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Ooh la la! Best meal in Vermont….

November 25, 2018 Rivergirl 31 Comments

We had to drive to Montpelier to get it, but this little unassuming place was worth the wait.

It was funky inside..

With fabulous lighting and quirky decorative touches.

Red leather, white marble and deep circular booths, smooth jazz playing in the background…

It had that laid back, 1950’s Rat Pack vibe.

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I loved it at first sight.

The cocktail list was delivered on a leather bound iPad, and while it was full of maple goodness…. I opted for the fresh raspberry mule.

The menu was endless…

With a whole page devoted to salads. The husband ordered the Vermonter.

And then the French Onion Soup…

And finally the Vermont chicken with roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

Me?

I’m a burger girl, and when I find a good one I will happily crow.

Oh yes….

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I’m surprised you couldn’t hear me squeal from there.

Let’s deconstruct this tower of mouth watering goodness shall we?

Buttered and toasted Brioche bun, bacon blue cheese slaw, perfectly cooked rare ground sirloin glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce, topped with fried onion strings and a cherry tomato.

(We won’t mention the mountain of garlic parmesan truffle french fries I shamefully inhaled. Seriously don’t…. It wasn’t my finest hour.)

And if that gargantuan plate wasn’t enough, I had to try the highly recommended strawberry cake.

I had to…. really.

Yes, it was as divine as it looks….

And I swear if I lived anywhere near this restaurant, I would happily pitch a tent out back and scrounge their dumpster. It was that good!

Clearly, I would be better dressed…

But you get the idea.

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They’re dying to get in….

November 24, 2018 Rivergirl 25 Comments

Stop number two on day 3 was Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont.

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Yes… I said cemetery.

But not just any cemetery… au contraire mon ami. This final resting place is in Barre, Vermont… the granite capitol of the United States.

“Established in 1895, Hope Cemetery consisted of 53 acres designed and planned by the renowned landscape architect Edward P. Adams. By that time, stone cutters from all over the world, especially Italy, were flocking to Barre, Vermont, to enjoy the booming granite industry in the city. It is estimated than one out of every three memorials found across the United States was made using granite mined in Barre.”

“Barre is also known for having an uncommonly high death rate, but that, too, is related to the industry that made it famous. Silicosis, a respiratory disease that is caused by inhaling granite dust, led to an abnormal number of deaths in the area. When the Spanish Flu swept through the area, many knew that death could be just around the corner and got to work designing their own tombstones. This tradition has carried on ever since and about 75 percent of all of the tombstones found in Hope Cemetery were carved by the occupants of the graves they sit above.”

So we strolled among the dearly departed.

Have we met?

The weird thing is… it really isn’t.

We walked and we marveled…

And knew right away this wasn’t your ordinary cemetery.

And while it felt disrespectful to chortle in a graveyard…

Sometimes you just had to.

Instructions. What’s to learn…?

Die. Get planted. Take the eternal dirt nap.

Easy peasy.

Some of the carvings were lovely.

Some were serene.

Some were intricately wrought.

Some a little narcissistic.

Some were odd.

Some downright strange.

Cat lovers wanted everlasting furballs hawked on them…

And soccer players wanted giant balls.

(I can’t prove that, but I know it’s true.)

This was a testimony to love everlasting.

And this a heartfelt sentiment about mothers.

This chicka is famously known as the Bored Angel… seeming to say, “Come on, die already. Get it over with.”

There were hands clutching posies…

And massive monograms.

There were ducks…

And a fair share of art deco.

Here’s a door for my Thursday Door people.

But the one that really got me?

The chair.

Really… wth?

Chairs are made to be sat upon.

Did this dearly departed’s family members really think, “Hey kids… want to plant your tuchis on Uncle Shmuel for generations to come?”

The husband dared me to sit on it and have my picture taken. And don’t think I didn’t imagine some interesting selfies….

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But walking around a cemetery, gawking and taking blog pictures seemed blasphemous enough.

A girl doesn’t want to push her luck.

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So…. cheese.

November 23, 2018 Rivergirl 34 Comments

Never let it be said we don’t know how to have fun on vacation.

November is an odd month in Vermont. Since it’s after leaf peeping season, but before ski season… many places close down for a ~~we’re sick of the stupid tourists~~ month long winter siesta. This leaves explorers like us with limited opportunities, hence cheese on day 3.

Cabot, Vermont is home to Cabot cheese…. and they take it very seriously.

It’s cheese, how can you not?

A tour of the creamery and free sampling is a must, so off we went.

Only to arrive and be told they no longer give creamery tours because the government shut the program down due to food contamination concerns.

At first I was bereft….

No cheese?

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Then I was mad.

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No cheese at the cheese factory?

The salesgirl must have seen my “I have PMS and a handgun, any questions?” face because she immediately directed us to the tasting station.

Slightly mollified, I got my cheese on.

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I made my way around the table, but still must have looked ~~homicidal~~ dissatisfied, because the salesgirl made a special tasting plate for us with the expensive limited reserve cheese and pairing jams.

