2016 Holiday Card & Musical Selections

Here is the latest. Those of you on my list will be receiving the card and disc in the mail sometime soon. Enjoy and best wishes for 2017. May it be the best year ever!

Fiction: A Weighty Affair

A Work-in-Progress

(Critiques welcome)

Writing Exercise - Where Are You Now?

There's a room in Carolyn's new house that is a great nook for relaxation and contemplation.  The old owners converted a garage into this space and Carolyn has it partitioned off from the kitchen and the rest of the house to literally keep the cats away from the dog. It is a quiet oasis for readers, writers and cats. The others have gone out to walk the dog and look at the hobbit houses while I have some down-time to work on this writing exercise and a chill for a bit.

Carolyn's house & our crazy relatives!

Music Appreciation: Lesson One

Setting: Jean Pierre Rampal Concert

Date: 1970s

Gymnastics Dreams: Looking Back on Quitting the Sport

I did gymnastics competitively for ten years. One day I stopped competing. Here is the story.

The Bar in the Dream - Exploring a Sense of Place

Plonk in Bozeman

Years ago, a neighborhood pub would appear in my dreams. This was a welcoming, comfortable place where my friends and I would gather, a spot we considered "ours." In the dreams, the pub always retained a pleasant, low-key vibe without any rowdiness or drunken shenanigans. Upon waking, the image of the bar along with the feelings it conjured hung over me like a warm robe, and I'd start the day off happy with strong feelings of comfort, connection and friendship.

Bob Dylan & the American Love Affair with the Road

Celebrating American Pride Through A Chrysler Commercial

I've been thinking about road trips recently. Partially because I recommended them in a recent post and partially because Mike and I recently took one. It had been several years since I embarked on a long car trip and I was reminded of the excitement that comes with hitting the American road.

Vast distances and inadequate public transportation make having one's own wheels a necessity for many Americans, and so many towns and cities have developed and grown with the car in mind. Given these realities is it any wonder that Americans are big fans of the car and the open road?

A Super Bowl commercial from 2014, featuring Bob Dylan, perfectly captures not only the essence of the American love affair with cars but our strong sense of identity and American pride.

This is Bozeman - Retelling the Story

A Work-in-Progress

Mike and I walked in the rain to meet Cathy and Don for dinner at a place that screams, "I'm a pizza parlor," while offering gluten-free and sprouted grain crusts.

Completing the Trifecta - Exploring Three Random Lakes in the Southern Madison Range

The days of summer are dwindling and I'm glad to say that I've gotten out on numerous adventures so far. One great thing about having seven mountain ranges within an easy day's drive of home is that you can live here for a while and still have new places to explore. Thus is the case with a series of random lakes in the southern Madison range. 

Cameron Lake

Shohola Orchard, A Poem by Jim Culleny

Below is Jim's poem about the River House in Shohola. You can also find it here on his blog.

Naughty By Nature's Hip Hop Hooray, A Guilty Pleasure

Dance Club, Laramie Style

Update: This story has been updated and worked into a longer essay found here.

Studio 360 is a cool variety show that is on KGLT right before my radio show. At the end of last week’s program, right before I went on the air, host Kurt Anderson sent out a call for stories of “guilty pleasures,” the corny things in life we dig, but often keep to ourselves. Everyone has a guilty pleasure, those pieces of music or film or pop culture, clothing or whatever, that we like despite its cheesiness and lack of high regard. For me one of my guilty pleasures is Naughty By Nature's Hip Hop Hooray.

The A-List Olympic Gymnastics Primer

Gymnastics season is upon us. With the 2016 Olympics on the way, it's the one time every four years you can find gymnastics on TV.  After Sunday night's Olympic trials there is lots of talk and social media posts about the sport, which can be interesting and, for a former gymnast like myself, a tremendous time waster. Although I don't keep up with the sport like I used to, these last few days and subsequent web searches brought me up-to-date on all of the happenings. It's going to be an exciting Olympic games for gymnastics with a diversity of athletes to watch and teams to cheer for. Below you will find a few things to know and stories to look for during the games.

Independence Day Exploration in the Crazy Mountains

July 4th is a great time to celebrate America's independence, but it is even a better time to get out for a few days in the mountains. Mike and I always manage to do something memorable over the Independence Day holiday and this year was no exception. Our destination, the Crazy Mountains.

Where are They Now? An Update on New Haven Establishments

My most recent post lead to lots of conversation and many questions about New Haven with "I wonder what happened to....?" and "I remember when..." being the two most common responses. 

