The Over-40 Club

Many people dread milestone birthdays, but I have rarely had a year start off so well. Although my birthday wasn't until Monday, festivities started on Friday when Alison, Oscar, and I went backcountry skiing (see photo) and then Ali took me out for dinner at our favorite Richmond restaurant (I had the Steak Frites). Saturday I had to work, but when I walked in the door (five minutes late) all my coworkers had a donut waiting for me with candles. After they sang their rendition of Happy Birthday to You (it was rousing, let me assure you), I made my wish -- "I want snow on my birthday" -- and blew out the candles. Saturday night, Alison threw a great party for me here at our house. What a great time. Not only did she tidy up to the point that I thought I had walked into the wrong house when I first got home, she and the other party-goers made tons of great food. (While it was all amazing, the highlight may have been Jenni's "Death by Chocolate." Wow.) Again, there were candles and singing; again, I wished for snow on my birthday. Sunday, I took a rare weekend day off and, before a birthday dinner (jumbalaya) with my dad and Jill, ran 10-miles with Ali, Oscar, and our running group -- in the rain in 35 degrees. It sucked. BUT... it was a celebration of Jan Leja's 400th organized Sunday group run. So afterwards, we all forgot about how much it stunk running in freezing rain and went to breakfast...

... where through the windows we watched the rain turn over to snow. It snowed all day and all night. And all day the next day -- my official 40th birthday! See? Birthday wishes do come true, so take them seriously. Driving to work, the interstate was the worst I have ever seen it. I called Alison and told her not to go to work. Alison called her boss, who invoked the "Powder Day Rule" and the two of them came to Stowe for the day with friends Patrick and Sarah. Work was like play, so I got to make a bunch of runs in unbelievable snow. All told, it was Vermont's 5th largest snowstorm ever -- and the biggest in March history. Happy Birthday to me! Anyway, then I went to Monday night hockey where many players seemed to have been scared off by the snow. However, although many weren't there to witness it, I scored what is known as a Birthday Hat Trick... that's right: 3 goals on one's birthday.

Moral of the story: for those who haven't turned yet, get psyched. 40 is the bomb!

New Era

Have you ever had the experience where, for example, you bring a raincoat, but it never rains?

That has been my experience after purchasing and installing (with much assistance from my neighbor Mark G, without whom I don't know how I'd survive!) an agressive set of tire chains on our plow truck. (The photo doesn't really do justice to the "teeth" on these things -- great for traction and for chopping up the solid snow and ice that can make a driveway treacherous!) With all the snow we have had this winter, it has been quite a struggle out here in backwoods Richmond! Alison and I are like homesteaders up here on our hill, digging out our woodpiles, shoveling our roof, and plowing our 800-foot-long driveway. And, although I do love all the snow (and hope for more), it had gotten the better of me; on a couple occasions I got the old plow truck stuck.

No more. I put those chains on and waited for more snow, but it never came. Until yesterday. A good 10-12 inches covered the driveway, and I was ready at 5AM today. I plowed that driveway so it's nice and wide. I pushed snow uphill and then backed the pickup into position for the next storm around the turn in the drive and to the top of the hill. Readers, be the first to know: it's a new era in snow removal in Richmond.

Backyard Ski Adventure

With the latest storm, backcountry ski season is definitely here. For today's adventure, I didn't venture far. I didn't drive and I didn't need to catch a ride. Where did I go, you wonder? I hit the ol' backyard!

Our house is situated in a nook surrounded by hills on three sides. And these hills are steep! The problem is that there is alot of fallen timber behind us, but I always figured if we got enough snow, there could be some quality turns back there.

Verdict: I was right!

Oscar and I went down the driveway and skinned our way up the "Peninsula" -- a small outcrop of a hill that juts out from the main geographic feature (and forms one side of the three surrounding the house). There was so much snow -- more, I think than in some of the higher Green Mountains (or maybe it was because I was breaking trail in this spot for the first time all season). At the ridge, we traversed a ways -- picking our way through fallen trees -- until we came to the line above our house.

