Robert Frost and Falls of Lana


Today was spent hiking. The first trail was the Robert Frost interpretive trail. It was an easy trail for the kids. Everytime we came near the river, the kids would head to the water trying to get wet. It's a little over a mile around and beautiful. Along the trail are poems by Robert Frost. A bit cheesy, but enjoyable.


Choosing the Road less Traveled


Wild blueberries that were too small for us to pick


Eva climbed this tree and promptly fell out. She was brave enough to climb back up.


Next we drove to the Falls of Lana area. The hike from the parking lot to the picnic area is shorter, but more steep and rocky. All and all the kids had a great time.

The "short footpath" to the service road at the beginning of the hike. Thankfully, the main trail wasn't this rough.


View from our picnic area


A rock Colin couldn't resist climbing


The Falls of Lana

Wings to Grow On


Colin has 'discovered' Buffalo wings on this trip. He loves them and orders them whenever he can. One of the other instructors is from Buffalo and was visiting home last week. When she returned, she brought a HUGE box of wings for the kids. Here are some of the few we have left. They are by far some of the biggest wings I've seen. And yes, the kids eat them with blue cheese dressing, carrot sticks and celery.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer


We made another trip to Burlington yesterday. School is right around the corner and as we will return home two days before opening day, I need to buy the girls clothes now. This time we hung out at a typical mall not the cool Church Street one. Then we had dinner out at Adria's current favorite restaurant.
We swung back into town in time for me to visit the art fair on the town Green. I picked this up as a gift for the house. I just painted my kitchen and dining area in yellow and blues.


After Liam and I hit the art fair, we met back up with the rest at the library. While waiting outside, we sat on a stone wall along the sidewalk. Liam decided to jump out at unsuspecting passersby and "scare" them. With arms held up by his head in the shape of claws, he would jump and yell, "Raarr!". Some people just walked by, but one nice couple pretended to be scared. This just encouraged him. Next he decided he would try to "trip' people by sticking his little leg out. Where do they learn these things?


Five bucks if you can name the title reference. And, no, Adria as my daughter you are disqualified.

On the Sidewalk

Okay, okay so I've been a slacker. It has been almost a week since my last post. We seem to have fallen into a rhythm here. One that involves walking downtown to the library every few days, getting ice cream and skipping rocks at the creek. The kids and I will go exploring a bit in afternoons. It has been raining a lot, and Adria has been babysitting in the mornings which will end this week. So stay tuned for longer adventures like visiting the Ben & Jerry's factory.

We've recently observed a number of frogs on the sidewalks. They are always belly up, all stretched out and flat and dehydrated. There must be an excessive amount of frogs in Vermont plus a large amount of bugs(Colin found a blue, fluorescent fly) for them to eat. I'm not sure how they end up squished on the sidewalk. It's not like a car drove across them. Did that many people not see the frogs and step on them? Pedestrians do have the right of way in Vermont, and it is a state law that you must stop to let them cross. I think the frogs need better lobbyists.

Lake Dunmore, Redux

I was able to take the kids to Lake Dunmore today and didn't forget the camera this time. Liam keep saying, "Aargh, Aargh" (his word for pirate) everytime a boat went by us. It was a great day. Isn't it nice how easily kids can be pleased.











Finally! An activity that tires Liam!

Liquid Manure

Last night, we came home to an unusual smell. Horses. It smelled just like horses outside and the fans sucked that smell right indoors. I happened to ask about it at church this morning. Seems the local farmers spread liquid manure on the crops a few times a season to promote growth. Thankfully, it rained today helping with the smell. Unfortunately, they will probably spread it one more time before we leave. Liquid manure. Who knew.

Wildflowers and Wildlife



Chicory is one of my favorite wildflowers. I love the color and they can grow anywhere. They are a native to Europe, but can now be seen all over. In Vermont, the roadsides are covered with wildflowers. Marsh marigolds, larkspur, Queen Anne's lace, wild lilies, baby's breath looking the way it should, flea bane, milkweed, crimson clover and of course, chicory. I love it!

They mow a small strip along the road and leave the ditches full of flowers. Makes for a beautiful drive. There is a wildflower farm north of here that I am going to stop at and pick up some seeds. I'll try to find those that will do well in Missouri. The gardens here tend to be on the English variety with a mass of the same flower in one spot. I love this 'careless' way of planting, appearing beautifully unorganized. Much like a house should be.

On the other hand, we have seen quite a few critters along or on the road. Mainly, squirrels. Most of you know that Adria detests squirrels. Thinks they are rodents with tails and believes all are rabid. Most of the ones we've seen are belly up with their front paws in a death pose. Aside from those and the odd mop we saw, I contributed to the road art with a silly bird. On a busy highway, he just sat there not moving until the last second. Colin looked behind to see feathers flying and said, "Man, what a way to go!"

All A Place Needs is Great Food

We have discovered all sorts of yummy food. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, we walk to the Farmer's market for cheese, fruit and vegetables and, of course, BREAD. Our favorite is from the Good Companion Bakery, www.goodcompanionbakery.com. It's this little farm nearby where they use organic ingredients and bake the bread in a brick oven. In the picture is a baguette and chocolate filled croissant from the bakery. Colin loves the baguettes and insists that we keep stocked up on them. We have also discovered Green Mountain Mustard especially their horseradish variety that is slightly sweet with a kick. It's great on the baguettes. Also Blue Ledge Farm cheese, www.blueledgefarm.com, has become a staple. They have mostly cheese from goat's milk. In the picture is the Pepper Chevre(the colorful one) and the Lake Edge. And we have enjoyed all the fresh strawberries and, now, raspberries are ripe. These are black raspberries. I didn't know there were so many varieties and shades of raspberries. Yum!

Adirondack Mountains and Chair
On the west side of campus we can see the beginnings of the Adirondack Mountains and on the east we have the Green Mountains. Here's the Adirondacks.


Around campus they have all these Adirondack chairs under trees and in courtyards. Students are encouraged to sit and study and commune with nature. This is Vermont after all where a recently viewed T-shirt said "Vermont: We were green before green was popular."


The kids have been enjoying rolling down hills, walking for ice cream and skipping rocks. What a great way to spend a summer!

Otter Creek

Otter Creek runs through the center of Middlebury. A working mill once stood there which the town built up around. Today it's a great place for the kids to explore. It's located off a street called Frog Hollow. As you can see from the pictures, it isn't like any 'creek' that I'm used to seeing. A foot bridge spans the Creek and connect to the Marbleworks area of town. A great farmer's market is there on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Fourth of July Parade and Outhouse Race

We've been in Vermont almost a week. I took the kids to Lake Dunmore on Wednesday and unfortunately my camera was out of batteries. We'll definitely go back and take pictures. The lake was beautiful and clear, not too cold. There are hiking trails nearby that we plan to explore.
Today, we spent the morning in Bristol, a little town not far from here. They are famous for their outhouse races. They take the frames of outhouses, place them on wheels and decorate them. One person sits inside while to others push and pull to the finish line. Four outhouses raced at a time with the winner in each heat going into the final.







After the races we watched the parade. Liam loved all the fire trucks until he realized that candy was being thrown.