UPDATE - Since this was originally posted, I have added to the list -

• The most recent list from 2021 is here: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2021/06/new-haven-establishments-2021.html.  

• Where are they Now? 2019 can be found here: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2019/05/where-are-they-now-2019-update-on-new.html.  

Both are worth checking out as they each have different links and stories.

Broadway, Gateway to New Haven

Below is an update on some New Haven establishments that were popular in my day. I copied the list from my original post and added a few others based on what people have been talking about. There are a few times when I couldn't find the full story or my memory fails me, so I'll need your  help to fill in the gaps. Feel free to leave your stories in the comments section of this post. I am sure there are a ton of great places I am missing.

Rambling Reflections on New Haven

Lately, I've had New Haven on my mind. Discovery of the Elm City Diary Facebook page coupled with a slow and boring week at work was all it took to set me off on a Google search. When I stumbled upon Eva Geertz's blog post in New Haven Review, my curiosity about New Haven turned into full-fledged nostalgia. As I read the post, the names of local institutions, the sights and sounds of the Elm City, its people, its vibe, and whole slew of thoughts, feelings and images came flooding into my mind.

New Haven Green

Conspiring to Love, A Review of United by Cory Booker

I have been told over and over again that the way to be a writer is to write. Every day. I'm trying to do that but it's hard when you're trying to manage a million things in everyday life and perfect summer weather is competing for your limited free time.

Below you will find my review of Cory Booker's book United. I finished it a few weeks ago and rather than waiting to get it perfect, I'm going to share it with you now bumps, bruises, incomplete thoughts and all.

Official Diagnosis: Mid-Life Crisis

Rambling Thoughts On Mid-Life Discontent

When I was 39, I had a strong desire to go surfing and find a 23 year old boyfriend. Surfing had always interested me but the much younger boyfriend was only something to joke about as I contemplated my 40th birthday. I even went as far as saying I was having a mid-life crisis. Silly and over-dramatic for sure, but I didn't take myself or my imagined mid-life crisis seriously at all as in reality, I knew everything was fine By the time my birthday came around, I was preparing for a trip to the Pyrenees with surfing and the strapping young lad far from my mind. Life was moving along smoothly and I was content.

A Late Spring Ski Tour in America's First National Park

Over most Memorial Day weekends, you can find me skiing on Beartooth Pass (BTP). Between the abundance of road side skiing, challenging terrain, the camaraderie among skiers, and the chance to take an early season drive through Yellowstone National Park, it is always a great weekend. Mike and I headed down there this past weekend and took Lukas along for the adventure. While we did ski BTP, an unexpected, temporary closure of the pass on our drive over allowed us to explore the ski possibilities near Dunraven Pass in the park.

Early Mornings & NPR - They Just Go Together

While I'm not much of a morning person, I can rally for an early morning wake up if there is a compelling reason - a 6 a.m. flight, early starts for spring skiing, etc. To get the chance to see a live broadcast of NPR's Morning Edition ranks highly on the list of compelling reasons to leap out of bed before sunrise, and on Friday, the alarm want off at 4 a.m. for just that.

Luck & Powder on the Sphinx - 4.16.16

Sometimes a day in the backcountry comes together just as you want it to. When the outing is a ski tour in late spring that includes a long approach and it  works out perfectly, you are incredibly lucky. Mike and I must have had some good karma coming our way as our trip to ski the Sphinx couldn't have been better.

Update: I was able to rework this story into a piece for Ascent Backcountry Show Journal. Click to read "Solving the Riddle of the Sphinx."

Skiing with the Brits - Step Two, Teach Them the Lingo

Once again, I was surrounded by Brits on my most recent ski tour. in the Alps. As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the delights of traveling and ski touring abroad is the opportunity to pick up new words and lingo. My three European ski tours have taught me a lot of British lingo and as a member of guided trips, I am able to share American mountain town lingo with the group. Other than one American guide leading a trip, I've been the only American on all of the tours I have completed so it becomes my responsibility to serves as an ambassador for American mountain town culture.

A Typical Day on A European Hut Tour

Grand Combin as seen from Rhêmes Notre Dame

Note: This entry is copied from the journal I kept during the trip.

First Impressions of Chamonix

So this is Chamonix I thought as I stared out my hotel room window at the tall and jagged mountains outside. Wow! Huge, rocky, icy, rugged, dramatic. So many superlatives and that was only one side of the valley. It was a "So this is Yale" moment for sure.

