Twig season on the way. From Hole 2 at Green Mountain National Golf Course. 

Although the crisp temperatures demanded long pants and a "jumper" (to borrow a term from our British guests) this morning, the beautiful blue sky around the inn held out the promise for a nice morning for a round of golf at Green Mountain National.

As one would expect with the departure of the majority of fall foliage visitors, Green Mountain this morning was left primarily to pass holders and staff trying to catch one more round for the season. Aeration of the greens was done several days ago, demanding attention to putting. Some of the fairways also saw a vari-cut machine to help soften them up. But for the most part, the fairways and the rough are plenty soft enough with all of the wet weather we have had in the area over the last several months.

The blue skies of the early morning were, unfortunately, only a fake out. By the 4th hole a not so friendly overcast covered the area in a foreboding gloom. It was a classic example of the change in seasons in Killington. With the leaves mostly off of the trees around the course, the twigs matched the grey skies to cast a pall across the landscape. A cool breeze only helped emphasize the changing seasons.

The doom and gloom, brought on by an approaching storm front, lasted until we reached the ninth green, at which point glimmers of sunshine streaked across the sky. It was clearly a sign that we should play on, versus retiring to the club house for an early lunch and some warming beverages. By the time we had reached the 13th hole, blue sky was once again in attendance. We had made the right call in continuing on.

I would like to pretend that my golf game was good today (it wasn't); if only because I am not sure that there will be many more opportunities to play this year. It has been a spotty year for golf with family obligations and the weather event in late August. But golf is a great game, and there is always next year if there is not one more round in my future for this season.

Right now, of course, we are caught between the best of both worlds for recreation, without having either. Golf is more enjoyable with warm temperatures. Skiing, on the other hand, requires cold temperatures and some snow. Right now my mind is switching to winter, so a little snow would be just fine for me. I look forward to heading out on the slopes of Killington this winter.

So I guess it is time to clear the brain of thoughts of green fairways and rolling greens, at least until we start thinking about a vacation to some warm climate next spring. With twig season signaling the end of fall and the onset of winter in Killington, its time to switch gears and think snow...

Fall season is definitely winding down at Killington. If you want to catch the last of fall colors, now is the time before the onset of the winter season. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Killington Peak - the season is starting to change. 

Another fall weekend in the Hurricane Irene condensed fall foliage season has come to a close. Thank you to all of the nice guests who have visited with us these last few weeks.

Some random thoughts and observations as the seasons change at Killington...

On the fall season : Hurricane Irene really "knocked the wind out" of the early fall season, as expected. But the message that Vermont was being quickly repaired; that Vermonters were very resourceful and resilient; and that Vermont was back open for business, was very well received by the traveling public. Because of the worldwide news coverage of the hurricane, Vermont got an incredible amount of attention in the media. And that attention has translated into guests in Vermont over the last several weeks. Hopefully Vermont leaders have finally understood that the state needs to be actively promoted if it is going to depend on the tourism sector as a major contributor to Vermont's overall economy.

On the global economy : Many of our inn guests the last few weeks have been international travelers on extended vacations. Last week was almost exclusively guests from countries of the British Commonwealth including the UK, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand. Reading the tea leaves is always fraught with danger, but the uptick in International visitors returning to Killington could bode well for the winter season.

On the national economy : Too soon to tell from visitors to Killington.... During the summer prior to Hurricane Irene, it looked like a "new normal" was being established. One must remember that 9% unemployment translates into 91% employment. (I know... there is under employment and people stopping looking for work... but there are still a lot of people who are collecting a paycheck.) Hurricane Irene's damage went up much of the I-95 corridor; right where most of the visitors to Killington call home. It only makes sense that as people spend time repairing their homes that they would not be traveling. The international travelers helped out in the last couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see the geographic distribution of early ski season bookings over the next 4 to 6 weeks.

On the upcoming ski season : The resort is continuing it's preparations for the upcoming ski season. Hurricane repair seems to be taking place at an accelerated pace. Snow-making compressors have started to appear. Early winter promotions are out on the internet. A new Killington Magazine has been published and is out for distribution. We even had a little white stuff fall from the sky over the weekend. Now we need Mother Nature to cooperate; give us a few days of cold and dry conditions to allow the ground to chill down; then give us a dumping of white to "get the party started". We have already started our pre-ski season conditioning programs...have you?

