Humanity-Free

...That is how I am spending my New Year's Eve:

Junk food (Cheetos, pepperoni and Coca-Cola), several episodes of "Freaks and Geeks", and R.E.M.'s final cd, "Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage 1982-2011".

See you in 2012...

Christmas Day

I set my alarm for 8 am so I wouldn't sleep through the day. When I got up I fed Mr. Ween, made coffee (the always amazing Peet's Sumatra), and had a pear, scallops wrapped in bacon, and a few Christmas cookies for breakfast...

...and then I frittered the day away in front of the television, reading, and online, ignoring the world after a hectic holiday retail season. I used my $50 Amazon gift card for the following items:

• "Flight" Volume 4.
• "Flight" Volume 6.
• R.E.M.'s final compilation album.
• and the "Flyboys" DVD.

Christmas Eve

I got up at 5 am, worked 7 am to 4 pm, and after showering and wrapping the last few presents for my family, headed over to my parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner and the exchange of gifts.

Ma had made a small roast beef and a big ham, plus gravy and a big spread of chips, dips, fruits and vegetables. Sarah brought scallops wrapped in bacon and a variety of cookies and brownies she'd spent the day making. Dinner was a feast!

When it was time to exchange gifts, I am pleased to report that all of mine went over well with the recipients. Jared & Drew tore into their Lego sets immediately after all was done. Sarah & Jon were thrilled with their Gibbett Hill Grill gift certificate. Dad thought the chiller cubes (to keep the ice coffee cold, but not watered down) were a cool idea. And Kevin practically drooled over the 3 steaks I'd wrapped with his electric grill brush. Hayden's binoculars and Celia's canvases (and the twins' "Oz" graphic novel hardcovers) were received happily as well.

On my end, I received the following amazing gifts:

• a $30 gift card to Amazon from J & Stacie.
• a $50 gift card to Amazon from Dad & Ma.
• 3 bags of coffee (see photo) from Dad & Ma.
• a $30 gift card to Best Buy from Sarah & Jon.
• a $30 gift card to The 99 from Kevin & Holly.
• 3 pure 1 oz. bars of silver from my dad (to go with the one he gave all four kids decades ago).
• A book of Sting's lyrics from his Police and solo careers from Ma.
• A few candle holders and a bunch of Yankee Candle 'Fireside' tea lights.
• And amazingly, from Dad, an author's library edition of Mark Twain's "A Tramp Abroad" - signed by the author! How cool is that?

It was a great family evening of food and fun, and as always, over far too soon...

Mountain Quest 14: Gap Mountain

Today, after sitting around trying not to think about my sore throat, and how annoyed with myself I'd be if I didn't make the most of my one day off this week, I loaded my backpack and headed off to Troy, NH to climb Gap Mountain.

 I got to the parking lot at 2:45 and set off into the woods. Soon enough I passed a guy and his two dogs, and after that I never saw another human. The beginning of the hike was easy, a wide-open meander. Then at the stream I hooked up with the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and made my way to the summit. There were many cool features to the hike: there were small sets of stone staircases of 3-5 steps; wooden terrace-style steps; a steep rock scramble near the summit; and fog all day. When I got to the summit at 3:45 I felt like I was wandering over a grassy sand dune at a beach to get to the ocean. The view from the top, which is supposed to feature a spectacular vista including the mighty Mount Monadnock, was a blank wall of fog for 360 degrees.

I ate my apple and my almonds, took a few photos (including a trio of goofy Lego Star Wars ones), and then began my descent just as the rain began to mist all around me. I listened to music from Sidewalk, Vanessa Kafka, and Kristin Cifelli, making my way carefully down the cliffs, and then enjoying a dusk jaunt the rest of the way back to my car, where as soon as I got inside, the skies opened in a major downpour. The ol' Kenozoic luck with weather was in play once again!

Side note: I always enjoy the music part of my hikes (the descent during non-loop trail hikes), and I always feel inspired to rush home and practice my guitar playing, but by the time I get home and clean & fed and settled, I never fail to forget all about said inspiration until the next hike...