This just in from our friend Rich (Toro’s our godpuppy, a boxer named after a boxer):
…weighing in at just about 80lbs, wearing an electric fence collar -”El Toro” AAAAAAAAAAngel Hernandezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (insert angry mommy and daddy shouting here.)
…and Ladies & Gentlemen, in this corner (under the shed), wearing the black & white stripes, weighing in at 4lbs 7oz. “The Undisputed, Stinky-weight Champion of the Night , Pep-payyyyyy “le Polecat,” (that’s right) “Polecat” (aka: Skunk or the mammal that is best know for its ability to excrete a strong-foul-smelling odor from its back end area) -not to be confused by the Yeti.
Toro, Mommy & Daddy all were knocked out in the first 2nd round. (he didn’t get it the night before.)
Good thing he’s such a loyal friend, I don’t want to miss a second of this smelly fun! He’s resting so peacefully next to me all day, everywhere I go. They say that the “aroma” lingers best when it’s humid and rainy… good thing we have that too!
The demolition has begun. My parents are gutting and renovating the upstairs of our family home, and this photo is from the bedroom that both my mom and I grew up in. Apparently they’ve found newspaper in the walls dating back to September of 1890, but the house actually dates back almost 300 years as part of a dairy farm in West Barnstable, MA.
The fun thing about growing up in my mom’s old room was the closet she had wallpapered with teen magazine covers in the 60s!
I feel like my first post each month lately begins with “hard to believe it’s already [August]!”
We’re having a great few weeks of guests coming and going, and boating season really is just now upon us (when the dock is less crowded and the fish are more hungry). Leslie joined us this weekend as Dave rode the Pan Mass Challenge - congrats Dave! And newlyweds BG and Sam are arriving for the weekend ahead.
Eric, Jill and the kids were also here with friends for the last week - this time renting a house out in Eastham. Always fun to get some beach time with our favorite little ones!
Meanwhile, we’re happy cheering for Jason Bay and the Red Sox (my favorite sign was “Bay being Bay”, so kudos to that guy if he finds this blog), and I still don’t know who won the Tour de France because we have a few stages left on the DVR. Speaking of biking, we are running what is maybe my fifthsixth seventh? Falmouth Road Race this coming weekend. I think I’ll always register for it, despite the fact that it’s consistently the hottest, most humid day of the year, but I’ve definitely turned my sights more on biking for the future. I’m looking forward to doing a century (100 miles) and a multi-day tour in the near future, and thankfully our circle of biking friends keeps growing! My deepest thanks for introducing me to the sport will always go to Nathan, who passed away a year ago this month.
Lastly, I’d just like to send a shout-out to my Mom & Dad (and Rigley) after another hard-working week as head-honchos for the Barnstable County Fair! They’re already getting ready to head back out on the RV trail again, not to mention the fact that they’ve put a rush on me getting my “stuff” out of the house before rennovations, eek.
I’m the last one at the end of the hallway, and I’m lucky enough to have one wall of exposed brick from when this was an old rubber mill back in the 1800s. One wall is an awesome bright turquoise color.
I also have wood beams for a ceiling - very cool. I don’t know what exactly is on top of that for roofing, but…
HOLY LOUD THUNDER AND RAIN!!!!!!
This has been a very noisy week #2, but I’m loving it!
And the verdict is in! Brewer is most definitely half lab and half plott hound!
Its reputation for courage and stamina, however, is anything but regional. Outdoorsmen from as far away as Africa and Japan hold the Plott in near-mystical esteem as perhaps the world’s toughest dog. Bred to track, run down, tree, and, if necessary, grapple with a baying 500-pound bear eight times its size, it is often overmatched but rarely chastened by that fact. Inspect the coat of one that has worked in the woods for a year or more, and you will likely find slash marks from a bear’s claws or a hog’s tusks. Plotts routinely will stay on game, alone or in packs, for days at a time. Willing to sacrifice themselves before they’ll run from a showdown, they are the ninja warriors of dogdom. By comparison, the beagle is a layabout, and the pit bull a pansy.
It’s been a week since I was last at a computer - I mean really at a computer. And I’ve been without a BlackBerry. What an AWESOME thing that is (ok, was). Over the last three years, any “vacation” has typically included a good amount of e-mail and work. The last week - busy with guests and activities - I’m happy to say I haven’t even been able to remember my cell phone.
Guests arrived from Chicago, Vermont and Boston, starting on Thursday afternoon. We had an awesome time - day-tripping to Nantucket (photo from Leslie), to Wellfleet, going for a long run around Osterville, biking the canal, hiking the dogs, playing tennis, sipping wine on the beach, and cruising/fishing on the boat off both the north and south sides of the Cape. The last of our guests pulled out on Wednesday morning, and I went immediately to a yoga class. My goal for the remaining days is to really rejuvenate and prep myself as a person and as a professional for the new job.
