Getting settled in Southern Pines

We are here and Wendy and Gail have already started exploring the trails around Gail’s house. The temperature is in the 70s with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. We don’t miss the cold up North.

Touring near Roanoke VA

Today we toured the area seeing a very large gorilla at the Pink Caddalic restaurant and the Natural Bridge into which George Washington carved his initials. Today George would go to jail.

Trailering to Roanoke VA and Southern Pines NC

We left cold Massachusetts on Friday the 24th of Feb. Final loading of stuff into the gooseneck trailer and closing up of our house went smoothly. Mitzi was unsure about loading on the trailer but loaded a little after 9 am. Kahlua soon followed. They hadn’t left their secure paddock for months and perhaps remembered last years foray with two solid days in the trailer jousting with 18 wheelers. Our timing was good as the snow came soon after our departure but our rapid travel south kept us just a little ahead of the inclement conditions. We took I 84 to the NY throughway and then something that exited NJ going west to finally linking up with I 81 which carried us all the way to our friend Carlee’s place just North of Roanoke VA. However, we stopped for the first night at a cracker barrel restaurant just South of Harrisburg VA. It was very cold dropping to 15 degrees during the night. About midnight I had had it and checked into the motel next door. During my life I have made a number of decisions, some good and some not so good. Going to the motel was one of the best I have ever made.

After a brief continental breakfast at the motel (cold stale bagel) we headed out pointing toward Roanoke. Again we avoided the inclement weather pulling into Carlee’s a little after lunch. The two trakehners were very happy to leave their mobile home and run and buck in the paddock and we were happy to have run the gauntlet without mechanical or animal breakdowns. Carlee moved from Groton several years ago to this beautiful 25 acre farm nestled in the hills near the blue ridge parkway. After animal care, a dinner out and much talking we fell into bed for a deep sleep. This all worked well until the poodle wanted out at 2:00 am. Who knows why; perhaps to discipline us for taking her from her cozy home.

Roasting marshmallows in Groton MA

We do things in a big way

Recovery, horse racing and RNAi

I am still recovering from the flu but took the dog for a walk in the Harry J. Rich Tree Farm this afternoon. All went well except when it tried to pull me across the ice but with some fancy footwork I was able to remain upright.

Tomorrow Pedro is giving a talk to the local Rotary group on the inside truth about horseracing. He is one of the regulars at Johnsons. Pedro has owned and raced horses for many years and working with meager resources knows all the ins and outs of life at the track.

On the technical side, I am still entranced by small inhibitory RNA and its ability to revolutionize medicine and molecular biology. A biotech tabloid included the following diagram that shows how the siRNA is used by our cells to turn off genes. Enjoy.

Picture of land in Florida

A friend is building a house in Florida but will not send me a picture of the status of the construction. I have obtained my own picture from Google Earth and here it is. The little yellow marker is the supposed lot. Am I correct?

It is cold in Groton and why can’t I be in Greece

The warmth has left and the cold is moving in. A friend was just in Fort Lauderdale and put a bid in on a $500,000 boat. I hope that he buys it or one like it as I am to help him bring it up to Massachusetts in May and am looking forward to such a trip. Another friend sent a picture of himself and family in Greece. Oh for warmer weather! Steve, if you read this please send a picture of your new place in Florida.

I am looking forward to the New England boat show and a lecture next week at Harvard on catalytic RNA. Catalytic RNA provides a mechanism for the origin of life that avoids the major reason for adhering to intelligent design.

Long Term Memory – RNAi and memory in drosophila – Shovon Asharaf - Harvard

Today I attended a seminar at Boston University on the mechanism of long term memory as examined in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The seminar describd real advances in the understanding of the chemical mechanism behind the creation of long term memory. It seems that the mechanism is in place normally but inhibited by RNAi. Upon repeated stimulation, the inhibition is released by degradation of a particular protein and changes in the synapse occur that result in long-term memory. So to create a memory, the inhibition of a system is released.

It is amazing how these studies are accomplished. Today’s technology allows the scientist to implant specific gene modifications so that they are only expressed in specific tissues at specific times in development. They can also incorporate certain “reporter molecules” so that through fluorescent microscopy one can visualize gene activity in specific portions of the D. melanogaster brain. A fly can be trained and its brain examined to see which structures are activated due to the training. The power of these techniques bode well for our understanding of the most basic processes.

Snow in Groton MA

These pictures are for our friends down South to give them an idea of what they are missting.

Tracking hounds with radio collars

Mim and Gabe with Radio tracker
Gidget with Radio Collar

Silly humans and dogs

Yesterday I about froze to death walking around downtown Boston to attend a couple of venture meetings. The frigid wind can really whip around those tall buildings. Also, on one of my forays the wrong branch of the green line was selected so a significant back track was required. All worked out in the end. Today a distinguished group from the Old North Bridge Hounds walked Riche’s Tree Farm scouting out the best route for a hunt this spring. Our poodle came along. One of the hunt’s new radio collars was placed around her neck and while one group went with the poodle, another used two different directional radio receivers to track them. The receivers worked rather well, especially when we used the correct frequency. The larger of the two receivers is somewhat difficult to properly adjust but when adjusted it worked well. After the trek, an excellent breakfast was enjoyed at the Scotch Farm restaurant in Pepperell. The food was excellent and the prices reasonable.

