Author: stumberry

“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless”……Alan Watts

“Tea ceremony-

steam, incense, lacquered bamboo.

Try the cheese Danish.”………………………………………………..Haikus for Jews

 

Greetings fellow seekers:

See the endless Green….everywhere is GREEN…summer has arrived in the mountains and it is lush with flowers, fauna and black flies…..75 and sunny with nights in the high 40s…G_D time in Vermont

And THE POND…after three master kitchen strainer skims, two bacteria treatments, 50 crawfish, three little worthless solar fountains and…and the spouting pump…it is clear as a bell…swim-time anyone?

Overall, quite a busy week with the home beautification projects in full swing. Came back from Europe to a house of construction. Jenn has her six page list of projects and determined to get them underway…..kitchen wallpaper stripped and walls painted, side of house and barn scraped and painted by our new best man, Yanu (per the usual mountain repair men, Yanu shows up and leaves at unpredictable times, and takes regular Wi-Fi breaks since he has no service elsewhere), new kitchen countertops measured and ordered, and more painting, fixing and flooring underway. We have the daily review of the project list as well as planned projects for the next six years…all of which tells me it is time for me to head out of town very soon…need a Marriott for quiet, rest and contemplation….

Which led us on a foraging trip to Home Depot (successful) and Bed, Bath and Beyond (not so much)- where we had a 20% off coupon that Jenn was determined to use. I wandered around but could not find anything that wasn’t a lot cheaper at Walmart, even with the 20%…..and then lost Jenn…..who I found rolling around the floor in the bedding section….took a half nelson or two for me to manually drag her out of there, with bedding swatches stuck in her teeth.

After one more day of torrential rain last weekend, Sunday turned nice for Dad’s day- so we took me on a hunt for some color…ranging up to Dartmouth to a quirky art house movie and dinner with the Indian folk. Just to make sure we were not wandering too far from the Vermont truth, we took a gorgeous twilight drive down Route 5 and the Connecticut River, stopping at the Windsor Snack Bar for Maple Creamees (see Jenn excited)

Tuesday we made the afternoon an outing with trip up to Woodstock and four mile jaunt up to Mt. Tom- perfect hiking day and magnificent view of one of New England’s most “picture-perfect” villages from the top (how many steeples can one town have?). No one else on the trail- so Lucy had free run and and got in her sixteen circular miles to our four. We got back in time to take up a last minute dinner and drinks invite from our friends John and Lydia, who live at the top of the hill once in a blue moon (these are wild folk from the Boston hub of the Irish) and spent an evening of unmitigated  laughter and debauchery..…crawling back down the mountain at midnight. Luckily, they only show up periodically or we would be in trouble.

But wait….the REALLY BIG news of the week, was an addition to our mountain household. For three straight nights this week, we have entertained (not willingly) a Big –Ass Black Bear, who has tromped through the gardens, shit all over the yard and  destroyed two very large bird feeders (bending a ten foot steel pole in half….see the pictures…this is for real) and causing general havoc in the middle of the night. When he passes in the shadows, Lucy gets the scent of a lifetime and goes nuts, running around the house howling and lunging at the windows…and momentarily  later, Jenn follows suit, running to the doors and shouting “You go…You go now”) I’m  wondering how many times a bear shits in one sitting? We are now forced for the time being to take Lucy out on a leash at night- so she does not become Bear fixins.

Yesterday was another beautiful hot day, so we headed out early for town and the Dump, the post office/general store (Breakfast sandwiches) and down to the hamlet of Castleton and Lake Bomoseen for the annual town wide garage sale. There is a big beautiful boulevard running through the middle of Castleton with graceful old manse-houses on both sides and a small 100 year old college right in town (even has a diner!). There is an old rail station that still has passenger trains and some cute cafes. And, Lake Bomoseen is a beauty- surrounded by mountains with gently lolling waters in a visual panorama of splendor (did I really say that?). But still…when it comes down to it…people’s junk is people’s junk…though it didn’t stop us from buying some assorted shit we don’t need.

So…time to go…my young yard-boy, Seamus, has arrived…to assist with picking up the 17 pounds of bear turd…and are we really glad to see him? He just graduated (since last summer has grown four inches, inherited a car, a goatee and an Afro…and has a girlfriend) and has been too busy with school and such to come over until now, which has led us to less desirable yard-boy performance options. Seamus is the closest thing to THE Marcus that there is…..so work to do, projects to review, places to go, mountains to climb….and the is always more bedding to consider…..

