there's no doubt that this carpet was original. It was stained and faded and just plain gross. One hesitated to walk bare foot on it and wondered what could have made a stain like that...

A box cutter, some work gloves, pliers and a hammer were the tools needed to get the job done; along with some elbow grease. It took the better part of the night to extract the millions of staples left behind from the foam padding and carpet. What was underneath was obviously built with the understanding that carpet would be put over it, but to us it looked a million times better. So, with the help of some borrowed tools and yet another trip to Home Depot, the reconstruction has begun. Utilizing the carpentry skills attained from building a house a few summers ago, Matt has tackled the challenge, while I look on, make comments and take pictures.

Freshies

2007-11-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, the 10th of November, Matt, Austin, Ethan and I set out on an EPIC adventure. We met at the base lodge of Mt. Mansfield's Stowe Resort, strapped our boards/skis onto our backs and set out up the mountain. We were joined by quite a few other outdoor enthusiasts that day as we snaked our way up the Perry Merrill trail to just below the gondola house at the "summit". There, we all snacked on smarties, courtesy of Matt, and geared up to head down the Cliff Trail - hopefully avoiding the rocks, grass and water bars that were daunting obstacles along the way.

After a few falls at the start - apparently I forgot over the summer how to turn on a snowboard - I was off for my first run of the season!! (I'm not sure if you are able to sense the actual level of my excitement solely by my use of two exclamation points at the end of the previous sentence, but you must understand that this whole "hiking the mountain before the ski lifts are running" thing is entirely new to me and has provided me with quite the adrenaline rush and a slight desire to brag about it to who ever will listen...)

We took our time, enjoying the foot of snow at the top for as long as we could before descending into the patchiness of Lower Nose Dive. About half way down, my confidence was fading as fast as the level of snow was decreasing and I decided to hike the remainder of the way. A little bit further down Austin decided to join me and then Ethan threw his skis over his shoulder, as well. Matt made it all the way to the bottom, show-casing his superior skills of grass boarding. All in all, it was an amazing first-time experience for me and a wonderful way to spend a cold, sunny Saturday.

Oh, it must be noted that this was not actually Matt's first run of the year. He, being that much more extreme than me, awoke early one weekday morning (5 a.m. to be exact - yes, it was still dark at that point) donned his headlamp and hiked Mt. Mansfield solo, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the sunrise and then enjoying what were most likely the first tracks that Stowe saw that day.

-108 Worcester Mtn View-

2007-11-05T16:18:00.000-05:00

The first time we looked at 108 Worcester Mtn View I wasn't sure... it seemed like there were too many things that I wanted to change. The carpet was awful, the kitchen a bit small and outdated, the paint colors a bit "off". Matt and I discussed our thoughts and went back for a second look, this time armed with a camera and a more opened mind. It was helpful that this time the owner let us walk through alone. We started talking about what we would do to the place and it didn't seem as daunting, it actually sounded exciting! This was a chance for us to make our mark, to transform a place into our own version of home.

The week we moved in the renovations began... We didn't have a functional kitchen for the first week and a half. Home Depot became our weekend destination. Matt acquired all the essential tools, thanks to many generous wedding gifts, and soon things started to shape up. Of course there's still much work to be done... a life-time I suspect, but we're having a good time and we're happy with the results so far.

Here's some before and after photos for comparison.

Explanation

2007-10-23T13:46:00.000-04:00

I am now Erin Bruhns and one of two Mrs. Bruhns' (that I've ever met) - Matt's mom being the other. People might have noticed that my new last name is hard to pronounce. It certianly isn't as telling and straightforward as Turner and even I admit to having mis-pronounced it when I first met Matt. So, to make things a bit easier I will share a wonderfully clever and entertaining addage passed along to me via the Bruhns family...

"Bruhns like prunes, not Bruhns like the runs"

Another clever trick passed along by my husband, after years of mis-pronounciation at restaurants around the world, is to spell it B-r-o-o-n-z when asked for a name. That way when they call your name they will pronounce it right and you won't miss your chance for a table.

Very clever those Bruhns folks...

Welcome

2007-10-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our new blog! You might remember us from our first blogging experience - Bruhnstock. Well, we're back with something a bit new... following the trend set by so many others we will try to keep everyone up-to-date with what's going on in our exciting life as newly-weds, first time homeowners and residents of Waterbury Center.

This past year has been quite the whirlwind, as those close to us can attest to. Perhaps a quick recount is required so everyone is up to speed... On Christmas morning in Saratoga last year Matt proposed to me and I said "YES!". A few weeks later Matt landed a job with the Agency of Natural Resources in Waterbury, VT, which ultimately made our decision to stay on the east coast and not set out for Bellingham, WA like we had tentatively planned. The half-hour commute and the need for our own space (and desire not to mooch of my sister, Sarah, and her husband, Joe, any longer) motivated us to look for an apartment in the Waterbury area. After much fruitless searching, Matt happened upon a gem in Waterbury Center and we moved in at the beginning of February (with the help of both of our families). A month and a half later I found a job in Montpelier and we settled in to enjoy an eight-month stint in our little barn apartment. During our time there we fell in love with the area and kept our eyes open for something we might like to buy - which happened right in the middle of our wedding and two week trip to the Arctic. We were married on July 14th, 2007 at the Rising Camp with only our immediate families present. It flew by and after only three weeks of married life we set off on an epic journey to Svalbard. Two weeks in Norway and the Arctic provided us with one of the most memorable experiences of our lives - it's a trip that I am still trying to get perspective on. And the following Monday after we returned we closed on our house. Phew! Then, with the help of Sarah and Joe, we moved from our one bedroom apartment about two miles up the road to our three bedroom house. We gained approximately 500 feet of elevation, 2 acres of land, 2 bedrooms, 1 wood stove, a dishwasher and a mortgage - not to mention a whole boat load of responsibility. And now we will live happily ever after...

So, that is our summer in a nutshell. I can only imagine how calm, peaceful and boring next summer will be...