Barbi Dickison Blog

This past weekend my honey and I ventured up into the mountains for a little backcountry skiing. The day was amazing and we found a secret little stash of powder that made for some great turns and we even created some "powder 8's" like the cool kids back in the 80's! If you've enjoyed any such adventures, regardless of the season, you know they take preparation. Whether adventuring in the White Mountains at 4,000 feet or in the Rockies at 12,000 feet, being prepared is critical to both your enjoyment and your survival. We have all read countless stories of the half-wits that head up Mount Washington in jeans and sneakers and then wonder why they got hurt, lost, cold or worse.

I think the Boy Scouts were on to something with their "Be Prepared!" motto. (I think the exclamation point is part of the motto!! - So co...

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In the famous words of Bruce Buffer: "Iiiit's Tiiiime"! No, I'm not planning to step into the octagon with anyone - ever. It's time to finally throw my proverbial hat in the ring and join the world of the homeowners once again. It's been too long. I really enjoy my roommate and could not have asked for a better friend for the last couple years, but it is time to have my own space. As I type this, I am celebrating (mourning?) turning 50 years old today. I'm sure I'll cohabitate with my honey eventually, but that's not in the cards right now. Let's take a peek at some things to be aware of (or to remind myself of) when joining this new group.

I've been the one behind the wheel when it comes to our lawn maintenance. I mow the lawn, trim the bushes and do (most of) the raking in the fall. This reminder is...

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I know I've talked about the cool little (300 sq. foot) cabin I lived in over in Lincoln before. It was basically meant for summer use, but got converted to year-round so someone could make a buck (and I could have a neato place to live). It was up on blocks and had minimal insulation. I even had a chipmunk poke his head up through a hole in the floor once! It also had abysmal windows as far as insulation is concerned. I put that plastic on the inside of the windows (that you heat with a hairdryer) and added another layer of plastic to the outside of the windows as well. It made a huge difference, but felt a bit like living in a poorly lit cave all winter.

If someone were interested in buying that place, the plastic would be a dead giveaway that the home was basically a sieve. As a seller, there are a handful of t...

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I've been deep-sea fishing off the coast in Portsmouth and even enjoyed a whale watching cruise (where we actually saw some whales!) in Hawaii. Outside of that, my life has been relegated to freshwater fun. We grew up water skiing and swimming at Kennebunk Pond in Lyman, Maine and visiting my dad's family camp on Sebago Lake. Aside from that, I've been on terra firma. Skateboarding, BMX riding, hiking, skiing, and road cycling have been the mainstay of my outdoor life. For most of us, land is where it's at!

A few years ago I was very fortunate to be able to purchase an acre of land in Lincoln with a good friend of mine. We split up the lot into 3 parcels and one of those is where I built my house. The land purchase was a life saver for me. It provided the equity needed to get a construction loan. And beyond any fiscal o...

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As I mentioned last week, we're doing some renovations around the house. Our new front door and entry door to the garage are just awesome. They no longer bleed precious heat or scrape across the mud room floor. We also replaced a half-wall between the main stairway (it's a split ranch) with a simple railing allowing more light throughout that entire area. All in all the changes brought more light in and are keeping the cold out. It's great.

The next project will be a bit more aggressive. The goal (still in the planning stages) is to bump out the wall in the mud room (that backs up to the garage) and build a little bench with cubbies above and below the seating area. This will help remove the shoe caddy that takes up floor space there and give a spot for coats as well. As we were preparing for this, we realized it w...

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