Cookie Monster at the Sunup Bakery on the Killington Road. 

All around Killington, hay sculptures are being set up to pay homage to Vermont agriculture and the arrival of fall. The Killington Hay Festival, a product of the Killington Economic Development and Tourism Commission, is underway.

Around Killington, and up and down Route 4, there are 34 hay sculptures set up. Animals of all kinds, as well as characters of whimsy, are being created with some imagination out of bales of hay. A guide map to all of the sculptures and clues for the Hay Festival Scavenger Hunt are available at the office of the Killington Chamber of Commerce on Route 4.

If you visit Killington in the next few weeks, get your camera out and get your picture taken with your favorite hay sculpture. Life can be so simple some times.

The first trees to show fall colors - behind the Wobbly Barn at Killington. 

A beautiful stretch of nice late summer weather has descended over Killington just in time for Labor Day Weekend.

Cool temperatures had visited the area earlier in the week. There were actually a couple of days where I shed my summer shorts in favor of full length slacks. But not today. Temperatures at the inn are in the low 80's under a sky filled with puffy white clouds. Just a beautiful day.

Visitors to Killington this weekend will see the first signals that the season is changing. All around town, the usual "early" trees are starting to show their colors in the middle of a sea of green. For some reason each year the same trees change color several weeks ahead of the rest of the forest. Today's picture is from the front of the inn looking over the Wobbly Barn at one of the trees on Roaring Brook Road. Each year this tree signals the change of the seasons, even though the other trees around it are still in their summer plumage.

Where ever you may be this Labor Day weekend, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget you sun screen.

Birch Ridge Inn, Killington Vermont 

There is no doubt about it...Fall is in the air at Killington.

Over the last week, while daytime temperatures have climbed to the high 70's, and perhaps a low 80 if your are in the sun and sheltered from any breeze, nighttime temperatures are getting quite cold. Many nights have been in the high 30's at best. And the trees in the area are starting to take notice.

Of course it will be a while before things really begin to change. Around the inn, the trees which normally start to change colors early have begin. But the majority of the trees are still bright green.

Today I began the daily process of taking a picture of the inn to document the arrival of fall foliage in Killington. It will be interesting to see how everything unfolds in the next few weeks.

Sometimes life is just messy 

When we were walking back and forth from Deers Leap earlier this week, there were stretches of the trail where the mud was ankle deep. You just had to go with it... To go off the trail would do more damage to the surrounding terrain. And I was struck by how, even though we were having great fun on our hike, the mud was a parable about life. Because....

Sometimes no matter what you do
you are going to be all covered in goo.
Getting into the mud can be so much fun,
whether in a downpour or in bright sun,
but it's the way out that defines how the mud sticks.

I was saddened this week to hear of the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy. Being from Massachusetts, the Kennedy family takes on a different meaning than some other parts of the country. In my high school years, I met the senator several times. From debate society gatherings, to Archdiocese of Boston events, he was even then a living legend in the folk lore of the late 60's in Boston. In 1970, I had the honor of being appointed by the senator for a seat at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, I did not pass the entrance physical to be a pilot, so I never made the trip out west. But I can still remember the look of pride on the face of my mother when the telegram from Senator Kennedy's office arrived at the house in Arlington notifying me of the appointment.

For some unknown reason, I have had a song by 70's rock band Kansas rattling around in my head for the last few weeks. I'm not sure why; I must have run into it on a local radio station in the car while out of the inn or at the physical therapy office for my shoulder. The refrain is particularly poignant in light of Senator Kennedy's passing. It goes like this:

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more.

Where ever you may be, if you find yourself covered in mud...clean yourself up and keep on going!

On Deers Leap Overlook with Pico in the background 

It is hard to get a nicer day at Killington in the summer. The sky was a beautiful blue with thin, wispy clouds. Temperatures were in the mid 70's. Humidity was low. Air quality was great. A beautiful day to walk in the woods.

Normaly I would be walking around one of Killington's golf courses on a day like today. (I am starting to miss chasing the little white ball.) But in this season of shoulder rehab, a hike to the top of Deers Leap for a picnic lunch with Mary more than makes up for not being able to wack a Titleist through the Green Mountain National Forest.

We started the hike at the top of the Sherburne Pass at the Inn at Long Trail. The trail head for the Deers Leap Loop ends in a small parking lot just beside the inn. This years rain has caused quite a bit of erosion. There seemed to be a lot more rock rubble on the entrance hike than we have remembered from prior years. Mountain rains have cut some new gullies down the slopes, moving some very large rocks in the process. Even with all the water, and mud, the path was well laid out. Once over the initial boulders, it was a pretty clear hike all the way to the top.

In the next few weeks, temperatures at Killington will begin to go down. The trees are just starting to begin the annual ritual of shedding their green for a multi-colored coat. The Deers Leap Loop will only get prettier as summer changes to fall.

Where ever you may be get out and enjoy the final days of summer....and don't forget your sun screen!

killingtonblog.com Iphone webAPP icon 

Killingtonblog.com has a new format. Actually, a bunch of new formats. Through the marvels of computer science, and a fair amount of work, Killingtonblog.com will (should??) display well on your computer screen, your Iphone or Ipod Touch, and most other mobile phones.

I have been working on the Killingtonblog.com software for a few weeks. When I originally developed the site, I generated most of the software myself from scratch. Blogger and other sites were in their infancy and I wanted to get my site going. So off to write code I went.

When I first started the blog in 2005, devices like the Iphone had not been born. Most mobile phones had rudimentary web browsers at best. So the blog was originally optimized for a computer screen.

A lot has changed in 4 years. I use my Ipod Touch every day around the inn to read email and access websites. A huge percentage of our customers visit the inn with their Iphones or Blackberries in hand.

Since I have not been playing golf due to my shoulder injury, I have been studying how to convert all of my web sites to become mobile compatible. After all, you will probably be reading this site on a mobile device very soon. It should look good.

While I cannot confirm that it will work properly on all mobile phones (I can only simulate their performance with the software tools I have), I can say that it does work well on the Iphone/Ipod Touch family. If you want to add it to your home screen as a web app, you can hit the button in Mobile Safari at the bottom of the page and follow along with the dialog. It also appears to work well with Motorola Razr, Nokia, and LG simulators (when set for handheld screens). It works best on more modern phones, but even on some older models the simulator look pretty good.

Killingtonblog.com has also been tested on the desktop against Apple Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 8 and 6 (I skipped 7... if you are still on 6 it's time to upgrade). If you see anything funny in the process, drop me a line and let me know.

Hope you enjoy the new blog format. Where ever you may be, hit the ball straight, and don't forget your sun screen!

At the Lake House on Lake Bomoseen 

Is it over???

Vermont usually sees some warm days in the summer. (Thats why it's called summer!) But the high heat and humidity earlier this week was exceptional. But it's all gone for now. Strong storms moved through the area last night, clearing the air, and lowering the temperatures to a more reasonable level.

Of course the hot weather was a good excuse to take a road trip in Mary's 73 Mustang convertible. Earlier this week we took a ride out to Lake Bomoseen. The lake is located about halfway between Rutland Vermont and Glenns Falls New York. We had lunch by the water on the deck at the Lakehouse Pub. A nice breeze provided some natural "Vermont Air-Conditioning".

Summer of course will be around for a few more weeks in Killington. The cold front which brought relief to the area last night is threatening to become a warm front late this weekend. So we can expect a few more hot days before fall arrives.

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sun screen!