Vermont Photographer Benjamin D. Bloom

I could have also titled this, 5 desperate skiers climb a mountain in search of the last dregs of snow.  Burlington received a little snow this past week, Essex a little more, but the mountains really got hammered.  While the snow in Burlington has completely disappeared, Stowe is still hanging onto some snow.

The email arrived late last week; Cinco de Mansfield would take place on Saturday, May 1st. I haven’t done a lot of skiing in the last few weeks, my season really ended in March for some reason. I packed a pair of skis, boots, poles, skins, and cameras into the car and headed to Stowe for our 11:00am start.

It was looking pretty bare at the bottom when we arrived. Instead of heading up the gondola, we stuck to Nose Dive.

I guess there were 6 of us – how could I forget Carter?  He spent the day looking for snowballs and squirrels.

Cinco de Mansfield wouldn’t be complete without margaritas at the top.  Chris played bartender this year and mixed up a tasty drink.

After some time relaxing at the top, it was time to ski.  The first turns down Nose Dive were sticky and challenging.  I took a digger on my second or third turn and then started to figure out my balance again.  It turns out I missed skiing in the month of April.  What an odd ski season.

You can see the full gallery of photos on my Smugmug page.

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A friend was visiting Burlington from out of town, so three of us decided to take a walk in Ethan Allen Park.  For those that haven’t been there, Ethan Allen Park is in the North End of Burlington, very close to Leddy Park.  A bike path comes in from the Burlington Intervale and climbs up a hill, branching in multiple directions; some paved and some dirt. When I lived in Burlington, I had a loop that would start by the Winooski River and come through the park, riding as many trail segments as possible. I would inevitably stop at the tower to take in the view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondaks — it’s one of my favorite views in Burlington. When we arrived, the tower was locked. I later found out that Burlington Parks & Recreation unlocks the tower on Mother’s day.

Even with no access to the tower, we took some photos on the trails and enjoyed the views from both the tower and pinnacle lookouts.

Someone had a sense of humor and painted “So Close to the Edge” on a piece of metal sticking out of the rocks behind a safety fence.  Just beyond is a drop high enough that I wouldn’t want to experience the fall.

Most of the shots above were goofing around, but I like the shot below.

I’d imagine it was a nice night for bouldering in Vermont. The temperature was comfortable on our casual stroll, so it might have even been warm while working out on the rocks.

Matt asked what I was going to do with this photo.  I still don’t know, but I kinda like it.

The random glasses we found at the Pinnacle.

It’s hard to argue with a sunset like this.

I would have loved to stay longer and watch it hit the water, but we were hungry and it was time to find some food.

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Jer Coons played to a nearly sold out Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, in Burlington, VT, with Taylor Carson opening up the show.. We’re lucky to have a lot of big acts come through the area (Jakob Dylan played with Neko Case just this weekend) but I tend to prefer the local musicians, or at least the ones with local connections. Jer’s about as local as they get growing up in Middlebury. Below is a slideshow with a few of my favorites from the evening. The full gallery is available if you’d like to see more or buy a print.

Artist: Jer Coons
Album: Speak
Song: Speak

You can buy the album straight from Jer or via iTunes.

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Tawny & I just returned home from a long, but satisfying afternoon painting Kate & Micah’s new house in the North End of Burlington, VT. They’ll tell the whole story at some point, but let’s just say a few weeks ago the house smelled of smoke so badly that it was the only thing you could think about inside. After washing, stripping, refinishing, priming, painting or removing every surface in the house, it’s almost ready to be lived in!

Cleanup time!

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When the snow melted, I saw all these little things over my lawn and got curious where they came from.

The problem I had was this... a squirrel chewed through my (relatively) new siding and into my attic. Yesterday, I put up the heavy screening you can see, which kept him from getting back in, but didn't stop him from chewing some more and making a hell of a racket last night.

Having solved the blockade issue yesterday, my challenge tonight was to prevent the squirrel from doing any more damage (to the house and to our sanity.) Having used cayenne pepper to keep rabbits out of the garden, I figured it might work on the house, too. These were the contenders.

The winner. A slight back story. The powders all smelled too sweet and we didn't have cayenne in the house. Tobasco is OK, but didn't seem all that hot. The chili oil is some of the hottest I've ever cooked with, but while my mouth remembers being scalded by it, my nose wasn't impressed. The Dumb Ass Hot Sauce I've had in the house for a while. Why, you ask? Well, because it's so damn hot that I fear using it on many foods. This hot sauce made taco soup so hot that Fluffy wouldn't finish his serving and had to beg for mercy.

