Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Day trip to Vermont

Yesterday, I took a day trip to Vermont (aka Green Mountain State)with my oldest son, Tommy, and granddaughter Lily.  The ride to the White River Junction area is about 3 hours from my house, here in southeastern Massachusetts, depending on traffic. I let Tommy drive my SUV, and I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. We left the house early so we wouldn't hit the Boston morning commute traffic. The day started out warm, and humid when we left, and occasionally we would have sprinkles of rain on the windshield as we drove past Boston. It was still early when we were driving into New Hampshire. I snapped a picture of mists rising off the trees in the mountains thru the windshield of my car.
.8.8.11 VT mist rising off the mts 
This is a photo taken in Hartford, Vermont of an old train engine that traveled thru the Green Mountains of Vermont. 8.8.11 VT Train photo Hartford 8.8.11 VT Tommy and Lily at the train Tommy and Lily
The following photos were taken at Quechee Gorge, Quechee, VT. From the photos you can't see how deep the gorge is, but believe me it is deep! I'm not big on heights but I did look down to see how rapid the water was running thru the gorge. In one section of the gorge there is only a narrow strip that the water rushes thru the rocks. I love listening to the water roar as it travels down stream.
8.8.11 VT Quechee Gorge sign8.8.11 VT Quechee Gorge railroad sign
8.8.11 VT Quechee Gorge narrowing of the gorgewhere the gorge narrows
8.8.11 VT Quechee gorge1
8.8.11 VT Quechee Gorge looking up the gorgelooking up the gorge
     8.8.11 VT Quechee gorge rapids closeup1 Looking straight down, and zooming in on the narrowing of the gorge below
8.8.11 VT Quechee Gorge fishingI used my zoom lens, and took this photo of someone fly fishing way, way downstream at the gorge. Without the zoom the fisherman was a speck in the distance.
We also saw my grandson Chris, who lives in Vermont, and his little baby boy, Kyler. Kyler looks just like Christopher did when he was a baby.
8.8.11 VT Kyler and Chris3Chris and Kyler
 8.8.11 VT Kyler closeup face Such a good, happy, baby
 Chris and Kyler
8.8.11 VT Tommy and Kyler2Tommy and grandson, Kyler
8.8.11 VT Tommy and Kyler5
8.8.11 VT Kyler and Tommy on the floor5 8.8.11 VT Kyler and Tommy on the floor6
8.8.11 VTChris Kyler Tommy on the floor
8.8.11 VT Kyler eating pears1 hurry up and give me another bite of those pears, please
We stopped an ate at a old diner in Quechee
8.8.11 VT Lily at the VT dinner1 8.8.11 VT Lily at the VT dinner Lily standing inside the doorway of the diner
8.8.11 VT Wurlitzer music box at the diner a Wurlitzer music box was in the diner
8.8.11 VT carousel the VT dinner Carousel in Quechee near the diner.
8.8.11 VT carousel the VT dinner Lily Lily on the Carousel
There was a big antique mall near the diner, and after we ate we went into the shops and to the antique mall. Lots of great stuff, but pricey. We stopped at a General Store, and I bought a quart of Maple Syrup..Fancy grade, which is the lightest and best grade of syrup.  At the Cabot Cheese store there was a wooden cow with a cut out hole in the face. So I made my granddaughter put her face in the hole..she wasn't very enthusiastic while doing this for me. My son, thought it was funny.
8.8.11 VT Lily cow face  Lily
 8.8.11 VT Tommy cow face Tommy being a good sport

We had a really nice day in Vermont, and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to go away for a day and to have no responsiblities . On the drive back, we hit lots of traffic. Before hitting Boston, you have to go over the Zakim Bridge. I took a picture of the bridge thru the windshield. As you can see the dark clouds.
Earlier in the day Massachusetts had some really bad rain and thunderstorms. The clouds were still threatening and looking like it wanted to rain some more, as you can see.
8.8.11 VT trip..zakim bridge heading into Boston
I love going to Vermont. Usually, my husband, Tom and I will go up for long weekends, or even a weeks stay. When we go we head to Ryegate, and stay at my brother, Larry's vacation home, which is across the street from Tickle Naked Pond. Funny name for a pond, don't you think? (LOL)   Anyway, when we are in Vermont, we travel all over the state, but I especially like going to Stowe and Montpelier, but all the towns are fun to explore. So green and in the fall the leaves are so beautiful. I love the old homes, white churches with tall steeples, village greens, general stores, nature and wildlife, mountains, cool breezes, cows grazing in the fields, white birch trees. I saw my first wild porcupine in Ryegate, VT near my brothers place on one of our visits. The New England states are all beautiful to me, except in the winter, as I don't like the cold and snow.
elaine signature3

6 comments:

Alicia B said...

Wow Elaine, LOVE your pictures! It looks like you were WAY high up above the water- I would be a nervous wreck, LOL But, like you, I LOVE to hear water run in a natural habitat. Your grandchildren are adorable and minus the cow, Lily looks she had a grand time and something wonderful to tell her classmates about when she goes back to school! *Hugs* and thanks for sharing!

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Looks like you had a wonderful, refreshing day out! Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos!

Sharon Huffman said...

Thank you for sharing your day with us! I've always wanted to visit New England and for now will see it through your eyes. It looks like you all had a great time!

Barbara said...

What a fabulous day you had! New England is my first choice of places I'd like to live, any one of the states. Being in NJ isn't too far from that, but not the same. I absolutely love that first misty photo, especially. Is there perhaps some art inspiration in that one?

Joanne Huffman said...

When I was little, we used to vacation near Burlington on Lake Champlain; and when we lived in Great Barrington MA, we would take day trips to Vermont. It was nice to visit it again in your blog.

Jacquelyn said...

Lovely photos! You certainly did a lot in one day- thanks for sharing the photos of your family in the Cabot cow cutouts. Precious!
~Jacquelyn