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Autumn in New England. The pumpkins, the apples, the brightly colored foliage. You really can’t beat it.
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Nice try Florida, but you’re not even close.
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The poor man has been eating tofu burgers and kale sausage… can you really blame him?
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Gee, here’s an idea…. how about cleaning the litter box you freakin’ idiot.
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I think the parent foxes have booted the kids out of the den. They’re here every evening now.
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Seriously, no one needs to know this stuff.
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After reading that, I’ve come to the conclusion my beloved Red Sox are just phoning it in. Rather like their playing this season.
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Yeah, right. Do they think I haven’t seen Children of the Corn?
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A three foot long earthworm? That’s a large amount of ick factor.
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Of course it is.
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I’m going to have to take their word for that.
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Thank you, but no.
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As we headed out on the morning of our only full day in Vermont ( 3 days, 2 nights is simply too short a trip) we enjoyed the leaves and the scenery and headed for what I was told was the best bread in the state.
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The Red Hen.
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It’s a bakery and cafe.
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So we sidled up to place an order.
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And watched the pros at work.
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I grabbed two loaves of fresh bread to take home, (a crusty peasant white and an unbelievably tasty lemon rosemary) but had to try a mushroom toasty while we were there as well.
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The husband had some sort of homemade soup I didn’t get around to photographing because my sandwich was simply too divine to ignore. 3 types of sautéed mushrooms with spinach and melted cheese on whole grain bread. Sounds simple but there was an unidentified herb in the cheese and it had me smiling ear to ear.
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Clearly this long armed chicka by the door could have used one.
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Onward….
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If you’re a mushroom fan like me, this picture might make you drool.
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Mm… yes please.
Titanicus fungi, the butter is melting. Come to momma!
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His Lordship, completely sure he heard a mouse.
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My other half is not a huge zucchini fan, but I’m thinking these could change his mind.
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Amen to that ladies.
And, as promised…
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While I’m not usually a fan of costumes for pets…. I admit this one made me smile.
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Since resort check in wasn’t until 4:00pm we had some time to kill. And when you have time to kill in this area of Vermont? You drive through The Notch.
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It’s basically a road cut right through the mountain and it’s one of my absolute favorite drives.
Twisty, turny and littered with glacial granite boulders…. it’s a rock lovers dream.
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Not that it’s the easiest road to navigate mind you. The switchbacks are breath taking, the proximity to boulders cringe worthy. In places you’re absolutely blind and are left crossing everything you have that nothing is coming the other way when the road narrows so tightly only one car can pass.
My husband drives it like sport.
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On the other side of The Notch? Stowe… a lovely village I’ll highlight later. And in Stowe?
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An amazing local brewery.
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We had to stand in line half an hour to get in, on a Tuesday, at 2:30 in the afternoon. It’s that good. I was willing to wait longer to sit in one of the artfully decorated dining rooms (the giant velvet cow print couch was calling my name) but the husband snatched two seats at the bar as soon as they became available.
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One flight in…. on an amazing polished copper bar, we were already loving this place.
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The Kolsch was delightful, the Pink and Pale seriously puckering.
And since we were at a brewery….
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I had to try the monster soft pretzel. Not only does Idletyme brew their own beer, they make their own beer cheese and grind their own mustard. A win win.
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As was this hot spiced cider with rum. Hey, when in Rome…
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My chargrilled mushroom Swiss burger with crispy onions and Caesar salad was good, but my husband’s choice?
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Ooh la la! So beyond the normal pub fare … we might have drooled. Butternut squash ravioli with maple cream sauce, sliced almonds and a hint of cayenne for bite. It was utterly fabulous.
Too stuffed for dessert, we headed back through The Notch and it’s amazing selection of rocks.
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And mini waterfalls breaking through at random intervals.
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And by then, it was time to check in.
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Yes, the resort is named after The Notch… which was originally used by smugglers and bootleggers. Yet another reason to love it.
