Loon Mountain

His name was Bob. He was a friend from work. Charismatic and fun, people gravitated to him. He told me he had been on the ski patrol at a couple of places. I knew he had a tendency to embellish things, but I more or less took it for granted that he would be a good skier.

We took a Wednesday off from work and headed to Loon Mountain in Northern New Hampshire. The place was empty, and we flew down the trails with no interference from other skiers. I was on Head 360s in those days. They were about 200cc long and built up a lot of speed as I went down the trail. I was comfortable at high speeds and was enjoying the cold wind, smell of pine, and sense of falling through gravity.

At one point I came around a corner and saw a hat. Further down, poles, and finally a crumpled skier. Bob was OK, but this was the first of numerous falls. His skiing wasn't bad, but he couldn't handle the turns at high speeds. I hoped he would slow down, but he was a stubborn guy, who kept pushing himself. We never stopped for lunch.

It had been a great ski day for me. Later Vicki, Bob, and I skied Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt. Washington. Those were good days of stout-hearted fellowship, fast skis, and alpine adventure.

Hancock, New Hampshire

If you would like to visit a classic New England town, think about a trip to Hancock, New Hampshire next time you are in the Boston area. An hour and a half by car, Hancock is located 9 miles from better known Peterborough. You might be asking at this point, why visit this town rather than one of the hundreds of others that are spread out across the New England countryside? Indeed there may be other towns as quaint and scenic as Hancock, but this author doesn't know any! 

Hancock is a small town of several hundred people. It has a historic inn, its own small lake, and many tasteful colonial style homes separated by rolling fields and winding stone walls. Woods sprinkled with small ponds surround Hancock. There is a small general store in the middle of town, where one can buy food and rent videos. The people are friendly, but distant, as New Englanders are prone to be. There are trails to hike, historic places to visit, and for the ambitious, Mt. Monadnock, Southern New Hampshire's tallest mountain, is a short drive away. 

To B or not to B

In recent years Bed and Breakfast places have been popular way stations for the traveling set. Frequently housed in old, historic buildings in scenic places, B and Bs with their scones and quiches often seem “precious”. They offer weary travelers the company of fellow journeyman and jovial inn keepers. 

Though they may have much to offer, I am very ambivalent about these places. They can be fun and relaxing, but too often I find them confining and without the amenities I enjoy. Tea and scones and Sherry are nice, but how about a good single malt? Have you ever seen an elevator in a B&B? After a hard day on the road, I like my space and privacy. I like to watch CNN in my room, not in a living room with overstuffed furniture. It’s a pain to unlock the front door at night. I like a concierge service that works 24-7. There is something about the impersonality of a big hotel that is freeing. It is also nice to be able to buy a paper in the lobby. 

Band Bs are not cheap. They are often cold and drafty, and sometimes you don’t even get your own bathroom! Such flaws wouldn’t be tolerated at a Marriot or Hilton, but B&BS are selling ambiance I suppose. I stayed in one recently in Port Townsend, Washington. The proprietor was very nice, and I felt guilty for not resonating more with the place. It was decorated with many antiques, and after a short time I had the feeling that I often have in such places, namely that I was staying in a museum, and that I shouldn’t disturb anything. I was an interloper, and the real residents were the tables, and chairs, and fine lamps. The building was obviously fashionable in the late 1800s, but I noted to myself that people didn’t build houses like this anymore, and there was a reason they didn’t! 

The Man in Black

The Man in Black

Las Vegas as usual was steaming. It was the winter of 1962, and I was on a leave of absence from college to “find myself”. I didn’t think I was in Las Vegas, but I thought it might be an interesting adventure to spend a few weeks there.

I got a night job working as a busboy, so my days were clear. I discovered that Johnny Cash was playing in a local casino. I had been a fan of Johnny’s for a long time, and I   remembered fondly songs like “Jackson” and “Fever”. I went to the lounge early, and gradually more and more people came. There seemed to be mostly locals, people who liked cowboy music.

The Tennessee Three, Johnny’s musicians, came out first and played a few songs. Johnny then entered the small stage, but there were problems. He stumbled around and tried to sing, but it wasn’t going to work. He was reported to have a “speed” problem, and that appeared to be the case. Finally one of the Tennessee Three said Johnny was ill, and he wouldn’t be able to continue.

