What Do YOU Do During the Off Season aka Summer?

[SSSdave]

After last winter's ski season? For the last 19 months I've been retired after decades of electronic tech career in Silicon Valley so every day I wake up it's Saturday. Have also been a serious non-commercial landscape and nature photographer over decades, especially wildflowers. Since April have done 9 road trips with 18 days in the field and 3 backpacking trips with 16 days in the backcountry.

on way into Humphreys Basin

North Table Mountain

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Alright well I'm super stoked that winter is around the corner. However, I'm sorta loosely looking forward to next summer because we are about to close on a condo in the southern Vermont region where we seem to play all year long, We don't go up to Vermont as much as I'd like in the off season because while there's lots of fun stuff to do we have the expense of motel lodging and this gets expensive. Now we'll have minimal monthly expenses with the condo and will have hiking, biking, kayaking, disc golf and just all kinds of outdoor fun stuff right in our backyard for weekend getaways. That said let it freaking snow as this is the best time of year but when ski season's over it will be less painful.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Here we are again in this thing called summer. I know some folks are still skiing and that's wonderful. However, we run pretty ragged from November -May so I actually relish a bit of down time because come October/November we'll do it all again. I do enjoy quite a bit of other activities so not sure I'd want to ski 10 months out of the year but that's just me. Loungy mornings, not having to be somewhere at a certain time and just slowing the pace down and relaxing a bit.

I've decided not to sail this summer because last summer was very stressful since my learning to sail was every wednesday during the race series. As I learned things get a bit um tense on the water as you are trying to win or at least place in your division. The captain was a bit of a meanie at times. I never got yelled at but my SO did and it's just not conducent to learning. It was just a very stressful couple of hours. I'd like to sail again but during a leisurely sail and not during a race. I also have some fear of deep water and HATED it when the boat would tip waaaay on it's side during a turn. My new thing in the summer is disc golf and I love the courses that are on a ski mountain because it combines hiking with something fun to sorta hide that you are hiking. Hiking in disguise I call it. It's a lot of fun and I can't wait to do it again. Other fun things this summer will be concerts (Kiss, Buckcherry and Robert Randolph and the Family Band). We also have a camping trip planned. My favorite party of the summer is next week. Londonderry knows how to celebrate the 4th of July. One the 6th there is the town parade, the farmers market is going on and then the party of all parties and this is the town of Londonderry sets off their fireworks on magic mountain. All the us condo folk have a giant party in the quad on mountain and BBQ and laugh and drink and watch the londonderry fireworks. They shoot them off at the base of Hocus Pocus so we just have a front row seat and it's pretty spectacular. There's also the cooler in the mountain concert series at Killijngton every saturday night so we're looking to partake in a couple of those. I think it'll be a fun summer. Our friend Stan and his wife have a unit in our complex at magic so we're looking forward to hanging with them. Plus our friends Joe/Jen just bought a unit in our complex so we have a whole summer of fun stuff planned.

We also are going ceiling fan shopping this weekend. We'd like to get 2 fans for the condo. We already have a guy to install them but need to pick out what we want. Plan to make other small changes here and there so this will be fun too.

We have a tuning bench in the locker room so I plan to practice waxing on our skis so I've got it dialed come October.

 

[Uncle-A]

This summer should be a little demanding because my summer home needs to have a roof replacement. It has two layers and they should be completely removed before the new roof can be installed. Getting bids from contractors checking their reliability is always a pain. On the lighter side I have already been out fishing and have plans for several more trips. I have started to rebuild one of my fishing rods and plan to build a new fishing rod before the fall of this year. That's it for now.

 

[KingGrump]

This summer should be a little demanding because my summer home needs to have a roof replacement. It has two layers and they should be completely removed before the new roof can be installed. Getting bids from contractors checking their reliability is always a pain.

WHew, for a minute there I thought you were going to do the work yourself. Now, THAT would be demanding.
The hardest part about doing a shingle roof is getting the shingles onto the roof. The rest is a cake walk.

 

[Alexzn]

I try to ride my road bike fairly regularly. This season the goal is to learn how to ride with a powermeter. I try to get into hiking but the bike always wins. Already dreaming about the next ski season though...

 

[John Webb]

Still skiing. Mammoth is open daily till Aug 4. Ran into MadPat, a Canadian who
has skied every month of the year for the last 5 years !

 

[Scruffy]

WHew, for a minute there I thought you were going to do the work yourself. Now, THAT would be demanding.
The hardest part about doing a shingle roof is getting the shingles onto the roof. The rest is a cake walk.

I resemble that quote. Since May: Ripped off the old roof. Repaired some rot around a roof window, replaced some roof decking, ice and water, drip edge. tar paper and re-shingling - hand nailing. Oh and new ridge vent and caps. Humping the bundles of architectural ( 80lbs each ) up the ladder is a bitch. Without a helper it's a lot of work. Dodging the rain too is a pain. I haven't done a roof since I was in my 20s and then I was only a helper. I'm a little more than 3/4 done. Today I setup some pump jacks for the final push to the finish.
Not bad for 62.

