The Sundae Experiment.

So here's my idea..

Offer up a free sundae with all the trimmings to anyone willing to sit with me and answer 5 questions. On the record.

The conversation shouldn't take more than the time it takes to enjoy that sundae.

And it will happen on a Sunday. Only on a Sunday.

Ok, that last rule isn't etched in stone. I just liked the symmetry.

My hope is you/they will let me take a quick photograph of our Sunday sundae conversation.

I'm sure you're already wondering... So what are the questions? And what exactly does 'on the record' mean?

I'm still making final cuts to the list of questions I've scratched into my trusty travel journal over the course of last month's break, or 'January of Jim' as I like to call it, but I can give you a rough idea. Perhaps you've read my little 'life as I see it' picture book.. you know the ice cream tattered one that sits on the soda fountain counter here at Mt. Tom's. In case you haven't seen it, click here - Hand-me-downs: Some Slightly used Tips on Life for my Little Brother. In a nutshell, consider this your chance to share with the world (ok, maybe not the whole world but our little world) a few of your own thoughts on life, liberty, and the pursuit of being happy.

My plan is to transcribe our sundae chat, savor it for a little while, then edit it up into a short essay. When I've got a decent sized stack of sundae chats, I hope to assemble them into a book entitled, wait for it, The Sundae Experiment. I have a bunch of other names in my journal too, but SE is my favorite right now.

I think it'll be fun. A great chance to learn. To write. To share. As you know from the silence around this blog during a good part of the summer, now is prime writing time for me. My best chance to get some momentum before the high season returns. I'm definitely hoping to share a few conversations here along the way. And don't worry, there's no pressure. You'll be the first critic of the finished product, long before it hits the Ice Cream Diaries or the aforementioned book. And if it's not to your liking, we scrap it and forget it ever happened. Worst case, you got a free sundae out of the deal.

Ok, so who's in?

jim@mttoms.com

What I did on my winter vacation: Part I

Well, it seems another January has come and gone. If the mountains of snow all around us are any indication, I really picked a good month to be closed this year. It's been a great month of travel, leisure, family, fun, and frolic. Dont' worry, I've been home for the past week, so I got a good taste of the weather you enjoyed all month.

Without sounding to gloaty (if that's even a word), I thought I'd share some of my favorite images from the month. Many people ask, 'did you go someplace warm during your break?' I always go to Florida to visit the folks, but this year I was able to go a bit further south to Costa Rica. As is the case with most of my getaways, it's all about the 'golden hour' of light. That's when I usually drop whatever I'm doing (or sipping), grab my camera, and partake in my favorite hobby. I thought sharing here might give you a little respite from the view you're currently seeing from your window (if the snow hasn't completely covered it)..

By the way, these were all taken with my new Iphone. The old-fashioned looking ones with an app called Hipstamatic and the wider ones with Pano.

I hope you enjoy, and please don't hate me.


Walk in the woods in Florida with the folks...

My favorite niece Dagney...

Horseback riding in Costa Rica...

Farmer's Market, there's just something about going to one in January...

Orange Tree in the folks' backyard..

The beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica..

(click on the panorama images to get the full effect)...

Golden hour...

The lake near my parents' house in central Florida. They get some amazing sunsets...

That'll do it for now. I also did some skiing in Utah and caught a bit of the Sundance Film festival, but I wasn't sure if you'd be all that excited to see photos of snow right now. Better to save those for another time..

In any event, it's game on today. It was a full day of ice cream making yesterday to restock the freezers. One more full day today, and all flavors will be stocked, along with a handful of specials. Just in time for the next snowstorm...

See you soon, Jim