Mary prepares her bunker shot
from the front right sand trap on the 15th
green at Green Mountain National Golf Course. 

In the summer, it is tough to ask for a nicer day than today. We had an 8:50 tee time at Green Mountain National. The temperature was around 78 degrees, with a light wind and beautiful sunshine. Just perfect.

The course was set up nicely this morning, as this is the first day of the Ladies club championship at Green Mountain. The pins were generally in very receptive positions, with nice feed lines for approach shots. Of course, that did not help the game all that much, but it made the course a lot more fun to play.

If you can get away to Vermont for a few days this summer... with the weather we have had the last few days... now is the time!

Teddy Arbo rolls in an 8 foot par Putt
on the 18th hole at Green Mountain
while playing partners Ted Olencki
and Doc Humphries look on. 

Over the last 2 beautiful Vermont August days, the mens club championship played out at Green Mountain National golf course. For the second year in a row, Brian Albertazzi took the honors. Brian posted a 2 over par 174 from the tips, carding a 1 under 70 today during the final day of play. Congratulations Brian!

In the tournament fodder division of the event, I teamed up with Andy Reid on a little side match versus the two Ted's - Arbo and Olencki. I am happy to report that we had a great match, with Andy and I prevailing. Andy carded an 84 today. Teddy, the "Mayor" Arbo went around the links in 88. I finished at 94 (three horrendous holes on the back nine), and Ted Olencki, while providing moral support to "The Mayor", could not repeat yesterday's 88.

Overall, it was a great two day event. Special thanks to tournament organizer "Bobby" Peterson who set the course up for the tournament, and handled all of the scoring.

The ladies club championship at Green Mountain tee's off this Wednesday and Thursday. Carolyn Barbieri is the defending champion in the ladies event.

Killington Peak on a crisp summer day. 

A week in August in Killington can be a whole season in some parts of the planet. Last week when I was posting, we were very hot and humid. Now, although I am still wearing shorts, Mary has broken out the long pants and sweat shirts.

Over the last couple of days, the air has changed at Killington. This morning at 6:30 AM as she was preparing to go for her morning bike ride, Mary said that the temperature at the inn was 41 degrees. As she was biking by Woodward Reservoir, fog was rising from the water, the temperature difference was so great. For an even better perspective, compare today's picture versus the one taken for August 2nd. The difference in the haze on the mountain is just incredible. Today is just a bright, sunny, crisp August day. And that can only mean one thing.....

Fall is just around the corner.

Highline at Killington
Making it wider on skiers right. 

Another nice day to be in Vermont. Especially with everything else going on in the world today.

Mary and I took a little drive around town in the early afternoon. The most visible item on the horizon was a large plume of white smoke coming from just above the K1 base lodge up on the mountain. All jokes aside about Killington proclaiming a new pope (the smoke was very white), it turns out that it originated at a burn pile on the Highline ski trail.

As you can see from todays picture, the ski resort has been doing a fair amount of work on skiers right on Highline. Some trees have been cut down and the whole area has been graded out. It is now covered with straw to control erosion.

In addition, equipment was working on Highline in the area of the small trail, Interceptor, that runs behind the Killington Ski Club. In ski seasons past, access to this trail was very limited, as there was significant growth at the trail entrance on Highline. It looks like the resort is cleaning out this area to provide better access. We'll know this winter.

Room 3 - Shaker Room
Birch Ridge Inn 

Just a gorgeous, lazy summer day at Killington today. Temperatures got into the low 50's at the inn last night. Today, temps are in the high 70's this morning with a bright blue sky and low humidity. Just a beautiful day.

Yesterday, I had a chance to go out and play my normal Tuesday golf game. I did not do well, as my left ankle (the one I sprained early last winter) has been acting up. I have been going to physical therapy for about 6 weeks to strengthen the ankle. It now appears that as the muscles have been getting stronger, they are now causing some bone shifting in the ankle, giving me some (minor) mobility problems. The therapist taped up the ankle yesterday afternoon to try to adjust the bone and retrain it to it's correct position. This is one time that life is actually simpler in the winter. A ski boot immobilizes the ankle... where as a golf shoe is almost like walking barefoot by comparison.

Our summer projects around the inn are continuing. Mary has just finished redecorating room 3 at the inn, also know as the "Shaker" room. We added a small air conditioner to the room earlier in the summer. For this make over, the room has been totally repainted and a new ceiling border has been installed. It really came out nice.

One follow up from a story that ran earlier on the blog. Last Friday I reported that Peter Lynch had graduated at Green Mountain National and played the blue tees. In other news from the golf world, one from one of our past bartenders, Billy Mac, reported that our friend, Katharine Sweeney shot a legitimate 99 last Friday from the red tees at Rye Golf Club. This is her first sub 100 score at a legitimate golf course. Congratulations Katherine!

Aechmea Fasciata
Silver Vase Bromeliad Bromeliaceae 

A year or so ago, two guests who have become friends, Chuck and Jane, gave Mary several strange Brazilian plants to nurture, in exchange for a collection of Blue Iris. The plants, Aechmea Fasciata, also know as Silver Vase Bromeliad Bromeliaceae, in many ways resemble cacti. They have broad, rather prickly leaves, comprising one single stalk around 2 inches in diameter. The leaves and stalk form a vase like structure in the middle of the plant.

We have kept the plants in the owners quarters, where they have added some greenery to the surroundings. But this weekend, something different happened. One of the plants "flowered". The flower is a beautiful pink/orange color intermixed with what look like little blue flowers. The bloom is very unusual, looking more like something out of the old movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" than a traditional flower found in Vermont in the summer. At the same time, because it is so unusual, it is also very eye catching and interesting to look at.

If you want to see a larger picture of the flower, double click on the image and the blog will direct you to the pure picture. Enjoy.

Pete Lynch at the "blues"
on the 11th tee at Green Mountain National. Bob Luongo and Walter Lynnemayr look on. 

Today was graduation day for Pete Lynch. He finally stepped "back to the blues" at Green Mountain National.

Pete, who usually plays the white tees, found himself playing with a group of us this morning that normally go off the blues. At Green Mountain National, the white tees play to 5787 yards, while the blue tees are at 6176. The 389 yard difference may not seem like much, but it creates a lot of different situations for driving the ball into trouble on many holes.

Pete Lynch at the blue tees on the 16th tee a Green Mountain National

Pete had a very respectable round going through 16 holes, playing at slightly better than his handicap. However, tragedy struck on the tough par 3 17th and the long closing par 4 18th. In serious danger of braking 100 his first time out on the blues, Pete developed a severe case of the shanks, closing out the round at 107.

All in all, Pete did very well in his first attempt from the blues. Clearly, he will have many opportunities in the future to try them again.