Spring Weather: Warren Street, Hudson, NY

Monday, March 22, 2010

 Looking down Warren Street, Hudson, NY

First day of spring, spent browsing through antiques stores in Hudson, NY. Kudos to the town for mostly keeping out the chain stores on Warren Street. And what a long, walkable, shoppable street it is. Finally walked down to the river on this visit; next time will have to check out some of the side streets, plus the other area towns.

Sunday Sketches: A Curling Experience

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Every four years, people suddenly rediscover an interest in the somewhat obscure sport of curling. They watch the hypnotic, focused rock-throwing-and sweeping (this year, after the market close on CNBC each day) and wonder how hard it could be and whether it should be in the Olympics at all. Well, whenever those questions start, Bridgeport's Nutmeg Curling Club stands ready to answer. It's apparently one of two curling clubs in Connecticut, with members who love curling and love to talk about it. Which is a good thing, because at their open house this past Sunday, the line of people waiting for a "curling experience" ($10 for 25 minutes of ice time) stretched out the door. We stood shivering in the doorway and listened to them talk about the rocks (granite, last 50+ years, 42 pounds each), the brooms (often microfiber, fairly inexpensive), and the shoes (OK to curl in sneaks but the pros have Teflon soles on theirs). When we finally got out on the ice, we found that yes, it's much harder than it looks to push a 42-pound chunk of granite across pebbled ice while twisting the handle the right way; and yes, it's equally difficult to sweep sideways and shuffle forward while not touching the moving rock and not tripping over other rocks.

Yes, there's a reason it's in the Olympics.

Curling experience 2

Curling experience 1