Our Last Winter Weekend

It was raining in Connecticut but snowing in Vermont where we were staying last weekend.  Sixteen inches, in fact.  Beautiful!  And Vermont is wonderful about keeping the roads clean, though less devoted to stairs and paths--mainly because everyone is hearty and in boots, I think.  (I can't imagine what folks with mobility issues do up there.)  I loved having a last winter hiatus, especially as I type this in the middle of a Connecticut spring rainstorm.  An added bonus?  Uncle Goo joined us.

A few highlights:

• SNOW!  Oh how I love snow.  Snow on the evergreens, snow on the fields, snow on the houses, snow on the mountains.  Falling gently.  I watched it most of Saturday.  I was, however, unprepared for the hugs glacial chunks sliding off the unique Vermont metal roofs with disturbingly-loud thuds.  Frightened me the first few times.  Surprised us all.  Who know you had to watch for falling icebergs?  Turns out, all Vermonters know (because apparently there are tragic accidents every year.)  






• So, we were very prepared for the snow, with all of our winter gear.  I even did alright in my boots, with my crampons on.  But, my coat had been left behind, which we didn't realize until we were there.  Thankfully, Goo had an extra jacket that would keep me dry and under which I could wear layers for warmth.  Saved the weekend because, though we checked, there weren't many coats left on the sale racks.  
• I love the VERMONT COUNTRY STORE!!!  Sure, it's a touristy institution, but I love the diversity of goods from soups to nuts, hats to hand lotion.  We got our usual favorites--Vermont Common Crackers, "Today's Cut" cheese, Vermont Summer Sausage, chocolates for the kids--and a few other things like a little pair of earrings for me, vanilla orchid hand lotion, wild blackberry lip balm, a carousel tin of caramels (I have a thing for carousel tins.)
• MacLaomainn's Pub:  our evening meal on Friday at the local, family-friendly Scottish pub, owned by a real Scotsman.  Goo got haggis, which Bud loved.  The rest of us had less adventurous fare--cock a leekie soup, auld reekie beef stew, bangers and mash, mince with tatties and skirlie (an onion-and-oats saute), and sticky toffee pudding.  SO good.  
• Games, games, games.  How is it that I belong to a family of gamers?  Goo loves them, all types.  The kids and Mama are a bit more selective but will try most any game once.  We played Uno, Oregon Trail, and Snake Oil.  In Oregon Trail, I "died" of a snake bite and Bud wrote my tombstone like a FB post.  "Marmee died of a snake bite.  Comments (1) So Sad.  14 likes."!!!!!  Snake Oil has you pitching fantastical products (using the item cards you are dealt) to a customer with a particular profile (hermit, rap star, Viking, mortician, etc.)  Goo was wonderful at voices and banter.  The best product?  A "Meat Beard" for a Viking.  There were also computer games--Goo brought his new Nintendo Switch and Bud got to play a bit of the new Zelda game, Breath of the Wild.  He was ecstatic and talked Zelda all weekend.
• SKIING  Mama and Sis hit the slopes at Killington, while the rest of us did our own thing.  I crocheted and Zentangled; Bud and Goo went off wandering together.  The first day of skiing was very hard and challenging, with snow falling and lots of powder.  Sis, who had taken to it immediately, had a lot of trouble with it.  But the next day was beautiful--blue skies and groomed slopes--and she persevered and had so much fun on the slopes.  She and Mama met one of Mama's coworkers who took them on the most appropriate trails.  Sis learned a bunch from him (he skies almost weekly and has a house up there; the mountains are his backyard.)

  

  
  

  
  
  
  











• I went on a mountain peak!  For most of the ski time, I sat in the K1 lodge at the bottom (well, not the very bottom) and crocheted while watching the beautiful snow.  It was just amazing to see the skiiers and snowbaorders.  And I had a beautiful view of a little rivulet and some trees.  But on Sunday afternoon, I went with everyone on the gondola up to the very top of Killington.  I was petrified at first, not liking heights, but I got used to it. And when I could look out--to the peaks of New Hampshire and also New York--it was amazing.  I didn't quite like walking around on the snowpack, scared of falling off a mountain, but I did love the view.  I admit to shedding several tears at the sight (and for my pride of quite literally conquering the mountain, so to speak.)   






• GLASSBLOWING:  Mama finds the most interesting activities and is the best travel agent.  We were all excited by our personal glassblowing lesson at Hot Glass in Manchester.  It really is an amazing process.  And though I'd seen the like on tv and studied the glass of Egyptians, Romans, and Gothic cathedrals, it's amazing to make the magic with your own hands.  Though, I was definitely very wary of the molten glass and hot steel.  But no burns.  And we made the most amazing articles:  Goo made a blue carafe; I made an "opal rose" and white flat-bottomed vase; Mama made a forest green and white cylindrical vase; Bud made a red and white wavy bowl; Sis made a pink and teal regular bowl.  Bud's was the most amazing to watch, as he and our teacher dipped his molten sphere in a wavy mold and then spun out the now-wavy lump that flared into a beautiful bowl.  We picked them up the next day and they're all lovely.  






