More Tours

We popped over to visit the Chocolatorium one day.  The kids each made a candy bar, and we got to view a very informative video on the history of chocolate.  In the video they also showed us what cacoa beans look like before they're dried.  I've never seen that before, so that was really cool.  Before we left, we also purchased some more chocolate--it was very tasty.  We needed to get lunch while we were out, and our chocolate friends recommended the Market Wagon out in Bennington.  That turned out to be a wonderful recommendation.  It's an Amish place, and the food was terrific.  We had salads and sandwiches, on par cost-wise with a Subway, but so much better.  And the portions were HUGE.  Bill and I split a sandwich, and still walked away a bit uncomfortably full.                          

Friday we moved campgrouds to be closer to Ben & Jerry's and Cabot.  On our way to the campground we stopped at Ben & Jerry's for the tour.  Under 13s are free, and it cost $12 for the three of us who are over 13.  Totally worth it.  We got to try a new, in development flavor, and it was mighty good.  We got to check out their flavor graveyard, say hi to some cows, and see where they make their tasty treats.  They weren't making any when we were there, something about stopping to clean the equipment every three days.  I'm cool with that.              

We dragged K out of bed to visit Cabot.  We did get to see cheese being made, which was cool.  When we went to the place that handmakes the cheese (Crowley's), they weren't making any that day, so this was our first shot at seeing cheese made.  This place also cost us $12, but that was for four of us this time.  The cheese tastings were delightful.  My favorites were the Artisan Reserve (we bought some), and the Old School Cheddar.  The Old School is aged 5 years and is SOOOOOOOOO good.  But also SOOOOOOO pricey.  I'm drooling just thinking about it, though!                              

We started Monday off with a bright and early visit to the doctor for K, and by the time we had the meds and all, we were ready to visit a maple farm.  We've tasted a lot of maple, bought a lot of maple, had a lot of maple cremees and shakes, but we'd not yet toured a maple farm and sugar shack.  Let me tell you, Morse Farm in Montpelier is the place to go.  They have a country store where you can purchase all kinds of handmade items, tons of syrups and other maple products (along with cremees & shakes), but the prize is walking around their farm.  They've got a cool video on how they do the sugarin', they've got a collection of wood that includes the elephant & donkey (oh--and Pi-Cow-So), and the maple trail that winds through their maples.  So cool.  And on our way out, we picked up some strawberries they get from a local farm.  We ate the whole container before leaving their parking lot.  I miss our homegrown strawberries, but these were a close second.  So good.                      

On our way back to our campground, we stopped at Cold Hollow Cider Mill.  We got to see them stack the apple mash and press out the cider, as well as read all their cool signs.  And taste it.  Wonderful stuff.  Holy cow.  So we bought cider, cider doughnuts, cider vinegar (crikeys that stuff is strong!), and some postcards and such.  And so, while Vermont has brought upon our family Lyme disease, we are hanging out for a bit longer.  I need to get over to King Arthur Flour!

Vermont's Other Side

We have absolutely been loving our stay in the Green State.  But not everything is sunshine and roses (or even rain clouds and maple cremees).  A week or so K had me take a tick off her.  Today, she started the antibiotics for Lyme disease.  Because her tick was in her underwear area, we let her have her privacy in checking for the rash, and she was telling us there was no rash.  But the symptoms were big.  She had a huge headache that was keeping her from walking around much, she really wasn't eating (even ice cream--what???), and she was sleeping all the time.  Because the symptoms happened so close to her bite, Lyme was on our minds.  Thank goodness.  We took her to the doctor and got her a prescription.  We opted not to do the blood test.  Reading up on it, there's just an unacceptable level of false negatives with the test.  And the repercussions of not treating Lyme are just too great.  Because we caught it early, once she's done with the antibiotics, she should be good.

Coincidentally, I've been reading articles about Lyme.  I read an article about a pro golfer whose wife arranges his THIRTY-FIVE pills a day for him.  THIRTY-FIVE.  A DAY.  The article was light on information, more like a fluff piece than an article, so I have no idea when he contracted the disease and when he started treatment.  And then there's this article, which helpfully tells us that we're in the worst part of the country for Lyme.  Thank God I've been seeing/reading these articles, because it really imprinted me with an awareness of the disease and how quickly it needs to be taken care of.