The whole way, Oscar had to bound like a deer to get through the snow. And although he put more tracks in the snow than me, he made one thing clear: this dog loves the downhills! (For more on his downhill antics, click on the top photo. Yes, that's him airborne at the bottom of the pitch!) Anyway, for my part, I loved the whole adventure -- the up, the down, the views of the neighborhood, the views of our home, and especially starting and ending right here.

Photos: Left: Oscar breaking trail. Right: ski tracks.

Minus 24

You'd think the end of the world was coming. Radio DJs, newspapers, and TV news have been predicting it all week: freezing cold coming this weekend. They were giving advice on how to survive, what to do and not to do, alternatives to being outside, and so forth. The last thing anyone would do after listening to the reports of gloom and doom this week would have been to venture out-of-doors.

Well, Ali and I had a rare day off together on Sunday, so despite the cold, we decided to go for a backcountry ski trip regardless. If it was too cold for us (or Oscar) we could turn around, right? Usually, the last thing I want to see at a trailhead is cars. But when we arrived to find about 13 cars at Sunday's packed little trailhead, I found myself glad. "Good," I thought. "There are other people out there in the world smart enough to find out for themselves rather than trust the media."

Imagine if we had listened? We'd have missed a beautiful trip in the woods, a wrong turn that enabled us to make some turns in a spot we'd never skied before, and Oscar bounding through the snow like a dog on a mission. Thanks to the media for being wrong so often I no longer listen. Nothing you say can scare me.

Musical Event of the Year

In the biggest musical event to hit Richmond in all of 2011 (so far), folk meets soul as Mark Aiken and Leon Walls join forces at Richmond's best nightspot On the Rise Bakery.

Wednesday, January 19 at On the Rise. Don't miss it!

Holiday Traditions

When I was 19 years old, I participated in a boot hockey game on Christmas Eve morning. Every Christmas Eve since, that game has been held on the beautiful Bahrenburg pond -- 20 years. Holiday traditions are special, aren't they? Traditions that emphasize family, giving, and holiday celebration. This particular tradition -- just as special in my opinion -- is all about friends, the outdoors, and that sacred winter activity known as hockey. I guarantee that everyone on the pond yesterday feels the same as me -- that our annual Boot League is one of the most special of winter traditions.

Happy Holidays everyone!

One Last Bit of Summer

In an effort to get one last bit of summer before the long, cold Vermont winter, Alison and I went to Mexico this fall! You may think this is old news, because we went at the end of November. But such is the way it goes in AikenAction Land; I'm a bit behind on my reporting!

The nice thing is that we missed a rainy Vermont week right before the snow started falling. We ran, rode bikes, snorkled, sat on the beach, and -- maybe best of all -- ate unbelievable food for 10 days. The food was a highlight because it was so good! Everything we ordered at restaurants was totally fresh. We bought a lot of fresh food -- corn tortillas made that day at the tortillaria, fresh snapper at the pescatoria, veggies at the vegetable stand, and so forth -- and cooked several great meals at home.

Have you ever had corn tortillas from an American grocery store? They are dry and crumbly... because they're just not fresh. And that has always frustrated me. The only thing they're good for is my famous enchilada casserole (a topic for a future post) -- not for tacos or anything like that. But we went to one restaurant in Tulum -- La Lorena -- where I asked the owner to show me how they make tortillas. Then I went straight to the hardware store and bought a tortilla press to bring home. Which has begun a new era in Mexican cooking here in Richmond. Fresh corn tortillas are the bomb!

We met Rob and Amy French down there, which made the trip even more amazing than it already was. While there, Rob tested every flavor of hot sauce available on the Yucatan, thereby receiving the "Hot Sauce Award" (see photo of trophy. This particular trophy is an heirloom and will most likely be cherished by him for years to come. Congratulations Rob. (For more background info on the trophy, click here.)

And now that I have this tropical fix out of my system, let's get on with Winter!