Barb Wood If you had asked me six weeks ago what I would be thinking about this Body Transformation Challenge after week five, I might have told you that I probably would be hating it. But those who know me would know better. I am a competitor. This challenge has really awakened a part of me…

By Brady Crain This week I had big plans for a push. Crushing fatigue and malaise put an end to that idea. I am overtrained, and so my last big workout was ten days before my event. This week I did a two-hour bike ride and a six-mile 2,000-foot climb/descent in the mountains. Admittedly, both…

As you may or may not remember, the sci-fi comedy “Back to the Future” was released in theaters on July 3, 1985. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the film is currently touring North America and Europe in a series of high-definition screenings featuring live orchestral accompaniment—including a cast-attended showing at the 17,000-seat Hollywood Bowl,…

  By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul When you think of foxes (if you ever do), you likely picture the ginger-coated red fox, like Mr. Tod from Beatrix Potter’s fantastical children’s tales, only without the dapper suit-coat and tweed knickers. It is the not-as-common gray fox, however, that has been wandering the woods and fields near my…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Sagittarius Moon, which by the end of the week, will reach fullness in the sign, Capricorn. “As above, so below,” any time the moon approaches its full phase, life accelerates, and it feels like everything is…

By Dom Cioffi I took my family to Washington, D.C., this past weekend to roam the monuments and museums located within our nation’s capitol. Both my wife and I were looking forward to immersing ourselves within the history, science and wonder that the Smithsonian and other museums have to offer, but we were concerned that…

Suzanne Ellis–Leonard I am focusing on the young naturally athletic girl I once knew named Suzanne. Once I reach my goal, she’ll be back except this time she’ll have more worldly experiences under her belt (minus the “muffin top”) and a better insight on what life is truly all about.  I see the new and…

  By Kyle Finneron This week I asked all of the participants to think about their lives if they woke up tomorrow and had their ideal body. I wanted them to really imagine what their lives would be like, what would they be doing and how different their life would be. It sounds like a…

  By Beth Roberts This week at our weekly meeting we hit my favorite point so far. As always we talked about the nutrition plan, discussed how their workouts had gone for the week and how they were feeling about everything. I realized they were on the verge of that pivotal point that is so…

Sharing Otter Creek’s Over Easy session beer with Harpoon head brewer Scott Shirley Some trends come and go. Some get absorbed into the mainstream. A few years ago, a trend of robust beer styles with prefixes like imperial and double proliferated the marketplace (and our refrigerators). Craft beer drinkers, in their constant pursuit of flavor,…

By Brady Crain The view from about halfway up Ascutney Mountain on Tuesday, June 16.  It quickly clouded over and the peak was socked in in no time. This week was a rough one for training. I have stopped lifting weights until the event, and have been pushing harder in endurance exercise. My ride this…

By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul Helicopters. Keys. Whirligigs. Samaras. Whatever you call the winged seeds released by maple trees, here’s one more word for them: delicious. Like many New Englanders, I have fond childhood memories of dropping maple “helicopters” from a height and watching them twist and twirl down to the ground. My children do the…

I’ve been a basketball fan of fluctuating devotedness all my life, and every year, I have managed to despise at least one of the two teams in the NBA Finals—until this year. In the 2015 NBA Finals, I actually wanted both teams to win. The Golden State Warriors are impossible to dislike. They’re young, fast,…

In the summer of the 1950s and 1960s all of my friends could be found at the city pool on North Main Street. It was located on the west side of the street not far from Seward’s Restaurant. North Main Street, a.k.a. Route 7 North, was a two lane road in those days.  We were…

By Cal Garrison, a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week's Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Virgo Moon, one that is bathed in the afterglow of the midsummer crossquarter. Even though the solstice is technically over, it helps to remember that the lines of demarcation are not cut-and-dried in this reality —…