Dublin Lake Club: The Daily Grind

I'm now about a month into my sailing instructor position at the Dublin Lake Club, across the street from our school, and everything is going quite well. Starting off, I didn't know my broad reach from my close-hauled, now I know how to rig a 420 and an Opti, sail both of them, and I can give some limited instruction to people who know less than I do. I work with two really nice individuals, Brenna and Andrew, who both know far more about the fine art of seamanship than I do, but they are quite patient in showing me the ropes, or lines, literally. Sailing brings out the best in people, and I've found that most sailors are quick to help and friendly with their advice. They try to initiate as many people into the sport as possible and it's about as inclusive as you could desire.

This shot above is the view from our sailing dock of the Club's beach. As you can tell by the glassy quality of the lake, we had no wind on this day, and I had a lot of time to take pics as nobody wanted to take out boats.

This is the sailing cabin that we spend a great deal of time in each day. Lessons are held inside for beginners, ages around 5-9, and intermediates, ages around 10-13, three days a week. We use the white board to demonstrate technique and then spend the better part of two hours letting the kids sail on the lake under our supervision. The little ones sail in Optis that are about impossible to capsize since they're largely bathtubs with sails.

This boat is a 420 and we use them for the intermediate program and for checking out to adult members of the club. The take both a jib (forward sail) and a main sheet and take about 10 minutes to rig if you know what you are doing. It's exciting to me that I knew nothing about putting sails on it about 4 weeks ago, and now I can rig one in my sleep and take it out to sail. I can't believe I get paid for this! I'll have some action sailing shots once we return in August, and most exciting---I get to take Erin out for our first sail together. I can't wait.

Our Blessed New Arrival

While Erin is off playing in Florida and Oregon, what was I supposed to do left all alone in Dublin? I had no choice to buy a new television. What you can't see---the rabbit ears off to the left where we are able to pick up one channel, ABC, in HD. Ugly Betty is even uglier in HD. You don't often see rabbit ears on a rig like this. (We're going to hook the cable up again when we get home in August---but it reminds me of a funny gag where a family was so poor that they bought their son a football for Christmas and promised to save up for the air the next year.)Most people convert to HD for sporting events, I was sold when I found out you can watch "Planet Earth" in HD where a cameraman trails a humpback whale underneath. That's like the Superbowl of nature programs!

Mr Asaro Comes To Dublin

Steve, my best friend, took time from his beautiful wife, Jen, and child, Allison, to come up and see where we've laid down roots. As you can tell, we had him go to Kimballs' for ice cream like my brother; however, he figured out the big ice cream trick and opted for a child size which he still couldn't finish. I also took him over to Fat Frank's to sample one of their fine dogs. I love the woman in the back. It's almost as if she's describing the size of the links. We had a hard time finishing our lunch after I also took him to the Peterboro Diner for pancakes. I know it sounds like we torture our guests by forcing one meal on them after another, but we really do more than eat. I swear.

Steve had never been to New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine, so we too day trips across two borders so he could check them off on his state quarters binder. :) This is a shot of us standing at a Revolutionary War era fort in Portsmouth Harbor and on the Maine side of the Piscataqua.

Eating a lobster in Maine was on my summer to-do list and Steve was more than happy to help me mark it off. We headed up the coast until we found this little resort town with a general store that sells lobster, steamers, and clams to tourists. The reason we picked this spot was an incredibly strong Noreaster blew in while we were driving on the coast with dual lightning strikes at time and we thought, "Um, maybe we should stop." I think we overpaid, but looking at the pictures, do you think it mattered? I think that was the 3rd lobster I've ever eaten out of the shell, and I do love; however, it's not something you want to do at lunchtime since your hands, your face, your breath and everything smells like the sea afterward. I've also found that a glass of wine helps drop my standards of how picky I am in looking for meat. One glass of wine and I'll bite the head open.
How can two of the biggest fans of our 41st president go to Maine and not visit Kennebunkport? Well, we did. This is the town that Soviet leader Putin ate lobsters with George W. for a week or so earlier this summer. We didn't run into Poppa Bush while we were driving through, but can you imagine the excitement if we did? He was my Commander-in-Chief in the Persian Gulf War! I'd pop a smart salute.
Steve used to sail in college at UF, so I took him out sailing on one of our 420s at the Dublin Lake Club. We switched off at the helm and had a fine tour of the lake. Steve mentioned that he was impressed by my summer office. Two salty sailors like ourselves were able to bring the boat out and back like pros and it really was quite a dream to go sailing together. I never would have imagined that as a possibility living in Tampa. Now I'm a sailing instructor and he's a dad. Life is good. This is a shot of Steve standing on our dining hall balcony at Dublin School. He was quite impressed with the local views and the abundance of nature, and said he can't wait to bring his wife and daughter up to see the sights. We can't wait to have them. It was a fantastic trip and so much fun to have Steve up here to visit and see our new life.

Morgan's Mail Call

Even pups need a letter to remind them that they are being missed. Erin sent this edible card to Morgan the other day while on her travels to Tally and Portland, Oregon.

We're Sorry for the Interruption

New posts will be up in the next week after we finish our move to Corner House at Dublin School. Erin and I are keeping busy organizing our new digs and I'll be back at the computer soon uploading new pics and coming up with droll text. Erin departs soon for Tampa, Tallahassee, and Oregon to spend time with her family, and I'll continue my post as 3rd mate at the Dublin Lake Club trying to teach kids to sail. We'll have pics of all of our latest outings soon.

Thank you so much to all of you who have written to say you enjoy the blog because it makes it worthwhile to keep it going. :)

This Blog is Suitable for All Audiences

A new site on the Net will rate your blog and give you a rating based on the number of naughty words you have. Here is the rating for GraniteStateStrangers:

Maybe we should work on earning a PG-13?

