sugarloafer since birth

We spent the weekend at Sugarloaf.  I hadn't been skiing there since the winter before I moved to Vail, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It felt bigger and steeper than I had expected it to after spending 3 winters in the Rockies.  We totally lucked out with snow, too.  The day before we arrived, it had been just warm enough to warm up the "bullet proof ice" (my dad is especially fond of that expression), so it was relatively easy to carve turns. And it stayed pretty warm on Saturday too. My dad and I kept saying we actually wished it would be worse conditions, because we wanted Dan to see how bad "real" eastern skiing can be.  

Sunday, on the other hand, was a different story.  Temperatures plummeted to below zero with the windchill.  In the picture above you can see the thermometer reading 8 degrees at around 10 am with no windchill included. Scroll a bit farther down and you'll see just how windy it was.  Anyway, my dad, ever the ridiculously hardcore skier, left us to take a few runs before lunch, while the rest of us lounged around by the wood stove, sipping coffee and eating bagels from Scratch Baking Co.  (yum!).

The main room of our camp is filled with pine paneling.  And that little wood stove up there? It might look unassuming, but it can heat our camp up from sub-zero temps to the 90s in no time at all.  My dad read a book about moonshine in Appalachia and had to buy a bottle to try it.  It was strong, to say the least.

Flannel shirts, my old purple LL Bean backpack (that trusty thing stayed with me from 3rd grade until I graduated from high school), and my brand new 100 Anniversary Bean Boots!!! Happy Birthday to me!! Thanks again, Mom!

Every Sunday for as long as I can remember, The Bag (one of the few restaurants at Sugarloaf and arguably the best), has been serving cheeseburger soup.  As soon as I figured this out, I lived for Sundays.  The thought of this absurdly delicious (and absurdly unhealthy) soup got me through many frigid days on the slopes.

Above you can see a few views of Sugarloaf.  Look at how the wind blows the snow off the top of the mountain! I wasn't lying about that windchill!

Sugarloaf has this great ad campaign, "Sugarloafer since..."  You're a Sugarloafer if you ski at Sugarloaf, obviously.  The poster of the guy above states, "I've gone from wearing corduroy to skiing it."  The other photo is of my dad and me leaving the mountain.  I told you he's hardcore.

tomorrow, tomorrow...

sources for all pictures can be found here

Sorry to get that song stuck in your head! But, TOMORROW Dan and I leave for Portland, Maine for the weekend! I'm so excited. I might pop. Check out my post today at The Loud and Clear for my idea of 72 perfect hours in that great city.

blog love: hooked on houses (and a great home in camden, maine)

Alright, I wrote a big long thing on how Dan's mom introduced me to this blog, Hooked on Houses, and how I love it so much I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing, becuase all I want to do is spend hours every day looking at all of the homes Julia, the blog's author, has profiled.  And then when I tried to post this from my iPhone this morning, all of the content was deleted.  Sigh.

So, in an effort to just get this out there (I'm on my lunch break, right now!), I'm going to forego all of the jazz about wishing I could afford a $2 million house in my favorite place in the whole world (Camden, Maine) and just let this amazing house speak for itself.

Also, you should definitely check out Hooked on Houses - just be sure you have plenty of time to spare when you do.  Because I promise you'll get sucked in.  Also, if you do happen to have a few mil floating around, you can contact the realtor here.

Happy Birthday, L.L. Bean!

L.L. Bean is celebrating 100 years in business! As a Mainer, I feel a certain sense of pride in that - even though I have absolutely nothing to do with L.L Bean's success.  Maybe someday I'll live out my dream of working at one of the highly-coveted behind-the-scenes headquarters jobs, but until then, I'll celebrate with everyone else.  And maybe with a pair of these awesome boots? (I have a birthday coming up too, you know...)

Happy Birthday, L.L. Bean!  

happy friday and more & co.

It turns out Lynsey's boyfriend is almost as cool as she is (sorry, Ryan, but it's true :). He and his creative studio, MORE & CO., which was also founded by MAV and CDR, do amazing work.  Seriously.  We're talking Starbucks campaigns, local publications, book design, photography and video...you name it, they do it.  And they do it well.  Plus they seem to have a darn good time while they're at it.

