Back on the Bloggin' Wagon

I know that I have been letting my legions of blog-fans down. Without a single post since November 21, I'm sure people haven't known what to do. Should they watch TV? Go out and buy new magazines? Sit inside and drink all day?

The answer is D) None of the above. AikenAction is alive and well; I'm back on the bloggin' wagon!

And alot has been going on. First off, Ali and I went down to the Dominican Republic to climb the highest peak in the Caribbean -- Pico Duarte (elev. 10164 ft). See the photo of me opposite the bust of Generalissimo Juan Pablo Duarte, one of the DR's founding fathers, at the summit. We followed the summit with a few days on the beach in Cabarete (see photo) and visiting friends in Santo Domingo (aka the "Crapital").
Immediately after our return, our truck died and our well -- for all intents and purposes -- also died. On a happier note, we got to enjoy a rare East Coast visit from Lisa Aiken, editor of The Small World Times, the prolific (although slightly inconsistently published) Montana publication. During her visit, we made the pilgrammage to the Mecca for northeastern football fans -- that's right, Gilette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. What an experience! I can't remember who won, but I can tell you it was an awesome game (read between the lines here, people! Obviously, if the Pats had won, I'd be broadcasting the score, the stat lines, and the highlights. Thank you -- that's all I have to say about this...)

Then Alison and I hosted our first-ever holiday -- Thanksgiving at Johnnie Brook Road! Special thanks to Allton Brown of the Food Network, whose advice on how to brine a turkey, I followed to the letter -- with unbelievable success. With the exception of 30 years of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter turkeys that my grandmother cooked at her house in Springfield, Vermont, this was the best turkey I ever had!

Finally, Alison participated in the First Annual Santa Run -- one of 1200 Santas to run 5K in downtown Burlington.

And that, I think, brings us up to date. Whew! From now on, I will blog a little more regularly so I don't have to do these monster catch-up entries blogs to bring us up to date. Talk soon!