Checking In From Vermont

I love it up here!! Do I really have to go back on Monday? It took a little over 4 hours to get here yesterday, but it was worth it. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much snow yet, but they're expecting some tonight, tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, and so on and so forth. My kind of weather!

Last night Brian had to go to a meeting for the ski clinic, so I was on my own with Becky (our cocker spaniel) for a few hours. Staying in Two Dog Lodge, a hotel that caters to dog owners, is interesting...one dog barks, and then they all reply. Just as I would doze off (as I was exhausted-I was in my pjs by 4:30PM!), it would start all over again, oftentimes with my dog starting it. Thank goodness they all settled down eventually so I could get some sleep. But not much since Brian and I had to get up early to get him to the clinic on time. I had to drop him off by 8AM; fortunately, we are only 2 miles from the base. The only problem is I discovered at 1:30PM that he forgot his ski boots in the truck!!!! I don't think he will be a very happy person when I see him again at 5PM. (Cell phones don't work up here, so there was no way for him to contact me...)

So while he was skiing (I hope!), I ventured off to St. Johnsbury in search of the Dog Chapel. I'm terrible at reading maps. I can pick out a route to get to my destination, but I have no idea how long it will take. This one took nearly 2 hours, including my quick stop at a well-placed (and the only one I've seen in VT) McDonald's for a pee break. The artist who built the place, Stephen Huneck, also has a gallery there. I was aware that the gallery would be closed and wasn't all that concerned...his artwork is phenomenally expensive for me. But I thought the chapel would be open. It was not. So Becky and I, after driving almost 2 hours just to see this place, had to do our best to see what we could from the outside. There was a doggie door that was not locked, so I peeked at the inside through there and took one photo. :) Hey, I came all that way to see it...I better see something! There are supposed to be beautiful stained glass windows; I could see them from the outside, but it wasn't the same. Guess I'll have to go back in the summer. Photos below...







After that, once again, I had to pee so badly. Fast food places are not exactly abundant and I'm still not so desperate as to attempt gas station bathrooms, but I also knew it would be nearly an hour and a half back to that McDonald's. I remembered that on the way I came, there was a sign for the Cabot Creamery, another place I wanted to check out. As fortune would have it, heading the 6 miles off my path to get there was worth it; I was rewarded with one of the cleanest public restrooms I have ever used. And some tasty cheese, of course!

We went back to Stowe after that, arriving back in town at about 12:30/1PM. I stopped in some of the shops, but didn't really find much to catch my eye. Everything is so expensive. They had a beautiful shop of baby clothes but again, too expensive. So Becky and I walked a bit on the Recreational Path (a paved 5.5 mile path in town). It was slippery with the inch or so of slush on the path, and I found that I'm tiring easily these days. We walked maybe a total of one mile before heading back to the hotel. Becky did some laps around the dog play yard, and then we headed back to our room to rest. I wanted to sleep, but all I can think of is how upset Brian will be about the boots...there's nothing like going to a ski clinic to work on your technique (that cost big bucks) to end up in rental boots that you're not used to. Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes...

Tomorrow I'll go south toward Ben & Jerry's (yum!) and Warren/Waitsfield. We stayed in that area back in March on a ski trip. It was a nice area that wasn't touristy at all...a place I could see myself living someday. Someday...