In the late sixties, I heard that John found religion and June Carter. I am not sure of the order, but June became a key figure in Johnny’s life. Not only was she a wonderful person, but she brought her famous singing family to the marriage. A tight-knit group, the Carter family, which consisted of Mother Maybelle, Anita, and Helen, probably gave Johnny the base of caring and security he had always lacked. Having grown up the son of poor cotton pickers, Johnny had not had an easy childhood. 

Over the years Johnny became a highly productive and popular entertainer. He was an icon of sorts, singing in his signature black outfit, championing the cause of the downtrodden. His renditions of gospel songs like “That Old Rugged Cross” and “Rock of Ages” have become Country classics. He sang with Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and of course his own family, the talented Carters. Johnny’s career ebbed and flowed as the public’s taste changed. However, he seemed to stay in peoples’ consciousness more than many singers. He was rediscovered by a Hollywood rock producer in recent years, and his career took off again. 

                                                                                

Not long ago June Carter Cash died. She had been ill, but she kept the extent of her health problems from many. John, in poor health himself, never recovered from his loss, and he too died not long after his wife. The greats of country music came to his funeral and paid musical tribute to him. Later his estate was auctioned off, and Johnny’s personal effects brought in millions of more dollars than anyone thought possible. 

One of Johnny’s best gospel songs is, “Peace in the Valley”. His life was not easy, and his music like that of Ray Charles has a haunting, soulful quality to it. Over the years Johnny Cash’s music making touched many people, young and old, rich and poor. People from the city listened to him as did the farmers in Alabama, Arkansas, and Missouri. He was a champion of cowpunchers in Montana and Wyoming, and he gave hope to the down and out in prisons across the land. The journey of his life from a poor cotton farmer to a TV star was inspiring. Through it, Johnny Cash seemed to remain connected to his roots and the people who were important to him. He appeared most content when he sang the spiritual songs of his childhood. Indeed, may there be peace in the valley. 

  

Massachusetts in December

winter's wind across the black ice,
the sound of steel skates,
As the sun fades beyond the hill,
where the pines live in quiet dignity.

the walk up the hill is in the dark,
by a frozen stream,
under a light pole of wood,
Christmas lights shine in the distance.

The Hate You Give

I recently saw this movie at Cineopolis in Del Mar. It tells the story of an African American high school student caught between two diverse cultures, that of her private school and that of her crime-ridden neighborhood. Her childhood friend is shot by an anxious policeman in her presence, thus creating an outpouring of rage from her community. In the midst of all this, the heroine is trying to grow up and navigate a relationship with her Caucasian boyfriend. The movie could be stereotypical, but it is not due to the outstanding performance by the lead, Amandala Stenberg.

In light of what is going on in our country, this is an important movie to see.

Maine Stories

Stories from the road
October 15, 2018
Brookline Village, Mass.

East Boothbay Harbor is as scenic as a Wyeth painting. We traveled there on our trip back to Boston. There were some beautiful homes on a winding road overlooking rocky inlets. The combination of cold weather, foliage, and low tide made for good viewing. Maine is such an interesting place and worth a lengthy visit.

I somehow ended up reading about Charlotte Fox today. She survived Everest in 1996 and was featured in Jon Krakauer’s book, “Into Thin Air. “A ski patroller for many years in Aspen, she actually rescued a friend of mine who jumped into a shoot and broke his ankle at the Snowmass Ski area many years ago.

She is best known for the Everest expedition, but she climbed numerous 8000-meter peaks, many which were more difficult than Mt. Everest. She was a bigger than life person, who lived in Telluride, Colorado. Known for her generosity, strength, and loyalty, Charlotte had known much tragedy, having lost a companion to a mountaineering accident and a husband to a paragliding crash.

At age 61 Charlotte was planning one more mountaineering expedition when after a dinner party, she fell over a balcony in her home to a landing thirty-five feet below. She died instantly. The irony of her death escaped none. Her friends had a hard time accepting the suddenness of her passing and the way she had died.

Today I met my friend Gary Joslow at Legal Seafood in Cambridge. Before lunch,


Vicki and I  watched a protest demonstration for a while. An Asian group is suing Harvard University claiming discrimination in its admission policies.

