Back in the Country

It's never a good commentary on a winter when posts are going up in February about the first foray into the backcountry. But that's the state of affairs around here... but what the heck: we're only a month behind schedule. Last year -- a record-breaker -- we got out there on January 1st, and we couldn't believe it. I'm not saying today was quite like January 1, 2011, but it was nice to get out.

One person who was happy to be out there wasn't a person at all. Our yellow lab Oscar has been dying for this moment. Yes, he's been getting his exercise -- I have been running with him more than ever before. And while he does enjoy running, above all, he is a ski-dog. You want to see a dog having the time of his life? Check out Oscar in the woods in wintertime.

Speaking of dogs, snow, and winter, today was full of firsts: it was Gladys' first backcountry ski trip. Don't get me wrong; we didn't ski anything steep, nor did we go far. There wasn't much snow on the ground, and it hadn't snowed in a week. But it was a good introduction, and she shows all the signs of taking to our favorite (behind hockey, of course) winter pastime.

Meanwhile, we were joined by Alison, who also showed signs of loving being on skis out in the woods of Vermont. It was a beautiful day out there, there's snow in the forecast, and we are all geared up and warmed up for the remainder of winter. Bring it on, Old Man!

Post Super Bowl

Congrats on an incredible season. I'm proud to be a Patriots fan. That's right... give them the game-winning score so that we have time to be in a position to win.

Can't wait till next season. Go Pats!

Dear Tim Thomas,

As a Bruins fan, let me help clear up some confusion for you: this is ice hockey, not politics.

Next time, go to the flippin' White House with your teammates.

Now let's get back to playing hockey. Sheesh!

Championship December

There's only one thing better than ushering in a new year with a championship... and that's ushering it in with TWO championships!


Championship #1: Team in Training Fantasy Football League. This year, when the Green Bay Packers went public and sold shares of their team, I didn't even consider buying. Why not? Because I already own a football team -- a fantasy team. Although I have never made the playoffs before, this year felt different. In the middle of the season, my team (known as Team PBR) went on a torrid 6-game winning streak, propelling me into the playoffs. The playoffs weren't easy, as I had to face Team Victorious Secret and Team Nino, our league's two-time defending champion. When the dust settled, however, Team PBR defied all the odds to emerge as champion.

Championship #2: Annual Bahrenburg Boot League. Three times in the last 20, our annual boot hockey game on the Bahrenburg pond in Colchester faced extreme adversity: even in Vermont the pond did not freeze. Did that hold us back? Not in the least; we simply rented the patch ice at Leddy Park and held our tournament there. Location wasn't the only adversity my team faced. Playing against the old guys (starring David and Buck Bahrenburg... I know, tough times when those are your team's stars) and the up-and-coming young guys (featuring the three-brother-combo of Pete, Drew, and Karl), our team lost our first 3 games. Still, our rag-tag team came back to earn the honor of sipping from the silver cup. Victory, I will add, tasted strikingly similar to Pabst Blue Ribbon -- not surprising, given the empty PBR cans seen scattered on the ground around the trophy.

2011 was a great year -- made even better with two hard-earned victories. And what a way to bring in 2012 -- I know this year is going to be great.

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!

Amelia Obuchowski 1926-2011

Back when CDs and CD players first came out, we got our first player and 3 CDs: the Beatles' Rubber Soul, Greatest Hits by the Who, and Wham! There was one other CD -- a collection of old-time big band numbers called Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

I only recall Herb being played once -- on a late summer afternoon at our camp in North Hero. I was outside on the deck when the music came on and I heard some sort of commotion in the living room. I moved towards the screen door to see what it was: my Uncle John and Aunt Amelia Obuchowski were dancing in the living room. Uncle John had his stern, but happy face on -- sort of like the straight man in a comedy act -- while Aunt Amelia kept looking towards me and grinning like she was having the time of her life.

And rightly so -- there she was on vacation on a beautiful summer day being twirled around by her husband of more than 50 years. We were all having the times of our lives. I will always treasure the memories of the weeks they spent at the Camp -- pretty much every summer. Uncle John came for the fishing; Aunt Amelia came to relax on the deck and to make shopping trips to Burlington. Even though they were on vacation, they never missed the Saturday Catholic mass, which they attended at St Rose of Lima in Keeler Bay.

Uncle John and Aunt Amelia were the kind of relatives everyone should have. In high school I would stay with them during the first weekend of deer season and hunt with Paul. My dad loved talking politics with Amelia until his polar opposite views from hers got her overly worked up -- and then he'd hand her a chocolate bar to help her pulse get back to normal. After her sister (my grandmother) lost her husband, Amelia made it a habit to visit every Sunday for 50 years (see photo of sister Adeline, Amelia second from left, and sisters Grammy Caroline and Jenny on one of these visits). She has three great kids and amazing grandkids, the youngest of whom celebrated their first birthday two weeks ago -- with Amelia in attendance. It was a fun party, and, as usual, she was all smiles.

Aunt Amelia's last three years were difficult. When Uncle John died in 2008, I know that she missed him. Who wouldn't? She lived alone in a big house for all of that time without her partner for life. Amelia wasn't tall but it took tremendous strength for her to get up each morning and face a day without him. Wherever she is now, I know she is with him, and I am proud of the courage she showed these last years.

My Aunt Amelia modeled how to treat others, to enjoy life, and to maintain a positive attitude when the chips are down. It's an example that we will all remember.

Farewell to a Good Friend

I have never been a cat person. But one of the very few cats I ever liked was Scout. Our friendship might have been spurred along in the early going by the fact that he belonged to the cute redhead I was dating. But my relationship with Scout eventually evolved from "having an understanding" to being friends.

We laid Scout McKain to rest this morning in the fields in front of our home. Scout, a white and orange barn cat and the most senior pet in our household, was an indoor cat until he moved to this house in Richmond. From then on, he passed hours in these fields chasing mice -- and entire days gazing across them from windowsills.

All of our pets visited Scouts in his final hours -- something Alison and I were unable to do; Scout passed while we were away on vacation. No doubt the one who will miss him the most is Ali. Ali and Scout were teammates and friends for the last 15 years. They lived together in at least 8 houses in a minimum of 5 towns and 3 states. She grew up with Scout -- another reason he and I became friends. He paved the way for three more pets in our household. He was a top-rate mouser even in his final days.

I have enjoyed hearing about all of Alison and Scout's adventures together, and I will always remember him as a good cat and a great friend.

Thanks for 15 great years, Scout. We will miss you.