Vermont Vacation

My neighbor Carol grew up in a large Victorian home in Montpelier, Vermont. This is the state capitol in case you are geographically challenged like me. Did you know Concord is the capitol of New Hampshire? My husband likes to quiz servers at restaurants to see if they know their state capitols.

Anyway, years ago the mansion was sold and eventually a developer came along and wanted to turn the remainder of the estate into condos. So Carol and her siblings purchased the land and the caretaker’s cottage to use as a getaway home. Carol generously offered it to Mike and me and we invited Adrienne and Jimmy to come along for a weekend adventure.

So, a few weeks ago Mike and I took off for Montpelier. It is about a 7 hour drive, the first 3 of which are on the interstate. It is the last 4 hours that get you. All narrow, windy 2 lane roads, double yellow no passing lines everywhere and you are not on any one road more than 20 miles. Even MapQuest had a time with this one, shooting out 2 full pages of directions. Jim and Adie were coming from Boston, a more doable 3 hour drive.

Anyway, we stopped in the famous Saratoga Springs for lunch and it was such a beautiful day – all the leaves were shimmering in the sun and it was mild in temperature. And all along the highway there were tons of colorful pumpkin patches. We got to Montpelier late in the afternoon and explored the town and had dinner. I also found a large grocery store and was able to stock up.

Let me tell you about the house. It is 220 years old and has been updated – I mean it has plumbing, heat, a stove, hot water and all the essentials. It is really a charming cottage, very near the village. The only real problem was there was only one TV and it was in the bedroom Adie and Jim were using. I actually went without TV for THREE DAYS. I know, boo-hoo.

Adie and Jim arrived very late on Friday and on Saturday morning we all took off for Burlington, a beautiful ski area and the location of Vermont College. Burlington has a really nice downtown shopping area with a great farmers market. Jim and Mike explored Lake Champlain while Adie and I shopped and then we all met for lunch.

Saturday night Adie and I cooked dinner, and then we all played Taboo. It was a lot of fun. It is so nice to be a parent with grown children you really like that are married to people you also really like. Mike and I were sure lucky to get Stephanie and Jimmy.

Sunday, we went to a brunch Carol recommended. The New England Culinary Institute is located in Montpelier and the students put on a brunch each weekend. It was fantastic – a pasta station, carved meats, specialty omelets, salads and fruit, wonderful breads and desserts to die for. The rest of the trip was spent enjoying the local shops and the beautiful scenery. “Leaf peeping” really is an art!