Over lobster bisque, Gary, who can greet people in 26 languages, filled me in on his life. Very interested in other cultures, he knows people from multiple countries as diverse as Uganda, Viet Nam, and Israel.

Tomorrow we fly to San Diego and our six-week journey which began in Nantucket will come to an end.

Stories from the Road
October 15, 2018
Boothbay Harbor, Maine

The coast of Maine zig zags through small inlets for hundreds of miles. Such topography creates many natural harbors. Boothbay is one of the most famous, but I have been attracted to some of the smaller harbor towns that are as scenic but less commercial. Rockport and Camden, the place where Murder she wrote took place, are two of my favorites. The further north you go, the fewer the people and the less expensive is the land.

Last night we ate at a local lobster place. The food was ok, not great. Many of the servers were from Romania, here for the summer and fall season. Our waitress, who was poised and articulate, will be heading to Naples, Florida to look for a winter job. You have to wonder who will fill these service jobs with the emerging immigration policy.

Yesterday we stopped for coffee outside Camden. The baked goods and lattes were excellent. Our barista and her parents had opened the shop ten months ago.  Originally from Boston, the family had lived a block from my friend Dennis, though they hadn’t known him. They seemed to be making a go of their high-end shop, which was right on Route 1.

We had tried to spend a night on Monhegan Island, twelve miles off the coast, but the few hotels there were full. Andrew Wyeth had a house there and painted many of his works on the island. A few years ago, when visiting the Olsen house on the mainland, where Christina’s World was painted, we stumbled upon Andrew Wyeth’s grave in a small cemetery overlooking the ocean. Appropriately, close by was the headstone of Christina Olsen.

Stories from the road
October 11, 2018
Searsport, Maine

The foliage was in full bloom yesterday as we wound our way up highway one towards the Roosevelt home on the Island of Campobello. At one point we all wanted coffee, but at that point, we were in rural Maine, the summer season was over, and few shops appeared. Finally, we found a building that needed new paint with an open sign on it.

The first person I talked with was a customer. A large man, he was taken aback when I started talking with him. He wasn’t unfriendly, just surprised. When I asked out waitress if she liked living in her small town, she said, “I guess so, I am still here.” I thought her answer was clever and thought there might be more out there for her. The cook was defensive. I think he thought I was mocking him rather than being interested in how lives are lived.

Campobello, reachable by a long bridge, is an interesting place. President Roosevelt came to the island as a child and continued to visit the island throughout his life. His 38 room “cottage” still stands.

We took the gratis “fun tour”, which indeed was fun. Our group of four were the only people with our tour leader. She ran quizzes and contests throughout the tour and gave prizes. Her presentations were short, to the point, and highly interactive. At the end I told her she was effective and keeping our attention and helping us learn a lot in a short time about the Roosevelts. I told her I hoped the tour became a model for others to use.

Campobello is just over the border in Canada so we had to go through a border checkpoint on the way home. The agent on the way to the island had been on the rude side. This one was no different. Phyllis apparently went through a red light that none of us saw. The agent seemed to use the opportunity to be nasty. Perhaps the two women were bored and need more stimulation. Who knows?

After our law and order contact we drove to a functioning lighthouse on Quoddy Point, the easternmost point in the United States. As day’s light began to fade we turned back onto highway 1 and drove to points south.

Maine Stories

Stories from the road
October 10, 2018
Belfast, Maine

Richly colored trees of various hues lined the Maine Turnpike yesterday as we made our way North to the tiny seacoast town of Belfast. Dennis parked in the town of Wiscasset where we had a lobster roll at Sandy’s, a small local café with excellent food. Even though it is the end of the tourist season the town was busy with antique shoppers and those in search of finding the most colorful, fall foliage.

Later we visited the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland. Andrew Wyeth and his family spent summers in this area so there are numerous works in the museum by him, his son, and his father. In New York last spring I saw Wyeth’s Christina’s World, which is probably his best-known painting. Oddly enough it was placed almost randomly in a hallway with little fanfare.