Off to New Orleans this week for some heat, work and gumbo…but see you soon.

 

Stu-Bert

 

Buenos Diaz my Familia y Amigos (and happy Father’s Day to all the Papas):

“ Ain’t it good to be back home again”……………………………..John Denver

 

“Is one Nobel prize, too much to ask from a child, after all I’ve done”……..Haikus for Jews

Got back this Wednesday after ten day extravaganza in Spain and Portugal with Max…17.5 pounds of luggage to meet strict carry-on standards for overseas flights on Spanish airlines, 58 hours to get home form the southwest tip of Portugal, 253 pictures and serval dozen forms of Tapas….There are more pix than usual attached to this- could not decide on which to include. At the end of this week’s Blog there is also a summary trip report for those of you who have that kind of interest. If you wish to see the full photo journal –you can find it at: https://photos.shutterfly.com/story_invite/f4831f5e-9a22-48fd-96ae-8bf0d33e4779/100147634772

Jenn picked me up at the Amtrak station in Albany for the majestic ride up Route 7 back to the Greens…and it is GREEN…summer has hit in full force….and the sun even came out for a three days in a row…before it started raining again. sine I have only been home for three days in the last two weeks- I will make this a short Blog…if you don’t count the plethora of photos and the trip report…but then again, short is hardly my middle name..

Got back to find that while the cat was away… the Jenn did play…establishing five ongoing house projects (wallpaper gone, tchotchkes hidden, pieces of countertop and carpet tucked in corners, new bedding snuck in everywhere)…which will teach me to wander off across the pond…

Speaking of which, THE POND had regressed back to a former life, with slime and algae covering the surface. Now, this is not supposed to happen…no, no, no….so despite persistent jet lag (rising at 4:30 in a daze), the sunny day on Thursday found me returning to my very unwanted roots…back in the pond in kayak with the kitchen  strainer. Fortunately, unlike previous battles, this is mostly surface stuff. Nevertheless, 3 hours of floating and skimming, bad sunburn and a pulled grain muscle later….the Pond is mostly back to its faux-pristine state. which initiated my first swim of the summer in the newly strained and blessed water. But, then again-no rest for the weary…so we went to see the Trout King for fish and advice –and came back home with 25 more crayfish and three min-solar fountains to move the water. They are pretty cute, but only work in absolute deadly full on sun ray blast, and then kind of dribble water out. So we hauled out the old pump, got a new spray attachment and, Voila, the water is flowing on timer for six hours a day…which ostensibly will keep it crystal clear (who’s kidding who?).

So- now I can fully concentrate on jet lag and fining my hidden tchotchkes (and sneaking back to Walmart to return the hidden beddings that have not been placed in rotation yet).

Back in the saddle- we made it down to Sam’s in Ludlow for the beloved early bird dinner and opt the Rutland Farmer’s Market and related all day shopping activities on Saturday. Since today is Pops Day…we are making the trek to Dartmouth this afternoon for a real movie and dinner served by people of some color.

I think that is enough…after all, what more is there really to say. Enjoy the pix and the report- if you are a glutton…and catch you after the paint dries, the countertops are up and the house resembles Jenn’s vision of pure mountain delight.

 

Estuardo

 

 

