Goodbye Vermont

The end of the vacation is always a bummer, and the drive to Burlington is quiet. The trees have changed in a week, and I take pictures as if I've never experienced a northern fall. 

I plan next fall's vacation in my head, deciding we shall return and drive up the eastern coast, staying in the various Wyndham resorts in the area. I know Tom will not ask me what there is to do when that time comes. He's enjoyed himself.

Returning home was an all day affair, with a four-hour layover in D.C. We ate a delightful meal at the airport. Read and stretched our legs. The flight was uneventful, and I regretted wearing my Steelers sweatpants once we exited into the Florida heat. 

Thank you, Vermont. It was a fab vacation. We will be back!

Vermont vacation - day seven

We spent the morning working. Tom was in his makeshift office, and I was on the porch. The weather is beautiful. I'm going to hate returning to the heat. 

I was knee-deep in some good novel writing when Tom appeared.

Him: "I booked us for a ride through the mountains."

Maybe the euphoria of cruising along on this novel is why my brain went to a motorized vehicle.

Me: "Awesome. When?"

Him: "I registered us for 3:00 p.m. You might want to change your clothes."

Me: "Are you nuts? It's going to be in the 80's. I'm not wearing long pants."

Him: "Yeah, but you might want to while on a horse."

That stopped me cold. Literally, icy fingers strolled down my spine. I froze in the patio chair. My eyes watered as I stared at the man I'd been married to for almost thirty years.

Me: "Have you lost your *&^%$ mind? Do you know me? Do you not read my blog? Listen to anything I say?"

Tom: "What do you mean?"

I had no words. Instead, I shot off a text in our family group, telling my kids their dad had booked us for a horseback riding tour. Immediately, Oleg responded.

Oleg: WWWHHHHAAATTTT? Cara, you HATE horses!"

Darcy: "Oh, Dad."

Maddy sent an emoji of a smack to the head.

So, years ago, when Tom told me he heard the ocean when I spoke, he wasn't kidding.

I've written about my hate of horses HERE and HERE and HERE

Believe me, all of those stories have been told numerous times. NUMEROUS TIMES.

Me: "You'll have to call them back and tell them there will only be one rider. I will not, no matter how much money is offered or how much you beg, go on a horse. I promised myself after the last excursion that I wouldn't, and I'm sticking to that. Ask your kids. I'll go with you to the facility like I did when Maddy and Darcy rode horses in North Carolina, but I will not get on a horse. Hell, I'd rather zipline than get on a horse, and you know my fear of heights."

I stared at him.

Me: "Or do you?"

That he remembered. 

On the way to the facility, I read to him the blog entry about my last horseback riding excursion. He laughed through the whole article. Glad he thought it was funny. 

At the barn, the person signing Tom in asked if I'd changed my mind. I politely told her no, but when a second person came out and asked me, I wasn't as nice.

Me: "I WILL NOT go on a horse. EVER. Thank you, but no thank you."

Tom said I was vicious. I told him I didn't give a damn.

He did take the offer of a helmet, which made me snicker. I think my blog story resonated. 

He hadn't been on a horse since he was a kid. No one else had signed up, so it was Tom and the guide. They walked over the property, seeing some wildlife and talking. He enjoyed it. I did not enjoy my time as I had done in NC, where I sat in a rocking chair chatting with the owner.

I started out at the picnic table, thinking I'd continue writing. But they had terrible country music playing loudly from a speaker, and the flies were in full force, landing on me twenty/four seven. I moved to an Adirondack chair off to the side, thinking the flies wouldn't follow. Instead, one of the women appeared to tell me they'd painted that chair earlier and hoped I hadn't gotten paint on me. (I hadn't, it was long dry)

But it was a long hour. 

Still, Tom had a great time, and I listened to his trip as we wound through the mountains and found a pizza place for dinner. 

We have enjoyed our time on the East Coast and hate to head home tomorrow. But all good things end at some point.

Tom: "But we'll be back."

Just not on horses!

Vermont vacation - day six

 

After breakfast, we visited Shelburne Farms, an educational nonprofit focused on sustainability.

Eliza Vanderbilt and her husband, William Seward Webb, created the farm in the 19th century using the Vanderbilt fortune. They purchased land from 33 farms, nearly 4,000 acres, from the original settlers' families and hired a landscape architect to lay out the farm, fields, and forests. A New York architect designed the buildings. They planted new trees, consolidated and/or tore down buildings, removed boundary walls, and plowed over roads to make new ones.

In the 20th century, the estate became too expensive to maintain, so Eliza's heirs focused on dairy and sheep farming. They formed a nonprofit in 1972 and bequeathed the property to it in 1986. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark District.

It is a thriving dairy farm committed to sustainable agriculture, healthy local food systems, and education. They also make cheese and sugar and have a large organic garden.

We could have stayed all day. There was so much to do and see. Instead, we followed the guy's recommendation in the welcome booth and hiked half a mile to the farm. Coming out of the woods to the first view of the structure is amazing.

We moved through the buildings, watching them make cheese, bake bread, and feed the animals. We sampled cheeses, bought a dark chocolate cherry loaf, and hiked through the orchard and flower garden. It is definitely a place to return to on our next visit because we didn’t see the house, the inn, or hike the many trails despite spending half the day there. 

We bought some sodas and gifts at the Farm Store and moved on to our next tourist destination, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. It’s the largest maker of teddy bears sold online. The founder made a teddy bear for his son, and it grew from there.

They had a factory tour, but Tom wasn’t keen on it since a tour bus had dropped off a load of older adults. Plus, honestly, the bears were not all that impressive. And they cost a fortune.

Tom: “Build-a-Bear does it better, in my opinion.”

I had wanted to do the tour, but I had to agree with him. They were subpar bears for a fortune. 

We left, drove to Burlington, and walked around downtown. We had hamburgers and cocktails in a restaurant we picked and then walked along the waterfront.

The trip back to the resort was peaceful, and we loved how much the trees had turned since we'd arrived. 

All in all, a great day.