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You can’t use it, but you can laugh… and that’s always better.
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That’s what I call payback.
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You heard it here first Mark.
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I don’t care if you liked Barack or not, you can’t beat that for cool.
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Yes, there really are sneakers for horses now.
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It’s hard to argue with that logic.
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Proof positive there is such a thing as too much tech.
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The undiscovered country is always the best.. and when we travel, we love nothing more than stumbling upon a place we never knew existed.
Enter Lake Willoughby in Vermont.
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Imagine randomly picking a road to travel home and finding this.
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Not being in any hurry, we stopped.
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And groaned at the bad grammar.
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But bad spelling aside…. wow.
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There was a path that ran alongside part of the lake and though I wasn’t dressed for hiking, I happily headed out.
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This is a glacial lake and every part of it was glorious.
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My pictures don’t really do it justice, but in spots the colors were positively surreal.
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The wind was ripping and I couldn’t feel my nose, but we pressed on.
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Being careful not to trample any seedlings.
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Mountains, rocks and a glacial lake.
Yes please.
To be continued…
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All good things must end and after a wonderful 5 days in Vermont our mini vacation did.
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Vermont. The state where even private driveways have covered bridges.
As we left the resort and headed for the Northern Kingdom, I found proof it does exist.
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If only I could have found the garden.
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A lonely cemetery.
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The Kingdom is another world. Rugged, mountainous and sparsely populated.
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With some rather odd inhabitants.
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And as we were heading home, we discovered a hidden, and heretofore unknown to us, gem.
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Lake Willoughby.
To be continued…
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I was told in no uncertain terms not to string lighted garland in the man cave or bedeck it’s sacred male space with red Christmas bows… so I didn’t.
But I wasn’t told anything about wreaths.
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Or Santas and stars.
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Or pinecone reindeer with shiny ornaments hanging from their antlers.
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Or festive bar placemats.
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Or winterberry trees with bundled up birdies.
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Or glass jars of sparklies with mini glitter trees.
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And speaking of trees…
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I wasn’t prohibited from those either.
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Silly man. He really should learn to be more specific.
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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.
😉
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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.
😳
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Just down the road from the snowflake museum…
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We discovered a gem.
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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.
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Because everyone has a favorite film.
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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.
2.
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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.
3.
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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.
4.
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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.
5.
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.
So how about you?
What movie can you watch again and again….
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The other half of the Old Red Mill building in Jericho, Vermont was what I’d really come to see.
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No, that’s not a commentary on ultra left liberals.
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Named after Wilson Bentley, the museum celebrates the life of the first man to ever photograph snowflakes.
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We take photographs of everything for granted now, but trust me this was a big deal at the turn of the century.
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They even had his original camera.
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Imagine dragging that around in the snow.
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The museum was understandably small, basically just one room.
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And judging by the fact his favorite quilt, sewn by his mother, took up a whole wall…
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Exhibits were hard to come by.
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I tried to take a selfie with Bentley, but the lighting was wrong and left me with nothing but a giant glare.
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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.
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River's world..... 