Europe 2017– the Berry boys eat, walk, transport and generally go around in circles for nine days through Spain and Portugal. Left the mountains via 2 hour lift from Jenn down to Albany, the Amtrak to NYC Penn station,, subway out to far side of Queens, Air-train to JFK, five hour sit after clearing security with ten thousand other immigrants (was this styled after Ellis Island?) and 6.5 hour flight on Air Europa…all making a representative sampling of transport in the modern world. After breezing through Madrid customs (they seem much more civilized about this kind of stuff) grabbed a cab to the very loosely appointed meet-up spot- rounding a corner to find the boy leaning ever so nonchalantly on the ancient walls in the flesh. A night and day in Madrid included endless walking, art (largest ever Picasso retro at the national museum (which is free from 7-9 nightly- special travel tip), olives, bread, oil, tapas and Sangria. …the jet lag led to walking around the city endlessly before 6 a.m. – which made us pretty much the only people on street, as Madridians do not appear to be early risers after late night consumptions. So-we leave town on the high speed (600 miles in 2.5 hours) train to Cordoba (can you say Ricardo Montalban) in the south and west of Spain; full of ancient history, cobbled streets, castles, lilting music and a lot more Tapas than one should consume….plus the olives, bread and oil…now adding Iberian (Sorrento) ham into the mix. Walked around streets in ferocious Mediterranean sun to search out long extinguished Jewish Quarter (they pre-dated Nazis by four hundred or so years in taking care of this business), and long dormant one room “Sinagogin”. We found the one remaining Jew, who of course, runs a fine restaurant, offering the “late bird” special of 40% off dinner-in a walled courtyard with ancient Sephardic music (something Elton John-ish)…..more Sangria, much more walking…Max hitting low point of no sleep and no BM (tired and full of shit). So-we leave the heat, take another train and head for Seville (Sa-Bee-Yah)…….where it is even hotter. Quartered ourselves in center of city in hostel type lodging- which meant a ten by ten room (Max with his own bunk beds), shared WC and a wheeled in AC unit, which took up a third of the ten-by space. More towers, art, LOTS more Tapas- best anywhere; 5 dishes – plus Sangrias plus dessert -for two=20 Euros). Hit the required Flamenco extravaganza, art museum with maximum Goya and Dali (how many Spanish men have Dali mustaches?). Had enough heat for lifetime-so much I had no usable undies or socks-so washed them out in common area kitchen sink one morning- which led Max to ruminate about whether this was actually a universally accepted custom? This seemed like a good time to head for the bus station and three hour bus ride to Portugal (bus station a microbe of Spanish culture in all forms)- heading for Faro on the southwest coast. Spent several hours negotiating the finding of the rental car (we got of bus at airport but car was left for us the train station). Once located, it was off to find the beaches. Spent first night in surreal full-hose rental in newly built suburb…..with a washer, by golly. Had dinner in hopping oceanfront resort of Ohayo (go Bucks?)- where had the feast –of- all- shellfish feast (so fresh they jumped off plate into our drooling mouths), which with local beers, local cheese, olives and breads- set us back 30 euros (Portugal more expensive than Spain). Next morning I woke to find Max gone- off to find some guy who would rent him a surfboard for a week….and so we set off in search of The Waves. Wandered sun-drenched south Portugal coast-about as different from urban Spain as you can get. Dramatic cliffs, plunging to the sea all along the coast, with private little beaches at every turn (apparently for the Amore!) and small resort beach towns filed with Ex-pat Brits (who knew). Made our way to the southwest tip of Portugal (and Europe for that matter) at Zagress an then San Clementi- which resembled the parking lot of a Dead show vibe and then headed up the west coast to national park area of Arrafina, where we stayed in mountain retreat above the majestic sea; Max getting in some surfing and discovering waves so high that they were spraying the 100 foot high cliffs along the sea (thankfully, he stayed out of those). Everywhere we stopped at, Rock of Gibraltar like formations. Aside for the very good seafood, the dining in Portugal was not quite up to Spain-Tapas standards-not the beloved five course Tapas. On our last day together, Max decided to adapt his travel plans to take in the annual Portugal Week festivities (renowned debauchery- complete with barbequed Sardines at every corner. So- instead of the original plan to drop me off the airport to catch my flight Madrid, we head into the heart of Lisbon to last minute hotel Max booked for himself in the heart of the old city-and the preparations for the extravaganza. After a dizzying about of circles both in the car and on foot, we found the hotel and then the super-secret underground parking garage (five floors under the city- who knew?) and were able to spend some time inspecting the city. Tour done- and after multiple cheek kissing (not sure how many times is correct for ach European country)- we put me in a cab to beat the oncoming hordes- and got to the airport and flight on semi-notorious TAP Portugal Air. Five hours sitting and not a single word later- we board our very late flight to Madrid-arriving there at 1 a.m.-  enough time for me to take wired walk, go to bed in a very nice room, get up, take another stroll, find bread and oil….and head back to the airport for my cross pond flight. After 8.5 hours of sitting (blessed event- seat next to me empty) I arrived at JFK (already up for 24 hours) and had the good fortune of being picked up by my Cousin Sherry and her driver, Ari, for trip up to north Bronx to spend the night. End of day Two in cousin’s apartment in Riverdale; next morning a ride to subway, down to Penn Station, Amtrak to Albany and Jenn picking me up to do reverse ride home. The Greens were a sight to see. Total Return time= 58 hours and three days. 3 flights, 4 trains, 1 bus, 1 car tour, 60-70 miles walked, 650 olives, 15 glasses fresh Valencia OJ, 10 cups olive oil, 57 servings of bread, dozens of Sangrias……and nine days with The Prodigal……PRICELESS

