SUGARLOAF, Maine – Olympian Stacey Cook spoiled Kirsten Clark’s homecoming parade Sunday, barreling past the local favorite to win gold – her first U.S. title – in super G at the TD Banknorth U.S.

At a century-old farmhouse that one dinner guest calls “the best restaurant in San Antonio,” friends enter through the kitchen door. And, often, they help cook. “Nobody's a stranger,” the owner said.