 

[Uncle-A]

WHew, for a minute there I thought you were going to do the work yourself. Now, THAT would be demanding.
The hardest part about doing a shingle roof is getting the shingles onto the roof. The rest is a cake walk.

The roof on the summer cottage is 19 - 20 square with 3 bundles to the square that would be 57 - 60 bundles to carry up on the roof, a basic asphalt shine is 240 lbs per square, that would be 80 lbs per bundle. That is a tuff lift for a guy over 70 years old. I have seen an attachment to a ladder that is a motorized lift that lifts the bundle to the roof but it is a two person job one at the bottom to load and one at the top to unload. The removal and disposal of the old two roofs is no joy in the summer heat and humidity. This is a young persons job and I will have to pay.

 

[KingGrump]

We used to do between 350 to 500 squares of shingle roofs per season back in the mid '90s. The right equipment make the job lot easier. Still need a lot of young & strong backs.
Rent a shingle hoist for couple days to get the shingles up on the roof. Your back and legs will thank you.
You can rent or buy a pneumatic roofing nailer also. Will make the job go much easier.

Another way to get around the heavy lift issue is to do the rip off, Install water & ice/felt as you go along. Get the roofing supply to do the delivery with a crank. There will be a extra charge, but well worth it. The crane will allow you to spread the packs of shingle on the roof. The nailer will make quick work of the rest.

Reducing the heavy lift will allow the brain to concentrate on the details. Roofing is all about the details.

 

[Crank]

I recently rented a jack hammer to cut some holes through our driveway make footing for a shed. Asphalt was too sloped there to just put blocks on top of it. Anyway, it worked great but the next day my wrists and elbows were very sore and I was only using it for about an hour.

I have another section I am going to dig up next year and will gladly pay someone to do it.

Getting old is not for the fainthearted.

 

[KingGrump]

Physical labor, much like skiing is all about technique, pace and efficiency. Think sustainability.

 

[crgildart]

I occasionally unlock that board going across the middle and roll around on this thing.

 

[scott43]

I recently rented a jack hammer to cut some holes through our driveway make footing for a shed. Asphalt was too sloped there to just put blocks on top of it. Anyway, it worked great but the next day my wrists and elbows were very sore and I was only using it for about an hour.

I have another section I am going to dig up next year and will gladly pay someone to do it.

Getting old is not for the fainthearted.

I re-roofed my garage..Jesus it just about killed me..carrying up bundles is hard on the knees..

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Copied from my Facebook feed because it describes my feelings, perfectly.

Went disc golfing today at Bromley.
Wed played 3 holes at magic and it was enough to wet my whistle and tell me I liked it. Its now confirmed.

We hiked up to mid mountain and then played 9 holes of disc golf as we walked back down. We have definitely found our summer thing. These 9 holes were the most fun. We actually seem to be decent at it as we hit par on several holes. I pride myself on my Frisbee throwing ability and once I got used to throwing a smaller disc I am hooked. I finally found something else I can do besides ski. I'm ridiculously stoked. Want to buy season passes.

Season passes are $60 and and this includes the chair ride up. We are going again in 2 weeks.

Here's a few pics.

 

[Uncle-A]

I posted this in the Catchall food thread but it is a summer trip to Oak Island NC

 

[Chris Walker]

This summer I'm spending a lot of time inside a gym on a stationary bike and a rowing machine. Which isn't the best but it beats hell out of last summer's PT office and crutches.

 

[Jenny]

This summer I'm spending a lot of time inside a gym on a stationary bike and a rowing machine. Which isn't the best but it beats hell out of last summer's PT office and crutches.

I hear you there! Every day I think, "Couldn’t do this LAST summer!"

 

[Monique]

This summer has been an odd one for me - moving lots of boxes into and out of the house, sorting through decades of stuff, tons of gym time (which is actually incredibly satisfying, because I turn out to be pretty good at feats of strength), and a hike every couple of weeks. Gym time isn't so bad when 1. it's not cardio 2. you don't need to leave your house and 3. you have a workout partner who's super excited for you.

But still, I am spending the entire summer feeling like I'm behind - behind on getting rid of stuff, behind on organizing the stuff I'm keeping, behind on getting out into nature and getting the dogs exercised, behind on house stuff, and continuously behind at work.

We're flying out east for over a week to visit some family. Once I get to my parents' house, I fully expect to crash hard because I don't have anything around the house that needs doing.

The plan is ... once my boyfriend is fully moved in and his house is finally rented out, we buy a new house and get to do this all over again. But we may wait a while ... either to try to time the market or just to catch our breath!

 

[crgildart]

There are several places around here to play disc golf and all are FREE! Check around and search your local parks and recreation website if you're looking for places to play Frisbee golf. Every city I've lived in over the past 40 years has had free courses within 10 -15 miles.