And so it begins….

Yesterday I made the trek (it takes me about 8 hours on a clear day) back to Fort Kent from my family's farm in NH where I'd been visiting my parents for a few weeks. It was a great stay at home complete with gorgeous spring weather and green grass (we've still got brown ground here in Fort Kent). Now it's back to the grinding stone as preparations for the 2014-15 season begin in earnest.

Some photos from my longest stay at home in quite a while:

Beautiful rainbows over the fields above our house…

I took a hike up Gunstock and discovered a lot more snow than I expected and a gorgeous view of Lake Winnipesaukee. Right after I took this shot I kicked snow onto my camera lens so the shots of the lake were ruined. 

Some prototype hats that I came up with for Out There…Now I just have to start production. Who wants one? 

My mom and I picked up some plants for Beans & Greens at a greenhouse in southeastern NH…the place was HUGE!

They had lots of plants flowering already so naturally I took pictures till my camera died….

My mom was pretty psyched about this variegated jade tree…she has a collection of jades at home but had never seen a variegated variety. 

Another flower. 

Another big project that I took on (with help from Seth and several others) was repainting the animal house at Beans & Greens. Now it's got much more kid-friendly colors and looks a whole lot more exciting. I'll have to see if I can find a before shot to post here with this one. 

The back side…finished except for the top trim which is still the original drab brown. 

This is brownie. She was born blind but survived and has become quite the little lover. She really enjoys sucking on fingers and walking circles around you. 

I also found an old tractor tire to install in the barnyard for the goats to play on….

My mom standing in our greenhouses just before Mother's Day weekend. 

On Mother's Day weekend I ran a craft station in the greenhouses for kids to make Mom gifts. What could be more fun? Sitting in a warm greenhouse filled with gorgeous flowers while doing arts and crafts. I was in heaven. 

The craft options. 

Mother's Day evening I had dinner by the lake with my mom, grandmother and my dad. 

Three generations! 

May marks the start of training season so this week it's back to the grinding stone. We wrote out a rough schedule for this week last night and did some reviewing of the year plan too. This week I've got biking, strength, running, shooting, some easy roller skiing, double poling, and more strength on the schedule. I love the diversity that being a nordic skiing offers…I can do almost anything I want and call it applicable training. And on that note, it's time to hit the gym! 

Happy Spring!