I must have smiled…. she retreated behind the counter.

This was as close as we got to the creamery.

But there were cow facts.

And a gift shop full of tasty treats.

We bought the elderberry.

I believe I heard the salesgirl exhale loudly in relief when we left. Clearly she realized how close she had to come to death…..

Do not come between me and my cheese.

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Vermont, where I make friends with pigs.

November 22, 2018 Rivergirl 19 Comments

As we were leaving Lake Champlain behind…

We (read, the husband) took a wrong turn. How this is possible when I’m constantly pointing and screaming “LEFT!” or “RIGHT” at the top of my lungs I really don’t know, but it happens.

So where did he choose to turn around?

Here.

In a field full of pigs.

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Why yes, yes I am.

And when I rolled down my window to say hello, all his brothers and sisters came running out of the woods.

**Note to self – Add Pig Whisperer to resume.**

Driving south through Burlington to eat at a restaurant the husband remembered, we passed this.

Yes, those are fire hydrants.

Though, as usual… the husband was driving too fast for me to get a good picture. But apparently this is a famous sculpture in those parts and a bit of a tourist attraction.

Ah, Vermont. Ya gotta love it.

Arriving at the Windjammer after lunch but before dinner (4:00) we weren’t allowed to sit in the dining room and had to go upstairs to the bar where I had the worst cranberry orange mule imaginable. Blech. Pink dishwater…

There was also a limited ‘in between’ menu which always ticks me off. If you’re open? Serve. If you don’t want to serve? Close. It’s a simple concept.

I was starving from missing lunch and ordered the rather interesting sounding meatloaf.

Naturally I wanted mashed potatoes with it… I mean, hello? It’s meatloaf!

But since it was 4:00? No dice. (Or potatoes.)

I settled for broccoli.

Sadly, no. I’m not.

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Order placed, we clomped downstairs to the salad bar which was shaped like a ship.

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Isn’t it just.

The salad bar was mediocre, nothing to write home about… but the meals? Lord love a duck, they were horrible. The husband didn’t eat his Shephards Pie, it was as dry as the Sahara and while I tried to struggle through the pasty, how can it be this tasteless meatloaf, I gave up rather quickly and ended up having a plate of broccoli.

No pictures…

Agreed.

You really weren’t. Management took it off our bill, but I really have nothing good to say about that place.

As we drove back to the resort to pick through left overs in the fridge, I made the husband slow down so I could take a few quick pics of the fabulous silo that greets you when you come into the town.

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How fun is that?

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The Grand Canyon of the Adirondaks.

November 21, 2018 Rivergirl 27 Comments

Some of the best places we find are by accident, and had the weather been ~~warmer than a Dick Cheney embrace~~ more conducive to strolling…. we would have taken full advantage of this gem we stumbled upon.

At first we thought it was just a cool bridge….

With some interesting stone work…

Which it was.

But as we got out of the car and walked around….

We realized the bridge spanned a massive chasm.

And it was actually a park you could explore…. with winding trails and breathtaking views.

Had it not been ~~cold enough to freeze my genitals shut~~ a bit brisk to walk around, that’s exactly what we would have done.

(5 points if you know the difference between a cavern and a chasm without looking it up.)

I’m not sure if you can tell, but in this next picture?

That batch of white stuff on the right hand side is ice, clinging to the trees and rocks from the spray.

I believe my husband might have said that once or twice.

So yes, Ausable Chasm is on our list of “return to when ~~our genitals are not in danger~~ the weather warms up” places.

But here’s a little taste of the vertigo inducing water hole to hold you until then-

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Island hopping in Vermont.

November 20, 2018 Rivergirl 28 Comments

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No, not yet.

But there are indeed islands in Vermont.

It’s possible because Lake Champlain is so frickin’ big. I swear as you drive around it, you’d think it was an inland sea.

So on our first full day, we drove north through the Heroes, (North and South…not super) and Grand Isle.

It was lovely.

Rich, rolling farmland with mountain backdrops…

And the lake on both sides.

There were cows….

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( I do. I totally do…)

And we happily played tourist, enjoying the natural beauty.

Again…

It’s a big friggin’ lake.

As we came to the end of the islands…

And realized we didn’t have our passports, New York it was.

Which is where we saw geese.

Lots and lots…

And lots of geese.

Seriously, they went on forever.

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More farmland on the New York side.

As well as a massive apple orchard.

How massive?

That massive.

So naturally we had to go inside and partake of it’s massive appley goodness.

And oh, the smell!

They should bottle it…. Eau de la Apple Crate. I would happily bathe in it.

Heavenly!

So after buying apples, apple pie, apple turnovers, apple cider donuts and apple blossom honey we waddled out and continued touring.

More lake…

More farm land…

More geese. You get the picture…

We headed south through Plattsburgh, and I’m sorry… but Plattsburgh? You suck. The part we experienced was dirty, foul smelling, full of air pollution and had that “we just don’t care anymore” attitude.

