2007 year in review

There is snow on the ground and lights on the trees, so must be time for the “Christmas” letter.

The year started nicely with lots of new curlers at Nutmeg. Our friends Ray Turnbull and Georgina Wheatcraft came in to hold a clinic at Ardsley. After that was over Mrs. JHcurl and Georgina spent a few days in New York shopping.

The end of the curling season is starting to get close and we hold the Golden Handle mixed at the new club for the first time. Besides the snow storm, losing the compressor and the ice melting a little it was a great time.

Off to the Men’s Worlds in Edmonton. A bit of hassle to get there but what a great time. Big crowds for every draw and Team USA does great by winning the bronze. A special treat is dinner at Dave and Heather Nedohins’ house and then watching US v Canada with Dave on TV. Very cool.

Spring is here and we start with the Yankee games. Then a fabulous party on Ellis Island with fireworks by Grucci celebrating the 50th anniversary of Fairfield Maxwell.

Off to Cape Cod for the mixed summerspiel. Good weather and lots of beach time.

Mrs. JHcurl goes in for surgery right after and that was a little scary but everything turned out great. She spends the next 6 weeks recovering and enjoying some time off at the beach. Oh yeah and two weeks after she gets out of the hospital, we fly off for the annual Lake of the Woods retreat. Very low key with a lot of fishing for me and lots of relaxing for her.

Get back and attend some more Yankee games with Dave and Heather and Randy Ferby. Randy is a huge fan as he is here for 4 days and goes to a game every day.
Fall arrives and the Travel Channel wants to film a curling segment for Anthony Bourdain. We don’t have ice yet so we “make” “curling” ice on the hockey rink. It kind of works and based on the show (which just aired) it actually turned out good.
Off to Long Beach Island (NJ) for the annual meeting of the LBI CC. Voted in a new member this year and drank a whole bunch of beer, so business as usual.
Time to make ice. Things go much smoother this year, the days are shorter and we get done in 36 less hours then the first year. The club is up and running for the new season with 125 members to start. Derek and Charrissa have moved to CT and are now curling at Nutmeg, what a great addition as both curlers and helping out all the newbies.
Now it is into NY to Rockefeller Center to help with the Korbel Challenge. Can’t wait to see what that looks like on TV what with the high humidity and temperatures in the 50’s and the rain. It was an adventure.

Bonspiel season gets underway, we win the 4th event at the Founders, finish runnerup in first event at the Harvest and get wiped out in Norfolk at the mens’.
The final month sees Nutmeg hold the first ever 5 and under bonspiel sponsored by the USWCA. It goes pretty well but I think the timing held down the number of teams. Look out for that K. Dropkin junior team in a couple of years. For a group of 12 to 14 year olds, they certainly know how to play the game.

Another year older but probably no wiser. Happy Holidays to all and a safe and healthy New Year.
Later,
JH