• Country Girl Diner and Sugar & Spice:  two more delicious meals, both with pancakes!  Country Girl Diner is even in an old polished-chrome dining car.  
• We were supposed to go dog sledding, but the heavy snow coupled with some quick meltage made conditions unsafe for the dogs.  Next time.  Besides, with the free time, we were able to take that gondola ride.  And I have a feeling we'll be back in Vermont next winter!

Catch Up: Last Weekend

So, I've mentioned that it's spring break here in our part of Connecticut.  Three years ago, we went to Disney World.  Two years ago, England.  Last year, well, I recovered from major emergency abdominal surgery.  And this year . . . not much.  We'd thought of doing Vermont, but a few of the places we wanted weren't open yet; ditto, Quebec.  Also ditto, Hershey Park, PA.  And I'm not going to DC with every American 8th grader for spring break.  So, we're having a little staycation, so to speak.

Friday night, we headed into "upstate" New York, i.e. Westchester, which was always upstate when I was in NYC.  There is the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, which advocates for, protects, and, when possible, re-populates wolves, including gray wolves and Mexican red wolves.  And we went to an evening program to learn about wolves--and to howl with them!!  We only saw four of the resident wolves, the ones trained to be ambassadors to people; the other wolves are not accessible so that they can breed away from humans and their pups can be re-introduced into the wild.  The wolves we saw were beautiful, with those silver eyes and the lanky walk that always says "wolf" to me.  I have heard wolves at the CT Zoo howl before--and it fits every cliche--spine tingling, blood curdling, heart stopping--I've never heard anything as scary as when those wolves began howling at a siren on the highway in the distance.  So I was a bit nervous about hearing that howl again.  We watched them be fed--talk about circling like sharks and even dancing in unison as they tried to anticipate the toss of the raw meat (from Whole Foods, no less!) over the fence--and then we howled at them.  And one of them howled back!  So one howling wolf is okay.  Earlier, and from a distance, when we were watching the informational film in the little center, we heard a howl begin and thought it was the film.  Nope, it was many of the wolves at the conservancy.  Still not as chilling as the zoo ones.  And that's okay.    Sis wondered what it would be like to be a vet to wolves . . . maybe one day she'll find out.

We had dessert first, passing through a town with an ice cream parlor-candy shop combo.  Mmmmm!  Salted caramel.  Black Raspberry.  English Toffee.  Chocolate Lace in Cream.  And Sis's very delicious Frozen Hot Chocolate with Belgian chocolate, milk, ice, and a touch of cinnamon.  So good.  And THEN we hit the Jelly Belly display, loading up little bags with our favorite flavors for the ride home:  tutti frutti, tangerine, mixed cocktail (margarita, mojito, strawberry daiquiri), mango, Grape Crush, cream soda, plum, crushed pineapple, coconut . . . .

And just in case that wasn't enough, we actually did eat dinner--at a diner!  We have had diners on the brain since Providence and so ate at one on our route home.  Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with green beans in tomato sauce, chicken tenders and french fries, lasagna, a hamburger, iceburg lettuce with ranch dressing. Mmmmm.

And then, completely unrelated, I have a new bicycle!  My last one had been lost in the garage accident four years ago and I hadn't really missed it until recently, when Mama and the kids started riding together more.  I always did like riding my bike, with the feel of the wind in my hair and that sense of whooshing through space--the same feeling I liked on boat rides and rollerskating.  But I hadn't thought about riding after my surgery because of my weak core.  My PT said when I could easily push a grocery cart around the store without my brace for 45 minutes that I could try a bike.  I got to that point awhile back but the winter weather wasn't conducive to riding.  Until recently.  And so, we got me a "beach cruiser" bike, with high handlebars and pedal brakes just like I like.  And, well, it's just like remembering how to ride a bike.  Except I'd never worn a helmet before!  I've been zipping around the cul-de-sac, just like I did 35 years ago at home.  Feels so good.

In fact, we've been outside a good deal, for us, recently.  With the warmer weather and some sunshine, albeit not in the last few days, we've been tossing a ring Frisbee thing around (not a solid Frisbee, more like a a flat coronet.)  We're not great shots, but we can go round robin with lots of laughing and encouragement.  As long as we stay clear of the blossoming hyacinths (my favorite) and daffodils.

If the weather holds, maybe we'll go out to the zoo to see the local wolves.

And then, this weekend:  owl prowl!