Husky Hugging in Maine

In early February I had the honor and pleasure of accompanying my friend Lidia on a mushing weekend. She was competing in a 30-mile race in Greenville, Maine, with her team of freight dogs (not the small Siberians but BIG dogs - 8 of them!). My starting assignment was to be the "husky hugger" but I was able to learn the routine of taking dogs in and out of the truck, feeding and caring, etc, so I was promoted to assistant handler :)
It was an all around great weekend meeting wonderful fellow mushers, getting to know Lidia's dogs, and learning more about her passion. And the 5-hour long trip each way was filled with conversation, yummy treats, and laughs.

The best part of the weekend was being trusted to take the dogs into the starting shute and hold them until "take-off" and then meeting them at the finish to lead them back to the truck. The photo above made it into the Bangor newspaper!

Here's the team crossing the finish line, ready to go another 30 miles!
Check out more photos and details at Lidia's mushing blog  Angels in Fur Coats

Where or Where Have I Been?

Whoa, a whole month has gone by with no news. Crashed laptop + major kitchen renovation + lots going on at work = no blogging. I got so used to the convenience of sitting at my kitchen counter to write that any other computing options (like the PC on the third floor loft) just didn't work for me. Still waiting on the laptop recovery, but will try to provide updates on my projects.

A major goal this year was to focus on the home, making it more soul-full and welcoming. Well, the kitchen re-do was a huge step in that direction. Out went the laminated cabinets and countertops, circa 1980, and in came beautiful natural oak cabinets and granite countertops. The new goes so well with the old we kept- lovely mexican tile backsplash, butcherblock peninsula and quarry tile floor. And I have tons more storage, pull out shelves, drawers galore - yahoo! I've been cooking up a storm with new and favorite recipes from Smitten Kitchen and Vegetarian Times websites.

It took 2.5 weeks from demolition to completion - no glitches, no major problems. Really good vibes in this heart of my home.