MORE & CO. Walk All Day from More & Co. on Vimeo and their blog

I hope your weekend is as much fun as this video! Happy Friday!

living with lynsey

I am really excited to announce a new series of posts today!  "Living with {insert friend's name here}" will feature the amazing apartments (and maybe homes, but I'm pretty sure we all still live in apartments) where my friends live.  I can't wait to show you all of the beautiful spaces they've decorated!  First up? Lynsey.

I feel so honored to be showing you my dear friend Lynsey's apartment today.  Lynsey recently moved back to Portland, Maine and has already perfectly decorated what just might be the perfect place.  I have always (i.e. since the 2nd grade) looked up to Lynsey as the big sister I never had, admiring her cool life and accomplishments.  This apartment is no exception.  I only wish I could live somewhere so gorgeous one day.  Lynsey's descriptions of her apartment are just as much fun as seeing the apartment itself! I love how excited she is about her new place :)

My friends Maria and CDR lived here before me. These are some of CDR's drawings that were left behind. CDR is an incredible illustrator and I love looking up from my desk to see that today is the greatest. I also find it can be difficult to fill a large wall, and this was perfect.

I found this table at Goodwill. It was completely covered in crayon. Blue, red, orange, green - someone had had a fun afternoon. I brought it home and scrubbed, and it all came right off. I was so happy! The chairs were left in an old apartment of mine by the previous tenant. I didn't love the fabric so I recovered the seats. They pop right out of the frame, so I just had to wrap some batting and material around them and staple. They are a bit creaky and old, but they are keepers.

This bedroom is the smallest I've ever had, and the coziest. It's really just meant for sleeping, which I think is perfect. The birds are from Blik and were left by Maria. I love them, plus they don't want to peel off of the wall, so they will be in flight as long as I live here.

I love to cook and bake, and since moving here I've found myself doing more of both. I added counter space with a little butcher block I've had for a few years. That is the only place to chop, so I am glad to have it. The poster above is the book jacket from I Know How to Cook by Ginette Mathiot. It makes me happy.

I have a pantry! Where I can put extra things! That's all I have to say. It's very exciting.

The living room feels very protected and leafy, like I'm in a tree house. The map is of Vinalhaven Island where my grandparents live. The red chest is actually an old fashioned bar and has slots for all different cocktail glasses inside. It is one of my favorite pieces, but it's heavy and awkward to carry, and it has caused quite a bit of heartache (and pinched fingers) on every moving day. The painting above I bought just after I graduated from high school. I think it was $500. I had never even conceived of spending that much money. I remember starting to cry as I left the shop, and then I went back in to buy it. I don't know what came over me, but I'm glad it did.

The corner with the small bookshelf is my favorite spot in the apartment. I love books, I think they are the most beautiful thing you can have in a home. They add so much color and they are always interesting to look through. I also love the blue steamer trunk. I just recently pinched that from the attic at home (thanks mom and dad!). It used to hold my great-grandmother's silver, but it had been empty and dusty for years. Now it has a new home.

This is where I work, there is lovely light all day. You walk into this room from the front door, and it's actually quite spare; the only furniture is the desk and two chairs. I like having a calm space to walk into when I come through the door. The desk is a dining room table that was left in another old apartment (apparently the furniture gods like me). It had an old, patchy varnish so I painted it a high gloss white. The hobnail lamp I found at a neighbor's yard sale. And I hope my little cactus guy survives the winter. I'm giving him the sunniest spot.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Lynsey's Portland apartment as much as I did.  Let me know if you want to be up next in the series! Lynsey, thanks again for sharing. I can't wait to visit! xo

vinalhaven 3: a walk to town and new discoveries

Whoops! This was supposed to be posted in between the other two posts.  This is the middle of our day, when we usually walk to town, maybe get some food, buy candy at the penny candy store (even though it doesn't cost a penny anymore), and wonder what lies behind the yellow walls of Robert Indiana's mysterious home. 

vinalhaven 2: a picnic and the ride home