From the Front Porch to Center Stage: Robert Earl Keen & Lyle Lovett in Concert

Note: This is a work in progress! Concert reviews are harder than I thought! I have more thoughts, which I may jot down some day. The show was a few weeks ago so I want to get this review posted before more time goes by.

Marcy 18, 2016, Wilma Theatre

Gran Paradiso Hut Tour, La Dolce Vita

At Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele

If there is such a thing as paradise for backcountry skiers, I am pretty certain I found it in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park.

Missoula Road Trip: Montana's Urban Paradise

To me, Missoula has long ranked as one of Montana's most dynamic and lively towns.  I have always felt it has a certain je ne sais quoi making it feel like a much more urban place than Bozeman. While it is bigger (69K people compared to Bozeman's 41K), I don't think the population difference is enough to give it a more urban feel then Bozeman yet it certainly has one. I got to experience the vibrancy and urban-ness of Missoula once again as Mike and I made a quick trip there this past weekend.

Discoving a New Author: Liane Moriarty

While I read regularly, sometimes I am at a loss for what to pick up next. I'm not very good about keeping a running list of books to check out so often I scramble to find  my next read. I love it when I enjoy a book by a new author and discover that he/she has written several more. This is always a great moment as I know I won't be short on reading material for a while. Thus is my recent experience with the work of Liane Moriarty.

Skiing with the Brits - Step One, Know the Lingo

As I prepare for my third European ski tour, I am reminded that although Americans and the British both speak English, the two groups use different language when talking about skiing and gear.

(Part two of this series is here: https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2016/04/skiing-with-brits-step-two-teach-them.html)

When You're Big in Poland - Where are My Readers From?

I'm always curious to see where my readers come from, and thanks to the analytics feature on this blog, I'm able to do just that. While it no surprise that I have readers in Serbia, Montenegro and Italy as I've recently traveled to  and have strong connections with those countries, I was pleasantly surprised to see a recent increase in readership from Poland.

So the big question is,...where are you reading from and how did you stumble upon this blog? Please leave your response in the comments section of this post. (You can do so anonymously.)

Artistic Mastery & Brotherhood Are Winning Combination for Bozeman Symphony

While there are many popular destinations located near the mountains, it is the town itself that makes Bozeman stand out from the rest. Home to Montana State University, many creative, driven and community minded people call Bozeman home. Long before it became the wildly popular destination that it is today, Bozeman boasted The Ellen Theater on Main Street (1919) a community radio station (KGLT, 1968), the Bozeman Film Society (1978), an annual performance of the Nutcracker with live orchestra (32nd annual production in 2015), and many other artistic, cultural and social amenities. Thanks to these organizations, Bozeman is more than just another pretty face in the crowd.

2016 Snowpack Update

It is that time of year when the Steenburgh Winter is coming to an end. I first posted about this concept in 2014 and gave an update last year, so it looks like it's time to check out the data and see how the Bozeman area ski areas are doing this year.

The A-List Eats (& Sleeps) - The Cinnamon Lodge

Numerous commercial properties dot Highway 191 between Big Sky and Yellowstone National Park. Some of them, like the Corral and Rainbow Ranch, have stellar reputations and are local institutions that we are drawn back to again and again. Other establishments, such as the Cinnamon Lodge, have been around forever and are an under-rated gem.

Where Have All the Gear Shops Gone?

It seems like every time you open a magazine, Bozeman appears in another 'Top Ten" list. Best

college towns; best places to retire; 25 places you must visit now; the list goes on and on. Outdoor activities are a big reason Bozeman makes these lists and it is not surprising that locals and visitors alike take advantage of these amenities.  With six great mountain ranges nearby and endless opportunities for exploration, Bozeman is truly a town with outdoor recreation at its core. So one would think we'd have an abundance of stores to buy equipment for said activities. The sad reality is that gear shops, at least the ones catering to technical skiing, climbing and mountaineering, are dwindling in number.

Girl vs. Mountain: Evening the Score

After two unsuccessful attempts last year, I was finally able to successfully traverse Chestnut Mountain on skis.

West Yellowstone, An Unexpected Backcountry Destination

Leaving our mark

With my ski bum days behind me for the time being, I find that I am eager to get in an extra day of skiing whenever the opportunity makes itself available. Sure, I get out for a short skate ski on the town trails two or three nights a week after work, but that's not the same as putting in a long day in the backcountry.