Teenaged Boys & Gas

It's a warm, late winter's night in Rumford. I'm watching the news downstairs and hear the furnace come on to heat the house. We were also running the pellet stove for heat, so the oil furnace grinding away in the basement didn't make sense.

I walk upstairs and discover the boys in their room, door closed, windows wide open, and the heat registers churning away.

"What's up?" I ask. "You're heating the outdoors."

"It smells in here," says one.

The other rolls his eyes.

I turn off the heat. The boys close the windows while I find two scented candles to take care of the sulfur smell. I'll be sure to put the candles away before bedtime.

The backstory: we ate at Rumford House of Pizza tonight.  

Big Storm Ahead

Happy with his Coco Puffs cereal...

Sebino is in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher while Guido shovels down cereal. Bailey is barking at all of us while the weather online shows the potential of what could be the biggest storm of the year.

After dropping the boys off at school (Connie is at church this morning), I went to the supermarket to get Snow Day Food, including Chocolate Brownie mix, frozen pizza, Ramen (ugh), popcorn...

Rumford is to the right of "Berlin" near the Route 2 sign. We may get hammered! 

That Spring Feeling

Spring Sunshine in February

Yesterday, we hit 51 degrees F. What a day. The boys sat out on the back deck in the sunshine after school and Bailey and I climbed Black Mountain since it was closed. Lucky us. On Thursday, we expecting one foot of snow. Lucky us.

Allegash Trail at Black Mountain

Enjoying the sunshine. 

One of Black Mountain's Glades

Glades

My Blue

Loving the sunshine 

Post-hike Rest

Sunday River

Sebino Backcountry Skiing

Sorry, Mom and Dad... this video may make you nervous. Below the video are photographs that my cousin Ian took earlier 

this week when he skinned up (climbed on skis) 

Black Mountain and Whitecap and skied down both. 

The wooded ski trails are called glades. 

This Saturday in February: Outdoor Adventures

Guido and Ivan skating with friends in Ivan's hometown

This Saturday, Guido is visiting Ivan in Gray-New Gloucester and this afternoon they went skiing. Bailey and I did a hike on Red Hill that overlooks Sunday River and Whitecap Mountains. And Sebino wins the outdoor adventure as he went backcountry skiing with the husband and wife ski coaches, Karen Wilson and Todd Papianou. Oh, Bailey and I then took out The Rig on a short road trip to charge up the batteries and exercise the generator. Not really an adventure, but part of the day, like paying bills and cleaning my home office desk tonight....

Sebino on Whitecap

Papianou resting. 

Skiing off the snowfields on Whitecap 

Karen and Sebino

Sebino

Paps and Sebino 

The Papianou Family--Madison landed in the Top Ten of the State Ski Meet!  

Climbing to Whitecap's summit

Summit of Whitecap

Sunday River from my hike on Red Hill

Mt Blue in Weld from my hike on Red Hill

Bailey on Red Hill waiting for instructions (i.e., treats). 

Whitecap where Sebino and the Papianou's are skiing. 

Close-up of Whitecap from Red Hill 

Took The Rig out for an hour's drive to exercise
the generator and charge the batteries (l) 

Bailey in his co-pilot's position in The Rig 

Fun and games... paying bills on Saturday night. 

Cleaning the home office desk 

State Ski Meet

State of Maine Giant Slalom Course Class B

Sebino scored first for the team and in the top 30 racers of the Giant Slalom race with 83 racers. An excellent result for a guy who had never raced before coming to Rumford. Guido had a solid second run but in his first time down the race course he caught an edge and wiped out. He's fine but disappointed.  After spending 5 days in bed with the flu and a cold, Guido's performance is quite impressive.

Guido GS Race

Guido GS Race

Sebino GS Race

Sebino GS Race

The Lodge 

The Falcons after the race

It's cold out there! 

Ski Race Training for the State Championships

Go Falcons!

Mariska is up at the ski area and took these videos of the boys as they practice for tomorrow's State Championship race. 

Today is Guido's first day on the ski slopes in one week! 
Click the square in the bottom right-hand corner of the video screen to enlarge the video. 

GUIDO TRAINING

SEBINO TRAINING

Welcome, Mariska! Get better, Guido!

Welcome, Mariska! 

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging. We've had a wild week with Guido being sick with the flu and a wonderful visit from Sebino's mom, Mariska.

Guido is better, although he does a have a deep cold in his chest. Mariska and Sebino have been skiing. The first night we attended a gathering in Portland, Maine, of Greenheart exchange students. We met Guido's brother Ivan and I met former students of mine, Katie and Craig Dickson and their five children and two exchange students!

On the first day of Mariska's visit, we attended a kitchen party celebrating Connie and Ben's new kitchen with her kids and many of Connie and Ben's friends and family members. Great food and fun conversations but someone failed to take pictures! :-(

Here are a collage of pictures of a little of everything over the past week. Oh, and this week is the State Championships of Skiing at Black Mountain. Unfortunately, Guido may not be able to compete because of his slow recovery.

Greenheart Conference

Ivan at the Greenheart Conference

:-) I'm very sorry about this "music." :-)

Mom and son at Black Mountain

Bailey gets Barney the Dutch Bone from Mariska

Welcoming Mariska: Dinner with a few of Sebino and Guido's friends

Greenheart Conference Display

Greenheart Conference Display

Guido and Sebino out on a walk with Mariska. 

Visiting the high school

First night in Portland

Dr. Kent's medicine notes on Guido the Patient

Page 2

Tayana (Brazil) visiting 

Sebino at the ski lodge

On the ski lift with Tyana

Sweets from Sebino's grandmother.

Guido finally eating food... and coughing