But how to apply it?  Aerosolize it.  If it’s good enough for anthrax, it’s good enough for me.  I found an old spray bottle in the garage; it had previously been used to apply paint stripper, so it was probably laced with all sorts of poisonous chemicals to boot.  Bonus.

Under no circumstances what-so-ever should you test your sprayer in the kitchen.

I drenched the opening as much as I could, spraying into the louvers and onto the screens beneath as well. It should be noted at this point that wearing a mask and goggles is probably a good idea, should you try this yourself. Dumb Ass Hot Sauce really burns the nose & eyes! Definitely apply in a well ventilated area, preferably at arms length or further, standing upwind, and above your target. Don't ask why I make these recommendations. At least I didn't fall off the ladder.

I suppose I could have gone after it from the roof...

You can't forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way; as long as you don't have allergies. If you rub your eyes at this point, you're pretty much screwed.

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This past Saturday, the Green Mountain Derby Dames, Vermont’s first flat track roller derby team,  took on the Maine Calamity Janes for a spring showdown. It was a hard fought bout but the Dames emerged victorious. Another entertaining and exciting bout!  I’m already looking forward to the May 22nd.

The Dames, ready to take on the Maine Calamity Janes

Some people use markers, paint, or stickers; in Vermont, our huge fans cross stitch their support!

Smoke her, Barbie!

Denied.

This turned into a physical bout with a lot of hard hits and bodies on the ground.

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The Race Vermont Unplugged Half Marathon starts in Colchester, VT and mostly follows the Burlington Bike Path south to Oakledge Park.  Ending in the South End, runners are treated with views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks across the lake in New York. This year, 550 runners arrived at the start only to be greeted with flakes of snow in the air.  No problem, though; the event website clearly states that severe weather is defined as “more than 5 inches of snow, lightening…” and the race will go on.

Here are a few selected race photographs. The rest are available on SkiPix.com for purchase!

Runners and hand cyclists take off at the start of the Race Vermont Unplugged Half Marathon in Burlington, Vermont

The first hand cyclist approaches Starr Farm Road long ahead of the other competitors

The first runners show up, some smiling, others focused.

Some of the Unplugged runners are pranksters or romantics, hamming it up for the photographers along the way.

The marathon continues south along the Burlington Bike Path. With Lake Champlain to their right, runners approach Oakledge Park for a final loop before heading for the finish line.

Some runners are still in groups, but at this point, most folks are just running their own race and show up solo.

A runner on the Burlington Bike Path, alongside Lake Champlain, during the Race Vermont Unplugged Half Marathon.

Some runners come with their own photographer!

Miles later, our romantics are still in love.

When the sun comes out, you almost forget that Spring mornings in Vermont can start with snow.

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We had houseguests this weekend. Some of my college friends were up for a weekend of sun, skiing, and catching up. Just before they were about to leave, we ran down to the studio to take a few quick portraits. He wanted some headshots for use on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

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Yesterday, the Green Mountain Derby Dames took on the Utica Clubbers in their March Madness bout.

Basher Barbie gives the crowd some love.

The Silencer lays the smack down.

The Atomic Muffin fights to stay inbounds.  (She succeeded.)

Blondie looks so relaxed as a Utica skater prepares to make the hit.

You can see more photos on my Flickr stream.

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Some days, it’s nice to break free from your patterns. Monday and Tuesday night, as I was commuting home from Burlington to Essex, I had amazing views of snow-capped Mt. Mansfield and Camel’s Hump. In my rearview mirror, the sun was setting behinds Whiteface, Marcy, and a slew of other peaks in the Adirondak mountains of which I do not know the names. Every day, I’ve had my camera with me and tried to stop to take a quick shot. This is a common occurrence, and more often than not I’m let down with the results.

Today, instead of going home, I was staying in the city to meet some friends. I had a couple of minutes to kill between finishing things up at my desk and heading to their house for dinner, so I stopped by Perkin’s Pier. The sun had mostly set by the time I arrived, but it didn’t matter. Sunsets over Lake Champlain rarely disappoint.

I don’t always post one-off shots to my blog, so you may want to check out my Flickr stream, my Facebook page, or my Twitter stream if you’re interested in seeing more of the individual shots.

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