Later we arrived at Phyllis Gaul’s house. The sister of Dennis, Phyllis manages a law office in Belfast in addition to running an antique business. An intelligent, fun, astute person, Phyllis has her finger on the pulse of the area. Highly social and competent, Phyllis is a go-to person.

A couple of days ago we saw, A Star is Born. Here is the review I wrote:

A Star is Born

Yesterday I saw this movie in a full theatre in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is a long film that I found slow at times, but overall It was absorbing and rewarding. The three stars were Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, who directed the film as well as starred in it, and Sam Elliot. Their performances were outstanding. Bradley Cooper sang and played the guitar like a true country star.

Lady Gaga’s performance was award winning. She and Bradley Cooper had authentic chemistry, and she was powerful in her role as a rising star. Sam Elliot, as usual,



was solid and understated.

See this movie sooner than later. It is complicated and sad but meaningful and poignant.

Today we’ll drive to Campobello Island to the former summer estate of Franklin Roosevelt. The island in the Bay of Fundy is a Canadian possession, so passports are needed.

Venice

A Star is Born

Yesterday I saw this movie in a full theatre in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is a long film that I found slow at times, but overall It was absorbing and rewarding. The three stars were Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, who directed the film as well as starred in it, and Sam Elliot. Their performances were outstanding. Bradley Cooper sang and played the guitar like a true country star.

Lady Gaga’s performance was award winning. She and Bradley Cooper had authentic chemistry, and she was powerful in her role as a rising star. Sam Elliot, as usual, was solid and understated.

See this movie sooner than later. It is complicated and sad but meaningful and poignant.

Venice Stories

Stories from the road
September 28, 2018
Venice

As soon as I saw them I knew we had to talk. Carrying bike bags and Patagonia packs, dressed in Scarpa boots and outdoor tees, they were brethren from an earlier time in my life. Indeed, they were!

As the Vaporetto pulled from the dock, I asked them where they were headed. The married couple were going on an organized mountain biking trip in Croatia and then biking on their own in Austria. They lived in Crested Butte, Colorado where they had met. The woman in the couple grew up in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, a small town about ten miles from the little town where I had a vacation house for many years. She had gone to a local private school and was a high-level skier. My brother has been on the board of that school for many years.

There was more I wanted to talk about when Vicki asked me where my pack was. I realized I had left it in the place we stopped for an espresso, and so I bid our friends goodbye as we hopped off the boat and started walking back to Rialto Bridge.

After retrieving the pack, we watched the hearings. Dr. Ford was credible. Judge Kavanaugh seemed to be displaying the same kind of behavior people said he demonstrated as a youth. He was angry, entitled, controlling, and overbearing. He didn’t appear to take responsibility for behavior he himself had outlined in his yearbook while at a Jesuit High School. His idea that he was being given a hard time as payback for the Clinton investigations was far-fetched. Was he not aware of what has been going on in our country?

Last night we ate at a very good restaurant near our hotel. My fish was excellent as was Vicki’s eggplant. Today we will go by boat to the train station where we will travel to Bologna.

Design

Stories from the road
October 4, 2018
Ferrara, Italy

Italians are known for being good designers. Think about Gucci, Armani, Versace, Prada, Bvlgari, and Ferragamo. In the car area how about Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Lancia. Vespa scooters with their simple elegance have been around a long time.

The Italians also do a wonderful job with space. I am always amazed at how they can take a little space for a shop and make it look inviting through presentation and color. The smallest meat or gelato shop typically has an alluring, boutique feel to it. They make a closet look like a ballroom.

The cities and towns themselves are engineered creatively around space. Large and small squares can be found in many cities. They bring people out to talk, eat, and drink espresso. Often if you pass a home and look carefully, you’ll see a driveway which leads to an inner courtyard. Frequently these interior spaces contain beautiful gardens and are in sharp contrast to the concrete acreage just yards away.

The Italians also create functional uses of space. A sidewalk can quickly become an extension of a restaurant or a parking lot. The usual zoning laws we have in the states seem to be absent here or not enforced.

Food is a whole other area. Not only is the food great in Italy, but the chefs present it in artistically pleasing ways. Sometimes I don’t want to wreck a culinary design by eating it. The use of color is paramount in preparing a plate. A breakfast buffet is like walking through a fine garden!

