Everything at Gore is winding down, but there's still plenty of skiing left, especially on top of the mountain. Even so, there's less and less for me to do, and I spend my days helping customers and finding ways to keep myself from becoming bored. I've got a few writing projects I'm working on, including "Northwoods Knowledge" pieces on the Underground Railroad in the Gore Mountain region and an article on Mathew Brady, the famous Civil War photographer, who was born in Johnsburg. I'm also squirreling away ideas and preliminary work for some fiction I'm working on. There's plenty to occupy me.

I've enjoyed working at Gore and I do hope I can return next year, when I hope I'll be able to get Ken to have some skiing lessons with Gore's adaptive skiing instructors. I hope to get more instruction myself.

Yesterday and today were perfect days weatherwise. Warm and brilliantly sunny, with temperatures in the mid-fifties. Tomorrow promises more of the same, a day when Ken and I are taking off for Vermont. We're going to take a ferry to Charlotte, Vermont, and then drive south to Middlebury, where there will be plenty of opportunity to dine and shop for items that we can't get here. There's supposed to be a great natural foods coop there, which I plan to spend some time in. The weather is supposed to be sunny and in the low 60s there tomorrow.

With my day off yesterday, Sophie and I did some serious hiking. We climbed a small mountain nearby, and it was exciting to climb and climb and reach the top. The brambles at the top were difficult for me to manage, though Sophie, with her thick fur coat, sailed through and wondered why I was being so slow. Then, in the afternoon, we both convinced Ken to hike up to the ledge on the knoll with us. Because there was no wind yesterday, we were able to sit at the ledge and soak in the sun while viewing the mountains before us. I was glad Ken pushed himself to do it, and with two walking sticks, one in each hand, he made it up there just fine.

After seeing no deer all winter, they are suddenly everywhere! Where were they all this time? It's a mystery to me, but they're all over now, and we see them frequently. Deer are not new to us, as we had plenty of them in Canton. Sophie is only mildly interested in them, much preferring to carry large birch and oak logs. She's always been very stick-oriented.