Now, I had always heard that the bulls eye rash was the indicator or Lyme.  So when K said that she had no rash, I was thinking we were good.  Yeah, only about 50% of kids get that rash.  Oh, and she does have a rash.  Since it's in her lower region, she had a hard time seeing it herself.  But the doc took a look, and there's a definite rash.  And that just helped confirm what was already pretty obvious.  Though, really, the symptoms are a bit vague and can be indicators for other illnesses as well, but the fact that she had a tick bite made it suspicious.  I am so very thankful we are getting this taken care of quickly.  I certainly hope she feels better soon!

Quiet Time

In the midst of making pancakes this morning, I twisted my back.  I've had this back injury for the last 20+ years, and in the last few years it's been more problematic.  Aging isn't kind.  So I've been laying about all day, with a head that's messed up by the rainy (again) weather.  For whatever reason, with rain or overcast weather, I tend to get motion sick, just existing.  So instead of getting out and checking out Stowe or something fun, I'm wishing my back would just freaking heal itself.  I can't do a lot of my stretching and exercises, I just don't have the space for it. Lying down in the mud isn't my thing, either.  So until we get back to CO, I'm just playing the waiting game.  Wait til my back feels better, wait fr it to hurt again..  I hate my 25 year old self who didn't get the back taken care of after the car accident.  I don't even know if it could have been repaired, but I'd like to think it could have.

Weston Area

While at Winhall Brook Campground, we didn't really have great cell signal.  We didn't invest in a signal booster, so when we're out of range, we're not connected.  It can make it a little bit challenging to find out all the different things we want to do and such.  It was such a great area.  We visited the Vermont Country Store in Weston almost everyday (turns out, we love maple milkshakes.  Who knew?), went into Manchester several times, and generally tried to visit local craftsmen whenever we could.  

On our way from NY, we stopped in Middlebury to check out the Danforth Pewter flagship store and workshop.  We got to see pewter casting (poured into molds) and spinning (pictured).  There was a tour bus group there when we first arrived, but when they cleared out, it was just us.  The manager was super friendly and explained to us how the company is run (everyone hired gets experience at all the jobs), talked about the equipment, and gave us a lot of her time.  She also challenged us all to spin four tops at the same time, and whoever could got to take a little trinket home.  Pretty cool trip.            

One of the sites we enjoyed in Manchester was the Northshire Bookstore.  A great bookstore.  They have used books in addition to new, which is always fun to peruse.  We took home a few books, of course.  We happened to do our laundry in Manchester, right next door to Mrs. Murphy's Donuts.  I stepped in and picked up a dozen donuts.  So glad I did.  They were huge, tasty, and a great variety.  Much better than any of the chains I've visited.  Glad we tried them out right before we headed out of the area!   We visited Crowley Cheese, where we not only picked up their cheese, but we also picked up smoked maple syrup. We seriously had such a great time visiting the little shops and checking out what people make and do in Vermont.  If you get a chance, spend some time in the state.

Out and About in New York

NB helped me out on this picture.  Our New York campground was WET and dreary, but as I was coming out of the bathhouse, I noticed these small flowers on the sidewalk.  NB followed me after I grabbed my camera and held up the flower so I could get a better picture of it.  I love that the kids will take a much closer look at things when I whip out my camera.  They also have taken to slowing down and looking for the little somethings to show me and have me take the picture of their find.  I love that they pay attention to the beauty of this world, and know that sometimes you have to look for the beauty amongst things that may not really draw your eye.  A little life lesson that will serve them well.          

We took an afternoon to stay local and checked out the fort associated with our campground.  While I'm sure the fort itself was fascinating, we were more taken with the shoreline, so that's where we stayed.  We met an extended family group there who really liked our van.  Turned out one of the families was from Louisville, CO!  

After the fort, we headed out to Gunnison's Orchard to get some cider doughnuts.  The pie also looked good, so we ended up taking home a carmel walnut apple pie.  Oh me oh my.  That was glorious.  We also drove around a bit.  Drove right by the set tour of the original Star Trek series.  A bit more money than I was willing to part with, so we just kept on truckin'.  

Mostly we were taken with Vermont from this site, so we kept crossing the bridge.  We need to find more campsites in Vermont.