 

Ola Amigos et Familia:

“If I knew the way, I would take you home”…..Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter

Holy shit…rain, rain, rain…we have been here 35 days and it has rained 30 of them…not just wet but wet and cold (barely cracking 60 most days and in THE 30s at night)…..we seemed to have lost summer here in the mountains…and on top of it, who would have thought that Vermont would be providing ammo for the moron-in-chief’s no climate change beliefs? It has been so wet…that we have fall foliage happening in some high places….in mid-May!!!!!

 

So this is going to be a short ZEN for the week in the mountains. I’m off to cross the pond tomorrow to  meet up with the prodigal in Madrid for ten days in Spain and Portugal. Eight hour flight preceded by another 8 hours of me getting to JFK by car, Amtrak, railroad and subway…you know traveling from the mountains is no green pickle……

Had our fist Airbnb guests last Sunday night- a delightful older couple form Normandy (France, not Oklahoma), Eveline and Jean Michel, who spoke almost no English…but still were able to express their disdain and amazement at The Donald…how embarrassed we are to claim him (can you say Monsieur Ber-Nie?). Very nice visit with lots of laughs and hugs and many hand signals…

Jen left for  six days in Cleveland with new grand-baby Quinn and has been walking around the whole time with Quinn attached to her via front-pack…..while she weeds, cleans and mows…as soon as she left-the sun came out for two days, which left me all the yard chores. I usually take a lot of care of little Lucy, but leave the loco cats to Jenn…so this week I have spent a copious amount of time attending to their screaming needs to be fed three times a day…plus one poops only outside the litter box and one pukes regularly after each meal. I tried putting them out this morning to see if they might just go away, but all they did was puke, shit and cry to get back in….Went to the dump this morning, where the Dump Master and mountain clairvoyant, Kevin. accosted me for coming without the little lady, and swore he would  come down and give her multiple hugs and squeezes when she returned…apparently he misses her…

I’ve been  trying to reach old Jeb, the local stoned mason and master of the towns’ music equipment via e-mail, text and phone for months to ask for his assistance for when the Bunty boys come out to play a gig  in August…but no returns calls or contact…..and then I discovered him across from the general store this week busy building a wall that The Donald would admire, though he seemed to try and hide when I came to get him…this is the way missions area accomplished in the mountains….tracking and trapping..

After an hour of trying to open the five gallon container (hermetically sealed) and finally ripping it to shreds with the Zaw-Saw, I have inserted ten packets of all purpose, earth restoring and pond healing Bacteria this week…so now we wait for crystal clear blue waters to appear….or so they say…

Well- time to take a small- pond break and get ready to head across the big one (do they use Bacteria on it, does it have algae?)…have to figure out how to last ten day with 22 pounds of luggage (weight restrictions for Spanish airlines)…so off to gather and weigh….

Adios for now…back in a couple of weeks….say you will miss me-just say it…

Buenos Dias,

 

Estuardo/Papa

Greetings friends, family and countrymen:

“Heimlich. Is that a

Jewish name? I wonder as

a diner turns blue.”                                  Haikus for Jews

 

Winter turns into summer quickly in the mountains. On Monday the overnight low was 28 with snow flurries. By Tuesday ,we had a very nice day and by Wednesday it was in the low 90s…the mountaineers came out to dance. We’ve had a run of tropical weather (even though nights are still in the 30s) which has made for more and more lists of projects. Just finished three hours of mandated windowsill and storm window cleaning, which is quite the task in a 150 year old house, since none of them stay up while you try to clean them—which leads to multiple arm abrasions and a houseful of foul words. Meanwhile, Jenn was outside puttering in her gardens…and creating her next round of sciatica…..remind me of the benefits of getting old?

