Trading Places!

At Sunday River, Sebino came in second for the team. On Saturday at Kent's Hill, Guido came in second for the team. Congratulations! Well done. Oh, one sad note: their friend Egan Roy broke his thumb skiing last week...

Guido is in the orange shirt to the right with the green face mask––Sebino to  Guido's left.
Remember: Click on photos to enlarge. 

Sebino in Hawaiian shirt... MVHS's theme of the day.  

Sebino prepping skis at the coach's

Goof balls.

Results for Kent's Hill

Remaining Race Schedule

Ski Area Climb and Local Mountains

We had heavy rain overnight on Saturday-Sunday. I headed up to Black Mountain to hike and then when I arrived home, the sun came shooting out from behind the clouds. I took these pictures of the local mountains up river from the second floor sports room at our home.

Half way up the mountain
Remember: Click on photos to enlarge. 

Black Mountain stream 

Chairlift through ice crystals. 

Locals call these mountains "The Three Sisters" although you can only see two

The Three Sisters

The mountain on the far left is called Mt. Zircon 

Ski Racers...

Ski racers...
Click photos to enlarge

The boys had fabulous first races at Sunday River yesterday. In the Giant Slalom race, Sebino came in 8th place and Guido placed 32. Many of the kids they competed against have trained and raced during our long winters for their whole lives. These results are truly spectacular. Tomorrow, the teams travel to Readfield, Maine, and will compete in slalom (gates are closer together) at Kent's Hill, a private school with a small racing hill. 

The White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

Girls' Team

Falcon girls and boys at Sunday River

Coach Todd Papiano. He and his wife, Karen, are enthusiastic
supporters of kids and outdoor activities.  

Race results

Sebino celebrating

New race jackets for Mountain Valley HS skiers

This morning's sunrise. We're expecting storms on Saturday night and Sunday. 

Long-time ski racer, Bailey Tuckerman Kent,
retired from ski racing several years ago. 

Skiing along the Androscoggin River

Wooded section along the Androscoggin River

Just across our street, Prospect Avenue, and US Route 2, is the Androscoggin River. The area is convenient and a beautiful place to snowmobile and ski. You'll remember that we had ice jams earlier in the winter. Now, the river remains a jigsaw of ice chunks, but the water is traveling safely beneath the ice so there's no more flooding. The chunks of ice won't allow snowmobilers or cross-country skiers to cross. Maybe later in the winter when we get a few more feet of snow. Nevertheless, snowmobile trails that serve as ski trails parallel the river. Here are a few photos of our ski yesterday in a light snow that we call flurries.

Our ski route

"Let's keep going!"

Wooden section 

In this photo you can see some of the smaller ice chunks

Our neighborhood from the river trail. Our new neighbors, Brent and Peter,
have an art studio and are working furiously on the old house. Soon it'll be a bed and breakfast
combined with the art studio. They moved here from Rhode Island and bought the old home for
around $50,000. 

Our home (green top)

Mt Zircon in the distance

Looking up through the fields

Throughout Maine there are thousands of miles of well-marked snowmobile trails. 

Looking down toward the South Rumford Bridge

South Rumford Bridge

Old guy and dog... someone's waiting for a treat.

Home... 

Until this summer, my friends.

Noemi, Jose, Sofia, and Felipe headed back to Leon, Mexico yesterday after 10 days in America.  Little Jose loved skiing in the Sunday River ski school with kids his own age and a fun instructor. His English improved and now he's convinced that he wants to attend Camp Kawanhee in Weld this coming summer. The camp is 1 mile from our lake houses. That'll be an adventure for him and for the whole family. Sofia is geared up to attend university and then plans to study abroad at schools like Stanford University. What a fabulous opportunity for her. Noemi and Jose continue to reinvent their business with 3 branches: Sato restaurants, Itacate food brands, and Sushitai restaurants. They have 400 employees; these two dedicated and hardworking entrepreneurs continue reinventing themselves and their business.

See you this summer, my friends!

Welcome home, my friend

Jose, 1985
This post is a repeat of what is on Facebook when Jose and family arrived in Rumford

Reason #2 for hosting exchange students: they return. Thirty-five years ago Jose Felipe Ytuarte Nunez arrived in Rumford answering every question for the first 24 hours with "Si." He made a slew of friends, played soccer for the Panthers, saw snow for the first time, and learned to ski race. He also lugged 8 cord of wood into the house with his host brother Allen...and we were still cold that winter! Now, Jose returns to Maine almost yearly with his beautiful family, Noemi, Sofia, and Felipe. They love Rumford and the western mountains of Maine... Welcome home, Jose!

Guanajuato City

The Deluxe Diner: Rumford's Greasy Spoon

Click on picture to read article. 

Rumford's Deluxe Diner is Maine's oldest. In a small railroad car near Rumford's town center, you'll find this little restaurant with 16 seats. Millworkers like why father used to stop by before and after work for a bite to eat. Click on the photograph above to read the diner's story in one of our state's fine periodicals called Downeast Magazine. To visit the diner's Facebook page, click here.

Guido on TV

This morning, Connie wrote to say that she'd seen Guido on a Maine television news show. The clip was a discussion about ski conditions in Maine. Then, lo and behold, up pops Guido and the photo from Black Mountain of Maine. And yes, Mom and Dad, he landed the jump. :-)

Guido, our star. 

It's a bird, it's a plane... no it's Guido, the Spanish ski master

This photo of Guido is featured on Black Mountain of Maine's website this afternoon. He's not holding his ski poles correctly so he can reach up and grab his skis. Mom and Dad, if you don't like his technique, you know who to call!

Guido in the terrain park at Black Mountain of Maine

Thirty-five years later

Jose Lugging Wood in the Fall of 1985

Reason #2 for hosting exchange students: they return. Thirty-five years ago Jose Felipe Ytuarte Nunez arrived in Rumford answering every question for the first 24 hours with "Si." He made a slew of friends, played soccer for the Panthers, saw snow for the first time, and learned to ski race. He also lugged 8 cord of wood into the house with his host brother Allen...and we were still cold that winter! Now, Jose returns to Maine almost yearly with his beautiful family, Noemi, Sofia, and Felipe. They love Rumford and the western mountains of Maine... Welcome home, Jose!

Visiting Guanajuato City in Mexico a few years back