A little history if you’re interested…
With cliffs on either side that sometimes reach a height of 1,000 feet, it’s also easy to see how very few people would have been caught on their way to and from one country to another. The landscape looked completely different in the early 1800s and there were far fewer people – and towns – meaning this region was even more remote. After former president Thomas Jefferson passed the Embargo Act in 1807, the restriction of trade between countries had a drastically negative impact on the state of Vermont. As the state shares a border with Canada, this trade route was by far the easiest to use, and once that was cut off there were many citizens and businesses that suffered in the northern part of the state.
This route was not only used for trading. Fugitive slaves would also utilize the route to make their way through Vermont and into Canada, which gave it another historic purpose.
The use of Smugglers’ Notch didn’t just end there, though. As Vermont progressed into the 20th century, they would be subject to yet another restriction – this time, on alcohol. When Prohibition came about in 1922, the state was lucky enough to have opened Smugglers’ Notch to automobile traffic. This meant that those using the route would no longer need to cross on foot or horseback, which opened up even more illegal trade route options. In this case, it was Vermont’s loophole during the time when it was legally a dry state.
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*Not my photo , but it gives you a better idea of the scope*
The Notch is closed to tractor trailer trucks due to the precarious turns, and though there are ample signs warning them not to enter, a few idiots try it every year, getting stuck and causing horrible traffic jams and back ups.
The entire road is closed for the season starting in mid October so we were lucky and slipped in right before the gates came down.
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Because news you can use is so over rated.
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Well, it would have to be.
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Yes. Dead man’s fingers and references to livor mortis get my gastric juices flowing every time.
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This article is a sad commentary on the state of our nation.
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Do you even care?
It’s India btw.
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This should not come as surprise to anyone. Husbands? Children?
Paycheck suckers, the lot of ‘em.
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While it’s true my face may not be as firm and tight as it once was…
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I have no desire to cover it in Pepto Bismol rubber either. Sometimes the price of beauty is too high.
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Is it? Because that doesn’t look the least bit appetizing to me. I need my meat to bun ratio a lot lower than this.
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Would duct tape work just as well?
Asking for a friend.
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I saw this remarkably accurate John Wayne doll in an antique store the other day and was ready to lambaste the seller for spelling effigy incorrectly…. until I did some research and discovered Effanbee is a company that produces collectible dolls. It’s a good thing my husband didn’t see it. I don’t need that horror staring me down in the man cave bar.
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I see your dogs playing poker velvet wall hanging and raise you one toothless, cigar smoking set of gambling scallops.
My money’s on the straight flush mollusk.
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I was sifting through our kitchen cabinet the other day for a box.
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Yes, I admit it…. every once in a while I cheat and use Shake and Bake. It’s easy and the husband loves it. So sue me.
But as I was sifting through boxes, cans and bags I came across this:
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Hmm. It looked a little different from the first one I pulled out… and when I turned it over I realized why.
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Proof positive I need to clean out the cabinets more often.
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With thanks to Martin who knows about my life long aversion to kale.
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This does not surprise me, not one little bit.
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Heck, I cry if forced to eat kale, why shouldn’t they?
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Clearly my mother never ate that noxious weed while pregnant.
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Though she did have a fondness for alcohol, which explains a lot.
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I’ve been waking up in the morning to completely empty bird feeders, which is odd because I refill them every evening. Usually this means the deer are back… but we’ve only seen one or two wandering around lately. Then last night, I flipped on the light at 10:00pm.
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Busted!
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The seed thief caught in the act.
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If you think those pudgy raccoons aren’t limber, I’ve got news for you …
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They can shimmy up and down poles as well as a squirrel and hang by two feet at will.
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Excuse the poor quality pics, I was shooting through the window.
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When Fatso finished emptying the feeders, he plopped down on the ground with the skunks.
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Who were none to happy to share and gave him their business ends.
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Cute little masked devils.
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River's world..... 