Ice dams ready to release from the back building at the Birch Ridge Inn, Killington.

Ice dams ready to release from the back building at the Birch Ridge Inn, Killington.

Public Service Announcement - Did you remember that Monday is Saint Valentine's day? Be a hero! Do something nice for the one you love. - End Public Service Announcement.

Over the last few days, I have done no skiing what so ever. But that does not mean I have not been having any fun.

On Thursday and Friday, I had the opportunity to be down in Boston, my old home town. I was invited to a wine tasting held by a wine importer to introduce the 2009 vintage of fine wines from Burgundy. (One of the fringe benefits of owning an inn with a nice restaurant.) The wines were in general in a word "Awesome". I sipped and spitted about 60 different white and red wines. I have some tough choices to make as my pre-orders are due the end of this coming week.

While in Boston, there were a number of things that peaked my curiosity. One was at the wine tasting. Several hundred people attended, mostly from upscale restaurants in the Boston metro area. I have never seen so many "suits" since moving to Vermont full time 14 years ago. When I got dressed Thursday morning in Vermont before driving to Boston, the though crossed my mind to put on a suit. The tasting was in the Boston Harbor Hotel, a very posh location in Boston. Instead I opted for a simple white button down shirt and a black sweater. My "uniform" was the second most popular outfit at the wine tasting, but it was easily outnumbered by suits 3 to 1. I am not sure what it means, but at least in Boston some people are dressing up for business functions.

I stayed in Boston in the Back Bay at the Lenox Hotel. It is a nice hotel, rated #1 for Boston by Trip Advisor. There are a couple of small inns in the Back Bay where I usually stay, but they were both booked. So I decided to go big, and see what ideas I could steal to apply back to our inn in Killington. What really struck me about the Lenox, and Boston in general, was how "busy" it was. If there is a recession anywhere, it did not seem to be in Boston. Hotel occupancies were up, stores were crowded (remember Valentines day shopping), and the restaurants and bars at night were jammed.

At night, I went over to Newbury Street to check out some restaurants. I first stopped at the Capital Grille. At 8:30, the wait at the bar was probably going to be 2 hours, so I slid down the street (Newbury Street still had huge snow banks from all the snow Boston has gotten this winter) to an old haunt I used to go to regularly years ago, Sonsie. A classic, bistro style, restaurant, Sonsie like the Capital Grille was packed. I signaled a bartender for a drink, and casually stood at the bar for over an hour before finally getting a seat. (again..where is the recession?) The bar was filled with 30-40 somethings. I was definitely on the old end of the age spectrum. I proved this with a brief exchange with a 30 something women beside me at the bar. She had her purse on the bar. I asked her to "move her pocket book", as my appetizer plate was pushed into its side (the bar was packed). She laughed and told me she had not heard anyone call a clutch a pocket book since her grand mother had died several years ago. I laughed and shot right back: "There is a reason the woman who cuts my hair calls my color arctic blonde". She laughed, moved her "clutch" and bought me a glass of wine. Score one for the old guy!

Friday morning, after some Valentine's day shopping, I drove back to Killington and to winter. Starting the drive in Boston the temperature was a balmy 30 degrees. By the time I crossed the Connecticut River in Lebanon New Hampshire, the car read a cool 18. A little light snow on Friday night and Saturday, and my journey back to the frozen north was complete. I dressed with a tie on Saturday night... but I could not bring myself to put back on a suit. I'll probably save that for Valentines day.

We will be getting back onto the slopes this week to report of conditions. In the mean time.......Let it snow!