Today started with an 18-mile bike ride back from dropping my car at the garage. I’m going to be driving an hour each way for the commute now, and a few things needed tending to. And now my dad’s almost here to pick me up for 18 holes of golf! A very active week off and I love it. If I get the kayak out tomorrow, I might officially have used all our summer sporting equipment.
Gary’s busy at work this week. He deserves some R&R himself after all the incredible work he did on the outdoor shower, the gorgeous new driveway, and so much tending to the yard. The upstairs toilet and sink were even installed before guests arrived! All without compromise to his sunglass tan lines.
Another weekend is ahead, and the new job starts Monday! I’ve of course reinstated the ole’ BlackBerry, am blogging, and will gradually be getting re-connected.
Here it is, July 1st! The cicadas are dying, the tourists are coming and the thunder has certainly been booming.
We spent last weekend in Maine celebrating the wedding of [my college roommate] BG and Sam Bigelow. A gorgeous and memorable wedding indeed, on the remote island of Islesboro. This photo shows how one might kick off a marriage in cozy little corners of Maine - CONGRATS to the happy couple!
It was nice to get up to Portland early on Friday to catch up with our close pals Emily and Anthony. We squeezed in some play time in Freeport as well.
And NOW…. the FOURTH OF JULY ON CAPE COD is upon us!! Oh wait, before that happens, my LAST DAY OF WORK in Boston is this Thursday. What fun timing! I’ll drive up, pack up the office, and swing through Logan to pick up the first of our seven house guests (6 human, 1 canine). Yup, bus-y weekend at Hacienda Hedman! We’re looking forward to a lot of beaching, boating and celebrating the holiday with even more friends too. Happy 4th!
Phase 2: Get lab to enter water, gradually over head in pursuit of stick or ball
Phase 3: Get lab to stop splashing and begin the correct and efficient use of webbed paws while swimming
Phase 4: Lure lab onto boat with tennis ball
Happy to say Brewer’s first boat ride was a big success this past Saturday evening! He loved the flats at Sandy Neck during low tide, and he sniffed his first striped bass. He even rolled over on his back for a rub on the way back to the docks.
It’s officially official. I’m happy to report that I’m starting with experience marketing agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) next month!
I’m very excited for this new opportunity. I’ve had a good few years at my current PR agency, but change is very welcome. GPJ is an incredible environment for me to stick around in for hopefully a long time, and that includes the fact that it’s an hour less of a commute and it provides me with a much more international career experience.
If you’re curious about what “experience marketing” means, it is a focus oncustomer participation and engagement across the entire range of face-to-face marketing and communication formats: trade shows, conferences, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, mobile and street marketing.
GPJ clients include many of the largest auto manufacturers, pharma, high tech… and namely RIM/BlackBerry, which GPJ hooked on with the John Mayer tours of 2007 and 2008. The creative space at the North Easton, MA mill building is just awesome, and the people are too. I can’t wait to get back there.
You know you're a biker when you squeeze the steering wheel to slow down. 16 hours, 46 minutes ago
Sad that no matter how I actually ask for my coffee with milk, Dunks/Americans seem to always assume I want sugar too. And lots of it. 1 day, 3 hours ago
I may be late to the game in booking my first Jet Blue experience ever, but I did it with such confidence that it's also my first red-eye. 1 day, 23 hours ago
Original blog still resides at http://saltyhedman.blogspot.com
This just in from our friend Rich (Toro’s our godpuppy, a boxer named after a boxer):
The demolition has begun. My parents are gutting and renovating the upstairs of our family home, and this photo is from the bedroom that both my mom and I grew up in. Apparently they’ve found newspaper in the walls dating back to September of 1890, but the house actually dates back almost 300 years as part of a dairy farm in West Barnstable, MA.
I feel like my first post each month lately begins with “hard to believe it’s already [August]!”
Meanwhile, we’re happy cheering for Jason Bay and the Red Sox (my favorite sign was “Bay being Bay”, so kudos to that guy if he finds this blog), and I still don’t know who won the Tour de France because we have a few stages left on the DVR. Speaking of biking, we are running what is maybe my 
I’m the last one at the end of the hallway, and I’m lucky enough to have one wall of exposed brick from when this was an old rubber mill back in the 1800s. One wall is an awesome bright turquoise color.
It’s been a week since I was last at a computer - I mean really at a computer. And I’ve been without a BlackBerry. What an AWESOME thing that is (ok, was). Over the last three years, any “vacation” has typically included a good amount of e-mail and work. The last week - busy with guests and activities - I’m happy to say I haven’t even been able to remember my cell phone.
Here it is, July 1st! The cicadas are dying, the tourists are coming and the thunder has certainly been booming.
It’s officially official. I’m happy to report that I’m starting with experience marketing agency 
