Summer arrived Sunday and we set out with The Dube’ boys ( Stephen, Ijaeda & Tully) and Amanda to hike Mt Abraham on the Long Trail in Warren. The Dube’s are newly moved to Worcester, living over on Norton Rd in the house Margret & Dan occupied with Tajira and Jesse before the former packed up for Michigan and Tajira & Jesse moved up to Hancock Brook to join Murphy’s compound.
We hiked Mt Mansfield at this time last year with the Dube’s as wellas spent a week in Maine with them but we haven’t seen much of them in the past year. No skiing with them this past Winter, no skiing at all in fact for Jakobi & Me. This hike was only 2.6 miles one way to the summit. A warm up for our 3 day Long Trail hike with the Laxler-Lourie’s next week.
The trail skirted a steep ravine and wound up the western flank Battell Ridge throug hemlock before gaining the saddle covered with small spruce exclusively.
Big rocks wefre all along the trail and sometimes WERE the trail especially as we entered the srtic alpine zone. There were Covid19 guidelines for passing other hikers and the parking lot was full with lots of out of state plates; we saw cars NJ, NH, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine. The trail did not seem crowded. We passed other samll grous of hikers none of us wearing masks but maintaining social distance except for short quick breath-holding pass-bys.
It was a beautiful view in all direction once we reached the summit. Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks to the West, towering cumulus clouds all around and a shower passing over the mountain range to the East.
There was only a few other groups on the summit as we paused to savor the view, imbibe some lunch and rest and relax after the exertion of our climb. The sun felt good, lunch tasetd great, water was quaffed and soon the desire to immerse ourselves in water manifested and we headed down the kids soon out of sight and long gone reaching the trailhead a full 1/2 hour before us big kids.
swimming hole after hike…
We tried Warren Falls but the parking lot was over flowing so we backtracked a few miles North along Rt. 100 to Bobbin Falls and found a sweet swimming hole above the old mill.
First time here and another sweet swimming hole to add to the ones we have accessible to us here in Central Vermont. Two falls one could stand under and get thrummed by the cascade/
The kids were off and out of sight once again exploring pools both above and below the ones we soaked in. Ambiana, Jakobi, Ijaeda and Tully were happy to be together agian and made the most of the time they had together. We ended the day with a early evening pizza gelato feast at a picnic table on the State House Lawn in Mont-P.
treehouse update
Got my weekend work in on the tree house finishing the East Interior Walls with 3/4″ pine shiplap. Just have the big open 2 story space to plank up now then we can get the windows and doors in and begin on the exterior
Kansas
Download Kansas’ Discography this past week. I was a big Kansas fan from 1976 though my Senior Year in H.S. Leftoverture was the 1st album I truly bought. My mom had given me the Hotel California album for a birthday present the year before but I had asked the single and thus was inadvertently introduced to the L.P. I first heard Leftoverture in Greenwich CT while we were visiting The Hayses Family whose mother was my Mom’s roommate on Beacon Hill in Boston in the ear;y 60’s. They had a son older than Chuck and Me and he had a stereo and a large record collection. He played lots of YES and Leftoverture which I knew I wanted the minute I heard it. When we got back home that summer I got the album though I don’t remember where I bought it. Probably Kmart.
I listened to the album a lot and listening now while working in the tree house I can sing along to the songs even though I haven’t heard them in 40 years. Point of Know Return came out soon after I bought Leftoverture and solidified Kansas as my favorite band. Not only were the songs good the album art was awesome. Kansas were soon to be supplanted as my favorite band by Van Halen, but for awhile Kansas Ruled (Chuck was into KISS).
When Monlolith came out in 1979 I was firmly in the Van Halen camp but I still bought the album. The Album Cover is a mash up of what were to become two of my favorite literary passions; Indians and Astronauts and the songs delivered but they were not as cool as Van Halen to my 14 year old sensibilities.
Audio-Visions was the last Kansas Album I bought. Steve Walsh left the band after this one and he was Kansas to me. In 1981 Kansas came to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and being 16 with a driver’s license and a permissive mom who not only let me go to concerts but let me drive my friends and me to Detroit to see concerts I got to see what was at the time on of my favorite bands LIVE. The show was great. I remember Steve Walsh did not look like a rock star. He was dressed in shorts and t-shirt and looked like some laid back jock rocking out on the piano. Audio-Visions was way more Rock then the previous albums, the Cover was not a great as the previous three but the music was solid and I enjoyed it. But Walsh left, they replaced them and the next album sucked and that was it for Kansas for me except for the occasional song on Classic Rock radio. I heard one last week and it prompted me to re-listen to these 4 albums which are as solid a 4 run of albums as any. Wikipedia informs me that Walsh rejoined the band in 1986 for 3 albums; Power- 1986, In the Spirit of Things- 1988 and Freaks of Nature – 1995. I am curious to hear them as well as listen to the first three Kansas Albums: Kansas- 1974, Masque and Song for America – both 1975.
