A Birthday in Burnsvile (NC)

My mom turned 80! I flew to NC for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. She and my dad (almost 83) spend much of the Summer in the mountains of NC. They remain independent and active in spite of the toll that age has taken -- both of them suffer from arthritis and have had multiple joint replacements; my father has recently developed bulging discs.

It was a great weekend. We had a few nice meals, watched some Olympics, played some scrabble, and visited the mountain in Burnsvile.

My mom has always been a strong proponent for biking. Part of this was that, with six kids, she needed us to be independent, and by 1st grade, I was riding my bike the mile to school. In the 60's she convinced Coral Gables to build a bike path down Old Cutler Road and into Matheson Hammock. This was quite an accomplishment, long before the dawning of activists groups such as Critical Mass, and during a time when people really did believe that what was good for GM was good for America.

On Sunday, my parents and I drove up to the "Mountain" outside of Burnsville. This is a piece of property that my father bought 25 years ago that backs up to the Tennessee border and the Appalachian Trail. My brother Steve has recently built a beautiful four season home on part of the property. Nothing quite compares with the rustic charm of the original log cabin.

The weather was warm and dry, perfect for a short hike. The only other times I had been to the Mountain was with my kids when they were just about 10 and 12, so hiking was limited to strolls along the road and through the meadows. I decided it was time to try to climb up. Up I went.

I made it to the top of the ridge, but wasn't able to find the Appalachian Trail. On the way back, I did get off course a tad, which required a rather steep climb!

Finally Did A Century

I've been biking for 40 years. When I was a kid, the bike meant freedom. Even after I started driving, biking remained an important part of my life. The bike has allowed me to cover greater distances than on foot, while remaining close to the ground. I found both of the houses that I have bought while scoping out neighborhoods on my bike. There was a period of 10-15 years where I spent more time playing tennis than cycling. I've learned that biking is much gentler on the knees. Three years ago I joined the Princeton Free Wheelers and started cycling regularly. I've made some good friends and enjoy cycling more every week. I did my first century last week at the Princeton Event. Check out Laura's Hill Slugs Chronicles for a nice write up http://perpetualheadwinds.blogspot.com/2008/08/pushing-boundaries.html.

Martha Vinyard vintage 1988

We first visited the Vineyard in the Summers of '87 and '88. Lizzie and I were young parents. Mark and Laura were in love that first summer of '87 and were married by the next. Mark, one of my college roommates, and fellow engineering student, had called a few months earlier to ask if we wanted to go in on a beach house. I'd never heard of Martha's Vineyard, but always trusted Mark to arrange a good time! We learned that getting to the Vineyard is a bit of hassle, but once there, everything seems far away. The house was on Tisbury Pond, a short boat trip to an isolated section of South Beach. I still remember the exhilaration that Mark (in photo), Laura, and I felt as we jumped off the dunes onto the deserted beach.

Back then, we were into biking, but Mark, ever the engineer, always seemed as interested in working on the bikes as he was in riding them.

Mark and Lizzie are also great friends. The three of us had already traveled to Vermont and Montreal. This was our first time traveling with Laura - but it would not be the last!

Back then, Julie was just an infant and Ed was a toddler. Now they are both in college. You can visit Ed's cartooning blog at http://edmoorman.blogspot.com/ Julie is following her passion for music, especially voice, while studying at Amherst.

Mark and Laura share a love of food and of entertaining. We had a memorable 4th of July party that summer. Mark and Laura's had offered an open invitation to their friends in Boston. Little did we know that news of the party spread around Cambridge like wildfire and soon we had over thirty people show up at the small house on the pond for a night of fun under the stars. Mark and Laura responded by pulling out all stops for a great evening.