On the new iPhone 4S We have had a weekend with our new cell phones. Many times technology companies over-hype and under-deliver. Not in this case. First impressions of the iPhone 4S is that it out performs in many ways. Of course it is a cell phone... So far I have not had a dropped call at the inn on ATT's network (unlike our prior experience with Verizon cell phones). The camera delivers. The last 2 days of fall foliage pictures at the inn were taken with my iPhone. Of particular note was today's picture with the blue sky showing in the trees to the left of the frame. My Cannon point and shoot rarely captures that, as the sun is usually shining just above the frame to the left (which is why there always appears to be clouds above the trees in the left side of the frame). Yet the iPhone's camera was able to focus thru the sun glare. And then there is Siri...The beta software still has some kinks, but it works incredibly well overall. It has the potential to be a game changer in how people interface with technology just like the mouse and the touch screen before it. While it is too early to know how the iPhones will integrate with our work flow at the inn, they do look they will become a valued addition to our technology tool kit.

Fall season is definitely winding down at Killington. Guests at the inn over the weekend were reporting nice colors on their driving loops to the south and east of the area. Several of our guests reported nice colors on their visits to the Vermont Country Store in Weston, and Grafton Village Cheese in Grafton. If you want to catch the last of fall colors, now is the time before the onset of the winter season. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Welcome to the 21st Century 

At 11:51 AM this morning, Skynet went active at the Birch Ridge Inn....oops...wrong mime...

Last week, I spent the day asking Mary the following question...Black or White? Our assistant, Mickalyn, new exactly what the question meant, but Mary was briefly puzzled. You see it was pre-order day for the new iPhone 4S, better known in alternate universe of Apple Inc customers as the iPhone for Steve. I pulled the trigger in the afternoon and pre-ordered 1 black and 1 white; both from ATT.

I have been tracking the shipments all week. With the crush of orders for the new iPhone, I was never quite sure if they would make it thru the backlog. ATT said they would, but you never know. Nervous anxiety, combined with a less than crisp ATT Order Status, kept me checking ATT's order status web site all week. Fedex shipment numbers were finally released early Thursday morning, resulting in a whole new level of anxiety as I saw that the shipment was split in two (2 iPhones, 2 shipments sort of makes sense). I watched the iPhones travel across the country through slightly different routes in Fedex's network before arriving in Vermont early this morning. With my black turtleneck and blue jeans as the chosen attire for the day, I scanned the web early this morning and confirmed that the iPhones would be delivered today on schedule. At 11:51, they arrived at the inn.

First impressions: fantastic! Initializing the phones could not have been easier. A quick connection to our respective computers, and all the information we needed was automatically transferred. Mary was making phone calls, reading email, and taking pictures in less than an hour.

The personal assistant on the phone, Siri, is simple and efficient to use. Making phone calls, calendar entries, searching the web, checking the weather, are all as Apple has advertised. And the parlor tricks that can be done with Siri are worth the price of admission. I guarantee we will see a comedian on TV in the next week or so, having a conversation with Siri... Skynet indeed!

Anyways; at least for today, Mary and I are on the cutting edge of new consumer technology. Thank you Steve.

There are still some nice colors in the mountains around Killington. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Fall Foliage as seen in Home Depot parking lot in Rutland VT 

We usually try to shop local whenever possible, but today I needed to go to Rutland to visit Home Depot. Mary and I are in the middle of finishing our outdoor projects for the season resulting is various little purchases of specialized supplies to complete the jobs. In this case, Mary needed some special 40 grit sanding disks that the local hardware store, Goodro's, did not carry. But enough on the stream of conscience chatter about hardware stores....

What really struck me today, while driving around Rutland, was how the fall colors on the mountainsides surrounding the city have just popped in the last few days. The view from the Home Deport parking lot was just a stunning combination of bright red maples interspersed with green pine trees and yellow poplars against a beautiful blue sky background. Many were concerned that the moisture we received in August had dulled the annual fall display.... Not so...If anything, today on my travels the color was stunning in every direction you looked.

Friends of ours called this afternoon to say that they had the same experience. We always have friends on the look out giving us reports so we can feed the information to our guests. In this case, our friends had travelled down Route 100 south meandering to Manchester Vermont, before completing the circle home via Route 7 north. They reported that the color on the routes down and back was beautiful in each direction, in many cases appearing to be a peak color along the way.

Mother Nature is a fickle lady. She always keeps one guessing when it comes to fall colors. Every year they are always stunning to look at. One just needs to be patient, observant, and trusting... because one thing is certain... the leaves will change color like they do every year.

Fall colors in Killington are at their peak. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Jet contrails lace the sky above Beaver Pond on Route 4 in Mendon VT 

Leaf Peepers, Dock Dog competitors, and skiers taking advantage of Columbus Weekend ski sales have struck gold in Killington this weekend. Bright blue skies, temperatures in the mid 70's, and light fall breezes have combined to create a perfect weekend in the Green Mountains.

