It just doesn't get any better

I slept long and deeply last night as the cool mountain air grazed over my body in my room at the Adirondack Loj. Adirondack Mountain Club and the 46r's were honored last night at a special concert of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, a small but professional and splendid ensemble. The works included mountain music by Grieg, Copland, Mussorgsky and Haydn. I was asked to come on stage after intermision to describe who ADK is and what we do. I introduced the few dozen members sitting in the audience as well. It was a wonderful evening with great music and great company. It was also the first time in one-and-one-half years that I was able to speak more than a few words in front of an audience. I actually did pretty well, in fact. MG is getting better.

After the weekend and good sleep, I just couldn't pull myself away from the Loj too quickly, just to get back to the grind so I decided to take my time and linger.

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Lake Plcid from Whiteface

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Mts. Colden and Algonquin

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Top of Whíteface

My campsite - #37 - at the Adirondac Loj campground

Heart Lake

Reporting "live" from the Adirondack Loj, Lake Placid, New York.

I arrived at Adirondack Loj at 6pm last evening, reporting for the weekend so I can participate in events of the Lake Placid Symphonietta tonight, a concert dedicated to hikers and hiking clubs in the Adirondacks. The symphony attracts professional players from all over the world and the night should be great.

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Devastated in Walton

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Bikers for Breasts -wild color!

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Lunchtime - BMW MOA

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Breakfast! Five hours sleep and ready to roll.

Friday morning.

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Getting ''exhausted'' at Max BMW's tent. Burlington, VT

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My site at the BMW MOA rally - Burlington, VT

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A sea of (BMW) cycles - BMWMOA RALLY - Burlington, VT

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Memorial flowers on bridge over Interstate 88 at the site of the deaths of two tractor-trailer drivers on June 28th. What was once a culvert became a raging river during a 14 inch rainstorm, tearing a 100 foot wide gash in the highway, swallowing the rigs whole. The culvert is now in the process of being replaced with a bridge, the construction of which you see in the background.

A sample of the destruction caused by flooding on June 28th in Walton, New York. All of the devastation in the region was caused by a torrential rainstorm over a 2 day period that covered the Susquehanna Hills with more than a foot of water. I went to the area with two of my colleagues to assess the damage to school districts and to help them chart their course of reclamation and reconstruction.

Home Again

Great ride, great comraderie. We did 158 miles today through some of the most beautiful countryside in the country, on some of the greatest roads for biking. Tom said it was his longest bike trip in 30+ years of riding and he enjoyed riding the cruiser.

After enthusing ove rhte wonderful ride, I asked Tom how many times he had ridden this far in a day..."never." Well, Tom, I've got to say I will always treasure my memories of this day together, as I treasure our friendship.

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Wilmington, Vermont

What would a hot summer's day ride be without a stop for ice cream on a shady porch?

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Hogback Mountain, Vermont

The archetypal "tourist trap," located along Route 9 in the Green Mountains of Vermont. As can be seen from the motorcycles, Tom and I weren't the only ones who decided on riding today. Our combination of motorcycle types - mine, an enduro; Tom's a dresser - drew lots of lookers. The BMW even gets stares and comments from the Harley crowd.

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Taking a break in Brattleboro, Vermont

The temp soared to about 90. Riding was great; resting and drinking were necessities, lest dehydration get the better of us.

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Curt and Tom - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Change of pace - brother Tom Hatcher drove from Averill Park this morning to meet me at my house so we could take a long awaited ride together through the New England countryside - Tom on my Vulcan and me on Orion.

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Ain't she sweet? '46 Chevy

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Lilies in My Yard

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Bruised!

Some bruise, huh? I've been here at Albany Med for two days, watching my bruise stabilize. The bruising is the result of a fall three weeks ago, though it didn't appear until Tuesday, the 4th, spreading rapidly, aided and exacerbeted by the effects of the prednisone I take for myasthenia gravis. After a second CT scan this evening and examination by five residents, I'm tentatively expecting to leave tomorrow.

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Television

Passing the minutes in a hospital room; I NEVER would've guessed I'd be reduced to ''I Love Lucy'' reruns. Live from Albany Medical Center Hospital.

6:30PM update: I was finally removed from the ER suite at 5:30 and taken to Room 504 of the hospital. CT scan showed 2 or 3 broken ribs (#8 and #9) - in 2 places each, front and back - but no significant bleeding anywhere other than the obvious bruising I suffer over about 5 to 10 percent of my right side. The docs want to keep me for a day or two to keep a check on my hematocrit level which has dropped from 40 to 25 (but remains stable). I told the young resident I'd prefer to be out riding my motorcycle. He said he agreed. There are so many critically ill patients here - I not among them - and really want out. Maybe I'll leave in the morning and go to work. I need to.

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Here I am again at AMC!

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Bridge of Flowers - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

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Glacial Potholes - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

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My monthly pilgrimage to Shelburne Falls

Orion, parked

Bridge over the Deerfield River

The Main Drag

Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters

I've come to really enjoy day trips to this artsy-hippie community along the Mohawk Trail in northwestern Mass. It offers all the amenities - and shopping - a guy like me wants. I come into town and make a circuit of my regualr galleries and shops. I hooked up with a local healer who prescribes Goji juice, a healthgiving drink from the Himalaya, and maintain my supply from her shop. I also buy all my dipilitories at the local market. Finally, I relax with a cup of coffee at Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters. Joining in the 21st Century, the shop offers wireless internet access so I can post to my blog in real time while I sit and sip.

The weather prediction is for severe thunderstorms, wind and hail. Can't linger.

Read more about Shelburne Falls.