Heading back to the resort for the last time it looked like there was a hole in the sky…
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And before long we were approaching the Notch.
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These signs are on both entrance sides to the road and it took me a few minutes to figure out what they were talking about.
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TT’s won’t fit?
How odd.
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As we entered the Notch, rain. I swear the mountains make their own weather.
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Godzilla barfing?
No, just falling rocks.
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Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but the road is positively pink. Vermont has the oddest color tar in places. Perhaps it’s mixed with Ben and Jerry’s Strawberry Shortcake…?
Since our neighbor was caring for Lord Dudley Mountcatten… as well as feeding the fox and deer.. a thank you gift was required. This meant dragging my husband shopping and you know if it isn’t antiques he isn’t happy.
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A bottle of local Vermont wine…
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And some Vermont chocolates were perfect, but then I lost the husband in the store.
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You knew he’d find something vintage, right?
He actually collects these old gas station oil bottles and was thrilled to find a complete set with the holder. He was less than thrilled to find they were being used as decoration and not for sale.
He was so grumpy about that he wouldn’t let me go back and purchase this special maple syrup.
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Which in hindsight was probably a good thing…
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Because as soon as I saw they had various Dog liquor I wanted one of each.
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But at nearly $200 for the pair it’s a good thing they were under lock and key.
Our pilgrimage to the Tamworth Distillery was a success.
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And yours truly has laid in an ample supply of her favorite plum gin. (Ample as long as my husband has learned his lesson and stops offering it to every Tom, Dick and Harriet who cross the man cave threshold that is. )
I picked up another treat while we there…
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Because if you’ve never had a crusty wheat loaf made with the booze soaked grains from a distillery? You don’t know what you’re missing!
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The husband wanted a few bottles of this heavily raspberried red wine from the little winery in the woods we visited, so I’m adding another glass to the collection as well.
And because it’s always a good idea to keep your local bartender happy?
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I purchased this ( oh, so tiny but ridiculously expensive ) bottle of special small batch rye as his Christmas gift.
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I should probably give him my copy of Stiff as well.
And seeing that we had nowhere pressing to be, we headed for the woods.
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Or rather a house in the woods, up a steep driveway, to what looked like a converted garage.
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The fact that it was filled with antique radios…
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And vintage wooden snowshoe molds made my other half feel right at home.
We were warmly greeted, offered a plush seat at the bar and handed a sampling menu.
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For a small batch home spun winery, they had a large list and we each chose 5.
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Since vineyard grapes don’t grow in Maine (too cold dontcha know) the wines were heavily fruited alternatively. Apples, cranberries, pears, blueberries… even a coconut lime that I had to try even though I knew it would be awful.
No surprise – it was.
There were one or two that were tasty, but I have a hard time taking a winery seriously when they offer PB&J. 🤢
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And oh… if you were wondering how the place got its name, or what in the actual Hell a whipple is?
Here’s a hint: they made a lamp out of one and now my husband wants to make his own for over the new pool table.
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“Whippletrees are used in tension to distribute forces from a point load to the traces of draught animals(the traces are the chains or straps on each side of the harness, on which the animal pulls). For these, the whippletree consists of a loose horizontal bar between the draught animal and its load. The centre of the bar is connected to the load, and the traces attach to its ends. Whippletrees are used especially when pulling a dragged load such as a plough, harrow, log or canal boat or for pulling a vehicle (by the leaders in a team with more than one row of animals).”
And yes… of course my husband owns three of them, even though he’s never had a horse, ox or donkey.
River's world..... 