Scenes of fall foliage from around Killington on October 9, 2011 Click image to stop rotation. Click again to resume rotation.

Fall colors at Killington are a mix this year. Some trees have gone early, while others are just starting. Colors should remain good in the area through the next week or so.

Guests taking day trips from the inn this weekend are reporting good colors along Route 100 north and in the mountain passes to the west between Routes 100 and Route 7. Minimal road disruptions are being experienced except along Route 107 east of Killington towards Bethel. Route 107 appears to offer 1 lane on dirt to the east, with traffic being blocked to the west. Route 107 is still officially closed and foliage visitors are advised to keep off of it to allow local traffic to pass.

Fall Foliage season is underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011 

I feel a little strange writing this blog today. I am surrounded by Apple computer equipment. This blog is written every day on a big, honking, Powermac that can still blow the doors off of many new computers available today. Within my reach is a 21 inch Intel based Imac. The airwaves around me are saturated by the RF signal of an Apple Airport Wifi Network. There is an Ipod Touch in my pocket, an Apple TV in our Great Room, and a new Iphone in the very near future. I have personally owned at least one, usually several, Apple Computers since the first Apple Macintosh was released in 1984. I cannot even begin to tell you how many miles around the world I travelled with an Apple notebook in a bag slung on my shoulder. I used at work Apple II's and what was essentially the Macintosh prototype, the Lisa, before most people knew what a personal computer was. For over 30 years products from Apple have been integrated into my life. When I think about it in absolute terms, that's longer than most personal relationships I have had with the exception of my family and a few very close friends.

So when I heard the news flash last night, a story that we all unfortunately knew was coming, that Steve Jobs had departed this earth, I was instantly sad. His passing did not hit me with the same shock as when my mother picked me up at school, as a fifth grader, one November day in 1963 crying about the death of a president. The message was not visually shocking like seeing the Challenger blow up in 1986, or seeing the Trade Center buildings fall on 2001. Unlike those events, those of us who follow the computer industry knew it was only a matter of time before last nights news flash would occur. But it still made me sad all the same.

I can't quite place the feeling. I had no actual "personal" connection to Steve. Our paths crossed several times in the early 80's at geeky events like the BCS and at industry confabs out west. He was always a legendary presenter, and if you were at a conference where he had something to say, you wanted to be in the audience. Since starting the inn, I had emailed Mr. Jobs at Apple on several occasions. One concerned the failures of a vendor to support a software product on our Apple System. Another time concerned the unavailability of the original Iphone in Vermont, because ATT did not offer originating service in the Green Mountain State. Both times I got a short and polite response. They probably came from an Apple functionary, but it was clear that whoever wrote the response was taking the matter to heart and speaking for Steve. The problems have long since been resolved by the way.

But it is time.... The legacy of Mr. Jobs is assured. He changed the world...no he changed MY world! And for that he has my heartfelt respect. Godspeed Steve Jobs. I hope that when you left this world yesterday, that the sky around you was Bondi Blue.....

The weather forecast for the upcoming Columbus Day Weekend looks nice and sunny. Fall colors in Killington will be at their peak. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.

Fog rising from behind the 18th hole on the Green Mountain National Golf Course 

While much of the visible damage to the transportation network caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene have been mitigated in the immediate vicinity of Killington, for those whose homes and businesses were impacted by the storm, the damage is still all too real. But the spirit of Killington will not be broken as the community rallies to help those who need a hand.

In the last couple of days, the Killington community turned out in huge numbers for 2 events to benefit victims of Irene. On Sunday, the Concert for Killington raised money for charities in both Killington and nearby Pittsfield. The all day concert by local musicians, supported by food donations from local restaurants (including the Birch Ridge Inn), raised approx $30K according to one of the organizers I spoke with late yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon, I joined well over 100 people to play in a golf tournament at Green Mountain National Golf Course to help raise money for a friend, Brian Halligan. You may know Brian from television. His house was totally destroyed by the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in Pittsfield. He escaped the flood with the clothes on his back and his dog.

Through out the emergency created by Irene, the people of Killington have rallied to help each other. The concert on Sunday and the golf tournament yesterday are visible examples of the continued spirit of the whole community to rise up and work for the better good to help everyone recover from the effects of Irene. The events of this weekend prove yet again that Killington is a great place to call home!

The early weather forecast for Columbus Day Weekend looks like it will be nice. Fall colors in Killington will be at their peak. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.