As boring as my vacation blogs are, even I’m not going to post pictures of you.

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And we’re back!

November 19, 2018 Rivergirl 34 Comments

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Yes, with the wonders of modern technology… it’s like I never left. But trust me, I did.

And now?

The Vermont vacation.

Don’t despair… I only took 633 pictures this trip.

So really, time will fly right by.

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Let’s begin –

We left Maine in the rain, and by the time we got to New Hampshire….

It was a slightly different story.

And by the time we reached the Mount Washington valley?

Not the greatest traveling weather.

Which these cars can attest to. The one on the left had his entire rear quarter panel and tire ripped off by the one on the right –

Slippery? A wee bit.

Winter wonderland continued into Vermont….

Where horses come in rainbow colors.

And that slutty farmer’s daughter was still raising her skirts to the passing cars.

St. Johnsbury had sunshine and green grass.

But by the time we made it to our resort in the western part of the state, Smuggler’s Notch…

It was grey and slightly snow covered.

I’d requested a quiet, secluded spot and got it. Halfway up the mountain.

This was our building, empty and all alone… just the way we like it.

We had a 2 bedroom condo, with a nice fireplace and some awful wallpaper.

A fully stocked kitchen with granite countertops…

And a comfy king sized bed in the master suite.

I liked the corner unit, and it had a deck…

With a mountain view….

There was also a complimentary box of maple cookies on the table.

Free cookies (almost) made up for that awful wallpaper.

That being said, the master bath….

Had more hideous wallpaper, and a whirlpool tub built for two that made me choke.

Oh, yeah… that’s a remote.

And a television over the hopper.

*Gulp*

Just what every woman dreams of on vacation….

The husband, never wanting to leave the suite, naked, covered in bubbles and watching endless old John Wayne movies in the bathroom.

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So being the thoughtful spouse that I am, I suggested he take the second bathroom all for himself. No sharing space with all my products, no burning himself on my curling iron, no wet towels on the floor.

Wives.

We’re crafty bitches.

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How’s this for irony?

November 18, 2018 Rivergirl 15 Comments

You stuck with me for 29 posts about our vacation to the Berkshires last month.

(29! I think that’s a record, even for me.)

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Yes, I’m really done.

But admit it… you enjoyed the ride, right?

Okay, that was hurtful.

But thanks to modern technology, and WordPress’s scheduling feature…… as you sit and read this post on the 18th, I’ve actually just returned from a new vacation in the mountains of Vermont.

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Yes.

It’s true.

We left on the 10th, and came back the 17th.

And rest assured I’ll have hundreds more pictures of our adventures that I’ll have to share.

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You’re welcome.

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And you thought it would never end.

November 17, 2018 Rivergirl 13 Comments

Huzzah!

You’ve reached the final Berkshire vacation post, and for those loyal bloggers who read all 28 of the previous posts….

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I’ll end the vacation saga ( told you it would take me longer to blog about it then it took me to experience it in real time, I told you!) with the last part of our Hyde Park visit, Top Cottage. A stone retreat lovingly built by FDR to escape the everyday stresses of work and family. We scheduled the 4:00pm tour, the last of the day… which is why the husband was running me through the library on the previous post. He kept checking his watch and giving me the look, saying we’d be late and miss the bus. Rush, rush, rush.

So we got to the main building with it’s marvelous mosaic map of the property…

Found the bus..

And wondered why no one had boarded, or was even waiting in line to do so. That’s when I looked down at my watch and realized the husband’s watch was an hour off.

Friggin’ daylight savings time…. not to mention clueless husbands who don’t pay attention. We had almost an hour to kill.

So we wandered the main building, watched another ~~mind numbingly boring~~ riveting historical film and found this –

Which came with a funny story.

Nice to know me and the hubs aren’t the only married couple with polar opposite artistic tastes.

So, blah blah blah….. Top Cottage.

Nestled in the woods, on top of a steep hill with a driveway that is only a few feet from the front door to make FDR’s wheelchair entrance easier… this was the only picture I could get.

While the ranger was a great tour guide, full of interesting facts and stories…. I have to say the cottage itself was a bit of a let down.

The living room was set up for a lecture with modern furniture.

The walls were bare and there were only a few remaining original pieces.

(High five if you can name FDR’s dog without looking it up.)

But it was quite surreal to sit on the unassuming porch and realize that Winston Churchill did the same.

Some of the most important decisions of WWII were made right there…

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We didn’t have time to tour Val Kill… Eleanor’s retreat, and later home.. on the property.

But we did get a peak from the bus.

And then we were done with Hyde Park.

And the Berkshire trip.

Period.

End of vacation photos.

Except for this…

An unusual back seat driver I spotted in the parking lot…

Because who doesn’t love a spooky sloth riding behind you and breathing down your neck?

😁

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FDR library … Part Two

November 16, 2018 Rivergirl 17 Comments

After the Art of War exhibition, we headed deeper into the library itself. It was set up chronologically and started with a d~~eadly boring~~ wonderfully informative film.