alex

But in the meantime, gorgeous opening day

Bretton Woods opens tomorrow

Nights like this remind me why I love upslope so much.

Snow has picked up nicely here. About 1/2” in the past hour

I do like me some snow covered trees

Only 0.75” here, pretty sloppy. As usual, more excited about the NW flow after the storm than the storm itself

No actually from Maine Pine Log Homes

Yeah it's fun to do something that renters will enjoy but that also creates atmosphere. I added some string lights and it looks really cool at night. Once the snow hides the liner and the structure a bit more it should look even better

Set up an ice skating rink for my kids and guests today. Felt cold AF with the wind howling and the ongoing flurries. Hope it doesn't end up being a pain

Got home from a weekend in Boston to about 1/8” or so. The weekend felt like a high speed transition from summer to winter.

Low was 17

Averages can be deceiving too. Of course, I’ve been here about 7 years and from what I read the first half of those were AN, the second BN which contributes to the feeling, but while the last few winters may have been OK “on average”, the lack of big, sustained snowpacks is what made them feel not so great. Having 2 feet of powder wiped out by massive rainstorm doesn’t scream great winter to me, even though on paper it’s still 2 feet of snow. That’s why I’d rather have a constant NW wind induced upslope month than active coastals with the risk of cutters. Of course, in past years we’ve also had great period with combinations of synoptic and upslope and not much melting, and that’s the holy grail.

I may be biased here, but it's obviously a topic I follow a lot and the data doesn't agree, for the following reasons: 1. The impact of STRs on housing market is actually over-rated. See https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogervaldez/2022/10/06/housing-scapegoat-short-term-rentals-arent-the-problem/?sh=268e93a76abb 2. The economic impact of STRs on local economies is huge. A recent study puts the economic value of STRs just in the town of Conway at $45 million. See https://www.responsiblevacationrentals.com/resources/Conway STR Economic Impact Study 2021.pdf 3. From personal experience, STRs don't significantly impact the local housing market for 2 reasons. a) most of the 100+ homes we have in our program would not be affordable in any way. They are built as vacation homes, and not for local workforce who simply couldn't afford them. That's where towns/governments need to step in and incentivize new constructions that's focused on workforce housing, not large luxury homes on 2+ acres. Everyone in Carrol complains that there are not enough homes, but at the same time the town doesn't want to change the minimum 1 acre, and has fought for the longest time against Accessory Dwelling Units, homes over 3 stories, etc - all things that would lead to more workforce housing. b) most of the homes in our program are second homes and not available as Short Term Rentals on a full time basis, with very few exceptions. If STRs didn't exist, they would simply sit unoccupied when the owners are not using them. They wouldn't magically become housing available in the long term rental market. It's a controversial issue - and I want employees housing just as anyone else, but in my opinion simply putting the blame on STRs is very short sighted.

I was having the same thought, but it feels like a positive thing. We’ve had early snow in recent years followed by pretty pathetic winters, this seems more like the first few winters I spent up here, when you had to wait a little for it, but once it got going, it was game on. No idea if that’s how things will evolve, of course - but it’ll be fun to see!

Yep, you can totally see my property!

Knowing how hard it is for foliage color to show in picture makes you realize how incredible these photos are. Amazing job!

Just about 3" here, but double that on the rockpile, where the Ammonoouc head is. My trails are flooded, no way to go around the entire property. Fortunately didn't make it to the houses. Cool to watch...

Heavy heavy lead drop. Definitely past peak here

That is SO cool

Yep. Smack in the middle of my kids soccer game grrrr

Gorgeous day

Some cool fog banks around Whitefield this morning

Everyone seems to aim for Franconia Notch, and I find it always disappointing. It never seems as colorful as areas north of it. Part of it in my opinion is that it has a lot of beech trees, which just get a dull orange color.

32 at 9.30 pm. Cold night ahead