Rollin' on the river

It's a dirty ride, but somebody's gotta do it. Promoting this area is something we are passionate about, cycling is another such thing.

Enter: Dieter Drake and the Tour of the Battenkill.

It's made a name for itself as one of the grittiest, gnarliest races in the United States. It needed a mark worthy of the challenge and beauty inherent in the race. Recently, the Tour of the Battenkill was recognized by Union Cycliste International and now appears on the UCI calendar for 2010. The race draws 1,500 cyclists and has grown into one of the largest one-day events in the country.







Mike traveled back to his glory days, drawing on thousands of miles ridden in dirt and dust.



Derek rode back in time to mountain paths and unforgettable climbs.



And in the end, they shared a moment.







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Sep-html-ber

Our e-trigger has been pretty happy lately, with HTML emails going out for everyone from Tribune and The Copperfield Inn to a ghoulish little number we sucked out for ourselves.

If you have something to say, say it with all the tricks and treats you have available, because if you don't, someone else will.









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Goodisms

We are parents, siblings, spouses and professionals. Our extracurricular pursuits run the gamut from cycling and swimming, to writing and walking. This blog demonstrates a pretty authentic balance of work and play, which makes sense, because when we started Trampoline, the idea was to be as much about great creative as it was to be a place to have fun and honor family.

It isn't always easy to find ways to explain the other side, to talk about the Saturdays into Sundays spent offering constant care and companionship for an ill relative or the frenetic mornings filled with snapping shot of preschoolers. Volunteering in the routine ways that so many of us do— coaching, mentoring, singing and more care taking, are all things that we do when we aren't at 196 Glen.

Sometimes, though, it's more. A donated chunk of time does more than help someone, it changes the person who gave it. Paula has been a non-practicing registered nurse since she joined Trampoline full time late last year. She has missed it, so when she suggested offering a week of her time at the Ranch, we all thought it was a great idea. We also thought we'd be lost without her for a full week (we were), but we gave a collective, "Go for it!"

During her time she shared things on Facebook and sent out Tweets, but a journal entry she shared painted it in a way that can't be surpassed. She's let us share it here in hopes that one of you reading this will be compelled as she was, to offer your time. She promises that it will be more than time spent away from your routine, it will be time unforgettably spent.

High Ropes

You know that feeling you get when you're high above everything? Whether it's at the top of a long climb and your looking at the view, or your taking off in a plane and are watching as things down below get smaller and smaller or even when you reach the top of the stairs and you turn around to look at something down below? You know that feeling... kind of a twinkle in your belly, a lightheadedness?

Well I experienced that today at the high ropes course at Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne. I have spent the last week volunteering as a nurse at this wonderful camp for children with life threatening illnesses. Some are wheelchair bound due to their illness while others have illnesses that allow them to be up and walking around like the rest of us. Today it didn't matter which category the kids were in-they all went on the high ropes course. The wheelchair kids were removed from their chairs and placed in seats with ropes and carabeaners already attached. They were hoisted and guided up and into harnesses made especially for their seats. They were attached to the zip line and sent soaring through the air like eagles, flying and weightless. Peels of laughter and screams of joy could be heard throughout the forest as could the cheers from their fellow campers down below.

So that feeling, that "flying" feeling... I felt that today, only me feet were still firmly planted on the ground. I felt it though, just by watching these kids fly! I will remember it always...

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The Real McCoy

We've used them personally and professionally for years, so when they came to us for help, we were determined to give it our all.



The past several months have been a whirlwind of collaboration between our team here at Trampoline and the brothers O'Brien. The results, much like their service, are impressive.


















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Tidbits

Every once in a while it's nice to put out some things that may be of interest or assistance, like, "Guys, check the mirror, if you can see two inches of sock you need longer pants."

Or, "Ladies, just because you have ten fingers, you don't have to wear 10 rings."

Public service nuggets. (Or cattiness in sheep's clothing)

Anyway, a little round up of the links we found interesting:

Twitter shenanigans, phishing is cross platform.

Social Media can save lives.

Twitter do's and duh's.

Also, if you are in the area, and by area, we are speaking within a couple of hours, you should know that our friends at ATF, along with another friend, are presenting Second City in Rutland on October 16th.


Have a great day.




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Tight Pants & High Spirits

Making Monday nights into something more in North Creek.

For the record, while you are welcome to wear them, the aforementioned tight pants refer to the players and high spirits refers to the general mood at Trapper's on Monday Nights. Points to Mike for his marksmanship, right on, man.










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The Force of Procrastination

I've mentioned before the situation with iPhones here at Tramp Central. Just received this bit of footage from yet another round of iPhone horseplay.






It's how we stay young...



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Copper Memories

A while back (seems like forever ago, management . hint-hint-nudge-nudge) we took the entire Trampoline team up to North Creek.



The goal was twofold— get everyone together in an environment that did not involve ringing phones, Krameresque disruptive visits or emails to respond to and learn more about the resort we were charged with rebranding. The Copperfield Inn has long been known in the skiing community, but has been shortchanged as far as a fun in the sun option. For us, with pool time and sunshine, it was 2 parts play and 1 part work retreat as we enjoyed firsthand the serene setting and relaxing amenities.



Having kids and spouses around made for a fun, if at times loud, experience.



We played as hard as we normally work and found that if you have the right group of people and the a great place to gather, sleep and smiles come easy and stay put until you've had your fill.



Not sure how long we'll have to wait before we can do it again, but I do know that we will.