I LoVermont

We're camping in New York right now.  But visiting Vermont.  We're at Crown Point Campground, literally on the other side of Lake Champlain from Vermont.  

I'm in New York, looking out into Vermont.  See that sky? It's raining again.  But that's ok, cuz we headed out for some tours today.                      

First we headed to Shelburne to visit the Vermont Teddy Bear Company.  I've loved their bears since I was in high school, which was (coincidentally) around the time they got the factory up and running.  We paid $3 for those older than 12 for a half hour tour of their operations.  It's really neat to see how they get the bears made and learn how many people they employ.  Or how few, and yet I've heard of them.  And their operations increase dramatically around the holidays.  Our tour guide said they regularly employ 150, and they ADD about 1,000 for the holidays.  Wow.  Looking around their shop, they really lend support to small businesses in the area.  Their graphic designer is Bruce Corbett, whose snowflake photographs they had for sale.  They also had a couple shirts from Keep Vermont Weird, and they had a write up about the couple who started the business.  Sadly, when we tried to visit the store in Burlington, we couldn't find the place.  We spent a frustrating half an hour looking for them before just calling it quits.  But I love their stuff and am hoping to find more of their stuff in some local shops.  

After the tour, and the fail in Burlington, we wandered around.  Vermont is really cool about having signs for EVERYTHING, so we would see something that caught our fancy, and just pull over.  We went to the Shelburne Country Store, the Vermont Flannel Company, and Dakin Farm.  I had to keep reminding myself that these aren't the only places we're going, and I don't need to buy every cheese and every maple product I find.  But I did get a hot chocolate mix from Silly Cow Farms, which I really enjoyed.  

We've got two campgrounds lined up in VT, but I think we might stay longer.  We don't have any reservations after our two in VT until we hit Acadia at the end of July.  We picked up a TON of brochures today, plus I've got tabs open in my browser for places we saw on our way through VT to NY.  There's a lot that's calling to us in this beautiful place.  

I'll leave you with this.  It's the memorial to Samuel Champlain.  When the door is open, you're free to walk up it, so that's what the kids did today.  I hear it's riddled with spiders.

Woods Hole

As an English major, I never had heard of Woods Hole Institute.  My husband, however, has been wanting to see Woods Hole since before he and I met.  He wanted to be a marine biologist and do research at Woods Hole.  Instead, he went to WVU and became a computer/software engineer working as a government contractor.  This trip has made his dreams come true...in a fashion.  We made it to Woods Hole!!!!  

Here they are in the model of the Alvin.  For those who don't know, Alvin is a deep sea explore vehicle.  Diving to depths of 15,000 ft or so, scientists who use Alvin have found out so much for us, it's amazing.  And there's still so much to be discovered and explored.  The whole village of Woods Hole (which one of the scientists we spoke with said is actually a part of Falmouth) is filled with research. We went to three or four different locations to learn about sea creatures, Alvin, work with different bacteria and such.  It was a great day.  And honestly, I loved walking around the town and having so many different labs around (even though most aren't open to the public).  When we were in Los Alamos, even though the town grew with the labs and the work on the bomb, the town itself was not focused around science.  You've got the government labs, but the science seems to be contained to that.  Perhaps because Woods Hole is right there at the ocean, scientists have flocked to the area and set up a huge community.  Totally cool.    

The aquarium is small, but it's free.  And it's got cool fish like these.  They talked about human interruptions to marine life.  One of the things mentioned specifically was noise pollution.  I've been getting more and more sensitive to noise, so I feel their pain.  Interestingly, as weather changes, noises actually add another layer of congestion in my head, as though it changes the pressure in my sinuses.  Wouldn't it be great if we spent some resources on figuring out how not to be the noisy neighbor next door?              

We went to the upstairs in the aquarium, beyond the displays, to where they do the actual work of taking car of the fish.  We spoke with the marine biologist who was making the fish food for all the beasties in the aquarium.  She cuts up the small fish into smaller pieces, blends them up in a food processor, adds some spinach and other veggies, kicks it up a notch with vitamins, then cuts up the mess into cubes.  Not really how I want to use my food processor.  Blech.  But talking with her was fascinating, so I'm glad we went over and talked to her when I saw her making the food.  All in all, a great way to finish up our visit to Massachussets.