Final Images of Middlebury

We leave tomorrow for home. Vermont has been great and here are some final pics.

Otter Creek Falls, Our Favorite Place in Town


The Chateau on Campus


It's been so rainy, that everywhere you walk you find Mushrooms in the Grass


Otter Creek, again


Isley Library where we spent a lot of time


Two of My Monkeys


Main Street Middlebury

Birthday in Vermont

Yesterday was my 36th birthday. The weather was beautiful, clear and cool. Andrew took me to a restaurant here called Fire and Ice for lunch. We are tired of limited kitchen facilities and the dining hall here. Later, for dinner, we took the kids to Neil and Otto's for pizza. Although they are small, they make great pizza. We wish we could take them home with us. The place has about ten tables and is in the basement of a Baptist church. Colin asked if it smelled like pizza during church. He is usually pretty hungry during church and doesn't think he could handle having pizza in such close proximity. I have to agree with him.

Life on the Roads of Vermont

Aside from all the crazy wildlife we've seen attached literally to the roads of Vermont, we have some other favorite sightings. We hoped to take our own photos, but all the heavy rains have washed out roads here. Many of the wonderful, beautiful, scenic places are now under water or impassable. Thanks to www.freefoto.com we can still bring you our favorites. Those of you who don't live in a city may see some of these all the time, but to my city kids it was something new.

These are everywhere once you get off the main roads especially in the Green Mountain forest.


I love these and an added bonus is the horse dropping right beside to authenticate the signs.


Not sure if I'd want my kids snowmobiling across roads.


These annoying signs are everywhere on these twisty Vermont roads.


Further Sightings

Last Saturday as we drove back from Sharon, we crossed one of the mountains and saw a Neighborhood Watch sign. All those not asleep burst out laughing. We were in the middle of nowhere, hadn't seen a house or driveway for miles, not sure if we were on the right road and here was this Neighborhood Watch sign. Who is there to watch and who's doing the watching?

I wish we could have gotten a pic of the HUGE bug that crossed the road. It was big enough for us to see, smaller than a mouse, had lots of leg, was black/dark brown and scuttled in such a way that shouted bug. Andrew and I looked at each other and said, "What was that?" We've recently re-watched The X-Files episode War of the Coprophages so maybe that's the explanation.

I've already posted about the wildflowers along the road. Vermont also has lots of motorcycles. They roar through all the time singly and in groups. My favorite was the all African-American one. Usually you just see these old, geezery white men or couples out together. This was a group of ten to fifteen bikers with matching jackets, beautiful bikes, everyone wearing helmets with mikes. They definitely traveled in style.

I also love the tall trees creating a canopy across the roads; the rocky, swift moving rivers that the roads follow; mist surrounding the top of the mountains; and such clear, blue skies you know your kids are not ingesting a lot of pollution.

Vermont's Answer to Snow Cones

In Oklahoma, every respectable town has at least one snow cone stand. Vermont, a state that takes its dairy seriously, has the Creemee stand. Creemees are big, soft serve ice cream cones. Every few days Colin asks if we can go to the library for books and movies then to the local creemee stand.

Rainy Days and Pickles

Today is a another rainy day in Vermont. For the past three weeks we've had one or two clear days out of a whole week. I'm told that July is usually more dry.
At church, we hustled the kids in one at a time under the umbrellas. Eva was the last to wait in the car. As we were walking in she said with a sly bent to her voice, "I felt like the lone pickle left in the jar". Yes, that is our precocious Eva.

Visiting Sharon, VT

We spent today traveling to Joseph Smith's birthplace. It's this small visitor's center in the middle of nowhere with a monument and grounds. The church also owns surrounding land and built Camp Joseph complete with cabins. They hold Girls Camp and Scout camps there. The peacefulness rivals that of Palmyra.



Liam was antsy after the 1 1/2 hour car ride and loved chasing butterflies.


And sitting on the original step of the Smith family home.


Thankfully, we had a wonderful tour guide, Elder Slade from Star, Idaho. He didn't mind Liam running all over the place and took us around the grounds in a golf cart.


Along with taking us to see the foundations of Smith family homes on the property, we saw a stone bridge used by wagons. It was part of a turnpike that ran through the area carrying travelers during the late 1700s and early 1800s.


On the way back to Middlebury, we missed one of the turn offs and took the long way home. In the process, we saw excellent views of valleys and mountains. All and all a good day.

The Ben & Jerry's Factory

We made it to the Ben & Jerry's factory yesterday. It was a great tour, nice and short. It even worked well for Liam who was fascinated by all the machines.





Purple Passion fruit was my favorite. I loved getting smoothies made from it and was highly disappointed when they discontinued the flavor.

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.