For more pictures see: http://onbh.blogspot.com

Back in Boston

On the 4th we skied a full day at Aspen Snowmass, flew to LA at 8:00 pm, flew to Boston on the “red eye”, returned home, removed the accumulated manure from the paddock, and went to a Super Bowl party. After all this I had to make a presentation to some venture capitalists on the commercialization of tests for new cancer markers from Harvard. I am still recovering and apologize for my lack of blogging. In two weeks we leave for North Carolina to ride among the pines for a month. I found out that one can eat and drink to excess and still loose weight if one skies aggressively for six hours a day. While effective, this weight loss program is not inexpensive and at times painful.

A last glorious day at Aspen Snowmas

A final breakfast with friends and we got suited up for our last day on the slopes. The skies were partly sunny giving good definition to the well-groomed slopes. We started on the Burn doing Sneeky’s, Mick’s Gully and Shear Bliss. A connecting run via the Alpine Springs lift took us to Gwen’s for another great lunch. The place was packed. After lunch we did Cascade at Two Creeks a number of times and headed back via funnel to the six pack lift with a mid lift exit and back to the hotel. Packing when you are bone tired is no fun but we are now by the fire in the lounge waiting for the ride to the airport, flight to LA and red eye to Boston. It has all been fabulous.

Aspen Snowmass – up close and personal with the snow

This morning we started on Sneeky’s on the Burn but the wind was high and cold so we took trestle to the funnel and then up to Elk Camp. After a run down Gunner’s View I decided that I wanted to do Grey Wolf which is the highest run on Elk Camp. Snow bunny decided to do Gunner’s again which was more protected. The start of my run went well. We had snow last night and many places were filled with new powder but as Grey Wolf is exposed, the snow at the top blew off leaving what is euphemistically call “packed powder” which can be as hard as cement. It was cloudy so the definition was not great. I was cursing down the slop making appropriate turns for the conditions when I suddenly hit powder. My turn was too sharp and I got up close and personal with the slope. I am not bragging but it has been some time since I have fallen. I was a little dazed. Why am I not going down the slope? Why is all this snow around me? My right ski came off. I was able right myself, re-attach my ski and continue down the slope. I was still not all there. Soon I hit even deeper powder and assume the prone position. Well, almost prone as my posterior had sunk into the powder so my feet were above my head. The skis had not come off this time so I had to use my poles to get them to release. After removal of the skis significant struggling ensued with little progress in my attempts to reach the surface. Fortunately, a fellow skier came by, offered me the end of his pole and I was upright again. The rest of the descent was uneventful. We had lunch at the hotel and skied Two Creeks in the afternoon. After time in the Jacuzzi, we went to the Silvertree Hotel to hear Twrp Anderson and John Sommers belt our some country classics. As recommended by Dick and Jody we went to the Brother Grill to enjoy and excellent dinner of prime rib and duck ravioli. Tonight we are packing for our flight out tomorrow at 8:00pm. We fly to Los Angles and then on a red eye to Boston. Hopefully, we can get a full day of skiing in tomorrow.

Aspen Snowmass Café Susanne restrooms and blizzard

Today we had snow on and off with some of it at the blizzard level. However, it was intermittent with blue skies in between the white out. The skiing was great regardless with each weather condition providing it’s own challenges. In the morning we stopped at Café Susanne for some coco and coffee. It is always difficult entering their men’s room as the flowers and lounge makes one think that they have entered the wrong place. The motif of the restaurant is French which carries into the men’s room. This is one of five restaurants at Snowmass that are up on the mountain and accessible only by skies. While this is great our favorite is Gwen’s at the top of the High Alpine lift.

Going up the funnel lift to Elk Camp

Getting on the detachable Six pack lift at the base of Snowmass

At the top of Elk Camp with the storm approaching

Aspen Snowmass - skiing and strolling through downtown Aspen

After breakfast, we went right to the top of the burn and down Sneekies in light snow several times on the edge of the Big Burn. It had been groomed and the visibility was better than yesterday. We also did wineskin in the center of the Burn and finished on Shear Bliss of the eastern side of the Burn. Lunch was at Gordon’s (Gwen’s) and consisted of a large bowl of wild game stew. They did not disclose what wild game was used but the flavor was fantastic. We left lunch skiing down Green Cabin taking the new sixpack lift back up to Sam’s Knob. The expert slope, Campground, was a pleasure to ski from the Knob except when I balked at a steep section and almost went into the woods. A quick turn just before disaster allowed me to retain my no “fall record”. The snow bunny cannot make the same claim. After the obligatory soak in the Jacuzzi, we strolled downtown Aspen, including the shops with art and furniture so expensive it is hard to imagine who buys the stuff. Perhaps Oprha Winfree shops here as she has a place in Aspen. As is our custom, we perused the antique guns, belts, scrimshaw and horse tack including Roy Rogers original saddle at Curious George’s emporium. They predict a blizzard tonight, which hopefully does not extend too far into tomorrow.