So back to Tuesday. As had been our custom, the sun came out…and we hit the road, Unusually, for us, we headed south, which took us down the Green chain to Weston for a picnic on the green and then to Peru to the lovely Hapgood Pond. We did a bit of a walk around the pond (S/J=3 miles, Lucy Lu= 9 miles)…and then mosied on to the metropolis of Manchester- the home of Hildene, the ancestral mansion of Robert Todd Lincoln (yes-that Lincoln!)…and…of the Green Mountain outlet shops. The outlets are quite a juxtaposition to the elegant old town, which also houses the famous Equinox hotel, where Roosevelt (yes- that Roosevelt) met with Churchill and Stalin to plan the end of the Big One. While there, we found a beautiful beater of a house for sale…..probably meets the definition of faded glory…amidst the splendor of mansions on every side of it…and took photos to try and lure Max to invest in long term capital gains in the mountains (no luck). We found this Italian deli joint (AL Ducci’’s) on a side street and they made us some very indigenous (to Brooklyn) fixins before they closed and threw us out.

On Wednesday, the thermometers hit 90- so I headed north to find a Marriott to spend the night in air conditioned luxury. Actually, it was my first time back to the monthly meetings of the Governor’s Council for kids that I sit on, and takes place in Waterbury, the hub of all things government in Vermont…and the scene of many of Archer’s book settings. I spent the day driving through the majesty of the mountains turning green overnight, stopped for picnic lunch, took a nap, read the USA today (avoiding all mention of El Trumpo), worked out, and took a dirt road jog…. and then dined at the little Thai joint and watched the Cavs smoke the Celtics. Jenn was at home sweating and working very hard…which I felt VERY bad about…but duty calls and I go.

I returned Thursday afternoon and it was 93 degrees and Jenn was gone and the yard was half push mowed….so I shed my clothes and donned my cape and went out to defeat the elements. Two hours later, I sat immobile and sweat drenched—unable to move off the chair and drinking a gallon of Gatorade. I considered a jump in the pond to cool off, but the 50 degree water did not really speak to me….and it would have ruined my sorry state to present to Jenn when she returned from gallivanting.

Speaking of THE POND….well let’s just say that all that glitters is not gold, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, paradise ain’t what it seems, some things are too good to be true (you probably get the idea)…so the hated algae has begun to reappear, snaking down with the fucking the mountain runoff and leaving little snatches of its demon scum in our pristine endeavor. NO, NO, No…we say….so we do some research on line and buy the forbidden (in Vermont) copper sulfate to extinguish the species (so the ads say) and it arrives with a thousand warnings (if you get it on your skin, just lay down and wait to die peacefully). So- yesterday we head up to the mountain hamlet of Shrewsbury to find Matt the Trout King at his hatchery (six dirt roads to get there) and he is not around- so we leave our calling card, amazed at his collection of ponds, and get home to find the water temp (went to Walmart for thermometer) is above the required- for- treatment 60 degrees and it is sunny and quite nice out. Out comes the kayak and the kitchen strainer I meant to throw away, in goes Stu to strain and spray (with my hazmat suit on). Three hours later, I am back- soaked and freezing – with a pretty clean pond and a gallon of this shit sprayed through a small spray device . I take a hot shower and get under the blanket on the couch, to nap and recover, when the Trout King calls me back. I talk to him about fish for the pond and ask him about putting them in right after spraying……and he says….”no, no, never use that chemical shit”. So today we head back up the dirt roads and met the King and he sold us $300 worth of bacteria- which apparently  will make the POND sparkle…as well as fifteen of the King’s special trout and twenty crayfish…the sum of which is apparently the ultimate pond cure. The fishes are now swimming like crazy trying to avoid the monster snapping turtle, (which returned from his banishment in the last week). Next week we are dumping the first set of bacteria………I don’t really think this SAGA ends.

So, I’m supposed to be working on the project list, but Jenn and Lucy left- so – I am doing this instead. I may be erratic in my postings for the coming month, as I am off the Santa Cruz tomorrow for a 24 hour stay (12 hour each way to get there , including a red eye back Wed. night), then the Urbanites are coming to the mountains from Florida for four days (“do you have microwaves there in the mountains”). Once they leave, Jenn heads to Cleveland for five day with our new grand baby (you go Ryan and Lauren)….and then once she returns Stu heads off into the wild blue yonder to find Max somewhere in Spain or Portugal.

Hopefully, by then – the POND will be crystal clear and filled with wondrous fish……………………….or not.

Be very well and keep your fingers crossed.

Stu-Ber