Brewbeer

I was at that show. Light rain and 43F.

I use native material that came out of the hole. If you bury the bottom of the post at least three fee below grade, you don't need anything but soil to hold them in place. Concrete will crack and let go anyway. My brother-in law dipped his fence posts in driveway sealer, and then back filled around the posts with gravel, seems like overkill.

Russians.

Skied Killington yesterday, it was in prime shape, with nearly everything open. Snow surface was excellent, and plenty of non-groomed options available. Visibility was a challenge with freezing mist most of the day, but the skiing was great !

@Fozz MRG is a blast. If you ski there you will learn to ski bumps. Also look at Magic near Mt. Snow. When the snow is deep in southern Vt., Magic has MRG-like goods (almost) and a similar throw-back vibe. Here is some mid-winter MRG stoke, just below the summit:

I never liked taking my skis off to board a gondi. Seems so much easier to keep them on your feet.

1. Octo snow bomb 2011. 98.5 hours with 3 kids and no power. Unbelievable tree and electric utility equipment damage. 2. Blizzard of '78. Lived in Natick, unbelievable snow and wind, also no power (but we had a wood stove) and extended no travel / no school. Honorable mention: Springfield tornado 2011. I wasn't in it but it went 1/2 mile south of my office. Did strip the trees along the river pretty good. But is was nothing like the life altering events of the first two, and nothing else I've experienced comes close.

Snizzle here in downtown Springfield. Roads are wet, about 2 inches on grassy surfaces. Looks to be just about over.

Heaviest of the day. Not even heavy enough to accumulate.

A little under 2 inches OTG here in downtown Springfield, where we have been between the two bands all day long.

How's it looking? Should I stay up?

Is it legal to drive up there? The view from the solar farm might be good, too.

Here is a link to a map which shows "dark sky" locations, which combined with a topo map, should be useful for finding good viewing spots: http://www.jshine.net/astronomy/dark_sky/ And another: http://darksitefinder.com/maps/unitedstates-15color.html Berkshire East Ski area is probably in one of the darker parts of Massachusetts, and it has a large treeless parking lot that has a good view to the north. In southern Vermont, check out the Green Mountain National Forest off Route 9 west of Brattleboro in the vicinity of the Deerfield River. About 5 or 6 miles west of Wilmington, turn right onto Forest Road 71, follow for 12-13 miles and turn right onto Somerset Road, and follow for a few more miles until you get to the Somerset Reservoir. There is plenty of parking and a great view to the north across the reservoir. Or, follow Forest Road 71 north and look of clearings. It's mostly wooded, but it promises to be very dark and there are some marshy clearings along it's length, including one at it's northerly terminus with Kelly Stand Road. Primitive camping is permitted along Forest Road 71.