Sorry, Mel! or The Best Hot Dog We've Ever Eaten

In a little town in Vermont called Bellows Falls you will find the best hot dog you've ever eaten. "Fat Franks" is located on the Connecticut River which makes up the natural border between Vermont and New Hampshire and boasts an amazing selection of hot dogs, hamburgers, and homemade hand cut french fries. Growing up in Tampa, I always thought that Mel's had the best dogs you could possibly get but he could learn quite a bit from this joint. I had the Bellows Falls Dawg with sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, and onions on top with a fresh baked roll and a thick hot dog nestled inside. Erin had a cheesedog in the same great roll. The owner tells me all his franks come from a local butcher who does nothing else. You can actually stand at the counter and see the fries being cut and put on a tray ready to be fried. Sigh...I feel like going to get another as I write this. The picture below is of Erin crossing the street in Bellows Falls and you can see the extent of the town in the background. It never fails to surprise us how many hidden culinary gems you can find in this area. You can see their slogan in the picture, "The Wurst Place in Bellows Falls" Love it!

Morgan's Much Needed Vacation

Many of you have been asking, "What is happening with Morgan?", or "Does she ever get a vacation from the incredibly hard life she has of sitting on the bed, chasing balls on the quad, or keeping up with the business of squirrels and chipmunks in the backyard?" Well, we decided it was time for her to get away so we took her to a Vermont B&B called "The Paw House" (http://www.pawhouseinn.com/) that was designed especially for pups and their owners. Located in scenic Vermont (near the Killington/Okemo ski resort area), the Paw House was opened by a couple, Mitch and Jen, that were tired of leaving their dogs behind on vacation or having them treated poorly by innkeepers or in hotels that advertised as being dog friendly. The house is truly beautiful and was built by the grandson of Capt. John Smith, of Jamestown fame, with two floors and plenty of bedrooms and common areas. Each of the rooms are named after one of their dogs, or a famous dog like Rin-Tin-Tin, and include a human bed and a doggy bed for your canine pal.

This is the back of the house and our room was located right in the center on the top floor. There is a nice little porch in the back where you can have a glass of wine and watch your pup frolic in the grass.

In back of the Paw House is a huge field with a fenced-in playground with dog agility equipment. Morgan really enjoyed this backyard and would run directly to it whenever we left the house. We had her running up and down the ramp after tennis balls in just a few short hours.

This is the puppy playground from the rear of the property. The house is located near the Green Mountains and they make for a spectacular view while playing with your dog.
There is a short trail at the back of the property that provides exercise for you and your dog along with a small creek for them to cool off in.
Mitch and Jen have come up with some wonderful ideas that allow different owners and pets to spend quality time together and Mario's Playhouse has to be the best. This building has kennels for your dog to spend time in while you are eating breakfast or touring the local area. During the day they will look in on your dog or even provide training with or without your present. Morgan took each of her meals in her kennel and even had a bath in the nice tub they provide. The Playhouse also has a television that the dogs can "watch" Animal Planet on while they relax. Brilliant!

These were some of Morgan's kennel friends; however, she wasn't very friendly and barked at them. :) Oh well...
This is the lobby to enter the main house where owners remove their shoes and puppy paws are wiped off to keep everything neat and clean. All dogs are kept on leash when in the house and outside of the rooms so that there are not packs of dogs running through the house. The interior is spotless and you'd be hard pressed to find dog hair anywhere. We were really impressed at the balance of dog-friendliness and human comfort.



Two of the rooms are named after artwork by Stephen Huneck, a local artist, whom you should definitely check out if you love dogs at all. Huneck's art work is sharp and colorful with some great visual humor that hits home with anyone who shares a home with one of these wonderful creatures. Check out his book, "A Dog's Brain", and his website (http://www.dogmt.com/) and make sure to download his beautiful screensaver.




The pictures above are from the walk to our room, "Shakespeare's Retreat",and then some shots inside. The shots really don't do justice to how pretty and spacious the room was. You won't see all the bric-a-brac you see in your normal B&B, but you won't find me complaining about that. Everything is arranged for you and your pet's comfort and they succeed magnificently. Thankfully they had air in the room for the first night we stayed because New England had a heat wave and it was 95 degrees. (That's compared to the 65 degrees at the time of this writing.)

We had a wonderful time at the house and really enjoyed the staff and the service that they provided. The breakfast was quite good and it was a nice time to socialize with some of the wonderful staff (Will, Nathan, and Bethany.) It was disappointing that Mitch and Jen weren't there (they were going off on their own vacation)and no longer live in the house like they used to. It would have been great to meet some of the dogs the rooms were named after. A five-time returning couple told us they live down the road and regularly stop in to check on everyone, though. We would definitely recommend "The Paw House" and plan to book another vacation there after it snows since I want to sled down the big hill in the back with Morgan! :)

Happy 4th of July!

These shots are from the Dublin Lake Club's 4th of July Fireworks Show that happened on Sunday, July 1st. The fireworks were set off on a barge that was placed in the middle of the water and observers could see the beautiful 15 minute show from any vantage point around the lake. The shot at the top is from the actual dock we work on as sailing instructors. The boats are out of the water because our sailing dock was used as the fireworks barge. The docks are in an L-shape with the 420s, Optis, and our one Zodiac (like the Navy Seals use) moored to it. I actually played a part in the show since I now work at the club and was tasked with setting up one of the displays by putting the charges in the 3-inch tubes and then towing the barge out on to the water. I didn't know that regular people could be certified to set up shows like these and our Club president and another member are qualified to run the whole thing from the wiring, to the placement and then operating it on shore with a computer. It was quite a first day working at the Lake Club as sailing instructor. (Click on any of the shots to see the full picture.)