Helloz to all from the Forest...

...Harvard Forest, that is. Harvard Forest is about and hour and a half into Western Mass. from campus, and is a research site focused on forest ecology. I'm learning lots of useful things this summer, like how to drive a cherry picker (otherwise known as a bucket truck), push water through sticks and work with and build small electronics. Here are pictures from the fire tower of Mt. Monadnock, sunset over the Forest, and a typical day up in Bucky, the friendly neighborhood bucket truck. Bucky can lift us up to 80 feet in the canopy.



Besides training and working, I'm doing lots of relaxing things here -- in fact, we've purchased an inflatable kiddie pool for our living room, in which we watch Planet Earth (typical, I know), Game of Thrones or the Tour, read, fall asleep and generally become slug-like post-work day. The pool is also known as the FCRC, or the Food Coma Recovery Center. The food is wonderful here. Much of our supply comes from local farms and businesses. Newest discovery: Ginger ice cream. I just went wild raspberry picking last night while walking the border collie I'm currently dog sitting. Nighttime here is also relaxing, with only fireflies and crickets and tree frogs breaking the starry quiet.

I just got a present from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation -- brand new pavement, a whole mile of it, stretching from here to my favorite rollerski road off of the main drag. Sunday ODs have typically concluded with a few hours of sleeping in the warm sand at Queens Lake, which is a beach just down the road. I've been running a lot, and also using rocks for my strength work. I'm happy to be out here, and though an occasional jaunt into Boston is great, I prefer the pace and atmosphere here. I also discovered Harvard Forest has ski trails (!) so maybe I/we can come back out sometime this winter to check them out (hint, hint...). I'm excited to see you all soon!

-ANT