On one of our random scenic drives around Vermont we stopped at a diner for lunch. Wondering if there were any points of interest nearby, we asked the locals who promptly sent us to Huntington Gorge.
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At first glance it didn’t look promising.
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And to be honest, the second and third glances weren’t any better.
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Everywhere we looked there were warnings.
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And while I’m not normally obtuse, I was beginning to get the feeling we weren’t wanted.
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So of course… after all the Danger Will Robinson! signs?
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My mountain goat husband had to investigate.
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Right at the very edge they warned us about.
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Please note yours truly listened to robot and was well out of danger range.
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Yeah. That limb will hold you honey, no problem.
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Needless to say he survived. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.
The last vintage beer crate we found had one issue…
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Wooden bottle separators that would have to be removed in order to house my vinyl. This was not simply a matter of pulling and popping them out. They were old, warped, and not in any hurry to go.
Ergo… it required tools.
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And since my husband turned his barn and workshop into a man cave …. this meant doing surgery in the living room.
Lord Dudley Mountcatten did not approve.
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After the first twenty minutes the husband was grumbling.
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After the second twenty minutes he was sputtering.
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But when the clock struck a solid hour of remodeling?
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One empty crate ready for part of my record collection.
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Although judging from the price of an old can of that beer … I think I’d rather have it filled with those.
Housed in an old inn, the restaurant/bar was warm and inviting.
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Most of the dining sections were full so we grabbed a high top near the empty bar.
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Seeing the empty bar made me wonder about the quality of libations….
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But a stellar blood orange cranberry gin fizz allayed my fears.
Of course this was Vermont, so some of the menu items put me off.
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A skillet full of kale? There wasn’t enough gin in the state to make me order that.
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Ditto the falafel, though the maple chicken didn’t sound bad.
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But the clam chowder was homemade, rich, creamy and full of fresh herbs so I started with that.. accompanied by the most amazing peach cornbread with orange whipped butter you’ve ever tasted. Ooh la la! I raved over them so much the waitress brought me extra of both to take home.
The beer? I thought you might notice that.
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I tried both of these.
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Because a girl gets thirsty when she eats salad.
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We enjoyed this place so much we stayed long enough to order dessert. (Mainly because the husband found a fellow veteran to talk to… and you know how long that can take.)
Pumpkin cheesecake for him, Key lime pie for yours truly.
If you’re ever in the Jericho area of Vermont drop in. You won’t be sorry.
This is a hard one for me as I have quite a few. And while I don’t mindlessly watch tv like my spouse, I do have a few movies that will make me stop what I’m doing and watch.
All time favorite film? Casablanca. But for something a tad more recent?
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For a history buff like me, you can’t beat this one. An important story of the 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment to fight in the civil War. It will put a lump in your throat and pride in your heart. Hell, I weep just hearing the soundtrack.
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I cry unashamedly every single time I see this one. And with music from Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen? You can’t go wrong.
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You can have Stephen King’s horror movies for fluff, but the fact he can write books like these and chooses not to is sad. Pass the tissues, I’ll need them with both of these films as well.
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The extremely underrated and heartwarming true story of P.L.Travers, author of Mary Poppins, and Walt Disney’s battle to bring it to the screen. I laughed, I cried and will never doubt Emma Thompson’s genius again.
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I could go on all day, but I’ll just drop one more favorite.
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I’m not a huge Russell Crowe fan but this sweet and funny story about love and family stole my heart. Set in Provence, the scenery is stunning, the acting sublime. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy.
Put a Marine and a sailor together at a military museum and there are going to be some serious disagreements.
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But they’re friends, so it’s all good.
As was the collection of pins from the Vietnam era.
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Kill a Commie for Christ is probably not what Jesus had in mind.
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My husband’s father was a SeaBee, though in an earlier war. Looking at their mascot made me wish I had a few more arms. Dinner prep would be so much easier.
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As I said before, all the items in this museum are donated. Though why someone wanted them to have dirty underwear and a partial denture I’m sure I don’t know.
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This uniform parade was a little creepy, especially the headless model.
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That’s an exact replica of a cell at the Hanoi Hilton, right down to the inch.
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And the rats and bugs.
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Impressive roof patterning. wish I could talk the husband into doing that on ours.
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Our friend, pointing out his photo from his time in Bosnia.
You knew there had to be some antique shopping on our trip.
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The husband refused to let me purchase this pair of chicken rocking chairs… even though I knew they’d be great on the barn porch. The $2,000 price tag might have had something to do with that.
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This old advertisement made us cringe. Clearly 666 didn’t have the same connotation back in the day.
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But look, it cured everything from headache to constipation . What’s not to love?
We hit a few stores and were about to call it quits but then, from the corner of my eye….
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A beer crate! At an extremely affordable $25 price. I was thrilled and I think the store owner was so happy to sell something he gave me these two vintage wooden darts (with real feathers) for free.
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Score!
Later in the day we arrived at our destination.
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The Old Red Mill in Jericho.
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A picturesque, well preserved piece of the past.
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One half the building houses a lovely gift store filled with crafts from local artists.
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And I liked the way they left the original mill works in place.
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In hindsight I really should have bought this book.
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Probably some decent blog fodder there.
But it was the other half of the building that I’d actually come to see.
There was so much to see and take in at this little museum.
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The husband with two of his old work colleagues taking about some kind of gun. 62 years of Army, Navy and Marine Corps service represented right there.
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The Nazi flag came from a soldier who liberated Auschwitz.
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This flag flew during the Normandy invasion.
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A wall of WWII Life magazines. It will not surprise you to learn my husband has them all.
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There’s a story for this fellow with the strategically placed leaf…
Of all the uniforms that have been donated and are on display at the museum, a WWII era French officer’s is not among them. All they have so far is a hat, so this poor guy is doing what any self respecting Frenchman would do while he waits…. drink wine on a nude beach.
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You have to wonder why S/Sgt. Towers kept these particular souvenirs from his war years. Good memories… or bad?
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 