Ferrara

Stories from the road
October 2, 2018
Ferrara, Italy

We found track 16 and boarded our streamlined rail car for the 25-minute ride to Ferrara this morning. Things went smoothly until we gave our hotel’s name to our cabbie outside the railroad station. We had reservations at an old hotel recommend by Karen Brown, a travel guru, who writes highly regarded travel guides. “That hotel has closed. It is closed for good”, he said. Another cabbie confirmed his comment.

We asked our driver to take us to another hotel he might recommend, but that one was full. The desk clerk gave us the name of another, and we secured a room there for three nights. Emma, the receptionist, told me that the staff of our original hotel had walked off the job a week ago, and the management decided to close the hotel for good.

In the afternoon the skies opened up in this walled city, and it rained for hours. At our hotel’s recommendation,
We ate at a restaurant near the hotel. Emma said that it was one of the best restaurants in town. She was right. Vicki and I both had swordfish which was delicious.  We had a mixed salad which was also terrific. Produce in Italy is frequently locally grown and delicious.

A number of people resonated with my comments about Italian showers. It brought back a memory of a balance problem a few years ago. Vicki and I were hiking in the Dolomites above Cortina d’Ampezzo, and we decided to walk down the final stretch of the mountain rather than take the cable car. Unfortunately, it started to pour as we were hiking down this steep face. Little rivers formed around us, and several times, when Vicki came around the corner of the trail she found me lying in a bush. It was very hard to maintain stable footing on the slippery trail. It was a hair-raising walk. Near the bottom of the trail we met a man who was walking up. He was not well dressed for the weather, wearing blue jeans and a light rain shell. We strongly suggested he turn around, which he did. It then was another couple of miles of walking to get back to our hotel and some warm clothes.

Leadership

There are many styles of leadership. Authoritarian people like to give orders and tell people what to do.  Decisions aren’t shared but dictated. Charismatic leaders appeal to peoples’ emotions and build a following through the force of their personality along with their message. Jimmy Swaggert was a charismatic leader.

Facilitative leaders help others to grow and develop. They give responsibility to people and then expect them to deliver. They value others and include them in the process of leadership. John Kennedy encouraged his cabinet members to give their honest opinions. He didn’t want yea-sayers. He wanted a diversity of opinions before he took responsibility for making a final decision. When the Bay of Pigs failed, he said, “ I take full responsibility for the decision to invade Cuba”. He didn’t pass the buck, though I am sure that before the invasion he had many people telling him it could work.

Facilitative leaders lead by principle. Though pragmatic, such leaders have beliefs and principles that are consistent and predictable. They are easy to work with because their followers understand their positions. Their followers feel trusted and secure. When asked why he stayed so long working for President Kennedy, Pierre Salinger, his press secretary, remarked that working for an exceptional man like Jack Kennedy was a once in a life time opportunity.

Facilitative leaders embrace conflict. They understand its nature, and realize it goes with being a leader. They learn to be patient and develop long-term strategies with which to solve problems. They consult experts and try to understand the backgrounds of the people with whom they are dealing.

Authoritarian leaders don’t like conflict. It threatens them. They like to solve problems through the use of power and intimidation. It is no accident that Mr. Trump has not filled many diplomatic openings thus far. He tries to bully. He is “good” at deals, when he has leverage.

Authoritarian leaders don’t want feedback. They resent criticism and take it personally rather than seeing it as a potential for information to be used in their decision-making. The press, educated people, and opposing parties are often seen as the enemy. Often authoritarian leaders are popular because they don’t require people to think, only to follow. They promise power and superiority for those who jump on their train. The train bans critical thinking, and that is fine for the engineers and the passengers.

Facilitative leaders use non-degrading humor to cope with difficult situations. I remember working at a hospital where there was much dissatisfaction with the food service.  At the end of a cantankerous meeting on the subject, the lead administrator, a psychiatrist, said, “ Well, shall we go to lunch.”

Facilitative leaders are strong people, but they aren’t driven by needs to boost their own egos. They don’t need a lot of press. They know who they are. I went on a house emergency call with the same psychiatrist. A woman had overdosed, and one of the policemen in her home said, “We need to call a doctor”. In a quiet voice from the back of the room, Dr. Carmichael said, “ I’m a doctor.”